Is being a car mechanic a good job?

Question

I like cars, and i want to know more about them inside and out. I don't know if I should just learn about cars and work on them as a hobby or if being a mechanic is a good idea too.

Answer 1

I do it for a living. Have for 25 years. Live in Northern Virginia near D.C.. I started back when cars has points, distributors,carburetors, and an airbag was the local guy that would lie all the time.

I opened and owned a shop for 6 years and I'm looking again.

If you enjoy working on cars it's a great job. After 25 years though I'm burned out of "working" on them.

There are quite a few techs in this area that make FAR more than their neighbors with 5-7 years of college. I know some that make $150,000 a year. Needless to say their not just working 40 hours a week. If I had a little more motivation I could make far above the avg household income (which ain't low) in 40 hours a week but I usually only work 30. A perk of being "one of the better/best" is there are so few of you and so hard to find you can pretty call the shots and the owners are GLAD to put up with you.

If I decided to quit this job I can literally call half the shops in the area and just by talking to them I can more more or less be assured of employment in 5 minutes. It may take my wife(masters in microbiology) 5 months to find a reasonable job.

Obviously it won't be that way at the start but cars are becoming more and more complicated, if you are good at logical thinking, can understand the flow of electricity, can take something you've never seen before apart and put it back togehter and it still works and it also helps to understand computer networking since all newer cars have the individual system modules networked together. If you think you are "good" at it and are mechanically inclined, the rest can be learned.

I went to Nashville Auto Diesel for a year to get my start in 1982, it cost all totaled about $15,000 back then.

My suggestion is if you like say Ford or Chevy go to the local dealer and ask about their apprentice programs sponsored by the manufacturer. You get paid to learn and will get a taste of it to see if it's something you may want to do.

Fewer and fewer GOOD people are selecting this field which is why I have it so good.

Good luck either way.

Answer 2

Working on cars as a hobby is far more entertaining than doing it for a living. To work for a dealership can be very boring. Most dealerships take in way too many cars for service etc and mechanics have to rush from one job to the next. This is not very nice and you will end up being a fitter and not a mechanic! Most dealers also send out work to specialists. For example to auto electricians, brake specialists, engine rebuilders, suspension experts etc.

At a dealership they normally do routine services and have very limited knowledge of other manufacturer's vehicles. At the best it is very boring.

The best jobs in the motoring industry are in the developing and research areas but for that you will need an engineering degree.
If you really want to be a mechanic then go for an apprenticeship at a general repair garage. The money will however be not to good.
Good luck.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Being a mechanic is a very good career, in my opinion. As people will always have cars for transportation, you'll never run out of jobs to work on. If you're an honest, hard-working, ethical person, you will have the same customers for life and will most likely receive referrals from them. Speaking as someone who doesn't know an oil pan from a catalytic converter, I absolutely appreciate the guy who works on my car. I know that when I drive, I'm as safe as I can be because he's maintained the health and life of my car. Wouldn't you want someone to think of YOU in a similar way? : )

Answer 5

A lot has changed in the past 20 years , used to be fairly easy to work on your own car , but they've decided that making things harder to get to probably gets people to take their cars to the garage more often , With all the electronic gizmo's, and sensors they put on today, with generally 2 or more spark plugs in inaccessible places, So yes, learning the in and outs of cars and becoming a good mechanic would be a excellent job or field to get into.

Answer 6

It can be but at times it can be a real headache too...

People who have been ripped off in the past can be such a pain to deal with for the homest Auto Mechanic/Technician trying to make a honest living...

that they can be such pests that they can make it nearly impossible for you to make a living...

like take a guy who wants his car fast and cheap but doesn't understand that to make a living you have to have 8 cars in process at once...

just as you have 2 you're finishing and finalizing repair orders on... 3 more you're waiting on parts to arrive, 3 in wings with repair orders started and begining disassebly and clean up..

he will start calling on his car 5 times a day to ask how its, going? is it done yet? how soon estimate time of finished?? and etc.

you're up you time so you're luck to have his and perhaps one other in process (not the 8 you need to stay in business; but he doesn't care about you, or your business only wants his car ASAP!!)

Go to a Vo-Tech like Lincoln Tech, Wyomoing Tech, or Arizona Automotive Institute...

Given what you've said I'd be leaning toward Wyoming Techs Street Rod building Course...

Building Street Rods, Hot Rods and Classics is a little different the people wanting them done are a little easier to get teh money out of especially when they know you will do the job right

Walt

Answer 7

truthfully its not a good job to have at times,most of the time your updating tools,because they keep changing the cars around so much,and it can be a pretty hard job at times,mechanics for what they do are the most under-paid people ever,think about it,someone goes out and pays 50 grand for a car,and get mad if you charge them 100 bucks to work on it,mechanics should be like doctors,we don't negotiate prices with them for saving our life,so mechanics should have the same respect,but they don't,if i was you id pass on the mechanics course and take something a lot easier to do,good luck.

Answer 8

I agree with Dodge Man. Most of the time it's hard, getting dirty always buying tools for certain cars. But if you are able to work at a dealership then it is okay because they will send you to school for the type of vehicles you will be working on. The downside to that is you will only know a specific car. Even though the saying is "a car is a car" if you work, let say a Honda dealership, then all you know are Hondas. The bad side also if your "friends" or neighbors know you are a mechanic then they always want you to check their cars for free.

Answer 9

i can't beat that last comment.
be good!

Changing exhaust, brake work, belts,oil, etc are boing day in and day out. do it as a hobby.
if you do it for a living , the hobby will die. (not all ,but most)

for me it is being an electronics expert, my whole life.
Go to school and learn the trade and sell yourself on diagnosis. Learn to solve any problem quickly and you will get a job. Anyone can guess, so be the best.

I recommend working as an apprentice first to see if you enen like this business.
even a helper.

Answer 10

Many moons ago my father was a mechanic. People were always knocking on our door to ask him to help with a car problem. He loved the job but nowadays it is as you know really different with all the modern electronics. I know people ( that sounds funny) who are only young but have opted out of garage work as they found it had changed so much.. Kevin Webster may have better advice . good luck and God bless for your future xxx