Looking to become a mechanic...
06-30-2004, 09:51 AM
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Looking to become a mechanic...
Any advice on he proper steps to take? Im pretty much a newbie to tech aspects. Im just very interested in cars and how they work.
Well any advice? What courses and certs to look at. Should I get a part-time scrub job in a shop till Im certified?
Thanks
Well any advice? What courses and certs to look at. Should I get a part-time scrub job in a shop till Im certified?
Thanks
06-30-2004, 11:41 AM
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If you can get a job at a dealer that will educate and certify you, and that's what you want to do, then by all means, do it. That's one of the best ways to learn, and not get stuck in the career if you end up not liking it. Costs a lot less than formal training, and it's not the easiest way to learn.
But you don't have to if this is something you want more as a hobby than a career.
If you're a hobbyist, then you need to read everything you can regarding engine design, and automotive history. That way, you know where what technologies are developed, and how they apply to modern cars. Get a project car that you can afford to gut entirely (and afford to fix afterwards), the service manual for it, a place to work on it, and get your hands dirty. It takes time, patience, and with practice, you'll gain experience. You'll figure out what tools you need to buy every time you get stuck and ask somebody.
There are automotive training academies like WyoTech that train people to do pretty much everything from maintenance, to custom-fab, to body/paint work. That ain't cheap. It's more expensive than most colleges, but it usually comes with job placement if you're any good at it. I've thought about doing that, too, but I make more money consulting than with cars, and have more fun with cars as my hobby as a result. Someday I'll probably need to pay someone that got trained for something that's beyond my skill or patience. You might not like cars as much if you make it your career. My cousin's a mechanic, and has been for 18 years. He regrets it, and his project car's State inspection sticker reads "09/1990" because it hasn't run in 15 years. He's actually making steps right now to change that, but he has a lot of ground to make up (and rust to grind out) as a result.
But you don't have to if this is something you want more as a hobby than a career.
If you're a hobbyist, then you need to read everything you can regarding engine design, and automotive history. That way, you know where what technologies are developed, and how they apply to modern cars. Get a project car that you can afford to gut entirely (and afford to fix afterwards), the service manual for it, a place to work on it, and get your hands dirty. It takes time, patience, and with practice, you'll gain experience. You'll figure out what tools you need to buy every time you get stuck and ask somebody.
There are automotive training academies like WyoTech that train people to do pretty much everything from maintenance, to custom-fab, to body/paint work. That ain't cheap. It's more expensive than most colleges, but it usually comes with job placement if you're any good at it. I've thought about doing that, too, but I make more money consulting than with cars, and have more fun with cars as my hobby as a result. Someday I'll probably need to pay someone that got trained for something that's beyond my skill or patience. You might not like cars as much if you make it your career. My cousin's a mechanic, and has been for 18 years. He regrets it, and his project car's State inspection sticker reads "09/1990" because it hasn't run in 15 years. He's actually making steps right now to change that, but he has a lot of ground to make up (and rust to grind out) as a result.