Alex Zepp loves his job at a John Deere dealership, and not just because he loves working on equipment. He loves his job because he never knows what he’s going to be working on or even where he’s going to be working.
As a service technician at James River Equipment in Wilkesboro, NC, Zepp spends time in the shop, working on equipment from compact tractors and combines to forestry and construction machines. He says he never sees the same project twice.
“I love the sense of accomplishment and pride I get when I finish a job and it's done right,” Zepp says. “It's almost instant gratification when something you’ve fixed goes out the door into the field and runs. You know for sure you’ve done it right the first time.”
Zepp spends most of his time out in the fields, working with equipment that farmers are counting on to get back to work—fast.
“When I’m a service road tech, that’s the best. I love it,” he says. “I'm responsible for myself, I'm working independently, and there's no supervisor standing over my shoulder.”
Zepp, who graduated from the John Deere TECH Program in 2004, says there’s no better place than the TECH Program to learn John Deere systems.
After Zepp graduated from the TECH Program, he won the North Carolina Skills USA competition. Skills USA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations. “I beat out a student from a diesel truck school,” Zepp says. “Then I placed 13th out of 76 at the national competition in Kansas City, Mo. I attribute my success in the competition to the TECH Program.”