Christopher Peterson

On the road once again, this time OTC stopped at No Cages Harley Davidson in Plain City, OH - catching up with Christopher Peterson. He graduated from VTTT-03 in March 2015. "The American V-Twin program with the added Associate Degree was just what I wanted. Life worked out where that was the perfect time for me to enroll." He admits to having no prior knowledge of motorcycles. "I made a decision based on passion, not money." Peterson started his tech career at a used motorcycle dealership in the Columbus area and gives a lot of credit in that position to help him get where he is now. "If I could encourage current students to understand one thing, it's that they should never close themselves off to learning. They will never know everything. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new, and make you more valuable to your employer." A motorcycle accident broke his left arm and derailed his tech careeer, but opened new opportunities in parts and service. Currently, Peterson is a Service Writer at No Cages Harley Davison. He says it requires him to really listen to the customer's complaints about how the bike is performing and ask a lot of questions. "It's like being a reporter. I need to know the who, what, where, when of the problem so I can narrow it down and come up with a realistic quote to fix it." Peterson says if he didn't have a solid understanding of the mechanics, he wouldn't be as effective at this new position. "Being successful in this business is really about being versatile. Take criticism and learn from it. Don't burn your bridges, as this is a tight community. Be willing to jump in and help out when needed."