As my all-too-short three weeks as an intern with Billet Proof came to an end, I wanted to chronicle my incredible experience with this business.

As part of my senior year at Perkiominville High School, there is a program offered to graduating seniors called Career Study: it gives students the opportunity to spend the last three weeks of the school year not stuck in a classroom bored out of their minds, but out in the real world, interning in a career field they are interested in working in after college. Ever since getting a motorcycle, the entire community and everything about riding has fascinated me, so I decided that I wanted to do my career study in that field.

I was doing some research to find a place where I could intern and it hit me that Billet Proof was literally three minutes away from my house; problem solved! I decided that my goal was to work there and now all that was left to do was propose the idea and hope they could use some extra help.

When I walked in the door for the first time, I was immediately impressed with just how cool the office was. I knew that this was the type of place where I wanted to work. I introduced myself to Dan and then met the owner, Damian, and rest of the employees. After spending a few days with the guys, I was surprised just how caring, patient, and genuine they all were. When I was learning the ropes they took the time to show me where I had gone wrong and how to fix it. When interacting with customers, they were all so respectful, knowledgeable, and helpful. It honestly impressed me, and showed me a high standard that I want to hold myself to in my career and life.

There were several mechanical and physical skills I picked up, but I think the most important element I gained was the experience of working in a real job in a career that interests me. If I had never done this internship, I would have missed out on an adventure that I can’t imagine being without today. Working at Billet Proof was awesome, and gave me something to look forward to every day. While it was challenging work, I always went home at the end of the day satisfied and feeling like I had accomplished something. I certainly was never bored between all the different things going on around the place. Even when things got a little hectic and we had a lot of work to do, I never felt stressed or rushed and the atmosphere was always very fun and productive.

After the first few days, I really felt like I was a part of the team. Around the end of my first week, someone brought up the idea of the whole crew going out for a ride and to get lunch. This obviously sounded awesome, and we were all immediately on board. The Friday before Memorial Day weekend, we closed the store down early and hopped on our bikes for a ride through Phoenixville’s back roads to get lunch at awesome little restaurant I had never heard of before, Fitzwater Station.

Everything about the day was perfect. I obviously love riding, but riding with a group like that was on a whole different level. The weather was perfect, a nice breeze without a cloud in the sky. You couldn’t have asked for a better time on two wheels. When we went back to work that day, we were all in such good moods that it didn’t even feel like work. One of the best parts about working here was that I always felt like part of the group and never an outsider.

As an eighteen-year-old, it definitely took some getting used to going from an environment made up of kids aged 14-18 to working in a real job with real, actual adults over a decade older than me. However, as soon as I realized I understood all the classic movie and music references and jokes they were cracking, I felt right at home. All the awkwardness and shyness faded away, and I’m now proud to call them not just my co-workers, but my friends. Overall, my experience here was informative, fun, exciting, and every other positive adjective in the dictionary. I cannot say enough good things about the people at Billet Proof, and I will never forget my time here.