anybody know if a diesel mechanic is in steady demand and does it pay pretty good? I currently plumb and build a few homes a year here in CA. It was great the last few years, but now with the housing slump it is very difficult. I wanted to go back to college (a two year college) and train to do something like diesel mechanic, aviation mechanic, police/corrections, pretty much anything that will support the family and the economy doesn't have much to do about getting 40 hours a week. Any suggestions?

 

The trend has shown there will be a large demand for qualified technicians in the automotive industry. Diesel mechanics are just as desired around here. Too many people want white collar jobs, as the blue collar jobs are less desireable. I have seen wages start to rise for technicians. Still isn't where it needs to be in my opinion, but I'm not the boss , so........

 

Have you ever met an unemployed diesel mechanic? Its pretty rare. I went to college for automotive and really regret not staying and taking the diesel classes. Auto mechanics dont make crap which is why Im a crane operator. I couldnt find a job as a mechanic that paid even decent wages. I have several friends that are diesel mechanics and make 2-3 times what I would have been making as an auto mechanic. If I could afford to go back to college for the diesel classes I would in a heartbeat.

 

thanks for the replys, mud ready that helps a lot. I know here crane ops make great money. I wanted to try that as well, but here you have to get picked up by a union contractor and to do that I have to have experience.

 

To be good at something you have to live it and breath it, do what you love become good at what you love and in time the money will follow. Being a diesel mechanic is hard work, its hard on your feet,knees,back and hands.Most everything is heavy,hot and dirty. My advice to all who want to follow this path is......learn all you can...learn engines,electronics,drivetrains,welding and airbrakes. Dont limit yourself!!

 

My baby brother is a diesel mechanic, and yes the pay is pretty decent. Down side is that it's a booger of a job, and you don't always get to work in a nice dry shop - field work, ie, busted down scrapers and dozers and excavators, in the mud, in the rain, cold, etc. He works for one of the biggest heavy construction outfits in the NW.

He's on his fourth surgical trip on right shoulder, second on the elbow, neck is shot to heck, and a lot more is darn sore. He just turned fifty. He's one of the BEST mechanics I've ever known, just a natural at it, but to make the bucks he needs, he has to do the union job - and it's a vicious circle. You either stay with the outfit that you have history with, or you start over, at a lower pay scale, again....

If you go for it, make sure to try hard to get the right job, and think hard before giving your life over to the union rate. Medical coverage is there, but I am not sure it's worth it. Yes, I am being a bit protective, as I nearly raised this kid - diapered him! - but still, money is not everything.

 

You may have to leave Cali to get some seat time, but crane operators are in demand everywhere that I know of. I've been in heavy civil const in the SW (AZ, NM, CO) for the last 13 yrs and never can find enough crane operators. It is economy dependent though.
For the short term, may want to stay in the residential business for a little while. W/ all the destruction in SOCal due to the fires, I imagine your trade(s) will be in high demand there for a couple years.

 

Excellent point!!

 

If you are a plumber you wont STOP working up here in south eastern Oregon. Plumbing is a never ending source of work. We have two guys and getting a third, in a town of 2500 and they cannot keep up.
They charge 75 an hour and up and don't even wipe their feet when they come in the house..

 

hank what part of Oregon? Might be an option. The fire destruction will be taken care of by people that do insurance work, which I don't. I'm young(24) just starting out.

 

I'm a diesel mechanic (machinist) in the railroad industry. Over the next few years, alot of our work force is going to be retiring, so demand will be up more than it already is. I hired in where I am at a little over a year ago and love what I do. I use to work on trucks and it got tiring and I ended up hating it. Working on big diesels is alot more interesting and fun in my opinion. The technology in my inductry is changing just like in trucks and heavy equipment, so there is always new things to learn about.

 

i wouldnt want the responcibility (cant spell) of an avation mechanic always wondering if i tightened that or not, while its up in the air

 

^ You'd rather have someone's family in a car, that you just worked on the brakes , thinking......"did I tighten that?" possibly driving on the same road as YOUR family? I'm not bashing, but there is a certain responsibility that HAS to be taken in ANY job.

 

Cant speak for the automotive industry, but if you like to travel, diesel mechanics are always in demand off shore and in foreign countries.

You may be repairing a cummins an a gen set in a sand storm on a rig surrounded with armed guards, but the pay is great.

 

Personally I would think that after all the homes burned up in fires out there in CA that you would be armpit deep in work here real soon?