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“get into another line of work” “I don’t know why i even started doing this” “i can’t pay rent” “i only make 30k and ive been working for 5 years” “run away” “this field is a scam” “i hate this job” “its not what you think it is”
this is all I ever hear from ANYONE and EVERYONE who works in the automotive industry as mechanics. I am currently a tech at a Nissan dealer as im finishing up auto school, and the more i work and learn about this industry the more I’m starting to hate it. I haven’t even started as a real flat rate technician yet and i can see what everyone is saying. Its hard work, its hot, its cold, it rains, it snows, and you work either way. You get paid dirt, while writers get paid off our hide, service manager is a POS, owner is a POS,. I don’t want to spend 30k in tools and only get paid 30k a year and hit a ceiling of 65k at 60 years old all deformed and mangled from the physical labor. I’m pretty sure I may give all this up and listen to the old timers by taking their advice to pack up and run away. It makes me sad as this was all i wanted to do growing up and realizing now where its too late to go back to school that i can’t live like this or support a family with doing this. I guess theres no real advice to this, I just felt depressed lately about it all and need guidance i guess. sigh
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Ya know, I have been in the trade for 45+ years and I hope I can retire soon. I believe it takes very special people to repair cars for a living and either you’re special or you’re not. From an obtuse perspective what you have written has all but summed it up but there is more to it than what you see on the surface. I believe you have to have a very special love for cars to overlook the shortfalls in the trade.
Technology today is a huge obstacle and if you are intelligent enough to learn, and keep learning, how this new technology works and how to repair it you can be on the way to a successful career. Today, you have to be a step ahead of others or rewarding work will pass you by and you will be left doing all the `bull` work that pays poorly and gets no respect from your peers. A good friend of mine has had their new Caravan back to the dealer 4 times to have the reverse camera repaired and it still was not working. He went to another dealership and in 1 hour it was repaired and out the door. That technician was a step ahead of others and I would bet that he makes a good living at his job.
I could go on an on about the ups and downs in my career and because of my age and education I wouldn`t really have a clue how to repair most of the latest technology and I feel that once you lose your capability to do the job you start going backward.
The point of all this, you make the job what you want out of it just like any other job.
Well what your saying is exactly why I didn’t go into the automotive trade and instead went into fleet heavy equipment repair.
This post reminds me of what my trade school teachers were saying back in high school. This was when the art of exporting all our manufacturing jobs was gaining speed.
They said: “Be a mechanic, be an HVAC tech, be a carpenter. In these trades, every case is different so they can never export your job thus making it more valuable. It’s not cost effective to send your boiler or car over seas to have a child fix it.”
They were sort of right, those jobs stayed here, but what happened? Now there’s more people trying to get the training and positions available for these jobs. So there’s an influx of training centers popping up everywhere for the last 40 years teaching nursing, auto, HVAC, Electrical, etc.
You do get valuable training, at a premium price. The schools get their money in the form of secured loans, but the students get shafted in the real world. Where the jobs pay less or the same as 40 years ago. Partly due to the large job pool. Maybe nursing is the exemption. I’ve had in depth conversations with techs from every trade, and nursing seems to be the only one where there’s consistent pay and opportunity for advancement.
I look at job postings every day, not just auto, but across all fields. The qualifications needed are absurd.
[quote=”Stanger87″ post=101334]
They were sort of right, those jobs stayed here, but what happened? Now there’s more people trying to get the training and positions available for these jobs. So there’s an influx of training centers popping up everywhere for the last 40 years teaching nursing, auto, HVAC, Electrical, etc. [/quote]
That’s right, and all one has to do for proof of such is watch tv on a Saturday morning. I would be remiss if I didn’t include vocational rehab and alternative high schools in this mix.
The lack of respect starts right at the top -corporate headquarters- not at the local dealer franchise.You really have to love cars to be happy working on them every day. The hardest part about it for me is that it’s often hard and dirty work. It sucks going out with dirty hands/fingernails. You learn to get around it though. Wearing gloves and getting stuff like scrub brushes for your hands/fingernails helps a lot. Still, your hands are still usually going to be cut/busted up and dirty as long as you’re making money.
I’m not rich by any means but I make enough money to pay my bills, get decent health benefits, I can sac a little cash away every month, and still have some fun here and there. I’m 28 and have been in some sort of mechanical field or another for the past 10 years.
I think most of the people that complain about the industry just expect too much from it or spend waaay too much money on tools. I took a 2 year auto/diesel program at my local community college (6.5k) and I’ve invested about 4k in the tools that I keep in my shop box so far, including my underwhelming but functional husky tool box.
The main thing I look at is that I make enough money to pay for my house, utilities, car, etc. and will have no troubles ever needing a job. Yes the work can be taxing on your body, but you can plan for that. As you get older use your experience to move into shop management positions or even open your own shop (and use your shop to make a ton of youtube videos :). At the very least most places I know of are looking for customer service/parts advisors/managers with actual automotive experience.
At the end of the day are you ever going to make 6 figures working on cars? Probably not, but there are a few exceptions. But you have a trade with a specific set of skills that make you invaluable to those looking for that set of skills and while people complain about the education expenses, compare those expenses to that of nurses, teachers, etc. It’s relatively cheap to get an education in the automotive field as long as you don’t buy into the hype of places like UTI, wyotech, etc. that want to charge you 10k more for the same education you can get at your local community college just because you get to play with equipment that’s going to be outdated in 5 years anyway.
It’s fun for a few years, but a lot of people burn out. I’ll admit I think I am. Plan your escape. I’ve been planning mine for months. Beach town, here I come! You always want what you don’t have. I swore I said I’d kill myself if I had to work in some cubicle counting down the minutes to 5. Now I think, “Man, it’d be nice to sit on my butt all day in some air conditioned cubicle…” Heh.
1. If you want to turn wrenches for a living and make money, you have to work as a fleet mechanic.. for UPS, USPS, your local electric or construction company… anyone that has a large fleet of gas powered vehicles. You will be paid a guaranteed salary. You will have great benefits. The positions are competitive so you better have a good resume and a bunch of ASE certs.
2. Get into big diesel. Everything is easier to work on so the work is much more enjoyable. There is an endless supply of work. Companies pay any price to get their trucks up and running as soon as possible.
Do NOT work as a flat rate auto mechanic. You are guaranteed to be poor for all your days.
[quote=”Ratchet Face” post=102063]1. If you want to turn wrenches for a living and make money, you have to work as a fleet mechanic..
2. Get into big diesel. Everything is easier to work on so the work is much more enjoyable. There is an endless supply of work. Companies pay any price to get their trucks up and running as soon as possible.[/quote]
You are correct if one has experience and is versatile (a/c, electrical, diagnostic etc). Big diesels are easier simply because one doesn’t have to stand on their head to work on them, however, they’re as sophisticated as any auto where computers are concerned.
That said, if you’ve got a shot at a fleet position, jump on it.
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