Interested in getting a head start in the workforce? Looking for a class that will reduce the amount of time spent in a trade school by half? For students interested in an automotive technology career,  the auto program here has recently been certified, making its students legitimately trained in automotives. 

Auto tech teacher Joseph Cousin discovered his passion for teaching through his Youtube channel. Before getting hired, he posted videos about cars on Youtube. When the position opened up, he described it as being the perfect opportunity. 

“My favorite part of teaching has been watching the students grow,” Cousin said. He’s taught many kids from their freshman to senior year. 

Senior Alec Bachar is now in his second year of auto tech. “I like the class because it is super easy, and there are absolutely no downsides,” Bachar said. He plans on pursuing a career in the automotive industry after graduating. 

For around half of his time teaching, a goal of Cousin’s was to get the program certified. He prioritized this because it would allow students to get enough work experience to make $30 an hour straight out of high school. After over a year of hard work, the program was certified this trimester. 

This means students can now either go to only one year of trade school after graduation or attend during summers all through high school. Both options are significantly helpful financially and time-wise. 

Although it is Elijah Wery’s first year taking auto at Poway High, he has taken classes on the topic before. He finds the program here to be much more informative than the school he used to go to. He believes that auto offers a lot more everyday benefits as compared to other classes on campus. 

“The class’s certification is kind of a big deal,” Wery said. He believes that it is a good opportunity for students who will take auto all for years of high school, because they could immediately be hired for better positions such as chief technician. 

“Everyone is super excited about it,” Cousin said. The changes in the curriculum will definitely make a difference to students wanting to turn their interest in automobiles into a career.