(SWEETWATER) – Devin Klar, 20, of San Antonio is a Wind Energy Technology student at Texas State Technical College. Klar, a 2015 alumnus of Judson High School in Converse, is scheduled to graduate in May with an associate degree.

How did you pick your major? “I grew up going back and forth to the coast and saw the turbines. I jumped on the computer and started looking at schools to go to that offered classes. I started doing some digging around. My father was in Abilene for work, and he talked to some guys who worked for a wind company and they mentioned Texas State Technical College.”

How have you enjoyed attending TSTC? “It’s more than what I expected. It’s a lot of hands-on work with great information that I have learned. It’s been a great time going to school here.”

Have you worked through college? “I started working at the Nolan County Coliseum Complex in Sweetwater in the fall. I wait for people to come in and open up stalls for their animals. I make sure the stalls have the amount of shavings they ordered and make sure the visitors are happy with what they got. I have a pretty good work schedule. I have a son back in San Antonio and go back and forth every other weekend. It’s been a wonderful experience, and I’ve been very blessed to have what has been given to me here.”

What are you looking forward to in working in the wind energy field? “The future that it has, the large growth that it is capable of producing with renewable energy. It is the ability to travel, too, and lots of hands-on work.”

Texas had the most wind turbine service technicians in the nation in 2015 with more than 1,200 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. West Texas and The Woodlands-Sugar Land-Houston area have the largest concentrations of wind energy workers in the state.

Wind Energy Technology is offered at TSTC’s campuses in Harlingen and Sweetwater. For more information, go to tstc.edu.