Any mechanics in here? Need help.

Not a mechanical question in itself, but I'm at a major crossroads in life. I want to become a mechanic, but I guess I want to hear from some first. PM me if you'd like. ugh. Life isn't easy.

i am switching my major this coming semester and i am goin for auto mechanics, should be a fun time. not really much of a help but, i will be goin though the same stuff as u, and it is nice knowing someone else is deciding the same thing

GO TO COLLEGE!
being a mechanic is dirty, monotonous work. You get these cheap bastards that complain all the time, "its too expensive" or "my car is not smooth enough, you didn't do a good job, I won't pay!"
You breathe exhaust fumes, carcinogenic oil fumes(yeah they cause cancer), you constatnly bruise your knuckles, after a few years your fingers end up looking like carrots...but I did get rip off a lot of customers, and I drove their cars really hard when they weren't looking so it wasn't a complete whaste after all!! :evillol: but seriously, go to college.

GO TO COLLEGE!
being a mechanic is dirty, monotonous work. You get these cheap bastards that complain all the time, "its too expensive" or "my car is not smooth enough, you didn't do a good job, I won't pay!"
You breathe exhaust fumes, carcinogenic oil fumes(yeah they cause cancer), you constatnly bruise your knuckles, after a few years your fingers end up looking like carrots...but I did get rip off a lot of customers, and I drove their cars really hard when they weren't looking so it wasn't a complete whaste after all!! :evillol: but seriously, go to college.


Hmm you must be the type of person who is just there to give mechanics a bad name, if I wasn't so lazy I would probably be one I have no ambition to do it...but on the main subject really being a mechanic is a really good job if you like cars, it's always challenging you might get some customers who are a pain but by my expiriences the nicer ones completely outweighs the assholes, I don't think there is much of a better feeling than a job well done that fixing a car that you thought was gonna be hard, I'm not gonna say everything is easy but everything in the end balances out...And on a side note it would have been nice if you would have gotten caught by either the police or the customer for driving the shit outta there cars. :smile:

Well, I just happen to be a mechanic, actually, we're called "automotive technicians", I don't really care what it's called, but some people prefer to be called a technician. Anyway, from my experience, which has been a crappy one, being a technician is both good and bad. The method of pay is the key here, Flat Rate. I'm not going to explain it, you can find that out. Anyway, flat rate is good and bad, for instance, when one of the techs I work with was working day shift with just two other guys in the shop, they all pulled 13-15 hour days (got paid for 13-15, but still only worked 8 hours). Now the shop has a day shift and a night shift, and we're all lucky to even see a 6 hour day, so pay isn't very stable. Last night we got paid for 2.6hours, the night before was even less. I'm kind of a worst case example, but if you find the right shop, the exact opposite could happen and you could pull 12-15hour days while only being there 8.
Actually working is a different matter, it's cool, of course when you're new, you get stuck with the grunt work, but it's not all bad. If you like workin' on cars then you won't have a problem, but the real problem is that you have to decide whether you like working on cars as a hobby or as a full time job. Also, if you do decide to be a technician, your best bet is to start off at a dealership, usually they offer factory training for free, and that makes it a whole lot easier to get a different job somewhere else when you are factory trained and certified.

Ok, I'll stop rambling, I'm sure this post didn't help at all anyway.

2 things to look at. being able to fix cars is GREAT! i love it when i fix something or do a mod that some people can't figure out.

HOWEVER doing it as a career is not a great idea for a few reasons. money isn't THAT great. a good mechanic can make good money but he wont ever touch what a GOOD degree can do for you (a good degree, not an art major). secondly, theres no real retirement plans for most mechanic. you can work at a major chain or dealership, but once you start getting long in the tooth expect them to boot you in favor of younger cheaper labor. you're retirment will be working at a shucks. lastly most of the career mechanics i know, most stop it after 15 years or so. one guy is in the fire dept, one changes lightbulbs at the ball park. ask them if they are happy, and they'll say at least im not working on cars.

you get burnt out so fast when doing it every day. you get so you dont even want to work on your projects cause its no fun. its too much like work.

this is not a representation of every mechanic or every mechanics job. it's just the history ive seen repeat itself out over and over again.

And on a side note it would have been nice if you would have gotten caught by either the police or the customer for driving the shit outta there cars. :smile:

You'll be surprised how many of us use customers' cars for personal entertainment, the weekend cars where the best. :naughty:

You'll be surprised how many of us use customers' cars for personal entertainment, the weekend cars where the best. :naughty:

stupid people piss me off. lets have fun by dogging out this guys car that he pays us to fix. I knew there was a reason I never leave my car with anyone for too long

2 things to look at. being able to fix cars is GREAT! i love it when i fix something or do a mod that some people can't figure out.

HOWEVER doing it as a career is not a great idea for a few reasons. money isn't THAT great. a good mechanic can make good money but he wont ever touch what a GOOD degree can do for you (a good degree, not an art major). secondly, theres no real retirement plans for most mechanic. you can work at a major chain or dealership, but once you start getting long in the tooth expect them to boot you in favor of younger cheaper labor. you're retirment will be working at a shucks. lastly most of the career mechanics i know, most stop it after 15 years or so. one guy is in the fire dept, one changes lightbulbs at the ball park. ask them if they are happy, and they'll say at least im not working on cars.

you get burnt out so fast when doing it every day. you get so you dont even want to work on your projects cause its no fun. its too much like work.

this is not a representation of every mechanic or every mechanics job. it's just the history ive seen repeat itself out over and over again.


Totally read this post agian. I dropped out of college and worked as a mechanic. I though I would be happier cause I was always working on my car and friends. But like said once you make a hobby or something you do for fun into a job it can totally ruin it. I'm back in college now!

Sure being a mechanic can be monotonous work, well if you're a stupid mechanic and the shop does not trust you doing anything more complicated than changing oil.
However being a mechanic, is fun (if you consider working on cars fun) especially if you work at a dealer, because while you're usually confined to working on one or two brands of cars, you get to deal with all sorts of different models, and different problems, most of which really aren't too hard to fix. Mechanics usually have a good sense of humour (or rather, most mechanics are weirdos, and they're people you shouldn't let your children or grandparents near) But you need to own all of your own tools, and blah, etc. Perhaps if you didn't want to spend money on tools you could just be a helper at the shop.

two words
FLAT RATE

i see guys at the dealer i work at making pay for 20 hours a day when the only put in 9.

The thing is, I'm *in* college already, and i'm unhappy here. My third semester doing engineering, and i quite hate it, in fact. I realize the money isn't too great to begin with, but hey, I don't need much right now anyway. I read the replies and can't help but feel discouraged. I don't know what else I could do. I want it to have something to do with cars. Always my passion. And engineering sucks for me, because it's not going to lead to the type of work that I want to do; sitting around crunching numbers and designing stuff. I actaully want to see the stuff work, and fix whatever doesn't work. I love to help my friends with their cars, vice versa. My hands are greasy all the time anyway. I also realize that it's gonna be pretty monotonous at first, but that's with any job.

The school I want to transfer.. go to, is a 12 month ASE school. I'm wanna tear apart my own car so that i can get a job at the Mazda dealership. But it won't be easy. I'm not looking at this is the easy way out. Quite the opposite in fact. But it's something I always liked to do, it seems to make sense to do it to make money.
Ugh.. :(

You'll be surprised how many of us use customers' cars for personal entertainment, the weekend cars where the best. :naughty:
I must say that is disgusting. You may laugh but it just goes to show how inconsiderate you are of other peoples property and how unprofessional you are(or were). Some technicians wonder why they have bad names and are looked at as scoundrols of sorts-- it's techs like you.

Anyways, moving on: Steel, If you like it, and are really set on wanting to do this, then you will find a way, and if you deep down dont really think this is for you, you'll not be too keen on finding out how to go about everything. Bottom line is, do what makes you happy, nothing else matters.

O.K. I'll jump in and add my 2 cents to the madness.
Dude stay in school and get a degree...You are going to need it!
Automobiles are getting more complicated every day, the old greasy guy in the back yard shop and the do it yourselfer are things of the past.
Study electronics and electronic theory!
You want to be a tech? Do you have a couple grand to get a starter tool set? I'm not talking Craftsman...I'm talking Snap-on,Mac or Matco..you know where you get a shoebox full of tools for 3000.00 and then have to spend 40-50 a week to buy more.
Good tool box...3000.00 for a small one...you could jump in and go for broke..12000.00 for a monster box.
O.K. now that I've scared you with some figures lets move on.
You have to be a hustler, you are paid by your productivity..its called FLAT RATE...you are paid by the job...if you complete the job in less time than required you make money, more time you lose.
Warranty time is less, they don't pay you to diagnos the problem, just for the part or repair that fixes the problem.
This isn't a 9-5 job..I work from 7-6 at the dealer then go home and work til 10-11 at night and most weekends in my shop.

If you want to be a tech, go to a good tech school and learn the basics, then go to a dealer...get your factory training and experiance.
My suggestion is to stick with the dealer. I have worked for dealers for 20 years (I'm 39). I do driveability, electrical and ABS brake problems.
I spend more time with a multimeter and a computer than I do with a wrench.
Personally I prefer to work on 1 make of automobile (GM) and I am really good at my job. I can concintrate on 1 brand and don't have to pull my hair out over worring about the others. Personally I hate working on anything else.
I see some of the junk sitting at the indy shops around town and thank God I don't have to work on that stuff.
The indy guys know me and call me constantly to help them with some of their GM problems...I don't give advice out for free (except here)..They know if they call..they pay and if I come over...they pay more.
Do I make good money? Yea, I think so. I pay my bills and have a little left over.

Dude, think about your future..get a degree and then if you want become a tech... Merlins bet.....most likely you will do it for a few years than go do something else.....I see it every day.
Hopefully you will prove me wrong.
Good Luck.