(ABILENE, Texas) – Jacob Villagomez admits that a career as a mechanic was in his destiny.
He began his path in 2018 at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus. The McAllen native enrolled in the Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology programs but had to withdraw from school.
“I had some personal issues at the time, and that led me to join the U.S. Army,” he said.
Villagomez was stationed at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, where he worked as a mechanic. After four years of service, Villagomez returned to Texas.
“I needed a change of scenery,” he said. “My uncle works for Eagle Aviation (in Abilene), and he told me about the internship program with TSTC.”
Villagomez enrolled in TSTC’s aviation maintenance programs in Abilene this spring, hoping to begin an internship. Many TSTC students work at Eagle Aviation through the company’s internship program, according to TSTC instructor Andy Smith, who himself once worked as an intern there.
“I decided to move to Abilene because of possibly getting an internship and working with my uncle,” Villagomez said.
A career in aviation was something that Villagomez felt was a good opportunity.
“It gives you a chance to travel and work with your hands,” he said. “The competition for positions is through the roof.”
The need for aircraft mechanics and service technicians in Texas was forecast to grow 16% between 2020 and 2030, according to onetonline.org. The average annual salary for a technician in the state is $77,640, the website stated.
Villagomez likes the learning environment inside the program’s aviation maintenance hangar at the Abilene campus.
“It is a very secluded area, and the focus is purely on us as students,” he said. “There are no distractions.”
With a goal of earning an internship, Villagomez said he talks with his uncle about the industry.
“I met a lot of his friends at Eagle Aviation, and I like what I have heard,” he said. “There is a good comradery of people that work there.”
Villagomez said he is looking forward to the hands-on aspect of the program.
“I like to be in class, but I am ready to get out in the hangar to work on the planes,” he said.
Smith said Villagomez has shown him a determination to be successful.
“Jacob will have a long and storied career in this industry,” Smith said. “I am looking forward to seeing what kind of aviation mechanic he can be.”
TSTC offers Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates of completion in both Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology at its Abilene, Harlingen and Waco campuses.
To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
