There is an old quote by Francis of Assisi that says, “He who works with his hands is a laborer.  He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.   He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”  It’s hard trying to figure out what you want to do as a career for the rest of your life.  So many choices and options are available, along with expectations and peer pressure, that it can make the process overwhelming.  Many choose their education and career path strictly based on what is expected of them instead of doing something they enjoy.  We’ve all heard the saying, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”   Meet Wiregrass Georgia Technical College student, Kaylon Odum.  After serving in the Army for six years, Kaylon tried his hand at Commercial Truck Driving and decided that was not the career for him made the decision to change careers and find something he really enjoyed doing.  “I had always been interested in learning how things work, along with electrical and plant maintenance, so I decided I needed to go to school.”
 
Because of his time serving our country, Odum qualified for Veteran education benefits to help pay for college along with HOPE and Pell Grants.  Odum is enrolled in the Industrial Systems Technology Diploma program at Wiregrass.  The Industrial Systems Technology program helps prepare students for employment in a variety of positions within the industrial maintenance field.  Graduates from the program are qualified to work as an industrial maintenance technician, electrician, or mechanic.  Students receive hands-on training in several areas of industrial maintenance including electronics, industrial wiring, motors, controls, instrumentation, fluidpower, mechanical, pumps and piping, and computers. When trying to decide on what career path Kaylon wanted to pursue, he researched and learned that Industrial Systems jobs earn good and are in demand of skilled and qualified employees.  “I knew because of my interest in this area this would not only be a job I would enjoy, but could make a good living at doing,” shared Odom.  After being in the program, he feels he made the right choice and so does his instructor Drew Vickers.  “He’s a hard worker and puts his all into his work,” shared Vickers, who serves as the Department Chair for Technical Education and the Industrial and Electrical Systems Program Coordinator. Because of his hard work, Odum will represent Wiregrass this spring at the state SkillsUSA competition.  He will be competing in the Motor Controls category.  What’s next after college for Odum?  His plans are to find a job working in the Industrial Maintenance field in South Georgia and return to Wiregrass and further his education by taking online classes to complete the associate of science degree in Industrial Systems.