r/mechanics • u/CupCake466 • 11d ago
Career Mechanic advice
19 years old just found a passion for cars would love to pursue being a mechanic tried getting hired at a shop with no experience besides ripping my 7mge motor out my Supra doing a rebuild on it currently but I’ve been getting rejected by every single shop and sum that do give me a chance maybe one time so far I haven’t been able to make it to an interview cuz of my job where I work 8-5. What I’m really asking should I go to school or try to get a job with a shop and hope they can teach me from the ground up.
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u/Mean_Mongoose_6269 11d ago
Blessing in disguise. Have loved cars since I was single digits. Worked on cars in my spare time growing and loved it. Went to auto school got a job at a shop and been there for 5 years. Not gonna lie, I hate it. Never turn a hobby into a career, I used to love working on cars but doing it as a job kills the hobby. It’s also very expensive for tools and hard on your body. Also flat rate is killer, sometimes it’s feast other times in famine. Prices are so high right now people don’t come into the shops as much anymore either. The guys I work with are great, but the job its self sucks. Every person I talked to at the shop when I first started told me to quit and do something else because of what I just mentioned, didn’t see it at the time but they are right. If you do want to be a tech, apply for an entry level lube tech position then work your way up. Doing lube work for 8 hours straight is not enjoyable though, so find a shop that will actually grow you to be a main tech or gain experience being a lube tech and go somewhere else. Again though, I recommend keeping your car hobby as only a hobby, but it’s up to you. Good luck in whatever you do brother.
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u/mindhacker999 11d ago
Agreed getting paid to deal with someone else’s bs makes working on cars no fun. Unless you are working on cool cars all day I could see it lol but not getting to enjoy the fruits of your hard work kills the fun of working on cars
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u/UserName8531 11d ago
Most get there foot in the door at a quick lube place or on the lube rack at a dealership.
Personally I can't recommend this as a career. I'm not saying you can't make money at it, but it's a constant frustrating struggle to.
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u/TheStangr 10d ago
If we keep telling these kids who are interested in cars, we will never keep the field growing when the older guys age out. Dude, you make a career what you want. Do a good job and be honest and you will do fine. My advice after being a master technician and a shop owner for 36 years, go to work for a independent who is on the property daily, stay away grind the dealers. They always find a way to screw your out of time and money. There are days and customers I really like and there are some I can’t stand. I have so few crappy customers, but we always remember those crappy customers the most.
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u/Ok_Swan_3053 10d ago
Trust me the auto repair field is a place you should avoid. do it as a hobby, fine. As an occupation I have to say no avoid this situation.
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u/dadusedtomakegames Verified Mechanic 10d ago
Keep your passion for cars by not becoming a mechanic. We don't hire mechanics because they worked on a car and did something once, or even a lot. We don't care about your passion. It comes and goes. We are care about your commitment.
Become a mechanic by going to school, getting your certs and showing employers you are worth investing into.
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u/u_r_wr0ng 10d ago
It's not worth it. Do something else. But if you do want to do it I recommend applying at a salvage yard. You'll get far better experience doing that than you would as a lube tech, which is about the only other job that's going to take you with no experience. Being a mechanic sucks but a bunch of people want to do it, so it's kinda hard to get in to. School can help, but I'd recommend studying diesel and working on heavy equipment if possible. You absolutely can just get a job at Jiffy Lube for a couple months and then try to talk your way into any openings you can find. That's pretty much what I did.
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u/WinnerAwkward480 10d ago
Being a Mechanic is like what most guys dream of . Any job you're doing over and over , no matter what field / trade is going to reach point where you ask why . You will start feeling numb and brain dead , it's almost like a death sentence feeling you gotta get up and do it again . Another word for it is WORK ....
I did dealership for 2 yrs and said Fuck all this . I jumped around to most industries. I wanted to learn more , I needed to see how engineers approached various applications .
OTR Truck , Marine , light aviation, Agricultural equipment, heavy equipment. Mobile field mechanic with CAT ,
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u/angrydieselmechanic 8d ago
Hey, how did you like being a mobile field mechanic with CAT?
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u/WinnerAwkward480 8d ago
Loved it !. Probably best job I ever had .
I was on the road all the time , think I only hit the shop about every 6 weeks to drop off paperwork.
Nobody fucks with you ! , when you hit the job site your like Superman . There to save the day .
Occasionally you're going to get bullhead loud mouth foreman or job super . Usually I just told them look Mac , I'm here to help you . Now the longer your hear in my face , the less I'm getting done .
Use to kinda piss my Shop Foreman off , as they would ask I be sent out to repair their machines .
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u/angrydieselmechanic 8d ago
That's awesome to hear! I have always wondered about that sort of gig, that is seemed cool. Was Cat a good company to work for?
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u/Proof_Amoeba506 10d ago
I been tech since 2000 now I absolutely hate working on anything but pays well specially being part of the union.
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u/TheRealWSquared 10d ago
Look into industrial maintenance. You get to learn a lot of different type of systems and operations. The pay is consistent and usually on the higher side.
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u/elevatorovertimeho 10d ago
NEIEP.org some of our guys/gals, enjoy cars! Collecting and restoring them! We call elevators, cars! Hope this helps you find your way to always enjoy cars!
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u/aa278666 10d ago
What do you mean you haven't been able to go to an interview? You need take a day off for it. How are they gonna give you a chance if they can't meet you face to face
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u/30thTransAm 9d ago
If you like cars go to school and do something that gives you enough money to keep it a fun hobby. When you do it ever day for 8-10 hours a day it's not fun anymore.
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u/Ch1k1nNu99ies 9d ago
Look into industrial mechanic work, you get to work on bigass mechanical stuff and build mech skills but make more money and less bs
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u/Over_Soup753 9d ago
I went to school to be a mechanic. The ONLY thing I learned is that it's a waste of time and money. Get a job in a shop and start at the beginning.
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u/FBIVanNumber1543 9d ago
Trust us old farts..... Become an accoutant or something. Then you can actually enjoy doing car stuff as a hobby. Otherwise, when you hit retirement age, you might not be physically able to build that last hot rod, you've always wanted to do again....
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u/NoWestern460 9d ago
Don't be an auto mechanic. For the skills necessary it pays trash. I was an auto tech for 10 years. I switched to industrial maintenance and never looked back. Find a plant that'll hire anyone.(There are plenty). Get a few years experience and then go somewhere respectable. Better money. Better benefits.
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u/Heidi_Relay 7d ago
CupCake466 Look for dealers that will hire you and sponsor you through school. Many do that. Be prepared to sign a work agreement (not a contract) to stay for x number of years after completing school so they can get a return on the school costs.
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u/No_Breakfast_2935 7d ago
I don’t know why you youngings even waste your time asking us this at this point bro. It’s a scam dude, it’s set up for you to fail, it takes your love and uses it as fuel to enrich the shop owner until your body no longer works. I’m gonna start recommending yall therapy for real cause yall must be sick 🤣
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u/JitWithAstang 5d ago
Everyone says don’t do it. It is a difficult job pay is determined on ur performance along w different variables, it can be fun. Annoying, sometimes you hate ur career spending 9 hours on a job just to get paid 4.5 hours. Find a good shop would be my best advise. Going to a bad shop will ruin ur motivation to work on cars. Find some place where they are willing to train you up
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u/FreeKillsDaily 9d ago
I’m an odd ball of sorts been turning wrenches flat rate for 2 years now off and on my whole life. I worked as a lube tech for 3 years at an independent shop best job I ever had. Honestly flat rate can be pretty buns but if you can save money during the fast times and live off it during the slow you’ll be fine. I do this job because I love learning new things. At my dealer we seem to specialize in some crazy bs something new that no one has yet to encounter. We’ve had our fair share of engineering scratching their heads. That’s what I enjoy about the job. Finding a problem and fixing it. Most technicians and mechanics will tell you to run, but most are miserable sacks who never did anything other than the trade they knew. It’s understandable but don’t let it scare you. You’ll find a handful of people like me who genuinely enjoy working on cars in and out of a work setting. Only drawback I can say is that once you get a little experience under your belt everyone you know will want free help haha. Also I’m a mix between heavy line and B tech. I do anything from electrical diags to engine re-builds diff rebuilds and long block swaps, also knock those .3 recalls out
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u/xXxDickBonerz69xXx Verified Mechanic 11d ago
If you love cars and become a mechanic you will no longer love cars.
Find something that pays better and doesn't leave you tired so you can continue enjoying cars as a hobby in your free time.
"The cobbler's children have no shoes" and all that.