Automotive Careers - 16 years old

I really want to learn a lot more about mechanics. I have no clue what field i wish to persue, but automechanics has a strong influence on me. Being 16, how do I learn more? I'm always open to learn anything about any car no matter the make, model or year. Just curious what input I can get. Thanks!

Well you can learn anything you want on the internet. But hands on the only real career you could do is maybe at a jiffy lube or something like that. But just look at stuff on any thing mechanical and then learn what it is and ehat purpose it surves and take in and put everything together in your mind how it works, thats really how I learned about mechanics.

See if there's a local club. I'm in college and I've joined the local Society of Automotive Engineers and I'm about to join the campus sports car club. There's tons of people and projects in clubs.

I'm 16 aswell, and have learned pretty much everything with this and different forums and internet stuff. In my experience I haven't ran into many kids who knew anything about cars in highschool. I think clubs are a pretty good idea and I'm planning on getting a job at checker or stiffy lube when I turn 17 since thats their age limit.

But yeah, browsing around on online forums, clubs, and maybe a part time job at checker or something is pretty much the way to go if you want to learn about cars.

it really depends on what your wanting to learn, if its just simple things like brakes and all that then somewhere like sears automotive would help, but if your lookin into going into a engine building and full rebuild kinda thing then you will prolly need to get on some speed shop and maybe be an apprentice to learn stuff.

I had the same aspirations of wanting to work on cars my whole life when i was a kid. Then I realized that I really just wanted to work on high performance cars rather than just being a mechanic. They have some schools like UTI etc. or Wyotech I believe. But life comes at you fast, and once you get married and have kids that turns into a distant dream. So the main thing is if your going to do something like that I would suggest an apprenticeship somewhere or even a parts store to help you learn. Good luck to you though.

my highschool had automotive classes which my friend took then went to a jiffylube to work there for a while. if your serious wyotech is a great school for that as a career.

i learned everything i know by hands on at a local shop. i was doing everything you can think of on any kind of car over there.

Forums, Factory service manuals , and wrench time.. Hang out with gearheads and take in all that u can... Look in to Wyo-tech or Uti or places like that after school if you want to possibly take on turning wrenches for a career.

Powerblock TV on Spike TV... watch it every week. Tape it as you watch it so you can rewind during commercials if you missed something... DVR works well too. After 6 months of Powerblock, I learned enough about cars that I could almost predict what they were gonna do or how they were gonna do it.

i just graduated high school and they had a building called the applied technology building where welding, auto tech, horticulture, small engines, auto body etc was taught. i took welding, auto tech, & auto body all 4 years of high school + hung around anyone that was knowledgeable about cars and such + watched any car shows on tv + became friends with a local engine builder and went to his shop every chance i got + read up on car manuals, magazines, etc.

I go to UTI and i think u get outta it what u put into it so, i liked it a lil and u learn alot so if ur thinkin about that lemme know

I went to a GM ASEP school which is a GM based Automotive technology 2 year degree. I learned a ton of stuff and worked at a GM dealership for almost 3 years. Let me tell you this....working on your car and working on somebody elses is completely different. People can be bitches and always think you are going to screw them. I wish someone would have told me NOT to go into automotive it is a very cut-throat operation and people are always fighting about money and who's getting the best paying jobs etc.etc.

If you want to learn about cars do alot of reading first....car is a completely different language... When my buddies and i talk car around our gf's they look at us like we're speaking German. 2nd start small do a radiator flush and an oil change before you try pulling a tranny or rebuilding a motor

I am not upset that i learned everything i did with my degree because i will save soooooo much money just by being able to do my own maintanice that it is worth it but I could have a 4 year degree now making real moeny instead...


ALSO....VERY IMPORTANT....many of the schools with automotive programs are liars they will say things about being able to make 100k a year when you get out of school and the truth is only about 1% of techs make that kind of money and most of them are over the age of 40 with 20 plus years of experience. I was making 9.50 an hour at the dealership and if i would have gone flat rate it would have been 13.00 an hour...so do not go into it to get rich cause you won't

i am 18 and going to college to be a mechanical engineer. through high school i worked at a friends shop. they did all the basic car care stuff (oil changes, brakes, wheels, state inspections) whatever you name it. but they also did a shitload of performance work. i learned all the basics and loved watching and just helping if i could with the performance stuff. thats how i learned my hands on stuff. otherwise just read a lot on the internet, ask a lot of questions to gearheads, and constantly search for new info.

I went to a GM ASEP school which is a GM based Automotive technology 2 year degree. I learned a ton of stuff and worked at a GM dealership for almost 3 years. Let me tell you this....working on your car and working on somebody elses is completely different. People can be bitches and always think you are going to screw them. I wish someone would have told me NOT to go into automotive it is a very cut-throat operation and people are always fighting about money and who's getting the best paying jobs etc.etc.

If you want to learn about cars do alot of reading first....car is a completely different language... When my buddies and i talk car around our gf's they look at us like we're speaking German. 2nd start small do a radiator flush and an oil change before you try pulling a tranny or rebuilding a motor

I am not upset that i learned everything i did with my degree because i will save soooooo much money just by being able to do my own maintanice that it is worth it but I could have a 4 year degree now making real moeny instead...


ALSO....VERY IMPORTANT....many of the schools with automotive programs are liars they will say things about being able to make 100k a year when you get out of school and the truth is only about 1% of techs make that kind of money and most of them are over the age of 40 with 20 plus years of experience. I was making 9.50 an hour at the dealership and if i would have gone flat rate it would have been 13.00 an hour...so do not go into it to get rich cause you won't

I did the ASEP thing to...was impressed with the course, but wished I woulda never entered the automotive field. I'd rather make more money and have someone work on my car, than me working on other peoples car and making shit money. You WILL NOT get rich being in the technician field....nor will you make the money you probably want.

The past few posts are dead on, all through school I thought I wanted to work on cars, dispite the advice of people I really should have listened to. After 2 years of highschool shop class and a year in a tech school I started at a Hyundai shop. After like a year and a half the owners sold the dealership and the new owners made everything go down the drain fast. I ended up there for 2.5 years and I left the biz (hopefully) for good.

you all might want to check out www.unoh.edu
im going there right now, so far its awesome. will be graduating with 2 associates degrees, one in automotive OEM tech and one in high performance tech. auto manufacturers and race teams recruit from this school.

I really want to learn a lot more about mechanics. I have no clue what field i wish to persue, but automechanics has a strong influence on me. Being 16, how do I learn more? I'm always open to learn anything about any car no matter the make, model or year. Just curious what input I can get. Thanks!
Get a job at a tire shop that also does brakes, and small mechanical stuff like suspension etc. You can get alot of good experience that way. Work at that through high school and then you can decide if you want to keep in that field.

i was also interested in the automotive field. i was accepted the Universal Technical Institute but the more thinking i did, i realized it would be a better hobby for me than a career. the stat's from UTI on former students and yearly earning was only $32K a year.....i know thats not that bad, but the schools cost is $30K just to go to the school. i have to many "WANTS" to only make that much a year. i will probably go take the Hot Rod U class just for expiereince, hobby.

Most of these posts are spot on. Experience and exposure is the thing to have/get when learning about automobiles. I started out young with a passion for cars, intially I wanted to design them but found out how much schooling was involved. So working on them started peaking my interests. Through high school I took three years of auto shop at the high school. I was fortunate and my school offered a shared time program where you could attend college classes and get college credit for them while still in high school, I did that in the automotive program for two years in addition to the three years at the high school. Upon graduation I went on to finish my associates degree at that college. Like the guys that went through the ASEP program I was told that there was good money to be made, but in reality when you get out into it, it is very cutthroat and very hard. It is not the business to get rich in. While there are a select few that get that dream job making bukou bucks right out of the gate, most guys that go into it and plan to stay have to pay there dues, i.e. get s**t jobs and be prepared to not make much money. It really is unfortunate because it requires a special type of person to be a good mechanic and for the most part the people that have that ability dont get compensated or recognized properly. There was an article that I read that a friend of mine had (he went through the ASEP program) that said how mechanics are some of the most inteligent people on the planet. It went on to say that the amount of knowledge that mechanics have to have rivals that of doctors and other high end professionals due to that fact that mechanics have to know the ins and outs of a wide array of automotive systems. Not only do they have to have this knowledge but they have to have the ability to unlearn and relearn new things pertaining to all these areas as technology changes. There is a statistic of how much info a mechanic has to know and relearn every year, the knowing is like 30,000 pages of tech info and the ability to learn 10,000 new each year or some crazy number that might be higher. Like some have said it is much better to have cars as a hobby than a career. I loved working on cars, after I graduated from college I went to work full time at a GM dealership and I began to dread working on cars. Every day it was some pain in the a** problem and somebody bitching or whining about something. One thing that made it worse was that the town I worked in was a GM plant town so everyone thought they were a mechanic and would bring all sorts of normal things in bitching about them. It became miserable. Not that everybody wants to hear my problems but I wanted to let the young man know what he might be getting into. I recently have been lucky enough to move from the retail end to the supplier end, when I got hired into GM Powertrain Engineering doing testing on prototype transmissions. If you really have a passion for cars as many people do then by all means go for getting as much education and experiance you can and if you get in the right situation it can be prosperous and have a positive outcome just be prepared for the down side of things too. Hope this helps somewhat.

Hi, i'm new to this forum. I'm only 15 but i know about cars. i joined this forum because i just bought a 1970 firebird formula 400, thats right, an original formula 400 firebird. i need a 4 speed trans for it(was an original MT car but someone converted it to an AT) it has to be a muntzie. i'll take it with or without a bellhousing (which i'm also looking for). I only paid 4700 for the car and the only rust on the whole thing is passengar door(about 4 inches by 4 inches) and the deck lid, but all it is is surface rust so i'm not worried. It was an original 4 speed car with air conditioning. i also could use some interior parts. im going to try to get pics up ny next week. please tell me what you think, or if you have any parts

Well if you are interested in actually building high performance motors and working for a race team. I would highly advise you to check out www.SAMracing.com

It is a tough line of work but if you are a SERIOUS gear head, then this might be the place for you. No school has more students in Pro Racing sanction bodies then our school. From NHRA to Nextel Cup. Just take a look at the website.


Regards,

Gray

im 16 and i work on drag cars for a guy i know just helping him out. i learn alot. so just drive to the local strip and talk to some of the guys and say your lookin to help around with someone at there shop or house

I was at that age not more then 2 years ago. But ive been working on my 69' then so i knew quite abit from that. Just get a project car and start going at it. No classes helped me. What ever i took apart i put back together the same way but with better parts.

Hi, i'm new to this forum. I'm only 15 but i know about cars. i joined this forum because i just bought a 1970 firebird formula 400, thats right, an original formula 400 firebird. i need a 4 speed trans for it(was an original MT car but someone converted it to an AT) it has to be a muntzie. i'll take it with or without a bellhousing (which i'm also looking for). I only paid 4700 for the car and the only rust on the whole thing is passengar door(about 4 inches by 4 inches) and the deck lid, but all it is is surface rust so i'm not worried. It was an original 4 speed car with air conditioning. i also could use some interior parts. im going to try to get pics up ny next week. please tell me what you think, or if you have any parts


lol your in the wrong forum then.

Pro-touring dot com is where you want to be. Alot more help on older classics like mine and yours.

Hey you should check out Universal Technical Institute. Its an automotive tech school. Im currently going there myself and they have tought me things ive never known about cars and im not even half way through it.
It is kinda pricey around $35K for a year, but they can get you a job as a technician making the bigger bucks!!! I work for a Cheverolet dealership and a few of our Techs went there and none of them make below $100K a year. Just something to think about. If you get a chance watch the speed channel at night for their info-mertial. That should help you out they also have a web site.
In the mean time finish Highschool and go eat some rice with that Z28.

My 02. I graduated UTI about 2 years ago and am now a Porsche Tech. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't. That includes UTI. Even though I did very well there, I still don't think it was worth it. Way to much money for what you get, and I only paid 23k. Your better off making squat at a shop for a year or 2 learning hands on rather than at school. Of the 10 or so guys from UTI in my class that I've talked to, only 1 of them is over 50k a year. Most techs I know that have been doing it for a long time will tell you to get out now while you still can. I wish I would have listened to them. The business has taken a shit in general for techs. There's always the exceptions, but they're just that. If this is a hobby for you, keep it that way, you'll enjoy it much more.
Just wanted to share my thoughts.

Well if you are interested in actually building high performance motors and working for a race team. I would highly advise you to check out www.SAMracing.com

It is a tough line of work but if you are a SERIOUS gear head, then this might be the place for you. No school has more students in Pro Racing sanction bodies then our school. From NHRA to Nextel Cup. Just take a look at the website.


Regards,

Gray

I plan on going to SAM after i get my degree in mechanical engineering up at UNT!!!

First, $30,000 in some markets like STL, is okay money not great. In other markets like ny city $30000 isn't going to cover rent. I currently attend Wyotech in PA. If I could start over I would probably go to UTI in Chi-town. Where theres something to do. Blairsville is a joke of a town. The local police prey on the Techers. Sometimes they are doing something stupid other times they are behaving. The younger guys have it harder than others. I'm 27.

Second, you can learn bad habits at a place like Sears or Jiffylube. Learning the correct way is better than learing the quick way.

Third, schools can be expensive. Wyotech is $25000-$27000 depending on what you take. Some students say for 2years or so. I'm only here for 9 months.

My 02. I graduated UTI about 2 years ago and am now a Porsche Tech. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't. That includes UTI. Even though I did very well there, I still don't think it was worth it. Way to much money for what you get, and I only paid 23k. Your better off making squat at a shop for a year or 2 learning hands on rather than at school. Of the 10 or so guys from UTI in my class that I've talked to, only 1 of them is over 50k a year. Most techs I know that have been doing it for a long time will tell you to get out now while you still can. I wish I would have listened to them. The business has taken a shit in general for techs. There's always the exceptions, but they're just that. If this is a hobby for you, keep it that way, you'll enjoy it much more.
Just wanted to share my thoughts.

my thoughts exactly! it's all fun until it turns into work.. keeps your hobbies seperate from your career no doubt.. cause if you work on other peoples cars all day and then come home and wanna mod... it seems more like work then and not fun!

my advice to the kid is to read up on anything you dont know about... thats how i learned what i know now

daniel

Reading and learning on your own is a great thing and that is how a lot of the older generation got where they are now, but most places want you to get an education first. That shows that you have dedication and willingness to learn and that is something that a lot of employers are looking for. My advice is to check the schools out and talk to employers in whatever industry your looking into and then make your decision. I chose to come to SAM and I think it is the best decision I ever made. If you are interested in SAM check out the website or give them a call.

www.samracing.com

713-683-3817

Thanks for the SAM racing link!

Since your going into ME try and get on the schools Formula SAE team.

Lots of hands on experience with CAM/CAD CNC machining, prototyping/design, trouble shooting and racing. It can be alot of fun specially if the school has a successful team with a good budget.

Building a one-of car from scratch is alot of fun.

Yeah im 17 and want a career in the auto industry. If i were you, for now i would just read everything i can on this site and the internet and do everything to your car yourself. Then just call car dealerships and see if you can get a job as a parts boy, or washing cars.

Some colleges have really good auto programs, i want to go to university of north carolina at charlotte cause they have a motorsports egineering program where you get to work on nascars, and the track is a few miles away. you could also major in mechanical egineering and get some good jobs in the auto industry.

WOW, you remind me of myself when I was 16. I wanted to go to a technical school after H.S since I did not know what I wanted to do and I loved cars. So, I worked at a medical transportation place as a parts driver/oil changer for 2 years. There were 3 ASE techs there and 2 Master techs all over 40. All of them told me constantly to go to college. If they could do it over they would have never made this their career. You’re almost always dirty and this line of work takes a wear on your body.

The best advice I ever got was "You can keep cars as a hobby but don't make it your career, you will regret it."

I just graduated with a B.S in Computer Science 3 months ago (If someone would have told me this when I was 16, I would laughed and said never in this lifetime.). I love the career I choose. I get to work hands on with servers, desktops and admin networks. 40 hours a week and I can come in anytime from 6AM-10AM as long as I am there for 8 hours, never have to punch a clock. Plus, I am making more money starting off as most people I know from H.S who have been ASE techs for over 2 years. Just throwing in my 2cents.

Wow, I'm 41 and was an auto tech for about 15 years. I went to trade school and then straight to a Honda dealer then various Ford dealers then to a Lincoln/Mercury dealer for 12 years. There is no money in auto mechanics anymore. The Big Three are all cutting or have cut their labor rates and/or times they pay and it's only going to get worse. Cars are requiring less and less maintenance, (tune-ups, etc.), and that hits a technicain right in the wallet. The Big Three/dealer's answer is to sell more maintenance but honestly with most people leasing now WHO CARES about maintaining a lease car??? I'd say 5-10 years ago you could make a decent living at it but now it's just rediculous. I tell anyone and everyone that will listen to stay the hell out of auto repair. I made good money up until 5 years ago and most of my buddies have gotten out of it too. It's a shame, it's like dealers, repair shops, etc. all got together and decided that techs didn't need to make a decent living anymore. The labor rates continue to shoot up through the roof yet the amount the techs get is the same or less than it was 5 years ago around here in the Detroit area. They charge $90 flate rate at a dealer and I'm supposed to be happy getiing $15 of that or a top tech getting $20?? Get real. I remember when we got 40% of the labor rate and some independent shops got 50%. No more. I hate to be doom and gloom but I'm just telling it like it is..

WOW, you remind me of myself when I was 16. I wanted to go to a technical school after H.S since I did not know what I wanted to do and I loved cars. So, I worked at a medical transportation place as a parts driver/oil changer for 2 years. There were 3 ASE techs there and 2 Master techs all over 40. All of them told me constantly to go to college. If they could do it over they would have never made this their career. You’re almost always dirty and this line of work takes a wear on your body.

The best advice I ever got was "You can keep cars as a hobby but don't make it your career, you will regret it."

I just graduated with a B.S in Computer Science 3 months ago (If someone would have told me this when I was 16, I would laughed and said never in this lifetime.). I love the career I choose. I get to work hands on with servers, desktops and admin networks. 40 hours a week and I can come in anytime from 6AM-10AM as long as I am there for 8 hours, never have to punch a clock. Plus, I am making more money starting off as most people I know from H.S who have been ASE techs for over 2 years. Just throwing in my 2cents.
Same here, I'm graduating with a CS degree in a few months, and just keeping cars as a hobby.

I've considered going to school to study Automotive Engineering and maybe get a job at somewhere like GM, but I don't know. I don't know I could ever do cars as my life and career...it's just a hobby for me. I'd rather have that Engineering degree and go to GM and work there for a business point like financing or something, etc.

I'm 16, I tune with HP tuners for cash as a side job. I'm also about to be tuning a 7-second car full-time, so that'll be fun. That I've found however, there really isn't much at this age you can do concerning cars as a job. If you want to get hired as a mechanic of any sort, minimum age seems to be 17. Only a few more months, I guess.