T.J. Ellis didn’t always know what he wanted to do for a living, but a leap into CareerTech put him on the road to success. Today, Ellis is the service director at Jim Glover Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat in Owasso, and he credits his CareerTech education with giving him the skills and confidence to excel in the automotive industry.
As a high school junior at Stillwater High School, Ellis was uncertain about his career path. That uncertainty led him to enroll in the automotive technology program at Meridian Technology Center. Initially, he saw the program as a way to gain practical knowledge about cars, but it quickly turned into a passion.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a living, but the automotive technology course looked interesting to me,” Ellis said. “At the time, I figured it was good knowledge to have anyway, but I ended up loving it.”
The hands-on learning environment at Meridian Tech, paired with supportive instructors, kept him engaged and eager to learn more. He developed essential skills, including team building, determination, and a solid foundation of automotive knowledge. He also participated in VICA (now SkillsUSA) while at Meridian Tech and gained valuable leadership experience at the state level.
After graduating from Stillwater High School in 2001, Ellis continued his education at Oklahoma City Community College in the automotive service educational program and earned an associate in applied science degree from Northern Oklahoma College. His CareerTech background gave him a strong start, he said, allowing him to build on his automotive skills through manufacturer-specific training.
“CareerTech provided me with a great base to build on, whether I was going into college or straight into the workforce,” Ellis said. “It’s a foundation that prepared me for every step of my career.”
Now, as a service director, Ellis applies the skills he learned in CareerTech every day. He leads his team with the same determination and teamwork he developed in his early training, and his deep automotive knowledge makes him a valuable advocate for his customers.
“It has made me a better leader to my team and a better advocate for my customers,” he said. “I use these skills daily, working with both the people I work with and the customers we help.”
