David Erickson
Missoulian
Although they were born four decades apart, a father and son from the Crow Nation in south central Montana will graduate this spring together from Missoula College.
Aaron Shane, 20, and his father, Robert Shane, 60, are both earning their two-year degrees in the diesel technology program at the college.
Robert said he hopes his story will compel other nontraditional students to enroll in college to get degrees and realize their dreams, no matter their age.
“I guess I hope I inspire somebody out there,” he said.
He actually enrolled the first time 30 years ago, but wasn’t able to finish.
“And I regretted it all these years,” he explained. “I regretted not going back.”
When his son enrolled in Missoula College, he decided to check and see if the credits he had earned all those years ago were still good. Turns out, they were. So he joined his son and they’ve been working on projects together, like rebuilding a diesel engine for a semitruck.
“I decided to come back and you know, graduate with him,” Robert explained. “I thought that’d be pretty neat. I always wanted to work with him. It’s been great.”
Aaron Shane said he wanted to get a diesel technology degree because he had worked on trucks with his dad and other members of the family when he was growing up.
“I just knew that you can make a great career and get good pay,” he said. “Especially growing up, watching him. If you put in the hours you can make a great living from it.”
He plans on going back to the company he interned for this past summer.
“They took the time to teach me what I already didn’t know,” he said. “Everyone’s pretty outgoing. We all try to help each other and learn from each other.”
Robert said the technology has changed quite a bit, but there’s still an old motor he built sitting on the shop floor at Missoula College’s west industrial technology campus near Fort Missoula.
“I’m glad I came back because now I know I can diagnose better,” he said. “Everything’s electronic nowadays.”
They both agreed that Missoula College has the best diesel tech program in Montana, maybe in the entire region.
“This is the best school in the state,” Robert said. “The instructors are really good. You learn a lot from them and you get hands-on on everything. So I think it’s the best school in the state, maybe even in a lot of states.”
In fact, he’s planning on staying in Missoula because he believes the job market is strong here.
He said he hopes people like him aren’t ever afraid of going back to school.
“I guess it ain’t too late in life if you ever wanted to get a degree,” Robert said. “It’s up to them. One of my uncles was maybe 62 and he went back to get his master’s. So he kind of inspired me.”
Jim Harris, the diesel instructor for second-year students at Missoula College, said it’s been great having the Shanes around for the last two years.
“It’s a pretty unique situation with those guys,” he said.
But he knows that because of the hot job market for people with mechanical skills, they won’t have to look far for jobs.
“In fact, all of our students now have jobs,” Harris said.
David Erickson is the business reporter for the Missoulian.
This article was originally published in the Missoulian.