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I'd have made this in A/T but I think the specialized nature of the topic fits better here, since a fair amount of you folks are professional car doctors. Adiabatic, if you feel it does not, please just say the word and I'll move it. An entire department was axed this past week, and while my specific job is not currently in jeopardy, I am definitely looking for a career shift if I can't get another logistics/operations/contract management type gig (likely with the state for the last). Through a friend, I got a call from an independent euro shop in town. They don't seem to care that I have no certs, and the shop manager seems to be satisfied with my "hobbyist" level of mechanic-ing, i.e. the most complicated thing I've done is remove/recondition/replace a motor and replace a few transmissions, while keeping my fleet running tip-top. While I'm fairly confident in my abilities on late-eighties to early oughts stuff, and that which involves the actual mechanical bits of a vehicle, I'm not at all confident about electrical related skills, so I'm hesitant to pin my financial solvency on this career field when modern vehicles are stuffed with so many electronic gadgets. This shop touts themselves as the premier dealership alternative so I'd likely be seeing a lot more of the newer stuff, and the only euro experience I have is with a passel of E30's and a couple 90's Volvo 240's. However, I'm willing to at least interview and take a shot at it to see if I'd like it. My dad's been telling me for years I should get into mechanic work, but my mechanic friends, not so much. The shop manager seemed amenable to improving my certification and education while on the job, with corresponding pay increases, so that's a plus. What questions should I take into the formal interview, especially that regarding pay structure? I'm pretty much flying blind here, and not finding much in the way of specific guides on how to interview for this field without getting screwed.
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Mar 26, 2019 12:31
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All good amigo
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Mar 26, 2019 13:40
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edit: disclaimer, i'm not a tech but i work with techs a lot in a professional capacity - this may be a bit more broad than specific interview advice but i think it's important to think about! You definitely want to figure out if the shop is paying flat rate or hourly wage. Also what the expectation is for provisioning tools, PPE, etc. From what I hear from techs that I know and work with, it's a good job for a while, especially when you are young. The problem is, as with most physically demanding jobs, that it gets a lot harder to do when you get older. The 50 year old guys i know who have been doing it for 30+ are usually self-medicating on a lot of OTC pain meds and alcohol every day. Just something to think about. As with any job there is burnout - being a mechanic is probably more interesting than being a spreadsheet jockey, but eventually all problems start to repeat themselves - but the problem is that there's also little opportunity for advancement. You can open your own shop, or with a little luck and a lot of hard work you can go in to some of the industrial/high horse diesel etc work that pays more, but you really don't have a career path where the content of the job is going to change a lot. That's great if you love the work, but it's tough if you ever stop loving the work. My best advice is talk to your tech friends extensively about what's good, what's bad, what they would do over, and whether they think it's a good fit for you specifically. Go deep on why they think it's a bad idea to be a tech. Your dad, if he's not a tech, knows gently caress-all about being a tech.
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Mar 26, 2019 14:30
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Decent hourly wage, I'd say go for it and give it a shot. Flat rate no way. I almost got into the business years ago and was effectively talked out of it by techs I knew personally, and almost every single tech I spoke to online. At the time I was thinking about getting certified and they all said don't waste your money, go to school for something else. That being said I did work part time at a Miata specific shop for a few years doing brakes and suspension and poo poo but I was getting paid hourly. If they aren't requiring a cert and willing to pay you hourly no harm in giving it a shot to see if it's the kind of career you might want to be in or not. [e] don't listen to your dad, listen to your friends that are actually doing it. I had a good friend that was a Ford tech and some of the stories he told me and poo poo i witnessed with my own eyes was pretty hosed up, he hated his job, but that was at a dealership. Proceed with caution. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Mar 26, 2019 |
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Mar 26, 2019 17:34
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I should have clarified that I know my friends in the business carry a lot more weight about this career than my father. He's a frighteningly intelligent man, but there are gaps.
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Mar 26, 2019 18:28
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Well to be fair, my dad and most everyone in my family thought I should do it as well, because I was the guy in the family that worked on cars. But as we all know, doing it as a hobby and for a living are two drastically different things. I almost turned my hobby wrenching on cars into a career, but did it with photography (my other hobby) instead and that didn't end well either 
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Mar 26, 2019 19:14
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Well to be fair, my dad and most everyone in my family thought I should do it as well, because I was the guy in the family that worked on cars. But as we all know, doing it as a hobby and for a living are two drastically different things. I almost turned my hobby wrenching on cars into a career, but did it with photography (my other hobby) instead and that didn't end well either Yeah I've gotten way more in to it as a hobby but the only way I do it as a job is if I retire and want to make a couple bucks here and there. edit: basically if i don't need it to pay the bills KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Mar 26, 2019 |
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Mar 26, 2019 19:51
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I've been a mechanic for 15+ years, used to be an engineering drafter. If you're ok doing this work for "just a job" then go for it and see how it fits you. If you want to make a full-on career out of it then this is my advice, and how I got to where I am now making 110k per year plus great benefits: Go to night school while working full days. Learn everything you can about the widest variety of poo poo, electrical to hydraulics, lawn mowers up to semi trucks if you can. Get any and all certs you can (ASEs are bullshit but whatever). Get good at electrical/electronic diagnosis. Learn to MIG weld steel. Get at least 5 years of real full time experience under your belt, more is better. Always look for your next step up career wise but don't jump from place to place. My path took me from a lube tech at a dealership to two different independent shops to a union fleet mechanic position at a special district (sewer) serving a 3 city area and I'm set for life. I work on so many different things I could have a loving blog about it.
Joe Mama fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Mar 28, 2019 |
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Mar 28, 2019 03:57
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My dad was a mechanic, working for his dad at their shop growing up, he always told me not to pursue it, as a career or hobby. That might have had something to do with catching gas-tank shrapnel in the face as a 16 year old kid. What are the other job opportunities in your area besides auto-mechanic? I'm a mechanic myself, in a different field, but TBH a lot of times there are better blue-collar jobs out there for the mechanically inclined than automotive job shop.
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Mar 28, 2019 04:08
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I'm a mechanic in Australia, so conditions and wage obviously varies, but it's something you need to want to do. The money isn't great, and there are fairly high expectations of master technicians, but it is fascinating if you're interested in how things work, and how they break. I've managed my own service department previously and made very good money, but I got sick of playing diplomat and pandering to unreasonable customers, so went back on the tools. It's not something I'll do forever, but I do enjoy it. You'll learn a lot if you put the effort into it.
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Mar 28, 2019 09:32
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Elviscat posted:My dad was a mechanic, working for his dad at their shop growing up, he always told me not to pursue it, as a career or hobby. That might have had something to do with catching gas-tank shrapnel in the face as a 16 year old kid. What other fields would you suggest? I’m guessing really any of the skilled trades (electrician, HVAC, plumbing), but I’m curious to know.
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Mar 28, 2019 11:43
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What area are you in? Construction companies and unions all along the West Coast of the US are desperate for bodies right now. Being an Electrician or HVAC guy is good, it gives you a broad range of technical skills, pays well, and tears your body up less than the other trades.
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Mar 28, 2019 11:50
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With no experience and no certs you'll likely be doing grunt work for low pay, expect things like lof/rotate, tires, belts, fluid exchanges, filters, etc. you probably won't be doing Audi V10 timing chains any time soon. Most shops will start you out on hourly until you prove you can handle the work i.e. do it with few gently caress ups and do it fairly quickly. The first year or two is when you need to be figuring out if working on cars is going to be a long term thing, and if it is start investing in tools, education, and certifications. It was already said, but it's worth saying again, get as much knowledge/experience and as many certifications as you can. If you have 5-10 years of experience, are master certified, and have a decent set of tools you can pretty much do whatever you want and have your pick of whatever shop you want. During the interview I would try to get a feel for how the personal dynamics are in the shop, will people help you and offer advice, or will they be pissed off and lovely with you for "stealing their gravy"? I would find out what tools they provide and what tools you'll be expected to have. You can look up an entry level mechanic tool list online, I would expect to spend maybe between 500-1000 right away on the basics (depending on what you already have) and then add to it as needed. Don't spend too much right away in case you decide you'd rather do something else. I am an ASE master with L1 and while I'll probably be working on cars for a long time myself, it is a really hard career to recommend to other people. Aquatic Daredevil posted:it's something you need to want to do. Ain't that the truth.
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Mar 28, 2019 23:52
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In board boat mechanics can make bank. My father is one, he regularly takes trips all across the country for training, and it seems pretty cushy for a mechanic outside of the summer months when you have to hug a 10 liter monster for an hour plus at a time while it's running.
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Mar 28, 2019 23:56
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Their are certainly hot poo poo mechanic jobs out there that pay well, and provide a good quality of life, youtube personality AvE's job he's hinted at kinda sounds like my dream, fly around the world, dive into oily pits, and fix giant pieces of machinery with your wits, local resources, and whatever tools will fit in your suitcase. But I mostly work with $10k+ pieces of test gear these days and I miss diving into my own cramped, oily pits with a pair of spanners to tear some poo poo apart and figure out why it's broke. It really depends on you, because if you can find a job, that lets you live where you want, at your desired standard of living, and you don't wake up every morning with a cold pit of dread in your stomach, then keep that fuckin' job, whatever it is.
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Mar 29, 2019 02:49
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Had the interview yesterday with the shop owner. This thread helped me out quite a bit, thanks all. Was quite candid. He asked be about my experience, what tools I had (hobbyist level, but a fairly complete basic kit), how I would react to being asked to swap turbos on whatever the latest BMW V8 is ("Methodically, carefully, and take things off until the part I want falls out"). I brought up the fact that from a financial perspective I would not be able to come on full-time right away because he would not be able to hire me at the rate I need to sustain my bills (mortgage etc.), which he agreed with. He will be talking with his shop manager about a part-time position so that A) he can figure out what my skills are and B) I can figure out whether or not I want to do this as a full-time employee. Thanks again y'all, here's hoping I can escape from the newspaper industry into something with a better future!
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Mar 29, 2019 11:06
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