Episode 016 describes AJ Fields’ work-study experience

Today we are going to talk with another person who helped finance his technical education by serving as a workamper at the RV park adjacent to the Big Red Schoolhouse in Athens, Texas.

AJ Fields is a mobile RV repair technician based out of Oklahoma. He wasn’t always working as an RV technician. In fact, he was a former air traffic controller who took training just to learn how to fix his own RV. During that class, he decided to become an RV inspector.

While he was taking that course, he saw the opportunity to make a good living as an RV technician. After he found a way to help finance that training, he attended all of the advance classes as well.

AJ was able to accelerate the process because his wife, Phyllis, also worked at the RV park. They worked 16 hours per week to cover the cost for a campsite at the Texan RV Park, but they also worked extra hours to generate more credit so that AJ could complete the training faster.

By doing jobs around the Texan RV Park along with his wife, Phyllis, AJ was able to accelerate his education because they earned $10 toward the cost of his training for every hour they worked doing jobs around the park and at the academy.

To earn the credit, AJ was involved in construction of the academy. He laid carpet tiles on the floor and installed false ceilings in the restrooms and classrooms.

AJ Fields was one of the first people to take advantage of the work study program developed by the National RV Training Academy.

As AJ completed one training course, it seemed that he became aware of new opportunities, which required more training. He paid for the introductory training course, but they applied work study credit to cover the cost off additional training.

That put him on the fast track for learning how to fix a variety of RVs. Like AJ said, it is almost impossible for someone to learn how to fix all the different equipment on an RV, let alone all the different RV models, on their own.

He was especially appreciative of the variety of equipment he was exposed to at the Texan RV Park and at the National RV Training Academy. The training was so thorough that AJ is comfortable helping troubleshoot problems over the phone for other RV owners.

The training also aided him in opening Home on the Road RV Services to offer a variety of services to people from inspecting RVs to showing people how to use their equipment to fixing problems when they occur. You can find out more about AJ and his company at www.hotr-rv.com.

There are a number of courses available at the National RV Training Academy in Athens, Texas. The academy’s one-week live training or home study course will teach you everything you need to know to fix about 80 percent of the problems people experience with their RVs.

You can also sign up for additional training to become an RV inspector, campground technician or to provide mobile RV service. For more information, visit www.nrvta.com.