“None of this would have ever happened, if it weren’t for a little college in a little town, nestled in the cornfields of Illinois. You never know where the greatest treasures lie, so look everywhere.”
Connor McCabe of Oklahoma came to Spoon River College to enroll in the Diesel and Power Systems Technology program. With a passion for all things rail related, he had a specific interest in the Locomotive Mechanical Certificate, offered through the DPST program and possible through a unique partnership with Johnson Community College and their NARS (National Academy of Railroad Sciences) certified training program. Now the 2024 graduate is back in Oklahoma working as a locomotive mechanic at South Kansas and Oklahoma RR.
“SRC’s diesel program is second to none, with the most knowledgeable and experienced mechanics you’ll ever meet. You can walk in on day one with zero knowledge of anything mechanical, and graduate with the ability to work on anything that has an engine, hydraulic system, electrical system, you name it!”
Connor’s mother posted this on the college’s FB page: “Our son graduated over a year ago. We still consider SRC an incredible school for an affordable price. He has a terrific job (secured before graduation), was trained incredibly well, and gets to earn a living doing exactly what he loves to do.”
As for leaving home and traveling 700 miles to a small rural community college, Connor had this to say: “I’m glad I came. Moving hundreds of miles away from home to a place where you know no one and no one knows you forces you to rapidly discover what you’re capable of, and who you are as a person. Don’t write the flyover states off as boring! Illinois has some of the most interesting, intelligent and hardworking people I’ve ever met, with some of neatest cities and towns, too; lots of them look like paintings waiting to be made.”
For more information about the DPTS program, visit Diesel and Power Systems Technology