The Road to a Dream Career
For Eddie Gonzalez, the road to a dream career is long, but filled with opportunities to learn, help others, and make a difference in his slice of the world.
It was a normal Tuesday afternoon for Eddie Gonzalez as he headed home from school. Nearing his house, he spotted three older ladies huddled around the open hood of their car. After a quick stop to grab some tools, Eddie returned, ready to lend a hand.
When he arrived, Eddie immediately noticed how far beyond their depth the ladies seemed. A jumper box rested on the ground, both positive and negative wires attached to one connector, with the slightly melting insulation to boot. A lack of knowledge, however, often comes with a simple fix. Pulling out his own set of cables, Eddie got to work — not only jump-starting the ladies’ car, but also teaching them, step by step, how to do the same in the future.
A love of learning has been with Eddie for as long as he can remember. For him, it comes down to being self-sufficient — capable of solving problems on his own. In a broader sense, he knows help isn’t always going to be available. The best thing to do in those situations, he says, is to help yourself.
After charging the battery and testing it, the conversation naturally turned to payment. But Eddie already felt he’d been repaid.
“I got to do something for them, so there’s no point in paying me,” he said. “I mean, I’d rather them learn how to do it than pay me. So when someone isn’t available, they can do it themselves.”
Walking a Path to Automotive
Eddie grew up all across Fort Bend County — an area where a set of wheels is essential. The roads stay busy, with cars and trucks seemingly everywhere. In 2024, the state of Texas reported over five and a half million registered vehicles in the Houston District alone, with around 700,000 of those from Fort Bend County.
That many vehicles means a constant demand for repair shops, making automotive mechanics a stable and highly sought-after career. Though Eddie is now working toward that goal, his first love was welding.
It began in high school when he and a friend decided to take welding classes. After a strong start — enough to make him believe it could be his lifelong career — he began to struggle before graduation. The skill demanded of welders wasn’t something Eddie, despite his best efforts, could quite master. Around that time, he received an offer to work at a local auto shop called Guy’s Auto.
Eddie admits the main reason he was hired was simply to be a pair of hands that could lift and move things. Still, over the past two and a half years, he’s gradually learned the ins and outs of car maintenance. After high school graduation, he decided that earning a college degree could help him move up and earn higher pay.
Looking for an automotive program close to home, Eddie initially applied to a junior college in Richmond. During the process, however, he heard from his friend’s mom that Texas State Technical College (TSTC) was opening automotive programs at the Fort Bend County campus.
A friend of his was already in TSTC’s diesel program and loving it, which helped solidify Eddie’s decision to transfer — along with the shorter drive.
“I learned a lot at my mechanic job,” Eddie said. “I thought I’d just come to college for a piece of paper, but it’s been much more than that. Here, it’s the technical side — the behind-the-scenes stuff I didn’t understand before.”
While TSTC has long offered automotive programs at campuses across Texas, Eddie is part of the first cohort in Fort Bend. As is tradition at TSTC, the instructors bring years of industry experience, and the curriculum is designed around current trends and needs in the field.
For Eddie, that means he feels confident he’s making the most of his time and money. In addition to working at Guy’s Auto and attending TSTC, he’s also picked up a second job with a friend at night fixing cars. Spending mornings at school, afternoons at Guy’s Auto, and evenings at his second job, Eddie says there isn’t a day that goes by where he isn’t learning something new.
Driving Toward His Future
Eddie is keenly aware of the need for mechanics in his area. As he drives around, he notices plenty of tire and specialty shops, but few all-around mechanics — and that’s the niche he hopes to fill. When asked where the idea to open his own shop came from, Eddie says it’s rooted in wanting to help others the same way he’s been helped.
Having started with no knowledge of the industry, he hopes to offer others that same opportunity — whether as employees finding their path or as customers needing affordable repairs. He hopes to follow his current boss’s example by allowing payment plans for those who need them.
“Opening a shop is going to be one of my biggest dreams to accomplish,” he said. “I want to make a difference for a lot of people — not just in the auto mechanic world, but in their lives as well.”
Eddie knows that in the shop, there are times when you might not have the exact tool you need. In those moments, you either go out and find it or make it yourself. In many ways, he says, that’s how he views his career and education — a long journey, one step at a time.
“I’m still learning,” Eddie said. “Everybody is. My plan is, hopefully by the time I’m 23 or 24, to have a house, some land, and my own shop. But right now, I’m good where I’m at.”
He recalls a time at Guy’s Auto when several customers came in one after another, each with small problems — an oil leak, a dead battery, a faulty compressor wire. As he worked through each issue, he realized this was exactly where he wanted to be.
Eddie may not ask for help often, but he loves being able to help others. In class, he’s always ready to lend a hand to fellow students.
On the road, he’s the first to pull over when someone’s broken down.
“I thought mechanics was just going to be a side job for me,” Eddie said. “But I love it. When I started out, I knew nothing, but I picked up things — and I’m still learning to this day. That’s one thing I can tell you: never stop learning.”