On a day when his Automotive Systems Technology students repeatedly blew fuses while practicing wiring circuits, Instructor Alex Tang was trying not to blow his.

"You guys are killing me," a frustrated Tang told the class as he went to grab yet another replacement fuse for the suitcase-sized metal boxes packed with electronics that students were using for the exercise.

Tang spent more than an hour wandering about the Hendrick Center for Automotive Excellence classroom, providing hints to different groups of students as to what they might be missing to complete various circuits – lighting a bulb or activating a door lock actuator.

"Lucky guesses don't count in the field," he told one group that thought they had figured out the answer but couldn't explain why. "Use your brains and your tools."

Students have come to expect and accept tough love from Tang, who won a 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award.

"He's kind of hard on us, but for good reason," Diego Sosa said.

"I've learned more from him than from any other teacher," Emanuel Flores added.

Mandel Edwards, who works at Johnson Lexus in addition to attending Wake Tech as part of an automotive technician apprenticeship program, says Tang sets high expectations in his classes and works hard to ensure students meet them.

"He equates what we're learning with what we'll see in the field," Edwards said. "It's a tough class, but he makes sure you know what you need to know. If you don't understand something now, you'll really suffer later because the electrical stuff gets harder as you go along."

Tang easily relates to his students, having been in their seat not too long ago. He graduated from the Automotive Systems Technology program in 2019 after years of working in the restaurant industry.

"I went through the same struggles they're going through," he said. "Balancing school and work is difficult."

He chose the automotive program because of a lifelong interest in cars and a desire to work with his hands.

"I needed a career change, so I thought I might as well learn something I'm interested in," he said.

He worked for a few years at local oil-change shops and Hendrick BMW in Durham before joining Wake Tech's faculty in 2022. Teaching was in his long-range career plans, he says, but not this soon.

"I got very lucky with this opportunity," he said, stretching out "very" for emphasis.

"When I worked in restaurants, I liked to train employees and watch their progression. While teaching is different from training, I can still see students go from zero to hero, which is satisfying."

Tang has plenty of opportunities to witness that growth, taking on as many classes as he can. "I don't know what I would do with myself" if not teaching, he said.

He also works with automotive students in apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning programs, which he says are the best ways to learn.

"The sooner they can apply what they learn," he said, "the more it will stay with them and make it easier for them to advance in their careers."