Hey guys, does anyone here who is an experienced auto tech. have any advice for the youngins who are planning to enter the AUTOTECH field??

I've done a search and I have done the reading, many people don't recommend it because of the flat rate vs hourly pay. I just want to get some up to date advice if anyone has any.

My plans are to go to community college to finish the auto courses and get an A.S in auto technology, instead of going to a school like UTI or WYOTECH, so the money I save can be used to buy tools and intern at a shop to start at the bottom.

I don't want to get into something, and regret it later down the road like many of the experienced one has said. I'm currently 21 years old, and I am currently attending a 4 year college in business administration, but sometimes college isnt for everyone and im starting to wonder if being in an office environment is really for me. Like everyone else I do dream of opening my own shop, but i know it will take experience and require me to work from bottom up.

I guess the most important question i'm worried about is that
Can working as an auto tech provide security for my family?

For the people living in SO CAL and have experience, Which community college offers a better auto program?? CITRUS COMMUNITY COLLEGE in GLENDORA? or RIO HONDO COLLEGE in WHITTIER?? Thanks.

 

get a degree in something non-auto related....so when you get sick of working on cars you have something to fall back on.


you cant get a worth while automotive job with out experience....and spending a zillion dollars to go to one of these schools isnt experience. the only way your going to learn is hands on.

go buy a 500 dollar civic and get to learnin

 

thanks for the tip turbo, but thats mainly why im gonna take the courses at a community college and save myself the money instead of going to UTI or WYOTECH. and with taht ill spend time working at a shop being an intern hopefully.

 

please dont take this the wrong way....im not trying to be an ***....rather be truthful......your not going to know how to work on a car by sitting in a classroom...or even any kind of a hands on school. sure you will learn something...but anything that your going to learn there....you could learn for "free" just by doing it at your own house. 99% of this automotive field is knowledge that is learned from getting your hands dirty.

take the auto class's if they will apply to your other degree...but other than that i think you would be much better off getting a "normal" degree and learning the automotive side of it on your own.

thats just me though (fwiw thats what i did (associates degree anywyas), and i own my own shop now)

 

I'll back up what Turbo said. I got my degree in Physics and I learned everything I know from working on my own car and being part of (and eventually president of) my school's Student Auto Shop club. I didn't think I'd be getting into this professionally a year ago, but after working on a LOT of cars around the shop and with my friends, and learning a LOT by reading online, I called a local shop back home and asked if they needed help, told them what I could do/had done, and they hired me. Then I got a good offer to move down here to Florida and be the lead mechanic (and a bunch of other things) where I work now. I don't think that anything I use on a daily basis was learned from school specifically, other than basic understanding of things like electronics for wiring and thermodynamics for tuning. I have regular customers now who went to schools like UTI and I only know that because I've been told, not because it's evident (after all, why would they be customers?).

Work on every car you can, help your friends, help random people change tires. Don't shy away from other non-Hondas, I can't tell you how much I learned about engine management alone from working on RX-7s and Nissans before I ever even socketed my first Honda ECU. And yeah, like Turbo said, if you have another degree you always have something to fall back on, people get burned out very easily when they make their hobby a job.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Turbo-charged &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">get a degree in something non-auto related....so when you get sick of working on cars you have something to fall back on.


you cant get a worth while automotive job with out experience....and spending a zillion dollars to go to one of these schools isnt experience. the only way your going to learn is hands on.

go buy a 500 dollar civic and get to learnin </TD></TR></TABLE>
I agree. If you were to get a job as a technician i would have suggested starting earlier on when you were 18 or something to work your way up with hands on experience. All the people i know who earn a good living from being a technician at a dealership has worked their way from the bottom and had a number of years of experience. Everyone i know who took auto tech classes at a community college hasn't learned **** from them. Finish up a real 4 year college degree and have something to fall back on while doing car stuff on the side and learning hands on.

I am about to finish up an engineering degree, have been tuning as well for the past few years, and now have a job working for an engine testing facility. This way i will always have the degree to fall back on.

 

thanks for all the advice guys. I am going to get some hands on experience from a mechanic that I know. He said he'd be willing to train me from his own home so i'm going to take that offer.

But at the same time i'd like to atleast take a basic 101 class just to lay down some foundation. I'm not as savy as most people are on this forum, and hopefully i'll just feel a little more comfortable to have that class taken.


I think everyone is right, because 90% of the advice everyone tells me is to get a degree in something else to have something to fall back on.

I think I will just finish up my business administration degree, and do some hands on experience with my mechanic and ATLEAST take 1 class just so i can feel better haha.

I have thought about engineering, but the course seems like a real big obstacle.


BTW turbo, u mentioned u earned an associates and you own your own shop now. What degree did u get it in under if i may ask.


thanks for the advice guys

 

it's all about experience in auto tech world. My friend went back to the tech school after working 3 years at a dealership to get his technical degree in automotive technology but he only did it to get his degree so it would look better on his resume and get his ase certifications. Believe it or not his first "mechanic" job was a Midas when he was 17 and he said it opened the door to where he is now.

 

I agree...
Experience is irreplacable...Start working on cars now and you will learn mainly by that...Class room instruction is also great since it teaches you the theory behind it all...Its how these 2 types of learning is what kinda tech you will develop into...
I only tinkered with cars when i was a kid not getting serious about making a carrer out of it until i turned 21.
I went to UTI, studied hard,got a job at a shop as an apprentace, and focused on cars 100%. I soaked up everything i could from all the older nore experienced techs. Most are very helpful.
After 2 years of UTI schooling,sidejobs at my house,and helping others with their cars, you pick up vast amouits of knowledge. Take your ASE tests also. Any credentials awards orcertifications will help you land a good high paying job...

 

Now i am a porsche tech with 4 years experience working in a top notch shop making terriffic money....Next year I will reach the highes level for porsche techs to reach. Gold Meister Technician. Hopefully by that time ill be earning 6 digits a year.
I recommend UTI---&gt; Manufacturer program----&gt; accept job with the company youfind most desirable.( Porsche,BMW,Mercedes,Volvo,Audi,Volkswagen,Ford)
there are a ton of manufactures out there needing highly trained and certified technicians. They willtake care of you as you learn and begin your apprentaceship...

 

wow pyro, ur story is the most inspirational. you are the 5% that talks positively about UTI and actually ending up being successful, compared to the other 95% of advice others have told me that didn't end up so well.

Since you started at 21, im guessing you were 23 when u came out and started your apprentinceship? how old were u when u barely started to make "good" money

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Turbo-charged &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">get a degree in something non-auto related....so when you get sick of working on cars you have something to fall back on.


you cant get a worth while automotive job with out experience....and spending a zillion dollars to go to one of these schools isnt experience. the only way your going to learn is hands on.

go buy a 500 dollar civic and get to learnin </TD></TR></TABLE>

Best advice you will ever get

 

Heres my story...
I worked on airplanes from 18-22. Made great money ~$50K but eventually got bored and grew tired of it...
Ive always been interested in cars and always thought about getting into the auto industry, but was hesitant because of the expected paycut...
Late one night while watching speedvision at my mothers house in FL, I saw a infomercial for UTI. I never paid attention to infomercials, but this one seemed really appealing. I called the 800 number and had an information packet sent to me.
A few days later I was on a plane back home to TX. As fate would have it, I started talking to the passenger beside me.It turned out he was an instructor for UTI at the Houston campus. We talked the whole flight and when we landed, I had made up my mind what I was gonna do...
About 2 months later, I had saved some money up,moved to Houston,and enrolled in UTI...I was 23.
Heres the thing with UTI(at least how I perceived it). Most students there are fresh out of high school, are immature, and do not take their education seriously. Id say 85% of the students fell into this category.
After taking the main Automotive Technology course, students are given the opportunity to take an optional "manufacturer program". This is highly encouraged by the school, and of course by the several different auto manufacturers that provide it. The auto manufacturers are the ones needing skilled trained technicians.
By only accepting graduates of UTI's auto technology course, they are basicly guaranteed that they know the basics of how vehicles work both in theory and in reality. Some of the brands that offer specialized training are Porsche,Audi,VW,BMW,Volvo,Mercedes,and Jaguar. These companies are desperate to fill the void of retiring technicians and dont want to hire some untrained idiot from jiffy lube or something.
To wrap things up, I started out in Florida as a Porsche tech after going through there training school located in Atlanta. The amount of money you will make depends on your dealer and the amout of volume/business you have.

I spent about 3 years in Florida STRUGGLING due to our dealers low volume and Floridas HIGH cost of living. My first year in the field I made about $35K. The second year about $40K and my last year in Florida almost $45K. While this IS decent money ,it was not enough to live how I wanted to live...
Eventually I accepted a job in Georgia where there are only 2 Porsche dealers in the whole state. That means ALOT more cars to work on and ALOT more money!
Now Im 28 making what I consider really good money and about to buy my second house. Next year, Ill reach Gold Master status. The pay rate that level demands along with all my ASE certs should gross me over $100K a year which I am perfectly happy with

It all starts with drive,determination,and attitude. You can make really good money with any of the above listed manufactures as long as you stick with it and improve your skills continuously. Of course the busier your dealer is, the more money you will make also...
Any more ?'s, pm me so we dont trash up whats supposed to be the engine management tech forum Damn thats a long post

 

tech schools are only good if you go into one knowing about cars my brother in-law and I started going to a tech school at the same time he when from pluming to auto mechanics I when from votech and working in shops/dealership I dropped out after a month and he stayed in it till the end put him in front of a car and he don’t know what to do I’m glad I dropped out you’ll learn more getting hands on Esperance I’m only 22 and been in this field for 6 years I would sagest trying to find out if you can get into a vocational school to learn the basics you’ll pay maybe $1000 a year and learn more then just starting out in a school like UTI

 

i just recently graduated from ATI with an associates degree in science for automotive service technician. i have experience but i feel like i need more. i use to work at jiffy lube when i was like 17 but that isnt ****, jus like oil changes and basic stuff. besides i use to work on my own cars and other friends. now im 20 and working at firestone for the past couple of months( im the youngest there). i learn off the master techs at my shop. i ask questions and they are more than happy to show me how to do it with some of their tricks. just gotta be cool with them like that i just currently took my first ase for brakes and waiting for my results. i plan to stay there for a while because its a learning opportunity, i work on every type of car there. when i gain more experience, then ill jump into like bmw or something high end. but as of right now, remember this; experience + skills = SUCCESS! so stop being on the comp and get your hands dirty!

 

Pyro has explained UTI just as I would. I started at Nascar Tech in Mooresville, NC. This is the newest, and from what i've heard from instructors at 2 schools, it is the best facility they have. It is the most structured learning you can get. The school teaches you more than just automotive technology, they teach you values you need to have in the field. I left Nascar Tech to go to UTI Orlando- The worst Mistake i could have made(except that the change got me into Hondas very much in Florida). I unfortunately did fall into the 85% of the immature kids momentarily a few times and it cost me a ride into the Manufactures training. I have friends that left the school and couldnt change oil. I also have friends, who somewhat like me(don't mean to sound cocky), were thrown the scan tool in a dealership first day there and told to diagnose a driveability concern and did and still do diag and repair drivability daily and correctly. I started at the bottum for sure, 10$ hourly, extremely shitty, but I'm 21 now, 9 months in the dealer, 3 Ford Certifications(Paid Training FTW!) and I'm the Second highest paid Technician out of 12 in the shop. I'm paid higher than a tech with 15 years more experience than me and also a technician with over 30 years experience. I'm a diesel tech(didn't know a [freak]ing thing about powerstrokes or diesels 9 months ago) and I have taken in all education i could. If business keeps up, I am going to make somewhere around $60K this year if diesel prices don't kill all my work. Take in every bit of education you possibly can. I would honestly suggest trying to get into the field in some sort of quicky shop like Firestone or Tuffy's, precision tune(dunno if you guys have those on the West Coast) but somewhere that you can learn a little bit about everything. It will really help you instead of walking in blind. Hope that helps, keep your head up and make sure that its something you really wanna do. I've never known anything but cars as long as i can remember, started building motors for my racing go karts when i was 12 years old. I get off work at the dealership and come home and try to make honda's make about the same torque as the diesels i work on everyday... That hasn't been successful yet... lol, This **** never gets old to me because i love cars and the life. Make sure its something you want to keep doing because otherwise, you'll dig a deep hole you possibly can't get out of easily if you don't watch it with things such as tools and other things associated to the field. Good luck in whatever you do though man!

 

I'll be graduating from Baran Institute in three weeks. I've been working on cars for about 4 years before attending the school. Going into the school I've already done several engine builds and I'm a local tuner in Eastern CT. The tuition is 21,000$. I already had a lot of the money saved up from my previous career as a graphic designer. I went in kind of cocky because the suspension/steering courses were really easy. But then after the drivetrain, engine repair, and engine performance classes I realized how much more there is to the field that I didn't know. And it doesn't matter who you are, unless you've been in the field for several years you'll learn stuff you've never even comprehended.

On the down side, with the knowledge I've had before hand I spent most of the year bored, just picking up on the stuff I didn't know. I just took and passed my A1 and A5 ASE tests. It would be rather hard to do without the training or years in the field.

Also, these schools usually offer lifetime job placement, at least the school I attend does. And with the certificates, credentials, and the passed ASE tests I will move up the chain a whole lot faster than someone walking off the street.

It's all about what you want to do with your life and how fast you want to get there. I got bored with graphic design and decided I'll give automotive a shot. I always try to be the best I can and I hate to sound cliche but education is key.

 

Graduated UTI Porsche program, just like pyro. Best choice I made was buy a civic for 500 and then went there. You will only come out with a smile and happy with the program if you use it to its full potential. He is 100% right about 85% or more kids just F them selves and think they know everything about a car going in.... Pick UTI or something if you want to get into a rare type of dealer I.E. Benz, Por, Lambo.... Otherwise just get a crap side job at a shop and learn learn learn...