auto school

[Magilla]

TELL HIM DONT DO IT, BECOME A PLUMBER INSTEAD

[CSaddict]

Every kid we get at the shop that came out of school is useless. Just an observation. Working on cars for a career is a tough life. Ask any older mechanic.

[OTTE]

^^x2

[crosbike]

My tech school SUCKED. I wish i had gone to Wyotech or something for chassis fab and that kind of stuff. Oh well.

[kappy]

im curently go to uti get done in 5 weeks but i went there for auto diesel and fact. only reason i took regular auto was so i could get the ford fact besides that the regular auto program sucked diesel and fact was worth it and also i looked into the nascar tech thru them and did not find it to be worth my money and time. the other thing i found that sucked was the part that they except everyone which is the reson alot of shops don't hire uti students

[Lawn Guyland]

Every kid we get at the shop that came out of school is useless. Just an observation. Working on cars for a career is a tough life. Ask any older mechanic.

my dad's been a mechanic for over 30 years...he has told my brother the pros & cons but he still wants to do it

[1cleantj]

best bet is to start off at a shop, even if he just get's in as a beginner tech. It's much easier to learn hands on in an actual shop then at a school. Same thing goes with ASE certifications. You can pretty much pass an ASE cert test by reading the study manual 1-2 nights before and taking the self test on the back, you can get ASE certified and know nothing about it IMO... I've been working at one of the biggest shops in north-east ct for 2 years now ( we have 17 shop bays, 4 mechanics, 3 tire changers/maintainance tech's, 2 emission tech's) and learned more there then anywhere else. Job experience is what sell's in this hard economy.

[kappy]

ya shops are much better to learn but if he really wants to go to school work in a shop while going to school experince is everything

[Lawn Guyland]

you guys are definitely helping him out! thanks for all the advice, and keep it coming if you have more haha

[CumminsJeep]

My school had a few specialized programs also, which required more class time. They had a Honda and Ford program. They are both sponsored by those companies and are both good programs. I know the honda one you have to finish every honda and acura training module in order to pass the class. There are a lot of them. So that is def a plus when finding a job out of school for honda. Not sure how the ford program works tho.

[kappy]

ya the ford program was close to the same everything is stright from ford it has the clases in it that the dealers would sent there techs to and you get something like 11 out of the 15 credensials that you need to be a ford master tech in 15 weeks compared to like 8 years that it would take you at a dealer

[CumminsJeep]

ya the ford program was close to the same everything is stright from ford it has the clases in it that the dealers would sent there techs to and you get something like 11 out of the 15 credensials that you need to be a ford master tech in 15 weeks compared to like 8 years that it would take you at a dealer

exactly

[Magilla]

The best thing he can do is work at a shop over school. Yes schooling will help but it is a lot slower learning due to learning theory before practice. Starting at a shop he will be the low man on the totem pole meaning shop bitch. He will be doing oil changes, tires, cleaning the shop, and helping the technicians. It is not a jump in and do job there is a LOT of learning and the auto manufacturers are always coming out with new technologies meaning new tools which I will get into later. The ideal shop he should be looking for to start out in is one with a good reputation that has been in business for a while that has some of the old timer mechanics, the ones that have been doing it for 20+ years. They are banks of knowledge and are always willing to pass the torch so to speak. But it is a fine line with them he needs to have respect for them other wise they will give him the old go fuck yourself. Asking questions is always good no matter how stupid they may seem. Do lots of research on everything I have tons of auto repair books from the 60s to present that ive read and it only has helped. Also look for a shop that pays hourly.

Depending on where he works some places like sunoco, aamco, and most dealerships have offers for advanced training. Sunoco has delphi which is the company that does chevys electrical systems come to the places roughly 4 times a year giving insight on new technology coming out and diagnostic aids for their systems. Aamco offers schooling and will even pay for your ase certifications.

Next take it serious because i know at my shop i hate having parts changers. These people only throw parts at cars instead of diagnosing it and fixing the problem the first time. This reflects poorly on him and the shop as a whole meaning he will not last long. He should study all areas and find one to excel in like electrical, drivability, steering, etc.

Now that he has established a job at a shop my next gripe is new mechanics and tools. If you borrow a tool once any more you should buy it if you are using it that often. With that said when you start you do not need fancy ass tools from snapon, matco, mac, or cornwell right away. Yes they are nice to have but not truly needed. The problem with them is they have a 10% deal where you pay 10% of the total value every week. This gets a ton of people in trouble since they start off slow then go ape shit i did. If he wants the nice ass tools he should slowly buy them up but pay for them at once if they can be afforded some can not though. Yes some tools you will need to buy from the major companies.

With that said the hours suck, the pay sucks to start. On your feet all day always getting burned, cut, smashed, covered in shitty oils, and sucks to stay clean.

[Riot]

All the mechanics (by trade) that I know, complain about it. They all say it was fun, now it sucks, and I'm sure a lot of the sis guys in the mechanics trade will agree...


Don't ruin your hobby, by making it your career.

[Mike]

just throwing this out there...


He could join the USAF ( or any branch ), get a guarnteed contract to a job as an automotive mechanic, get free school + housing + food + benefits , and good experience working in a shop and they get all the same certs you would at an automotive school...

If active duty doesnt excite him, can do the Air National Guard, still get all the training and schooling, and go to college for free and only do one weekend a month.