good evening everyone! so it all started with the purchase of my first REAL truck. i bought my 92 about 6 months ago and cant stop learning about it. i just cant soak up enough info on these trucks, or automobiles in general. so much so that i even left my decent construction job for an entry level job at a tire and complete auto service center. i have been thinking about going back to school for a while and i have decided that automotive mechanics is what i want to fill my brain with. so what im looking for is any insight from people who have gone this route or know anything about it. i am locked in new hampshire for at least another year so im looking at some online courses to fill some time and then after that i think ill go where the knowledge is. any positive and constructive advise will be greatly appreciated. thanks people!

seva

 

Working as a mechanic who is paid by the flat rate manual is no easy task. It takes years of training both in and out of school to make the "big bucks". It like any other job has its ups and downs. Be prepared to be the Snap-On Tool mans best bud!

 

im already a grand out in basic tools from the snappy truck and ive been there about 2 months! we get paid hourly at this shop so im going to get as much experience as possible here. i know what your talking about as far a flat rate pay. all the guys at the shop says it sucks unless your good at doing a bunch of jobs at the same time or really know what your doing and do it fast. id like to get lots of money from it, but this is really more about how much i enjoy on cars in general and the final product represents ME and MY work ethic.

 

I use to like working on my truck until i became a mechanic now its the last thing i want to think about doing. flatrate is good when the work is there but sucks when its not. nothing like working 40 and getting paid for 25 . i went to a community college here in maine that offered auto and diesel all in all it was a good program, but if i had the chance to do it over again i would select a different carrear path where your not racing the clock all the time

 

i know what your talking about, but there are not many other jobs out there that are different in that when your done with a long day at work the last thing you want to do is go home and do more your yourself, or friends and family. but i like working with my hands and understanding how things work, and when things dont work, knowing how to fix them. i want to go this route to beef up my skill set. i have building skills and if i can acquire mechanical skills i know i can keep my self busy. so on with the positive insight now pleaseanybody have online schools to recommend? how about a good place to start other than the shop experience that im getting now? im eager to learn

 

or you could work on big boy toys! Ive been a truck mechanic for three years and and powerchoke mechanic for two years before that and we get paid hourly but your only allotted a certain time frame to do work (like we get 2.25 hours to do a 150 pm so if you take 2.5 hours to do it your boss WILL be a angry elf) but its usually plenty of time to get it done. Its easier in the sense of fixing something but there is a very large resposibility in your hands when it comes to preventitive maint. Think of it now as you mess up a brake job on a car and when they go to leave they cant stop and tap a pole in the lot but on trucks if you mess up on a brake job or miss something wrong you now have a 100K dollar 80k pound chunk of truck that loses control on the highway (just imagine) im not trying to scare you but all im saying is you definatly get paid for that little bit extra resposibility. I went to wyotech in blairsville before i came to where i am now and let me tell you........
1. very very expensive (26,000) for basic tuition
2. They teach you the very basics there so suck up to the instructors and ask them to show you what its really like or you will be lost
3. Lots of little teenagers there with mommy and daddy money who need to be put in their place
4. if you get student housing (or any private housing for that matter) there is a zero tolerance rule even if your 21 (but there are ways!)
5. Locals know you and hate you (its a very small town)
6. great wheeling spots for trucks and quads (ask me about the lake)
7.one of the best chassis fabrication/welding classes i have ever attended
8. this may sound kinda lame but you do make lifetime friends there (the only thing i dont regret about going there

All in all it is tough! Its two years of trade school crammed ito 9 months and a 70% is a failing grade, Good Luck!

 

I turned wrenches for a number of years to put food on the table. I have moved on into a different career paths now.
The advise I can give is that to truly make good money you need to stay on top of ALL the latest and greatest changes. I would suggest to get as much schooling as possible but always remember that a book smart tech will never make as much money as one with good hands on experience. If you can land a job with a good repair shop that has a great reputation, that experience will come fast. After that, depending on how things are going for you, you MIGHT want to look at working at a dealership. I know it is different in different parts of the country and here where I live you can make more money and get the continuing education paid for when working for most any of the local dealers. The down side is all dealers work on commission.
Always remember that the good techs can afford to eat steaks and lobster and the bad techs will eat hot dogs and PBJ sandwiches. Learn as much as you can so you can be a GOOD tech!

 

i dont know of any online auto schools considering its mostly hands on stuff that you will be learning. im not saying its a bad choice but i wish i still liked working on my own stuff as much as i use to. I work in a dealership as a flatrate tech so i may be a little bitter towards things as we are in a bit of a slow spell at work. there may be dealers in your area hiring they will send you to school on their dime most of the time as long as you can prove that you will be valuable to them in the long run. I took a 2 year program that got me a assoc degree with a year of auto and a year of diesel / high performance engines. i then got a job at the dealer and they sent me for their own training. just something you may want to consider. anyhow good luck to you and there is def money to be made in the field

 

im looking for some online courses just to get a jump start while im stuck in new hampshire. then when the lady and i are done here ill find my way to a good hands on school. even if i dont end up making a lifetime career out of mechanics it would be worth it for me to gain the experience and confidence to do whatever i will need to do to my own toys. at this point in my life nothing has grabbed hold of my interest like this, so i think i should run with it. please keep the info coming, thanks guys!
seva

 

How does the saying go..

First you do it for fun - Then for friends - Then for money

 

I used to love to help friends out. Now I still do but the number of friends on the list to help out is MUCH SMALLER. I still wrench on all my own stuff and always will but it gets harder to do the friends stuff. I only help with the fun projects now like lift kits or power adding mods. I stopped the brakes and clutch help!

 

If you would like my .02. Contact your Cat dealer. The have entry level jobs. Its a pay as you learn deal. The more you learn, the more they pay. Words of advice from an OLD Cat hand and former Cat shop foreman. Take all the schooling they will throw at you. Anything and everything. DO NOT WORK on over the road trucks if you want to make money. Go with OFF ROAD service.........Thats where the money is. Be forewarned. Your going to live out of that service trick. Get your CDL, it helps.. You'll need it anyway to drive the service truck...Key phrase here is OFF ROAD..Hope this helps you out...

 

Here's my 2 cents...look into getting your A&P License. That is a FAA Airframe & Power Plant Certification. I'm 44 years old, and am now working on getting that cert. There are guys in my class ten years older than me, and lots of diesel and car mechanics that are out of work or laid off and working on getting this cert. Auto and diesel mechanic jobs are few and far between, but their is a very extreme shortage of certified A&P techs. Just a thought, and A&P techs are in high demand for other jobs besides aviation work.

 

I've been a mechanic for 8-9 yrs now.I started out working on semi trucks my sr yr of high school. Went to diesel school for a 2 year program and worked on semis while going to school. After diesel school I worked on trucks and heavy equipment for a few years and got tired of it. I got in to the railroad and did a 2 yr apprenticeship though the company and the local union for locomotive mechanics. It's good work, they are my favorite thing to work on. It can be a very dirty job at times. Everything is heavier on them and takes more time to do the job but the pay is decent. I'm hourly at close to $25 an hr but I am currently laid off due to the economy. I'mlooking forward to going back, while I'm off I have been working on trucks,tractors, and cars for cash and they suck to work on. I don't think i could ever work for a repair shop or dealer, I like fleet maintenance alot more.

 

I took auto shop in high school (25 yrs. ago), then went to trade school and got my certification in diesel and heavy truck mechanics. I worked at that several years and decided it was to heavy and dirty. I later found outboard motors on boats. Now thats a money making racket to get into! If you know your stuff you can go ANYWHERE that there is an outboard being used and find a job! (note I said "know your stuff"). Over the last decade the industry has grown by leaps and bounds but the number of good qualified technicians has failed to keep up with the demand. Pretty rewarding work for the right person.