CHESTER, S.C. -- NewsChannel 36's "Quick Jobs" series focuses on training programs that can put you back to work in weeks.

If you've ever thought it would be cool to operate a bulldozer, we may have found the perfect job for you.

"We teach the students how to operate a backhoe, an excavator, a dozer, a top loader," said Ken Strickland, the construction trades program manager at York Technical College. 

It's a childhood dream come true for Julian Friday.

 "Something that I've always wanted to do," he said.

Friday is a student in the heavy equipment operator training program at York Tech's Chester campus. What led him here is something he didn't expect.

"We had a big layoff. I was working for Prologix out of Charlotte driving a truck," said Friday. "Married, got five kids at the house."

"Right now, that's about 75 percent of the students -- from airline pilots to people working in the banking industry," Strickland said.

Strickland says his most popular course is the six-week course, which teaches multiple pieces of equipment. The tuition is $4,995.

"We try to keep the classes to four students," said Strickland.

He also said by the end of the program students will have 192 hours of operating heavy equipment under their belts.

"There's a written exam on each piece of equipment," said Strickland. "And a performance test."    

What kind of job can students expect when they complete the program?

"Some go to work for private contractors. We have some that go to work for either state, county or municipal governments," Strickland said. "We have students who leave here and go to work for the railroad."

Strickland said the starting pay is $12 to $14 an hour. He says the yearly salary range should eventually fall between $35,000 and $52,000.

Strickland says his favorite part of his job is "helping them get back on their feet, a new income coming in."

For more information on the heavy equipment operator training program, call York Tech's admissions office at 803-327-8008.