Grainswest - Tech 2022

Tech 2022 grainswest.com 31 inside in the winter, where you can work outside in different locations in the summertime. It’s very interesting,” he said. “For me, it’s been most satisfying to find and repair problems. Whether it’s a noise in a transmission, a wiring or hydraulic problem, you can’t see it but you have to fix it. It’s the most satisfying when you do fix it.” Best of all, MacDonald said the job comes with lots of opportunities for growth and positive challenges that demand critical thought. “There are a lot of things to understand,” he said. “There is good training available for all of it.” Owing to MacDonald’s entrepreneurial spirit, he spend less time these days on the tools and more time in the management seat. It’s often a natural progression of being a business owner, but he is glad to develop a new skillset and work to make his business more efficient. And that’s the big takeaway from Schmeiser’s perspective. The opportunities for ag mechanics are endless. Often, many go on to long, successful, fulfilling and lucrative careers. “It’s in high demand,” he said. “The salaries have come up substantially, workplaces have improved substantially; these are really exciting times for an industry that is growing. “We have a world population that is growing and our manufacturers are coming up with sophisticated tech and customers are taking advantage of that. It’s not a dying industry, it’s an expanding industry.” Similarly, Daley at Olds College said the position of ag mechanic could not be more different today from what it was 40 years ago when he was a student. “They are now a very highly trained, specialized person that can make this as big as they want,” he said. “The world is your oyster in ag right now. You can take this and run with it, become a specialist; you can have life balance, great wages, a great place to work. Young people need to be made aware of that. It’s not the greasy coverall guy working in a shop anymore. It’s a great world to work in.” Olds College offers a heavy equipment program that has seen steady enrolment. Most students receive employment offers prior to graduation.