Nick Bolick Brings the Nashville Tradition to his North Carolina Hometown
1978 Grad Enjoyed a 25-Year Career With Ryder Transportation Services
When Nashville graduate Nicholas Bolick took a job teaching Automotive Technology at Maiden High School in Maiden, NC eleven years ago, it was a real homecoming. He had graduated from Maiden High in 1973, and went on to continue his education at Nashville Auto-Diesel College (NADC) – the future Lincoln College of Technology campus in Nashville.
“Attending NADC was a life-changing event for me,” Nick says. “My education there provided me with opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise had throughout my career.”
Nick trained at Nashville for a career in Automotive Technology, continuing a family tradition – his father was also an auto mechanic. From his small town roots in Maiden, Nick found friends from all around the country at NADC; classmates were from as far away as California, New York and New Jersey.
While he trained at night, Nick was able to hold a full-time day job at a transmission shop – where all of his co-workers had attended and graduated from NADC. “There was so much talent in that shop,” he says. From his day job to night classes, Nick and his classmates would sometimes then work on each other’s cars by the light of a local car wash.
After graduating from NADC in 1978, Nick went on to complete his Associate’s Degree from Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC. He also launched a 25-year, 5-month career with Ryder Transportation Services where he started out as a technician but was soon promoted to District Trainer and ultimately District Manager. After a stint as a Corporate Trainer with Salem National Lease, he returned to Maiden, NC and joined the high school faculty.
“I’ve recommended the Nashville campus to many of the students I teach,” Nick says. “And I want them to understand there are many opportunities available to them if they’re passionate and focused about pursuing Automotive Technology careers.”
For Nick Bolick, those opportunities began to open up to him when he made the decision to follow his dream and enrolled at NADC for Automotive and Diesel career training. He believes that decision is what separated him from many others who had an interest in working on cars, but not the technical skills they needed. “Most guys graduate and do the same thing for 30 years,” he says. “I was able to advance from mechanic, to instructor and trainer, to district manager – and now I’m teaching the next generation of mechanics. I feel fortunate that through my education, I’ve been able to work with so many others and help them achieve their best.”
For 95 years, the Nashville school has been the place to turn for people like Nick Bolick who want to turn a pastime they love into a career with potential for growth. As the campus celebrates its 95th anniversary this year, follow the Nashville95 blog, to learn how so many successful, rewarding careers have been launched – and how many lives have been changed – at this landmark training institution!
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