Rylan Jones, a Junior at Armuchee High School, is completing his work-based learning at Classic Collisions in Rome, Georgia. For the past two months, Rylan has learned how to fix cars and is going to use this skill in the future after he graduates High School in the spring. He said, “I learned how to fix cars and I’m going to work on cars as my job in the future.”
WBL has been able to allow Rylan to gain real-life experience. “I’ve worked on a Tacoma and I had to take the whole front top off of it and pull it on the frame machine.” While he has not worked at Classic Collisions for very long, he works hard every day. To every job comes hardships, but Rylan always stays persistent. Rylan said that the hardest thing about his job is “It is very hot outside.” Just like every other working teen Rylan looks forward to the basic things while also enjoying the hard-working portion of his job, “Yes I enjoy my WBL and I get paid and get to leave school early.” This helps him also persevere even when Rylan doesn’t always want to work. It is always okay to try something new that you have never done. Rylan said, “The only experience I have with fixing cars is the two months I’ve done WBL.”
Rylan said it was not a very hard decision when it came to whether or not he would be a part of the work-based learning program or not. “I wanted to make money.” Was the reason he originally wanted to join this program, but now for him, it has turned into so much more. “I work with the other body techs and they taught me how.” Rylan builds friendships and connections with his coworkers. Rylan expresses how grateful he is for this opportunity, for another benefit of this program is that he is set up for success after high school saying, “I get a job there after I graduate High School.” For underclassmen looking ahead to their High School career, Rylan said, “I definitely recommend to underclassmen who do not know what they want to do in the future”
Mrs. Floyd, a teacher at Armuchee High School, teaches Rylan in AP Seminar. “He’s a very critical and outside-the-box thinker.” In the classroom, Rylan is known for his humor. Mrs Floyd said, “He always keeps it interesting.”
