Just pondering what I'm doing with my life right now. I was originally going to major in Petroleum engineering but the classes are killing me and I think I was only inclined to try it because of the money. That being said I tried to think of what I enjoy doing and that is working on Cars/bikes. So I was wanting some first hand accounts from Automotive or Motorcycle Technicians. I know it wont pay the best, but it should be a blast. What would be a good school? Place to work?
If you have nothing to add on the above questions just let me know a little about what you do.
Long reply alert!!!!
I'm posting up only because I'm in the same boat. I've started one or two of these threads over the last few years as well. I've been in some form of construction more or less since high school, about 15 years now. Had my own business for 5+ years doing mostly cabinetry and finish work. I'm pretty good at it, but between being burnt the make the beast with two backs out and the non-existant market here, I closed up shop in early '09.
Got into the commercial furniture business, traveling all over the country managing installs at college dorms, hotels, military bases, etc. Ended up moving into quality control, but I was essentially the acting industrial/mechanical engineer for the plant. Designing machinery, plotting work flows, prototyping new furniture, production planning, etc. Not what I envisioned for my life, but I could deal with it long term. Started college part-time fall 2010 with the eventual goal of becoming a real engineer. Then out of the blue in late Sept, our division got shut down and I got laid off. Have been out of work since before Thanksgiving, only have 3-4 weeks of unemployment left, and the best job prospect I have is 8-12 months away. Had to put school on hold due to $$.
All that said, my real passion is food, it's what I was born to do. I desperately want to go to culinary school, but will have to sell my house to afford it. I'm cool with that, but I'm not in a place where I can do it yet. Probably in another year or two. Will own one or more restaurants eventually, with or without culinary school (hopefully with).
I looked into being a PetE when I first started back to school. Money is good, lots of opportunity to travel and see the world when you get further into your career. I managed to talk to 2 PetE's and they both said to get a MechE instead and go for a master's in PetE. Gives you more career options when you realize you hate your job and/or oil starts going tits up.
An acquaintance went to NTI (Nascar Tech). He did pretty well from what I heard. He's a now mech at a high end import shop back home in VA. A high school buddy I used to race with got his MechE and is now working for Hendrick Motorsports. Works on the cars during the week and part of Jimmie Johnson's pitcrew on the weekends.
I just watched this video <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20789680?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/20789680">Handmade Portraits: Liberty Vintage Motorcycles</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/etsy">Etsy</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
Read Shopclass as Soulcraft by Matt Crawford.
Why not look into mechanical engineering, or some other automotive engineering field?
I wouldn't drop out of school all together if you are almost finished.
While I have no professional automotive experience, I briefly choose the path of "doing what I enjoy". Taking a hobby and making it your job, is a sure fire way to take all of the fun and enjoyment out of it. Some people are lucky and have made it work, I could not. Do you really think working long hours on your feet and getting dirty for relativley low pay is a going to be a blast?
Quote from: Vindingo on March 09, 2011, 06:47:30 PM
Taking a hobby and making it your job, is a sure fire way to take all of the fun and enjoyment out of it.
Yup. I did that with music.
Read: "48 Days to the Work You Love"
If money is the only driver for the career path then you'll end up hating it and with an expensive piece of paper on the wall. That said there is a shortage of domestic engineers in the USA, so I'd encourage you to stick to the engineering field in some form. The oil patch is highly cyclical due to the industry being tied to the price of oil; Feast or Famine. Petroleum engineers are at the pointy end of the spear along with field personnel, so are hired first and laid-off first unless one is a standout among their peers. Strip out the geology aspects of petroleum engineering and you basically have a mechanical engineer and mechanical engineering is fairly general.
I'm a mechanical engineer that happens to work in the oil patch, but in R&D/product design of formation evaluation instruments. In short I design the tools used to gather the data that petroleum engineers use to develop reservoirs. Day to day work depends on what stage the project is in, but ranges from concept discussion with scientists to turning wrenches on your prototype designs in the lab to generating the operation/assembly/maintenance documents. Also, being in R&D means your the last to be hired and last to be laid-off since the formation evaluation companies are dependent upon turning out new technology.
That is just one tiny application of the M.E. field. Why not take the next step in your enjoyment of wrenching on cars/bikes to design of cars/bikes or parts thereof?
I would advise to stay in college for the time being..... I used to work for Shell Oil and it is as has been told a volatile industry. There are major research projects underway in the forms of alternative energy at all of the big players in the game, Shell, BP, Exxon, etc and I would think it would be a great time to be an engineer working for a big player in the energy game.
I have been in the industry and would have 30 years in had things been different in the mid 1980's for Shell.......... :'(
Ok I have also been a factory mechanic for Suzuki. That also was back in the 1980's and it was a great job.I loved wrenching on Gixxers, four wheelers, never a dull day,full of drama laughs and fun. However......Let say this to you.....
ALL MAJOR MANUFACTURERS ARE HAVING SUCK ASS SALES AT THE MOMENT CYCLE SHOPS ARE SHUTTING THEIR DOORS EVERY DAY IT IS A DEPRESSED INDUSTRY AT THE MOMENT. I WOULD STAY AWAY FROM IT.
If you live in the northern US your riding season is late March thru November, then pretty much all work drops off. Many wrenches are laid off and then in the spring its a scramble to find work as every shop is hiring one maybe two techs , and those jobs go quick. I was lucky I was not laid off in Portland OR because my employer kept me busy with projects at his house ( splitting wood, painting, garden work)for the same pay, he liked me and did not want to lose me in the mix of mechanics.If you live in the south you can probably work year round..
Being an automotive technician would be a better field to get into,if you like cars.
I have no experience in that industry, but if you want to make money wrenching and not own your own shop, go and become a heavy duty diesel mechanic. You can make $30-40 an hour once you get on with a cat dealer but to do that most require a degree in diesel technology and at least 5 years verifiable on the job with stellar references.
Stay in college , finish your degree, you'll be happier in the long run.
Just my lifetime of experience here, but what do I know?
BGB
I believe there are very similar threads to this somewhere.
I was in your exact same spot when I was 20 and decided to go to Universal Technical Institute. And unless you know for absolute sure that you want to work on cars/bikes for the rest of your life DON"T! not for Auto or Motorcyle. Especially motorcycles. It is way to expensive and you really don't get that much hands on at all. I know it is super hard to find jobs for bikes and there are jobs for working on cars. I got in and went to the Audi specific school and came out making $15hr which is not a lot considering the school cost $26K especiall when you get to flat rate and your on the low end of the totem pole. I basically had to learn from scratch how to learn on cars and realized I didn't like the industry and really wasn't good at it either. Did if for the two years I was contractualy obligated to do so and got the make the beast with two backs out. Now I'm an accountant and couldn't be happier with my life. Working at a dealership is cut-throat, frustrating, and full of assholes.
If you think working on cars would be good my advise would be to get a job at sears (or wherever) busting tires and doing brakes and alignments work there for a year and see if you can't get on at an independent shop where someone is willing to teach you. Not saying you'll have the same experience but I was very unhappy working on cars and was led to believe I would be making way more than I did.
I would think that most mechanics on here will agree that it is far from a "Blast". If you are smart enough to do engineering you will be selling yorself short like I did. PM if you want my number, I'll be happy to have a phone conversation about my experiences.
I am of the opinion that hobbies make the worst careers - I don't know where you are in your skills, desires with respect to automotive stuff, but if I were to give up my bread and butter to be a chef, songwriter, or professional drinker, I am pretty sure I would hate it before long. I tend to work at my own pace and on my own itinerary, and I like the freedom to put stuff down until inspiration strikes again. If I was expected to be creative, or solve problems at someone else's pace it would stop being fun.
I think the idea of doing what you love, and have people pay you money to do it is seductive - I do understand the urge, as I followed it for five years as a fine arts undergrad. But it is hard to anticipate what compromises you have to make, and therefore how much less fun it will be.
I enjoy my hobbies too much to ruin them with people setting conditions on how I do them, worrying about making money doing them, etc. And as a final thought, I will say I don't know much about PetE, but I would venture to say that like many careers, studying to become one will be nothing like being paid to be one. I'm guessing the classes suck by careful and deliberate design. Finish your degree, and if you don't like oil and gas, you will be the most overqualified junior car technician in the job market. Good luck on your decision [thumbsup]
I'm not an engineer, but I work in the scientific world...which I assume isn't too much different.
Once you're out of school...the world changes. Learning science, and working in science, have been two comepletely different things. I'll bet it is the same for engineers.
That being said. If you love cars (and bikes) and you like engineering, switch to MechE and finish up. Then find your self a job in Automotive Engineering. It's a whole new, bright world out there for auto design with all this alternative energy stuff going on. You might find a job with a big player in the industry, or some little fire-cracker start up that wants to make something new and exciting.
It may just be me, but I don't think I'd drop out to be a mechanic (no offense to any of you guys who are...my dad is a diesel mechanic and has had a wonderful career) if you have the god given gift to design the stuff.
just my .02
Quote from: il d00d on March 14, 2011, 11:08:56 AM
I am of the opinion that hobbies make the worst careers - I don't know where you are in your skills, desires with respect to automotive stuff, but if I were to give up my bread and butter to be a chef, songwriter, or professional drinker, I am pretty sure I would hate it before long. I tend to work at my own pace and on my own itinerary, and I like the freedom to put stuff down until inspiration strikes again. If I was expected to be creative, or solve problems at someone else's pace it would stop being fun.
Exactly what happened to me! and Pirate hit the nail on the head.
I don't reply like this usually, but I will...specifically because I'm in the exact career path that you are inquiring.
I started in a shop before i was legal to work - pushing a broom and what not. Eventually worked my way up to doing engines/transmissions before I left high-school. The shop I worked at was a high-end independent (vette's were normal, I've worked on ferrari's, lambo's, numerous classic cars, etc.), and while they did work on a steady state of your average cars and even clunkers, I would say the car's we worked on were "better" than most (I'm in the rust belt) unless you're working on brand new stuff. Yet, even with that, every single tech that came through the shop told me to go to school and get out while I could. It is NOT a life-long career that you do and end up in good health. Period. I'm talking about the average technician, not the OEM field service engineer or someone at a lambo/ferrari dealership (aka you only work on clean vehicles). The physical aspect wears on your joints, and the chemical aspect wears on your health...
Pay isn't like most 'normal' jobs - the majority of (auto) shops out there pay what's called "flat-rate." You can make a ton of money one week, and get nothing the next. Essentially, if you have a transmission job that pays 8 hours (there's a labor guide for every type of repair on everything out there) and you get it done in 4 hours you're doing great. BUT, if you have a rusted pile and it takes you 10, you just lost 2 hours of your 40 hour work week. To make it even more complex, if your service writer totally promises the job for the equivalent $$$ as what 7 hours would be, that's what you get paid. This is why you get technicians that try to sell you items you don't need - they do it to make a decent pay-check at the end of the week (like everything there are those that abuse this as well). And warranty work at a dealer pays roughly half the pay a standard repair pays...because that's what the OEM says they should pay for it. Work is also cyclical - tax return season is usually the busiest in a shop, jan/feb are typically the slowest. A/C booms in the spring, tires in the fall, etc. When there's no cars to work on, you're not getting paid.
I listened to everyone I knew that did it for a living and went to school. I got an engineering degree. I've worked as an intern at numerous auto companies, a powertrain design engineer at a heavy duty truck manufacturer, and currently as an electrical performance engineer for one of the OEM's. I work at a proving-grounds location, and I'm in cars all day long - sometimes they're current production, sometimes they're 2+years out. It's not a bad job, at all...but as others have mentioned, it does put somewhat of a "kill" on my auto hobby. But, that's why I'm into motorcycles (and as of recent older tractors).
Being an engineer in this industry isn't all roses, though. I'm payed well, I've got a good job in a great location...but I'm from Michigan. The regulation in this industry is leaps and bounds beyond your wildest dreams. Product life/development cycles continue to be reduced which in turn means you end up working longer hours to get your work done. Much of the CAD work is done at suppliers/overseas (tooling design anyone??), as is CAE work. That's not to say there isn't any here, you just have to work harder to find/retain it.
My suggestion if you insist on starting over would be to get into the electrical aspect if you do plan to get into it...mech design is my passion, but that continues to be farmed out more and more each year. Calibration work is probably the safest bet right now, but I'm sure that'll be outsourced eventually as well. If you are financially responsible, you can deal with the ups/downs this industry has. And if you're motivated, you can do anything you want in it. Overall, I'm happy with my career path - I'm further ahead right now, less than 4 years out of school, than I would be had I not gone. Will I be happy in 20 years?? I'll probably be burned out, but I'm saving to hopefully be retired by the time I've hit my 25 year mark...
That said, with a petroleum engineering degree you could very well do fuel/lube research, become a functional expert, combustion analysis, really a ton of stuff for an OEM...counting polymer bonds isn't the only thing you can do with that degree.
If you have any specific questions, let me know/shoot me a PM. Just remember, no matter what anyone says, any job will eventually become a job. It's like I tell my buddies - even a porn star gets sick of doing their job...welcome to the real world. At the end of the day, being able to have your hobbies outside of work and a comfortable life is worth putting up with a shitty 40 hour week job for good pay, at least in my opinion.
CM
I feel you bro, after 7 years working for Apple I am ready for something totally different and am fixing to leave my job altogether by summertime. It is sweet too, ok pay and work from home, but I just can't do it anymore.