Becoming a mechanic

ok, so i just got a job as a mechanic starting out. boss says i'll make 10/hr until i have my own tools. i can barely afford to live on 10 bucks an hour let alone buy tools. if i had tools, my pay would go up and i could then afford tools. ironic. what do i do?
>pic unrelated, shit i did to fix last truck.

faggot

Any mechanics here? I've thought about getting into the trade. I know I won't get rich working for other people. Is it a good platform for opening your own shop? Flipping cars?

The most important.. does it kill your love of the hobby?

Garage sales for used tools, Amazon for new

Do what all mechanics do, start a $40,000 tab with snap on.

But he'll need more than a set of screwdrivers

>10/hr
I faff about in a liquor store and get paid that

i can't even afford the weekly payments and still have a roof over my head. lets get this straight. i make about 1,110 dollars a month after taxes. my bills are 1,033 dollars a month not including gas in my tank and food in my stomach.

well, when i get tools, my pay goes from 10 to about 14 and then after i get some certs it can go up as high as like 20-24 dollars an hour. i'm just having a rough go of things at the moment.

Quit. Hes trying to scam you

DUDE
Baristas at Starbucks get paid more than that where I live. Not even counting tips.
You are getting ripped off, find an old shop with old dudes and chat them up.

i'm a tractor/trailer mechanic and i'm just gonna say this. depending on who you work for, you can make all the way up to 100,000 bucks a year. if you open your own shop, one of two things will happen. you will either quickly build a client base with people you already know or companies that know you or you will die out in less than a year because you have no connections and why would we pay you when we can pay john over there who i've known for 20 years? mechanic jobs are good for young men because they're easier to get into and pay better than most blue collar jobs, but it doesn't ever get better, after you've advanced so far, you level off and you're stuck in it forever. don't become a mechanic if you're not ok with dying a mechanic.

but i have a lot of room for advancement. once i actually have my own tools and shit, i can make a lot of money. i've known the family for a long time, which is why i even got the job with no tools and no certs. if i get tools and certs i could be making more than 90% of people my age(20).

If you've known the family for a long time they shouldn't be paying you shit and not allowing you to advance. If you can't wager them to pay you at least the $14 an hour so you can buy your own tools you need to leave.

i hate it when people are right.

Started wrenching at sixteen. Got out at 31. Find another trade. Killed my love of cars. Always buying tools. Everytime you start to crush paychecks they will adjust your work/commission to keep you down. Walmart starts at ten an hour.

>10/hour
I make $.85 less than you as a cashier, that kind of fucked bruh, maybe you should consider a loan for tools depending on how much it will run you for said tools

i only need like 500 bucks and i'll be good for a long ass time. i can't afford a loan. literally even if it's only 50 bucks a month, that will make me homeless. i need a godsend. i can't even afford to get a new job because i would have to wait a week for another paycheck to come in and having a 3 week month won't pay all my bills. i need to win like a 1000 dollar lotto. that's not even that much and it would still be enough to set me up for the next few months. i hate this. i hate being so fucking desperate for money.

I know you don't wanna hear it, but that is a low rate. I was offered $14 an hour with a good set of basic tools (no power tools or air stuff currently) and that was to do bullshit work like replacing headlights/bumpers/mirrors and the occasional water pump/alternator.
Like they said, hit up yardsales online or in person. Pawn shops even have cheap tools.
Get the expensive stuff online with a warranty.

And he's right. Pass a drug test and Wal-mart will throw you $10+ to fuck up oil changes and tire mounting all day.

listen to
>If you've known the family for a long time they shouldn't be paying you shit and not allowing you to advance. If you can't wager them to pay you at least the $14 an hour so you can buy your own tools you need to leave.

Just because they know you doesn't mean they aren't out to fuck you. I had my own contracting business (Landscaping, Handyman, etc.) and my primary source of business was Family, and Family Friends. They would regularly try to break contract, fight my rates (which were generous in their favor to begin with) ended up embroiled in a lawsuit with my Cousins stepbrother who owned several properties because he refused to pay for services rendered, because "They Cost too much" and "Never completed" Thank fuck I had documented proof (pics, receipts, and work orders)
In fact, after I got out of that business I was hired by a family friend to work in Computer Integration, and Networking. I was getting paid $15/hr by his company, thought I was getting paid good, till I learned everybody else was making 20-25/hr even though they were LESS or AS qualified as me (Every CompTIA, CISCO cert & a CS Degree)
I found out because the HR/Payroll/Accountant lady had taken a liking to me and showed me that even this Alky who always showed up late, and only had a GED to his name was making 20/hr to put together boxes and ship skids of equipment. She showed me the full list of HIS COMPANIES EMPLOYEES, and said I was the lowest paid person besides the Mailroom dude, and Janitor.
I waited 6 months while searching for jobs, and was suddenly making 25/hr doing the same thing right across the city.

im only doing this to get through college. after my 6 years are up, i'm off to state academy to become a trooper. end game is to be a cop.

Get a job at Walmart part time

can't afford part time. i need to work fulltime in order to pay all my bills. i have over 1,000 dollars in bills every month.

Then join the fucking military. Put in your years then use the gi bill.

>can't afford part time. i need to work fulltime in order to pay all my bills. i have over 1,000 dollars in bills every month.
Shit bro, what the fuck, do you have an itemized list of expenses?
Does that include Rent/Food?

Don't you work at the shop? Work both

That's a cheeky fucking post m8

>inb4 $900 a month on candles or some shit

i have a wife and son. if i go join the military and die, they won't have anywhere to go.

Send that bitch to work, have friends watch your kid for a while til you can support yourself. This is the real reason you need friends so you can guilt trip them into taking care of your kids

Im a comfy office worker, but if I had to be a mechanic, I'd only work on shit like plant equipment and heavy vehicles, fuck selling with the general public and their shitbox cars

500/rent
80/phone(stupid contracts, broken phones i still have to pay for)
173/car insurance
279/car payment
120/health insurance
200/food for my family.
80-ish/gas
if i don't include food, gas and health insurance, it comes out to 1,033 dollars.

i work on big rigs and trucks, for the most part, we're a commercial vehicle shop.

she busted her leg and her work laid her off. can't get new job cus she can't walk for another 4 months or so. my brother watches my son every now and then, but he's moving soon so i don't know what to do after that and all my friends are my age and they're out partying or busy with college and shit. i made the mistake of having a kid at 18 and now im suffering the consequences.

Jesus Christ, you're an idiot.

I'm going to school to become a mechanic and I'm waiting tables. I make over $100 a night for less than 5 hours work.

Get a serving job and sort your shit out, then become a mechanic. Faggot.

Also Harbor Freight will work for you, get better shit later.

Fuck bruh, wish I could help more but your going to have to do more than one job to support your family. Walmart has night shifts, plus there are jobs even handicapped people can do even if it's side jobs, maybe you can play the pity card with some employers. You made the choice to have a kid, now man up and work your ass off to be the dad you can proud of in the future. I honestly hope the best for you.

That's pretty good, don't forget to constantly seek out better auto rates, and when available research your Healthcare options. Seriously, I was able to HALVE my Auto rates, and cut my Healthcare costs by shopping around AND taking a good hard look at my priorities.

if i had a job making more than a mechanic, i wouldn't be a mechanic. i'm going to school to be a state trooper. i would buy shit from harbor freight if i could afford to buy that 150 dollar set outright, but i seriously just can't afford it. i need to find tools at prices that are damn near free. which is unrealistic.

i can barely stand replacing basic shit on my car hence why i usually just take it to a shop.

Doesnt charge much in labor and knows infinitely more about my engine than i ever will.

>Screw fucking up thousands of dollars worth of rebuild/engine parts because im too cheap to pay $500 for labor

ok?

It's not so much that it kills your love of cars but after 40 hours of working on cars only to go home and realize you still gotta fix X on your own car is soul crushing.

>$10/hr
>with an opportunity to advance to $12.50/hr in a year or three
>getting all the shit jobs until you've been there at least 5 years

Or worse, you can work in a dealership where you get paid only for wrench time (based on the service manual) and get handed all the 6 hour jobs that the service manual says only take 3.

Don't become a mechanic.

If you do, go to pawn shops and jew them down on stuff. Since mechanics make shit money compared to how much they work, there is a shit ton of tools in pawn shops.

Why not work as a beginner mechanic and work at another job part time and buy tools with money from extra job?

Restaurant industry, faggot.

I make $20 an hour to bring people drinks and food while smiling and pretending to care about them.

I'm trying to help you here, start looking into restaurants. Avoid mom and pop shops, start in a high volume corporate place.

after i get tools, my pay goes up to 14, then a dollar an hour extra for every cert that i get.

What kind of backwards fucking country do you live in?

I started as an APPRENTICE at $16/h + tool allowance, as it's completely illegal to simply hire someone and just CALL them a mechanic.

You're getting fucked.

i cant even find work to get more work and i need work to get work

Mercedes Mechanic.

Flipping cars is a good way to accidentally sink yourself if you don't have experience.

No, it doesn't kill the love for the hobby so long as you work for the right company. If you work for a soul sucking company, then yes, you'll never want to pick up your tools outside of work again.

>cant afford tools with current pay
>pay goes up if you have tools

>not enough pay without tools
>too much debt with tools

>need tools to afford the tools

catch 22?

> illegal to simply hire someone and just CALL them a mechanic
What fucking country do you live in?

If "Engineer" isn't a protected title in [most] states, I highly doubt they protect "mechanic". Ya'll nigguz just turn fucking wrenches.

just become a drug dealer for a little bit

i live in Michigan. so, the united states.

LOL
Enjoy asset forfeiture, long prison sentences etc. His family would have less than NOTHING if he got caught.
>inb4 I've seen the wire, breaking bad, scarface, and weeds and know it's all in da game yo.

OP here and i was really considering that, but i honestly wouldn't even know where to start. i was a good kid through highscool and i've never once smoked weed or done anything else.

dude, sometimes the risk seems so worth it. life right now is only worth living for the sake of my family. if i was single and i still had all this trouble, i would killed myself a long time ago. money is evil, but i need it so fucking bad.

>my bills are 1,033 dollars a month

That's retarded, get different bills. I have a mortgage, a wife, 4 kids, truck payments, motorcycle payments, cell phones for me, my wife, and 2 of our kids, and internet and my bills are about $800 a month.

Canada. And the title "Mechanic" requires 4 years of apprenticeship + testing.

And as for "turning wrenches", that comment tells me you clearly aren't meant for the field.

I'm not OP.

Canada also has protected status for the title of Engineer.

>$16/hr
>CAD
>implying canadian money is worth anything

>sells to friends
>infront of police station
>gets caught

thats basically the only way to get caught if youre only trying to ear $500

ask your friend group if they know dealers and find one that seems trustworthy

here i can drop 170 on an oz and sell it for 280

here everything is 10/gram and if you live in a non strict state youre good but otherwise prices could double

Do you have anything relevant to add to the conversation or are you just here to shitpost?

If you die in the military they will get $100k. If you get the standard health insurance from the us gov $20/month) they will get an additional $400k. For a total of $500k. If they invest it properly, they can live off that for the rest of their lives. Not to mention you would be able to pass down a post 9/11 g.i. bill to your wife or daughter.

Your wife could use it, get paid bah at the rate of e-5 with dependants. And if she is smart enough, she can get a good degree and be able to pay for her daughter's education.

Stop being a pussy. More military members are dying from suicides and motorcycle accidents than combat. And if you have half a brain, you will get a decent score on the ASVAB. Then you can be a pog pencil lusher, sitting comfortably in some AC room doing jack shit.

Instead, you seem like the type of person that rather whine or do some stupid choice in life and go nowhere. At least be a welfare queen in the armed forces.

lol tbqh

i was in a similar situation OP, all i can say is try to ask them for a raise or some sort of monthly stipend you can use to get tools/certs/whatever. get at least a year or 1 1/2 year experience under your belt. explain your situation to them, and if they're not willing to do anything about it, they aren't worth your time. getting at least a year under your belt will open more doors for you being entry level.

they would get that much? i didn't know they would get anything. my dad died in the navy and my mom didn't get jack shit but a flag and a letter. isn't the ASVAB like the ACT? cus i scored a 34/36 on the ACT.

Forgot to mention about survivor benefits if married. Your wife would get 15k annually + 50% of your final salary if you serve >18 months, but less than 10 years.

Now I'm not saying join and kill yourself, as armed forces welfare Queens get paid pretty well.

Married with dependents? You will qualify for bah + dependent care. You won't have to worry about living in barracks after training. You will live in beautiful base housing or you can use the bah to pay for a place off base.

+ A monthly food stipend as your wife and kids won't be using the chow hall. It honestly isn't too shabby for an uneducated schmuck with no connections. Just sign the contract and be a mercenary for corporate America.

If you do the full 20 years you can graduate to full welfare queen and get the best benefits known to man. 60-70% of your annual salary for the rest of your life.

Even if you get out, you can "pick up' a disability like all the lying faggots and can claim disability VA benefits for the rest of your life. Something to the tune of $1000/month for jack shit, just depends on your morals.

Don't worry if you have morals. Can you speak 5 wanted languages? Korean, Arabic, Russian, etc? The DOD will pay you $300-500 per language, I forgot the amount. Become a reservist, and collect $300-500 times x amount of languages even though you are only working a weekend out of the month. $1500 for 2 days of work? Count me in! Where do I sign?

Also sounds like you are living above your means. No you do not need a cellphone, let alone a smart phone. Nor do you likely need a car. Buy a road bike.

Nigga I'm 22 and I make $18 an hour to watch pretzels

>$450 in car payments

No wonder you're a broke fucking idiot. Holy fuck shit how stupid can you be?

>she busted her leg and her work laid her off. can't get new job cus she can't walk for another 4 months or so.
While there is no pride in it, she can apply for public assistance for the 4 months. Also, if she worked for long enough (depends on your state) there are state unemployment benefits she can obtain. Look into the unemployment benefits at least.

Don't become a mechanic. At least not at a small shop. Used to work at a small shop (3 bay) in Alpena.

The amount of frustration brought on because of RUST made me hate Michigan.

I left. Arizona cars are a lot easier to work on.

>80/phone(stupid contracts, broken phones i still have to pay for)
>173/car insurance
>279/car payment
You're poor, because you're a stupid fuck. If you had bought a cheap used car and a prepaid phone you wouldn't be in this situation.

Sell car, buy scooter, dump insurance. In 3 months of not making insurance/payment the scooter is paid off.

In all seriousness, everyone smokes weed. If you make 1000 a month from wrenching, moving 4 oz a month will bring you ~200$ in extra profit. You can use that money as cash for groceries/phone bill at the local store.

Are you living in a shack in fuck nowhere? in most metropolitan areas 800$/month is rent and nothing else.

No they aren't.

>do not need a cell phone, let alone a smart phone

yeah, and you also don't really "need" to shower, but it's a pretty good fucking idea if you want to get anything done.

So sleep in your fucking car. I was fucking homeless when I had jobs. I was a mechanic sleeping in my acura until I got enough money to get my own place. That was 2 years ago. Now I have my own home and I make better money working at Subaru. I'm 23 years old too. I started at Honda making 14$ an hour. If you work for a mom and pop shop you should quit and go to a legit dealership like me that is where the moneys at.

here we go again, it's like you guys dedicate your lives to the same "your living prices are not my prices so I'll post the same shit about how your prices aren't my prices" over and over again

>look up major city
>see shittiest shit tier nothing apartment is $2,000 a month
>look up rural area
>suddenly $2,000 a month is talking about buying small houses
we have this same shit posted 3-4 times per job thread and each of the 4 posts won't see each other's finish to it which is "you live in a different area"

yes I'm mad, this is getting to be about 5% of the content of Veeky Forums nowadays

>She busted her leg and work laid her off.

Pretty sure that's illegal in the US bro. Look up FMLA.

Save up $500 minium for a good set of starter tools from sears or harbor freight and get yourself a cheap locking tool box to start. Start saving now and learn as much as you can from the better techs by asking questions and being available to lend a hand when needed. Stay off the tool trucks until you're making better money or only if you need a tool you cant get elsewhere for cheaper.

State mechanic testing is available anytime and its like $5 to $6 bucks a test so start studying and take them sooner than later. The tests are super easy and only require like a 60% to pass.

Ive been wrenching for 11 years and my first year I only made $17k. By my 4th year I was earning $50k and for the last few years ive been in the $70k range.

The money is there, but you have to love what you do, and be willing to constantly evolve your skillset to stay on to top of the ever changing auto industry.

My last bit of advice is to always steive to be the most productive tech in the shop. While the other guys are smoking or taking an hour for lunch, shake down every car you see and find the money.

I'm a mechanic and i fucking hate working on my own shit now. I wont even change my own oil anymore. your getting screwed at 10hr im at 15.50 and still feel like im getting screwed. my nigger friend works at a foundry pouring sand molds for 17.50

this, albeit here in Canada i make $25 as a journeyman with my RedSeal at least but im at a small garage, dealer i would be making closer to $50 an hour

you start hating big jobs and wont want to work on your own vehicles anymore, im already getting ready to go back to school for a desk job because 5.5 years of being a mechanic has made me miserable, i only stay in it for the money

How is it being a Mercedes mechanic? If I decide to learn the trade I would want to do mercedes or bmw

NO.

this is what's destroying the family unit.

if you have a woman that wants to stay at home and be a house wife, do not encourage her to get a job unless you want to ruin her.

trust me, i'm the dumb shit who thought my wife getting a job would be great cause more money.

it was a fucking mistake, should have had her take care of our kids instead of going to work.

like intake gaskets on every 4.3 ever fucking made or ball joints and u joints on rusty ass 15 year old michigan cars

my wife got a job because she cant hardly stand the damn kids as much as me.. i tried to talk her out of working but she got a job anyways and i dont see a damn penny more come into the household

You probably need to leave that place and work somewhere else. My grandfather was a mechanic most of his life, I believe he worked on VW vehicles mostly, and maybe a few others I can't recall. Besides him telling me to never become a mechanic, he told me that the main way to make money (if you get paid for the time of the specific job you're assigned to) is to change as many brakes as you can. The other way is to cheat people out of money, but don't do that.

>be a cop

I hope within the next few years the prerequisites to become an officer of the law is increased. A highschool education isn't sufficient.

At least take two years of criminal law. Please. If you have good intentions you'll educate yourself.

>working for a rich, boomer shop owner for $10/hour doing the shittiest prep work while he charges customers $100 per shop hour

The American dream everyone. Young men have so much to live for.

its worse because of the rusty junk here in Canada, even though im in Alberta where rust isnt a big issue working on cars from Ontario or Quebec is a fucking curse

we had this customer that was a welder but bought junk pieces of shit for $500 on the side and we fixed them so he could re-sell them. god i hated doing that shit, i think i did 10 fucking Ford Explorer transmission swaps for him and a bunch of other junk

plus you can call pretty much every job. Chevy truck/van wont start? fuel pump. Ford Escape battery dead? alternator. Chevy running like shit or leaking coolant? intake gaskets. Ford with 2-piece spark plug change due? time to get explosive diarrhea that day

becoming a mechanic ruined me, my old job i would work on my car until 1am after a 9 hour shift and every weekend. now i barely work on my cars 5 hours a month and i have 2 projects that ive made next to no progress on in the last 4 years

$100 a hour? fuck my boss does $140 an hour. the amount of square assholes ive seen waddle out of where i work is in the thousands

I think that's low. I'm double that easily...

Yes it will kill the hobby as well as your body over time.

Bro you might as well work fot FedEx.

start at 12.75

19 year old EU apprentice here, i make around 5 dollars/hour, and yeah i dont see myself working in this field for the rest of my life (wanted to be mech when i was very young but i see the truth now..) and it kinda feels pointless to do the exact same service on 40+ cars daily (official service here)
I did manage to buy a mint rust free 1992 Škoda favorit from my boss for 200dollars (pic related, identical) however, and thats the good side but in the short run only
Definetly good to know how to fix your own car for free, and get connections with mechanics,but thats about it for me
Sorry for english