Automotive Careers - question for an ase cert mechanic

or really any one who would know

In the summer im starting an automechanic program at a local comunity college. mechanics is pretty much the only thing i can see my self wanting to do with my life. butttttt i dont wana be changing the plugs on grandmas minivan i would want to do something more rewarding such as working at a speed shop or a race team of sumwhat. i just have no idea how to get to that point. is there special schooling for performance work or do you get an ase and try to aprentace somewere? could you guys let me know i have no clue on who else to ask

theres S.A.M. check the automotive career sec. here too.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/automotive-careers/1072685-hello-sam-racing-school-automotive-machinist.html

^ good advice! But as a Tech myself I'd say that even in a performance shop, your going to be doing some maintenance items like changing plugs lol. There is more to being a Tech then you think. I'd worry about school right now then working at a performance shop.

Tech school is great and will teach you the fundamentals. The best way is to find someone to apprentice under. If you have local speed shops or dirt-track guys just offer to volunteer your time. There is no substitute for hands on.

Generally I don't consider myself a Debby Downer but today I will make an exception. I would seriously consider looking at other career paths. There are alot of them out there.

Auto mechanics isn't what it used to be (not that is was ever good). But, the cars are getting more complicated, MUCH more complicated to diagnose, the pay seems to be getting worse at least at dealerships, and it is hard hard work. My dad has been a GM dealer mechanic for 30 years now and has strongly encouraged me to stay away from the field. I have learned a ton from him ( advanced diagnostics w/ Tech II, pulling motors/tranny's, rebuilding rear ends, etc.) and am grateful for it but he made me promise him one thing before we started working on cars together about 5 years ago:

He said "promise if I teach you all I know that you won't try to get in it as a career." It is great to know for my own knowledge and working on my own cars but it is not a good career to get into. And FYI, EVERY tech at his dealer has told me the same thing. The youngest guy there is 39 if that tells you anything. Not trying to burst your bubble but it's always better to learn from other people's mistakes than your own :chug:

i disagree. I do know that life as a dealer tech can be rough (with wrrty services that dont pay..etc) But, if you can find a good independent shop then that can be better. Also the tools you have to invest in are neverending and expensive. May also be good to specialize in an area like suspension or engine performance. I think engine performace and electrical are the two specialties that will be in demand more in the future. and there are more jobs than turning wrenches..... like parts, service writers, diagnostic specialist. There are always gonna be cars on the road and there will always be a need for technicians.

I bit of a old thread, but. . . . . . . .

I went to school at UTI<Yes I know. . . . I graduated in the top 3%

Yet, I never worked in a shop. . . After I finished school, I got a job as a cable guy. I made more money then any mechanic I knew made.


This was all great until six months ago when I lost my cable man job.


As far as education goes. It's good to have some. I am considering entering the automotive field now.

The fact is, it sucks. . . For me at least.

I will start from the bottom, the work is very physical and the pay to me is a joke.


If I had to do it all over again, I would go to a University and get a "real" education.


That's just my 2 Cents on the whole automotive career market.

Im not sure what auto dealers pay so I can't comment. When I went to school I thought I wanted to work on cars but changed my mind to trucks. Right now I'm a Med/Heavy duty diesel engine tech and the pay is far from a "joke". 3 weeks vacation, 1 week personal, 401k with match, shoe allowance, tool allowance, continued training, very reasonable healthcare and dental, profit sharing.

Its also nice to do something I'm good at but not exactly like my own projects at home.

Generally I don't consider myself a Debby Downer but today I will make an exception. I would seriously consider looking at other career paths. There are alot of them out there.

Auto mechanics isn't what it used to be (not that is was ever good). But, the cars are getting more complicated, MUCH more complicated to diagnose, the pay seems to be getting worse at least at dealerships, and it is hard hard work. My dad has been a GM dealer mechanic for 30 years now and has strongly encouraged me to stay away from the field. I have learned a ton from him ( advanced diagnostics w/ Tech II, pulling motors/tranny's, rebuilding rear ends, etc.) and am grateful for it but he made me promise him one thing before we started working on cars together about 5 years ago:

He said "promise if I teach you all I know that you won't try to get in it as a career." It is great to know for my own knowledge and working on my own cars but it is not a good career to get into. And FYI, EVERY tech at his dealer has told me the same thing. The youngest guy there is 39 if that tells you anything. Not trying to burst your bubble but it's always better to learn from other people's mistakes than your own :chug:

I heard this a lot from older techs in my shop when I first started 5 years ago. They hated their job, they said cars are more complicated now, the pay is worse and its not a good field.
I think THEY picked the wrong career.
While its not a dream career, most careers aren't but the money is actually good if you are smart, know how to fix things efficiently and keep on top of things.

Its not a career for everyone. If you like working on cars in your spare time, it doesn't mean you will be a good technician.
I see a lot of people come to the trade because it was a last resort. I feel that will sour your experience forever and you will never be happy.

Working for a performance shop is something you have work hard to get into and prove yourself. That niche is completely different than the automotive repair industry.

If you like working on cars in your spare time, it doesn't mean you will be a good technician.
I see a lot of people come to the trade because it was a last resort. I feel that will sour your experience forever and you will never be happy.

Working for a performance shop is something you have work hard to get into and prove yourself. That niche is completely different than the automotive repair industry.


All true. . . . . Very true. . . Doing something every day for pay is a different world then dropping one engine in five years in your garage.

That is what I am trying to figure out for myself now.


And, working in a performance only environment has to be heaven compared to working in a repair facility.


At least I think that is the way it would be.

Performance only environments are fun but you still need to make a living and usually but not always you will make less money as a performance tech than a dealership tech unless you own the performance place or are high specialized(tuner, welder, fabricator).

I do suggest trying to get an internship/apprenticeship and seeing if you still enjoy it.
Its not for everyone but the same goes for being a doctor or a lawyer.

i have been in gm for 5 years now it was okay. gm keeps cutting the warr times like you wouldent belive. some things are half. some things even the best guys cant finish in the time not jst me. i was told by alot of techs not to do it but i did anyway i dont regret it. flate rate at the dealer lever is the worst unless you kiss the managers and tower operator a$$. then you will get the good jobs. i just wint do that have to much respect for myself. looking to be advisor and wrk my way up to man. if you ever pay attention you never see a tech get promotoed to manger its alway an advisor in my history.

I went through the GM-ASEP program and I enjoyed the idea of going to school while you maintained a job at a dealer. The courses were excellent and I was building transmissions as soon as I got out of school. I took the program through my local community college and I had to take English, Math, Government, etc. As a result, I was able to get my associates degree and my credits ended up transfering to a major university. I worked at a dealer for 7 years then left the dealer and went back school (UCF) to finish my bachelors degree. In the beginning I didn't believe the oldtimers who told me "just stay in school". I've been gone for 2 years now and I have lunch with my old crew every Friday just to hear about the same crap that never changes. It's a dead end career in my opinion because of the lack of growth available. Only a couple of positions are available after technician and that's shop foreman, service writer, or service manager. All of these positions are also dead end careers, meaning the possibility of getting higher is slim to none. I'm not trying to crush your dreams because I had that same dream before. In the end, I wish someone would have taken the time to write a similar paragraph to me. If you love cars that much enroll in an automotive program, get the knowledge, and haul ass before it sucks you in.

I graduated the asep program in 06 and had a co-op at a saab dealer for the 2 years of school. i was hired full time once i graduated. i continued the saab line untill the end of 07 where i switched to the other brand of the dealership...vw. at this time i had gotten all my ase's including the L1. the ases are a joke..even tho gm requires them i had to fight tooth and nail to get any kind of a raise...even when the vw foreman failed the same L1 test the same day i was there. they show nothing about youre ability to fix cars and are severley geared towards old gm technology. if you have common sense and logic u can pass them. the best thing was to work under a tech that has expirience and will show you the ropes. i learned more that way then anything in the gm asep class. i was in the same boat as you. loved working on cars was good at it and thought this is what i should do..things i have learned. so far i have been at 2 different dealerships.

-raises are few and far...must threaten to quit to get them with most managers
-can you make money..yes in the right shop like im at now we average 35-40 cars a day for 10 techs..most guys pull anywhere from 45-70 hrs..my foreman made 25 hrs saturday..worked 730-2
-hard to advance..like some one else said..foreman..service writer which in my opnion is worse then a tech spot..and service manager..stuff that takes yeaaaars to move up to.
-the way were moving up here most dealers will be open on sundays soon
-waranty is its own animal..vw waranty times pay awfull but we get diag time...mopar to my knowledge you do not get any diag time period..talk about making guys become parts replacers.
-what i see about the older techs is they bitch about everything dont wana make an effort on any of the new cars to learn or even try..which makes it good for the young guys to make an impact. the harder the cars are to fix the more important you will be if you can fix them.
-everytime we need to hire some one...theres no one knocking at the door..def postions available if you look. i guess in this economy a job is a job cant complain

the speed shops i have no idea.. i guess its the same you will have to put the time in start atthe bottom and work your ass off.

i really wouldn't listen to all of the neg repleys, the automotive field is like any other field it's only what you make it like anything else in life. i am ase master certified and i also passed the L1. i have worked as a gm tech for almost 10yrs and it has been very rewarding i pretty much write my on check. i knew from the beginning that if i wanted to get ahead i needed to get really good at electical, transmissions, a/c, and front end most guys are good at one or the other but very few can do it all and fix it right the first time. even when the dealership that i worked at closed down i was doing sidework and going around to other shops fixing stuff that they couldn't. even now i get called in to small shops and get paid just to diag a vehicle.

:usa:Hi,
please get your education!! A man can make more money with his head than using his hands.....unless you're a counterfeiter.......just joking......the economy indicates the jobs available.employers are very selective on whom they hire.
If things get better then you have a different story..i would suggest getting an aa/bs/ba under your belt and work part time in the automotive field.
I was in your shoes almost 50 years ago and then made a decision to enter law enforcement.......best choice for me and my family. However, you must listen to your parents/family/and pray about your choice. Best of luck and remember you need to enjoy your profession.......have a blessed week. Captain jim

It is tough now, any field that it is.


It really sucks, I lost my high paying job and I can't get anything even close back.


A BA is pretty much a requirement now for any semi white colored job plus experience. Employers know what they can get away with now and they do.


It will be a tough battle for a while.


The automotive service field is like any other service field now, you work for your money. Or more like you get worked for your money.


Nothing you can do really except to try to progress your education and muster up some experience with it.



Real smart on getting a real AA from a CC instead of a bull crap tech school where nothing can be transferred anywhere.

it def has potential to be rewarding allways a need for good techs who take pride and do fix stuff right the first time. like turbostangjon said it would have been nice to get honost pros/cons of being a tech. its just brutal when youre 17 and uti reps come in to the high school auto shop claiming in 4 years u cud make 100 grand plus a year to suck you into a usless 20k dollar school....

i really wouldn't listen to all of the neg repleys, the automotive field is like any other field it's only what you make it like anything else in life. i am ase master certified and i also passed the L1. i have worked as a gm tech for almost 10yrs and it has been very rewarding i pretty much write my on check. i knew from the beginning that if i wanted to get ahead i needed to get really good at electical, transmissions, a/c, and front end most guys are good at one or the other but very few can do it all and fix it right the first time. even when the dealership that i worked at closed down i was doing sidework and going around to other shops fixing stuff that they couldn't. even now i get called in to small shops and get paid just to diag a vehicle.

Negative? I think I provided an unbiased picture on what a young person could expect from the automotive industry. I learned a lot from the industry and have no regrets about the program I entered. I was simply stating that the industry has no growth which will net no major pay increase over a lifetime. Also, I was simply painting an honest picture and I wish this person the best of luck in any industry. Have fun working, getting off of work, doing side work, then working at other shops, for 50K a year.

it def has potential to be rewarding allways a need for good techs who take pride and do fix stuff right the first time. like turbostangjon said it would have been nice to get honost pros/cons of being a tech. its just brutal when youre 17 and uti reps come in to the high school auto shop claiming in 4 years u cud make 100 grand plus a year to suck you into a usless 20k dollar school....

That's funny that you mention UTI because after high school in 2001 I went to UTI in Houston, TX. I was in that program for 3 weeks and I got a phone call from Mark Davis (the current director of the southeast training facility in Lake Mary, FL) asking if I wanted to join ASEP. At the time he was only director of ASEP and I started to blow him off because he told me previously that spots were closed for 2 years. In the end, a spot opened up and I thank Mark everyday for being persistant on the phone and getting me enrolled. I quit UTI and two days later flew to Florida to join the program. Not many instructors will enroll you, delay the payment at a community college, and have you walk into class without filling out paperwork. I was going to say to this person that if automotive is truly what you want in life then look into this program. I ended up getting a scholarship through NADA and it helped that the person who owned the dealership (Alan Starling) was also the current president of NADA. I know NADA and local automotive dealership associations give out scholarships to young technicians. Might be something to look into and it was nice not having to pay for school. I would really recommend not paying for something that you can possibly get for free. GM also has a program for young high school students that want to learn about the field but I can't remember the program name or abbreviation. I know this because we had a student every year from this program that consisted of a sponsorship and a free Snap-On tool box. I was pretty jealous that a high-school student got a free Snap-On box full of tools lol.

ya an unbiased picture of what 90 percent of auto techs will see...its the truth

After much consideration - I am going back to school for a "real" degree(bachelor's in either economics or CIS).

I am too old to start from the bare bottom in cut throat shops and I need a more of a solid future with solid pay.


Schooling in today's society is quite important. The only way I believe you can make "real" money now is with either higher education, a homey hook up in the work field or a business that you are good at.


I don't have anyone to give me a nice paying job or the opportunity to even start in a semi good paying job. And as far as business goes, I know quite a few trades now. But, construction in AZ is very slow and there is not enough room to break into the business.


I just wish I had this understanding ten years ago. But, you learn these kind of things with time.

My goal now is to make 70k+ by the age of 40. I am 30 now and I believe ten years is enough to get to that point.

I just don't see myself being a mechanic making that kind of money at that age. I worked with a guy at my cable job who was 15 years older then I am. He was in good shape, but man you can just see the wear on this guy. I ran circles around him all day. He always said the same thing: Never do a extreme physical job at his age. I am taking that advice.

After much consideration - I am going back to school for a "real" degree(bachelor's in either economics or CIS).

I am too old to start from the bare bottom in cut throat shops and I need a more of a solid future with solid pay.


Schooling in today's society is quite important. The only way I believe you can make "real" money now is with either higher education, a homey hook up in the work field or a business that you are good at.


I don't have anyone to give me a nice paying job or the opportunity to even start in a semi good paying job. And as far as business goes, I know quite a few trades now. But, construction in AZ is very slow and there is not enough room to break into the business.


I just wish I had this understanding ten years ago. But, you learn these kind of things with time.

My goal now is to make 70k+ by the age of 40. I am 30 now and I believe ten years is enough to get to that point.

I just don't see myself being a mechanic making that kind of money at that age. I worked with a guy at my cable job who was 15 years older then I am. He was in good shape, but man you can just see the wear on this guy. I ran circles around him all day. He always said the same thing: Never do a extreme physical job at his age. I am taking that advice.

At least you've realized it and kudos to you for wanting to better yourself. I'm about the same age and it took me a couple of years to realize that I could do better. It just took a hard labor pain in the ass job to make me realize it lol.

Yup, I can got to school and I will. . . .


The ways to make a living really have changed. . . . If everything was not the way it is, I would stay at my cable man job until I retired. Decent work for decent pay. . . . . It does not work like that any more.

When I got hired on, that's the way it was. At least 40% of the guys were 50+ and were just hanging out. Said the same thing to me, just take it easy and it 20 years retire. . . . . . . But, the economy had a different plan.

The company took a hit and retired everyone that was within one year of retirement with a 40% penalty. They had no choice to take it, one guy refused and got fired.


Lovely. . . . . . .:bs:


Education now is more important then ever. Soon you will need a BA to change oil. . . lol

Any job is what you make of it. I've been in the automotive field for 7 years now, 5 at chevy dealerships. I dont like dealing with people which elimiates a bunch of jobs. Some days I really dont like it, but most days its not too bad. If you dont BS all day long and do your work, you can make time on most things and make a decent living.

Its a great feeling when you get something fixed that 3 or 4 other shops couldnt figure out and they told the customer to "take it to the dealership" because they had already hung $2k worth of parts on it. I like the challenge of figuring things out, I love electrical work.

Monday morning I get to pull the dash out of a C6. How often do you get to tear a dash out of a $60k car? :)

On top of that, if you keep up with your training, you can work on the latest and greatest stuff. Like this car I got to take out a few months back:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/59677_1630222643329_1469490290_1592942_1435336_n.j pg

then somedays you work on this crap:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/73509_1663263949341_1469490290_1656741_215198_n.jp g

LoL. . . . . . Sounds about right. . . . . But, also why should you work on someone else's 60k car when you can't own one of your own?


I always wanted to work on high end cars. But, now to think about it. . . . I rather own one or two then work on someone else's. . . . .

LoL. . . . . . Sounds about right. . . . . But, also why should you work on someone else's 60k car when you can't own one of your own?


I always wanted to work on high end cars. But, now to think about it. . . . I rather own one or two then work on someone else's. . . . .

Get a job as a valet if you want to drive high end cars lol.

I went to the GM ASEP Program after H.S., was a Dealer Tech for a few years, then moved on to a independent shop that specialized in rear ends and tranny's.

Eventually, I got so sick of working on cars. My project car at the time started to rot away and I was just unhappy. It ruined my hobby and my passion for cars.

One day, I smartened up and got out of the business. I make more money now then I ever would have as a tech and I love cars again.

Who said I couldnt afford a 60k car? I could probably afford a 60k car, but I'm saving for a house. Plus being single with a kid it just isnt practical at this time. I'll have one eventually.

I did very well last year pay wise and I dont plan on quitting the business anytime soon. I keep making more and more every year so until it starts to drop, I'll stay in the business. This year I should clear 10k over last year.
I wont say how much but if you must know you can PM me.

Vehicles are machines and they will always have to be fixed and maintained. And even as the engineers get younger and more stupid, the more I get to fix and the more money I make. :cheers:

Who said I couldnt afford a 60k car? I could probably afford a 60k car, but I'm saving for a house. Plus being single with a kid it just isnt practical at this time. I'll have one eventually.

I did very well last year pay wise and I dont plan on quitting the business anytime soon. I keep making more and more every year so until it starts to drop, I'll stay in the business. This year I should clear 10k over last year.
I wont say how much but if you must know you can PM me.

Vehicles are machines and they will always have to be fixed and maintained. And even as the engineers get younger and more stupid, the more I get to fix and the more money I make. :cheers:

Regardless of what you make I believe better options exist for the OP. For instance, show me 1 technician doing well and I'll show you 100 who are stuck in a dead end career or moved on to better things. Also, I don't know many technicians who can "afford" a $60,000 dollar car. Annually you would need to make double the sticker price in order to not be strained at the end of the month. In this case that would mean $120,000 a year or we can lowball it at $100,000. What's the average technician make? $50,000? $60,000? $70,000 (for warranty scammers and customer rapers)? That's still $30,000 away from being able to properly afford a $60,000 dollar car. In the end, the "average" technician cannot afford a $60,000 dollar car and if they do it's not under normal circumstances.

Regardless of what you make I believe better options exist for the OP. For instance, show me 1 technician doing well and I'll show you 100 who are stuck in a dead end career or moved on to better things. Also, I don't know many technicians who can "afford" a $60,000 dollar car. Annually you would need to make double the sticker price in order to not be strained at the end of the month. In this case that would mean $120,000 a year or we can lowball it at $100,000. What's the average technician make? $50,000? $60,000? $70,000 (for warranty scammers and customer rapers)? That's still $30,000 away from being able to properly afford a $60,000 dollar car. In the end, the "average" technician cannot afford a $60,000 dollar car and if they do it's not under normal circumstances.

I would agree that better options exist as a starting career. In fact if I were to do it over again I wouldnt take this career to start with. And yes I will also agree with the fact that not many are doing well...I'm just stating that not everyone is in the same boat and some people enjoy this as a career. I'm by no means a warranty scammer, but there are guys out there that do that. I'm living very comfortable right now so if it doesnt change, neither will my career.

I didnt realize there was a 'proper' way to afford a car. Either you can or you can't. If you can manage your money the 'proper' way then you can afford one without having to make 120k/year, or even half that.

or really any one who would know

In the summer im starting an automechanic program at a local comunity college. mechanics is pretty much the only thing i can see my self wanting to do with my life. butttttt i dont wana be changing the plugs on grandmas minivan i would want to do something more rewarding such as working at a speed shop or a race team of sumwhat. i just have no idea how to get to that point. is there special schooling for performance work or do you get an ase and try to aprentace somewere? could you guys let me know i have no clue on who else to ask

Doing an automech program at a local comm college is a good place to start. Tuition is affordable, and I had fantastic teachers who were really dedicated to turning out good mechanics. I'm sure other programs are like this too but ours required a co-op. The coordinators would fall all over themselves to find you a job...how many places do that now a days?

We all started as the low man on the totem pole...some of my friends worked in the oil change bays, I did PDI's (new car inspections...wish I had that job back it was GRAVY and I turned serious hours). Eventually we all moved up to be line mechanics. Yes, changing plugs in grandma's lumina and trying to hunt down an electrical problem in the dash of a minivan that smells like spit up milk fucking SUCKS, but you have to start at the bottom....good experience and makes you appreciate shit later in life.

Comm college degree + ASE's + a couple years at a dealership = now you're starting to look appealing to a shop. Find a good local shop and leave your resume, no none of us will hire you right off the bat :jest: but be persistant. Once again work your way in from the bottom, be on time, have a good attitude and work ethic, and eventually you will start working on cool stuff...

Decide what you would like to do, or what job would you be the happiest doing and then go from there. Chasing a job or a career just because of the money can make for some very long and sad days.