Many students attend our Automotive Service Technician AAS and Diploma Programs to become auto mechanics. Even though the auto mechanic career outlook remains solid, Ben Aurich proves there are many career options for auto service technicians.
As a motivated competitor, Ben attended college at Northern State in South Dakota, where he played quarterback on their football team and studied Business. He entered the real estate industry and became a successful Title Broker from 2000 to 2007. When the residential housing market went down in 2007, Ben thought this would be an excellent time for a career transition as a 28-year-young man. He felt this was the right time to pursue his interest in cars. He enrolled as an older non-traditional student in the Automotive Service Technician program in 2009-2010 to pursue a significant career transition.
In the Automotive Service Technician program, Ben loved the learning experience of applying practical problem-solving techniques with various tools on a range of vehicles. He enjoyed “real-world” learning as he found out that this was all that mattered in the auto shop. Ben was impressed with how Instructor John Purcell would simulate real-world problems on a vehicle so students could troubleshoot an actual problem to solve various issues. He appreciates that Instructor Purcell gave him a solid knowledge base and enjoys his ongoing career support from his instructor some 13 years later.
Speaking of careers, Ben has enjoyed various jobs since graduating from Saint Paul College. He started as a Shop Foreman for Poquet Auto in Golden Valley. After several years in this shop, Ben bought a tool truck and sold tools for Cornwell Tools, becoming a Top 7 National Dealer in 2016. One of his customers was AAA Auto Parts in Rosemount, MN, and he took a job with them running their online sales. When their long-time salesman left and purchased Atlas Auto Parts in St Paul, Ben was asked to come with him and help grow their online presence. His other passion is Motorsports. He races his car in the Champcar series and Luckydog series at various tracks nationwide. He also is a traveling mechanic and pitstop tire changer on race cars for JDC Motorsports out of Savage. Ben wants future students to know there are many optional careers one can pursue with this technical education. Positions may include serving as a Mechanic, Tool Sales, Auto Recycling, Professional Motor Sports Dealer, Car Sales, and Auto Service Technician, to name a few.
Combining engine expertise with communication skills has opened many doors for Ben to pursue his passion for serving others in various related professions. Ben credits his accomplishments to his ability to work with different types of people as he shares, “Business is just people.”
