Putting it all together is one goal for BCSS Grade 12 student Ryan Rexin – taking a welding course so he can tack it down and make sure it stays in place is another.
“I am really looking forward to being able to go out and basically start picking the stuff I want to do, like getting my job and start moving forward from there,” he told BCSS Career Councillor Pam Storie during his grad transition exit interview.
His long-term goal is to become a welder with C, B and A class tickets and eventually become a millwright. He plans to apply at the mill for a summer job. If that doesn’t pan out then he says he will head to the Okanagan and apply at a procedure shop.
His short-term goal is to build up some savings that will get him through his C ticket course that he wants to get into in the spring of 2015.
After getting his C ticket he will go out to work and gain some experience before going back to get his other tickets and hopefully one day become a millwright.
He’s taken shop courses at BCSS when they were available and is familiar with the parts of an engine and the tools used in the trade.
When asked why he chose welding he said, “I tried welding once in mechanics shop and I thought this is really neat to do. I can see myself doing that.”
Ryan’s favourite courses were the early sciences— how and why things work the way they do as well as the fitness courses. “I enjoy taking care of my body and exercising. Makes me feel good.”
He has gained certificates through the Fire Suppression course.
When asked how he has matured he said he has learned that as you get a little older that people won’t take care of you forever and you have to make your own life decisions.
“I know I will have to get a job and a savings account to cover my course and if I need it later.”
Among his strengths he lists paying attention to detail when working, making sure he completes the whole job and his good communication skills. He is accomplished at operating a reel mower, tractor mower and excavator.
Ryan has spent his whole life in the Boundary. His favourite hobby is hiking or playing soccer with his friends or floating down the river during the summer.
For an inspirational quote he picked, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.”