help them succeed as they move forward in their lives . “ There ’ s a lot of personal development we put in the class to not only make them better technicians but also better people ,” Greg Hobson said .
The classes at the Perfect Technician Academy follow three different paths — a one-week technician helper class , a four-week technician class to become a maintenance technician , and a six-week technical class to be a service technician . These classes are taught a minimum of nine hours a day , six days a week .
One of the reasons they chose such a strenuous schedule is , according to Brett Hobson , “ That ’ s the way the world works . When we partnered with a trade school , the classes were three to four hours a day and that creates an unrealistic lifestyle expectation . This industry has much longer hours . It ’ s a six-day a week , nine-or-morehours-a-day job . We want to provide the students with a realistic expectation of what the industry is really like .”
“ Most of the people who come to our school are employed in the industry by another company ,” Greg Hobson said . “ They are sent by our competitors , usually in other markets , to hone their skills and get better .”
The students who graduated during this class were a mix of newbies to the industry , as well as those with as much as a decade of experience . Two were even international students referred from a company headquartered on Grand Cayman Island . The two of them traveled 2,222 km from the island to Weatherford and can ’ t say enough about the training they have received as well as the support from the school ’ s leaders .
“ When we started with electrical , it just started clicking in my brain that this is what I needed to know ,” Daniel from Grand Cayman said . “ Now , I am one thousand times more confident in myself than when I started . I ’ m eager to get back in the field to apply my knowledge .”
Other class members ranged from as close as Granbury to as far away as Pittsburg , Penn . New members to the industry said about the class , “ I ’ m looking forward to finally having a career in a field that ’ s stable , in a field and industry that will always be here ,” David from Glen Rose said . “ As long as people are uncomfortable there will always be a need for service technicians .”
“ It gives you an in-depth look at the system and how it works , why it works ,” David from Big Spring said .
Others who had more experience had this to say : “ I was surprised at how much I didn ’ t know and about how incorrect I was about the small parts of the bigger picture ,” Jim from Abilene said .
Others remarked on how the instructors were willing to go the extra mile to make sure that the students understood the concepts by coming in early and staying late on their own time to give extra help when needed . “ One of the first things Brian Hobson said on the first day here is they are not going to teach us how to use a screwdriver , they are going to teach us how to be a technician and teach the science behind it … . They explain why and how it does its job , a certain part ,” said David .
“ It ’ s definitely a great experience . I like the technique that they use relating theory with practical work . I think that ’ s good for you to know how things work and then put it into practice and see it . It ’ s not just you doing it on paper , you get to work with your hands . A lot of people aren ’ t just visual learners . They learn by doing it themselves ,” Nathan from Grand Cayman said .
“ One thing I learned , and I liked what they said , is that before you leave this class you will be able to rip a unit apart and put it back together ,” Raymond from Odessa said . “ I feel proud of myself because that ’ s what I did . I took apart one of the units and put it back together and I could do it . I learned what the components are and what they do . I believe in this class .”
The Perfect Technician Academy is located at 1412 Greenwood Road in Weatherford . For more information , visit their website at www . perfecttechnicianacademy . com or call them at 817-618-5658 .
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