Becoming an automotive technician

What's the best way? I live in the tristate area and I'm not sure how I should approach becoming an automotive technician, do I go to school or try landing myself at a shop?

A couple questions I also had:

Is it worth becoming a master technician? I heard shops hire you cause they can advertise your skills

Are courses for specialized training worth it? Such as Porsche, BMW, GM, etc.

The only places I find for automotives is Universal Technical Institute, Automotive Training Center, and apparently my community college. Any experience, ideas, or help is very appreciated!

get a job changing oil. then get a job doing tires. then get a job at a shop.

Worked in a shop for 16 years and this is actually solid advice. You will learn a lot if you show interest and aren't a pain in the ass. Also you need to buy some tools because most techs aren't really down with sharing. You will do better if you can get in to a quality mom n pop shop. Stay away from dealerships, you won't learn shit there.

Automotive is literally apprentice tier work. Shops won't take you as hire ins without existing skill and there are already working unions that service truck fleets. The thing is you need to get certs for those jobs or you would just be a dealership monkey.

Wait, what's wrong with dealerships? Not OP but I've been shortlisted for an apprenticeship at one, so please redpill me on this before it's too late.

This
Started at a ford dealership sweeping/oil bitch when i was a teenager, slowly moved up the ranks (helps to have good banter with the guys)

Warranty work. The manufacturers expect experienced technicians to hammer out the same jobs on multiple cars very quickly. So what they do is set the job completion time very low. But the experienced techs have a little more leeway so those jobs get pawned off on a less experienced crew, who take longer to complete the job than the time allows and so get paid less.

it's also a stupidly competitive place to work and you will be dealing with dumb customers and dumber salesmen.

also OP, try your community college. It's actually worth it because not only are you trained by a master tech, but you usually can work in the shop on your own projects, borrow tools, and ask a genuine expert for advice. Mine has a fully stocked house tool and supplies room, and the instructors are seriously awesome people. We've gotten a few guys who started at UTI but didn't like the program.

Lol do burgers not do apprenticeships to learn a trade? Do you really let unqualified people work on your car?

there is literally no required certification, licensure or training to become a mechanic, it's only if you want to be a good mechanic that you spend money learning.

Alright I'll give that a go, thanks!

Any reasons in particular on not liking UTI?

>durrrrr how do i become a mechanic

oh look the average trump/roy moore voter

Who let /pol/ in again?

All of this. Perfectly put. The most you will learn from techs is how to take wheels on and off a car. Drain oil (not actually fill it) and where to put the old used tires. Even if they are good guys, there's just not enough time to sit there and show you how to do stuff.

not but I can provide my answer to that question


UTI profs aren't overly likable people and there are some classes that aren't exactly necessary, but required

Whereabouts do you live user? (No need to be super specific, north south corner of whatever state will do)
Might be able to help you finding a school if you want to go that route

Not OP. But this Hungarian guy might give me a shot. I went in looking to get a dent repaired on my truck yesterday and he said if he was going to do it it would be a bit since he fired all his mexicans for constantly showin up to work drunk. I asked if i could have a job there since ive done quite alot of auto work and even salvaged a few cars(in addition to not being old enough to drink). He saw my pictures and he said he'd think about it. Im excited and nervous at the same time

I live in South Jersey

Really appreciate the help!

Your best bet locally will probably be Lincoln Tech, but if you are willing and have the funds University of northwestern Ohio will probably be better for a more rounded degree (diesel tech and all)

One thing I recommend just in general is to call the school and ask to talk with some of the professors (get a feel for personalities and such) you might be able to find their office numbers on their teacher page on the school website

Alright I'll give Lincoln Tech a check out

Also that's a good idea, I already have a list of thinks to bring up to counselors for all the places I'm calling too.

Also general school advice

Don't be afraid of loans if cost is an issue, think of them as car payments.

You're a mechanic so you can keep a fair condition car running for 10 years easily.So 10 years at $500/mo gives you about $40k (after interest) to work with

i worked in a shop for nearly a decade and have my Canadian Journeyman certificate and Red Seal diploma. it was alright because my boss paid my school but if you value cars as a hobby, stay the fuck away. only things i can say

-if you still like it at the 5 year mark, youll likely do it for life. 5 year mark is where you get sick of being a tech or you love it, 5 years is when i started hating it

-work at an independent shop not a dealership, as a 1st year apprentice i was ripping out transmissions on all makes, not doing oil changes on one make. i worked on everything from BelAir to Skylines to Porsche 911

-dont buy off the Snap-On and Mac trucks unless its on sale

i got tired of being a tech and work in security now. it got to the point i dreaded big jobs, hated coming home dirty, and was ready to snap at people that came at 3pm on a Friday saying their piece of shit was making some weird noise. i had my own projects sitting untouched for years because i hated anything to do with cars weekends or after work

nearly 2 years after quitting as a tech i actually like doing repairs as a hobby again and do repairs for friends and family as cash jobs, best thing i can say is be a tech for 5-10 years like i did and gain knowledge for life then dip out and get a different job

please remove that coke from there