Alumni Profile: Graduate found direct path to auto career in own backyard

When Matt Jaeger decided he wanted to work in the automotive industry, he didn’t have to look far to find the program that would be the right fit for his needs. A graduate of The Master's Academy in Oviedo, he'd seen signs for Seminole State College of Florida for as long as he could remember.

Jaeger entered the Automotive Program at Seminole State in August 2012, and took courses in automotive service as well as electrical/electronic systems, among others, before he graduated from the program in December 2014 with his Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree.

Today, Jaeger works as an express technician at Holler Honda, one of the largest and most respected Honda automotive dealerships and service centers in the state. In this role, customers rely upon him to quickly and efficiently assess any scheduled maintenance or mechanical issues, and to perform service requests such as oil changes, vehicle alignments, and brake repairs.

Jaeger credits his education at Seminole State with providing the foundation necessary to quickly enter the workforce after graduation. In fact, it wasn’t a matter of weeks but mere days after he submitted his application before Holler called him in for an interview.

When asked about particular coursework or professors that made an impact on him while he was a student at Seminole State, he quickly listed an electrical systems course taught by Professor Bill Weber among his favorites. He also credits a course on diagnoses and repair taught by Professor Carlos Vasquez as one of the classes that helped him become so adept at diagnostics. 

“I really appreciated all of the real-world experience that the professors at Seminole State brought to their roles,” Jaeger stated. “You could tell they had all actually worked on cars before. They didn’t just present in the theoretical; they could bring actual case studies to us so we knew what to expect once outside the classroom.”

When he’s not busy at work, Jaeger enjoys heading over to New Smyrna Beach to fish, and he carries his love for automotive into his car racing hobby, which he usually does in the Daytona Beach area.

Seminole State College's Automotive Program offers training in automotive repair, alternative fuels, automotive management and more. The program, which includes degree and certificate options, is accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and meets the requirements for Master Accreditation, the highest level of achievement recognized by NATEF. To learn more, visit seminolestate.edu/automotive, or call 407.708.2230.