A building made from steel panels houses over $100,000 worth of auto-mechanic equipment, custom built Jeep Wranglers that are worth $70,000, and one guy that dropped out of a four year college to pursue his passion for engines.
DeAnthony Milling, born and raised in East Atlanta, is covered in sticky grease and fleshy cuts. You can see the joy in his eyes as he’s constantly distracted by loud motors and talking about the new line of Wranglers.
“I could have been an accountant,” Milling said, “but then I would have still been in school, racking up a crazy amount of debt, then working in a field that has the highest rate for suicide.”
Milling, who has suffered with depression in the past, did not think that would be a good plan for him. Instead, he put all his time and effort into rebuilding his own engine in his Jeep Cherokee, that eventually led to a job at Fortec in Roswell while he finished his MOPAR-CAP degree at Gwinnett Technical College.
“I come from a working family, so me going to a four year college was a little out of the ordinary to begin with. My brother is a farmer and my dad is a carpenter. There wasn’t much emphasis on education, so when I told them I had been accepted to Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, there was a lot of confusion.”
Financially, Milling wasn’t supported by his family. He had to take out loans in his own name with nobody to co-sign for him.
“I just couldn’t handle all that stress during my first year. I didn’t know how scholarships worked, I didn’t know how to take out loans...the stress of all the classes was just too much. I found myself working more on my Jeep than I was completing homework.”
Working at Fortec, Milling has completed countless jobs on Wranglers, ranging from putting lifts on Jeeps, putting new tires on, replacing bumpers, and putting a signature white dot on back axles of every Jeep he’s worked on.
“The dots are there to see who worked on what car. It’s like our signature color or calling card. It’s fun to see different Jeeps when we’re on the road and saying ‘hey, I worked on that one’ or talking about how shitty that one job was.”
What’s interesting about Milling’s decision to leave a four year college to pursue a technical degree, is that he’s not alone in that decision. More young adults are now deciding to go through trade school as opposed to getting their bachelor's degree. Being able to go into the workforce faster has its perks and allows students to receive the education and skills without worrying about how to pay back loans.
In 2013, America faced a major trade job shortage as baby boomers debated retirement. Last year, this infographic still states that America is lacking skilled labor, including mechanists, civil engineers, and, taking the lead for highest demanded skilled job, construction. Now that baby boomers are actually going into retirement, instead of just pondering it, the need to fill the shortage is becoming urgent, but luckily there’s a large portion of the student population that chooses to go into the workforce over college. These individuals are being paid higher now than the past; top end construction managers make about $3 dollars less than anesthesiologists per hour and $2 more than petroleum engineers. These numbers have such small margins, it’s no wonder students are choosing trade school jobs over traditional school.
“Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I continued my accounting degree.” Milling says. But, he can’t see himself working behind a desk. He never had his dream cubicle or fantasized about a skyline office view.
“I’m proud of him when I think about how far he’s come and what he’s going to do,” Milling’s brother, Demetrius, said. “I know that one day, he’ll own his own garage.”
When asked about owning his own shop, Milling laughed and brushed off the question.
“It would be nice, but then I would be wrapped up in paperwork and not behind the hood like I want to be. I had the chance to be an office surrounded by paperwork. I gave that up to do something I loved.”
That is the highlight of the new normal-- people are doing what they love instead of following a predetermined path to a job they will most likely hate.
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