Alex Gill Found His Calling in NCST’s Diesel & Heavy Equipment Repair Program
Some people spend years searching for the right path. For Alex Gill, the path was always there — he just needed the right moment to take it.
Alex grew up in the driveway, handing tools to his grandfather, watching him work and absorbing everything he could. That early spark turned into a deep love for diesel engines and heavy equipment, and eventually, a decision to enroll in the Diesel & Heavy Equipment Repair program at New Castle School of Trades (NCST).
A Dream Built in the Driveway
Alex’s introduction to the trades wasn’t in a classroom — it was at home.
“I grew up doing all this,” he said. “Grandpa was always in the driveway, wrenching on vehicles, and I was fetching tools for him.”
While his parents had different ideas — hoping he’d become a doctor or a lawyer — Alex already knew where he belonged. Something about having a wrench in his hand and bringing a broken machine back to life gave him a sense of purpose nothing else could match.
“I’ve seen what I can do to a vehicle or a truck,” he said. “Just the feeling it gives me after I complete it — it makes me feel good.”
His grandfather eventually gave him a dirt bike as his first real project. That was all it took. What had started as a childhood hobby became a life goal.
A Detour That Led to the Right Road
Alex had originally planned to follow his grandfather into the Marines and pursue a career as a diesel mechanic. But when he was 17, his father passed away — and everything changed. Leaving home was no longer an option.
Instead of giving up on his goals, Alex refocused. He decided to stay close to his family and pursue his passion through trade school.
NCST wasn’t a stranger to the Gill family. His grandfather had gone through the welding program. His uncle had completed the motorcycle program. Friends had enrolled and come out the other side with good things to say. Alex had watched from the outside for years.
“I’m not going to lie: I was jealous,” he said. “I had to put my foot down and make a move.”
He enrolled in NCST’s Diesel & Heavy Equipment Repair program. For the first time in a long time, it felt right.
Hands-On Training That Actually Sticks
The NCST shop floor isn’t a place where you sit and wait for information to arrive. It’s loud, physical, and built around real problems that don’t resolve themselves. For someone who had spent his life learning with his hands, it was exactly the right environment.
It also came with something Alex hadn’t experienced much of before: instructors who genuinely wanted to see him succeed.
“They want to see you succeed,” he said. “They don’t want to see you fail. You come out knowing the general basics and understanding of how all this works — without having a fear of not knowing anything.”
That mentorship made all the difference. After years of being handed a textbook and told to figure it out, having an instructor step in, walk through a repair step by step, and make sure the work was done right — it hit differently.
“NCST was my first choice,” Alex said. “I would recommend it.”
Fixing Equipment, Helping People
For Alex, diesel repair has never just been about the machines. It’s about the people who depend on them.
He knows what it’s like to not have a vehicle. He rode the city bus through one of the hardest stretches of his life. He understands what it means for people to depend on a truck that works — and to have someone they can call when it doesn’t.
“I don’t want to see people struggle without a vehicle like I did,” he said. “When it’s broken, they have somebody to lean on.”
That’s part of why he’s always wanted to open his own shop — not just as a business, but as a resource for his community.
“Without the trucking industry, the diesel industry, the automotive industry, there would be no world,” he said. “Without the truckers, without us, you wouldn’t have clothes, food, nothing.”
Just Get Up and Do It
Alex’s advice to anyone still on the fence is simple — and it’s the same advice that worked for him.
“Find something that you want in life and set that goal,” he said. “Think of all the things you have to do to get there. Get up and do it.”
His story is proof that the trades don’t just build careers — they build purpose. Whether you’re fresh out of high school, navigating a major life change, or just tired of a path that never felt like yours, there’s a place for you on the shop floor.
Ready to work on the machines that keep the world moving? NCST’s Diesel & Heavy Equipment Repair program can have you job-ready with the hands-on skills employers are looking for.