Career in Automotive world

[NATHANHASNORIDE]

Hey guys i got my g.e.d in dec. 04 and i will be starting college sometime this year.I am not positive what i want to do yet but i am leaning towards auto mechanics.I was just curious if any of yall are a mechanic for a car dealer and could tell how it is to work there.Also what does a auto mechanics average annually income?I don't wanna be rish i just want to make descent money so that i can pursue other dreams of mine like building me an old car for weekend joys :DAlso how hard is it to start your own automive business?I would love to open my own shops where i fix cars all makes and models but also build hot rods and resale them,do any of you have ur own shops?.Any info yall can give me would be great,and i love muscle cars/trucks more than anything so thats why i think automotive career would be right for me.I love to get dirty and work on cars,its a cool feeling knowing that you fixed something that didn't work before.

THANK YOU,

-NathaN-

[BCOOLEY]

Nathan,
I am a counter guy at a ford dealership! I have worked fro ford for 10 years andwas a manager for 2yrs. I have seen alot in the shop and for a young guy coming up, the most I can say is that it is a good idea as long as you use every chance you get to learn! Most dealerships will send you to school to learn different trades,they pay for it so take advantage of it!
the income differs from experiance! Some of the big guys I know nail down 100 grand or more, but dont get to excited over that, these guys have done it for years and are the ones in the shop who dont play and tell jokes to pass time! They work on thier lunch hour and are the first to hit the door in the morning and the last to leave at night! Our industry needs more like that! To many guys with an adjustable wrench think they are super techs! You really have to work for what you get and this is a great line of work! As far as your own shop, do it in the back yard for buddies and work for a shop! that wayyou know your going to get paid and you dont have all the overhead with new equipment insurance and deadbeats that dont pay! Thats just my We always welcome newcomers who REALLY WANT TO LEARN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DuckRyder]

I started working on cars for a living when I was 15, and I have not been 15 for a long time.

It has been good to me, I certainly cannot complain, but I no longer do it for a living. It allowed me to get a more secure Job.

For me it kind of took the fun out of working on hot rods and such on the weekends, and you rarely get to do anything interesting in the dealership. Another aspect is that dealerships tend to be sold and every time that happens you lose your vacation and seniority. They usually try to cut pay as well. When Marty Scoles Bought Goldsmith, they tried to cut every techs pay 2-4.00 per flat rate hour. I turned the lights in the shop off when I left. With possible exception of the big conglomerates now (Sonic, Team, Auto Nation) you are still working essentially for an individual. (The Dealer Principal) and are subject to that persons mood swings, bad investments, foolhardy hobbies and so forth.

You need to look at the benefits package as well, insurance, retirement programs, and so forth are a big part of the "Pay" but are expensive for the employer.

Ford and General Motors both have (at least I believe they still have) college programs. ASSET and ASEP were the names. If you can get involved in one of these they will pave the way for you to be a sought after commodity by the dealer ships. UTI also offers programs for several import manufacturers. If this is what you want to do, take one of these programs so that you can excel at it.

Fifteen years ago, I made about $65,000 per year working on cars.

There is absolutely no way I would start an independent non-specialized shop now. The equipment alone would bankrupt you if you want to be able to work on anything 95 and newer. Moreover, it is hard enough to be proficient with one make, being good at several is probably an unattainable goal.

[adak57]

I agree with the previous advice. Don't be afraid of self-employment, tho.
Start small and develop what I feel is the main cornerstone to your success: Your Reputation.

I've been officially self-employed for over 15 years and I still get calls asking if I'm still building [censored] cabinets. When I was going strong it was not unusual to have 4 - 6 sets of other people's house keys entrusted to me. And I haven't had to advertise for work since 1994... word of mouth , because I have a solid Reputation...

Guess I'm old school but I really believe in pursuing what you really love to do.. instead of getting into a position where you feel like you're just chasing after the buck.

Besides: it keeps life exciting when you don't know where your next pay check will come from

Good luck to you !!!!

[Bigblock]

Duckryder,

Your are right, at the college I go to they still have ASSET (Ford) and a GM, Toyota, Honda, we just got Chrysler. All good programs. UTI on the hand (in my opinion) isnt worth the money. I signed up in Dec. cost about 31,000.00 (genereal automotive, diesel, industial and ford fact), the ASSET program now, with tools for me is like 5,200.00. (Now all this all my opinion.)

www.fordasset.com

Doug

[morganater]

I have looked into it, and have seen that UTI has many programs. I am looking into many careers and colleges at the current time, and haven't made up my mind yet. For sure don't want to be a factory worker, and entrepenuership is extremely hard to be successful in.

[Faithful Old Road Dog]

Noride - I have a friend that works at a GM dealership in Florida. He loves his job and works on Grand Nationals at his house on weekends for extra cash.

One of my jobs during college was delivering car parts. I went to lots of shops and saw the conditions some worked in. Working in the heat of summer, the cold of winter, always greasy. Don't get me wrong. Some of the shops dealt only with race cars or just building hi-po engines. Way cool! Their shops were usually spotless. I always loved wrenching, but only on my own cars. I figured that if I spent 40 hours a week wrenching, I won't do it on my time off.

I also agree with adak57 as for being self-employed. Reputation goes a long way. I was self employed as a plumber. All my work was by word of mouth. However, I don't share his sense of "excitement" about the unknown next paycheck.

Here's an idea. Nobody says you have to work on all the different cars out there if you open your own business. You can specialize in one type of vehicle. It's done all the time. As a plumber, I stayed away from all the nasty back ups. Whoever said S#/t rolls downhill, had never seen a backed toilet up! I stuck with running new water supply lines, gas lines and new waste lines. You can stick with a certain make, just make sure there is actually a demand out there. I don't think you'll do very well repairing Yugo's

bcooley - I've been to lagrange before. There's the Miliken factory that I visited.

[Ford_Doctor]

I graduated from the ASSET program offered at Renton Tech in '99. The program was great. I have to agree about the wrenching at home thing though. I used to spend every spare minute working on my various projects, but now that I wrench every day it has zapped my motivation.

[NATHANHASNORIDE]

Is the ford asset program required to work for ford,because there isn't a college in georgia that offers it?If i was gonna be a mechanic i would prefer to work for ford or dodge.I don't wanna lose intrest in cars in my personal life so maybe i should choose different career choice?

What do you guys do for a living?
Do yall make good money,do yall like your job?


-Nathan-

[BCOOLEY]

the two Ford Dealerships that I have worked for dont require any certain
education! Most dealers are looking for skill v/s education.If you already have skills, such as common knoledge of mechanics, they will educate you! The way our dealers work, Ford has all kinds of certifacation classes,some in class and others are computer based! In most cases the dealer pays for all classes and transportaion and even a room if you have to stay over night! I worked with a guy whos main goal was to be a master tech, He worked with us and has had all of his classes paid for,He still works at that dealership but has his choice of other dealers because they are aware of his skills and (free) education! (just what I know about the topic)
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[DuckRyder]

HMM, Dekalb tech used to do ASSET, that is where I atended ASEP. I know they were having some troubles with the partner school Dekalb college, must have come to a head. (of course it was 20 years or more ago)

As far as your own independant shop. I have no problem with your own business, its the no specialization that I have a problem with. At least try to stick to one region of cars (European, American, Asian) The american Manufactureres vary more than the other two though.

Obviously I have no experiance with UTI, it was simply a suggestion of something to investigate. WYO Tech is another one (and might be the one I was thinking of)

ASE certification will go a long way to getting you a job in the automotive world.

FWIW

[1968Ranger]

I don't wanna lose intrest in cars in my personal life so maybe i should choose different career choice?

NoRide,
From the sound of the above your not sure exactly what you want to do. I would suggest you go to a local community college(Non Automotive) take your prereqs and time will point you in the right direction.
All the Best
Mike

[adak57]

I also agree with adak57 as for being self-employed. Reputation goes a long way. I was self employed as a plumber. All my work was by word of mouth. However, I don't share his sense of "excitement" about the unknown next paycheck..

Was just trying for a little humor...

Of course I don't advocate living without means or some kind of financial plan. I do believe, tho, that we're getting more and more conditioned that the most important thing in a career is how much money do I get and what are the benefits... Nobody seems to be teaching young people how to develop their passion for things.

"Doing what you believe in is what life is for, anything else is prostitution.".....Ed Fowler (Master Knifemaker)

NoRide, I agree wholeheartedly with 1968Ranger... Look into a community college, talk to the counselors. Sometimes they really do help with developing a direction.

[oldschoolrods]

I started out in community college last fall in a manufacturing technology program which was nothing more than a glorified pre-engineering program. I hated it. This semester I moved to a different school for heavy truck repair and I love it. Pretty much just gotta go with what you like and where your skills are, everyone pushed me towards an engineering type field and I'm not that great at math. So just find your skills and use em

[Faithful Old Road Dog]

adak57 - I figured you were kidding as I've said that to a few people myself. But you know, just when you're thinking about your next meal ticket, something always comes along... or not.

oh, back to the subject of salary. How much a specific job pays depends on the market you live in. An independent plumber around my parts can charge $50-$85 an hour. Union plumbing companies charge more per hour. That same plumbing job further out geographically may only bring in $35/hr. I'd still be an self employed plumber if I made enough to cover health insurance. My college proffessor once told the class that each individual should find their own happy medium. Make enough money and still enjoy what they do. I would venture to say that most people will never find their "perfect" job.