OTTUMWA, IOWA -- College students get advice the time about finding the right job and not quitting when the going gets rough.

Usually, however, that advice comes from a parent or teacher, not a professional drag racer.

Antron Brown, the driver of the Macto Tools dragster, spoke to a crowd of Indian Hills and high school students at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa Tuesday afternoon. Brown travels to schools across the country for speaking engagements similar to this one, and he always emphasizes one simple idea - that the skills learned in school can carry you into a career that you will love, if you only work hard enough to achieve it.

"It's a little easier when you can tell them and say hey, I'm normal just like you," Brown said. "My family is the same way, hardworking, my mom worked for the state, my dad is in the army and they lived from paycheck to paycheck and they worked nine to five. If you have a dream and somewhere you aspire to be in life, you can do it. You got to be ready for the opportunity when it comes and keep your head down and work hard at it."

Brown and his team ate a lunch prepared by Indian Hills' culinary students and walked away with a few business cards for job recommendations. Brown's business isn't just for auto workers or car enthusiasts, as he told students that a track and team like his needs a staff of chefs, nurses, public relations specialists and more. There's no limit to what you can do if you put your mind to it.

Brown told KTVO that the most rewarding part of his job is meeting young people at schools around the United States, and then running into them later, when they are working in the industry.

"I love it when I see that sparkle in their eyes, because I had that too," he said. "If I can inspire just one person, that's why I do it."