imported_Slim K

My gf's uncle owns or manages a speedy, and apparently he can apprentice me, and i can skip all that school stuff beforehand. I'm the kinda person that doesnt have a burning interest in many things, and when i do really love something, it only lasts a few months...

im wondering if anyone in the industry can tell me what its like being a mechanic, and how the schooling was, is this for me, is it workable? i love cars, the INSANE love of cars, i know is something that will pass, but ill always be interested in them...i want a job/career, that i can be happy with, and not be working under severe circumstances.

i love design, and i was thinking of taking interior design/decorating...but that seems like too far a strech, and im not so interested in that stuff anymore..and its a bit fruity..and other design things ive liked, seem to far from reality..im not a big dreamer..

anyways, advice, tell me bout the field please!

currently, im window cleaning, getting bout 30-40 bucks an hour, the pay is great, but im not looking forward to another winter, and stupid clients. and i should take some sort of schooling.

it just seems NOTHING REALLY interests me...help a guy out.

h_accordexr

ya i wanna become a mechanic too but one thing you should remember its not always gonan eb fun you know why because your not gonna get to work on the cars you know most about you will end up working sometimes on chrysler and ford bla bla bla so if you want something that will keep you awake and have fun at it finish apprenticeship and go for high performance schooling i know a guy who did that he knows every little thing about vw and other cars he did up a 16v engine that is pushign over 600HP now isnt that fun you tell me

punkindrublic

its an ok prefession... the only thing that sucks is when people bring in there beaters that are infact daily drivers and they neglect the cars and everything is just a bitch to do on them.... and the no 1 reason its not good is in the winter when your under a car and you get salt and **** in your face.....

i thought about it myself but i wouldn't want to work with what i love... cause then i might end up hating cars.... which happens a lot... although some people love it too....

imported_Slim K

interesting points, i realize no work is FUN all the time, because its called work..not fun...

but i need a plan b if nothing else, and this could be it...cept i think its like 4 years long, thats a few years of my life..for a plan b...i dont know

wages is another issue..i wonder what they make..if you dont have your OWN shop

punkindrublic

well in the apprenticeship you are working the whole time.... courses are all different but you might work 4 days a week then go to school one day.... or work 2 months then go to school for a week straight... stuff like that but its all paid for by your work.... wages are like $20 minimum when your finished.... during the apprenticeship you might get $15 at the minimum....

imported_BoOsTd

It can be frustateing work...My bro inlaw works for chrysler, he gets stressed out allot at work, cuz some jobs are just a pain in the ***...remember youll be fixing broken ****, replaceing cv boots, flushing rads, bleeding brakes, dealing with rusty old seized up cars...its allot of dirty work...i guess it takes patience to work on someone elses car....

just remember you wont be tuning turbos, and tweaking engins unless you have allot of experiance and open your own performance shop...

Personally Id rather be an aircraft mechanic, its allot cleaner (no salt on runways ) you get paid 3 times as much (so you can work on your car with all the extra dough on your spare time), you can do apprentiships, the industry is hireing, its more prestigious so to speak, its way more sastifying, and there is far less crappy jobs to do a plane...

most of the time you will be replaceing cylenders, doing engine swaps, prop swaps, 50/100 hour inspections, swaping/ tuning turbos...

Working in a hanger is such a laid back atmosphere, everyone is chill, and your working on the same machine all the time so it becomes your baby, you get to know her inside and out, and you dont have to repair some other shops mistakes all the time...

thats my 2 cents... AME is a good carrer IMO... oh and your title is aircraft "engineer", not mechanic

imported_Slim K

where would one get this aircraft mech apprenticeship....lol

know any back doors, but im assuming it will take more then 4 years, since planes are more complicated then cars...and im starting with little knowledge...

sounds interesting..

another question, have you ever known of any p/t auto mechs, or for that matter airline ones?

imported_BoOsTd

part time mechanics?? not really...I know allot of full timers, and apprentice guys... I did AME apprentice for a few years, but decided I wanted to fly them more instead of fixing them...but I loved working on planes, its way more fun than cars!! I dont think it would take more than 4 years...and you would be surprised at how less complicated an aviation piston engine is, its all basics, less parts = less things to go wrong... The big thing is diligance, througness and safety...basically attention to every detail, basically perfection...

Ive seen lots of adds for AME apprentiships... It doesnt hurt to go to the airports and ask around some small shops or airlines...

imported_BoOsTd

the only thing is you have to be prepared to move...maybe even out of provence

imported_Slim K

at this point in my life, im not able to move, im looking for something in the GTA...but what your saying is all very interesting.

what sort of pay did you get as an apprentice with AME? looking for a ballpark hourly figure..and if you can remember..roughly what your schedule was like, and where did you take it?

i may seriously consider it, if its no more then 4 years, and yes it sounds more interesting, and you will have less crappy jobs, because the planes are ALWAYS maintained, unlike peoples cars... the only other issue is, if i have enough confidence in myself, and if ill do it all properly, because..like you said, safety is an issue, your in the air, not just on the road, one little mess up and people are dead...

h_accordexr

im not even gonna go for college im just gonna finish highschool and take apprenticeship get my mechanic liscence and work at some cool shop learn more about performance also ill be taking co-op when school starts.

civic-chick

goin back to the top somewhere, someone mentioned be careful getting into something you love as a career because youll end up hating it. Thats what happened to me, my passion was horses and for 12 years i worked on farms, rode for other people, showed other peoples horses and my own, shovelled tons and tons of **** and basically put all my blood sweat and tears into the animals and after awhile i just hated it. i didnt want to see another horse...you will regret getting to that point when your passion becomes your career its never a good thing

imported_Slim K

very good point, i wouldnt say id LOVE to be a mech...but its something i think i could maintain an interest in, and have a level of motivation...which is what you need for the long haul in a job, correct?

i doubt id end up hating ALL cars, specially when its not really a passion, they are just something i admire, look at...hard to say though

ive never worked retail, etc..all ive done is window cleaning for the past 2 years-ish, since i finished my OAC year, i took a break before i went to post-sec..and even now i still dont know what i want to take.

i have connections with window cleaning, friends of friends, etc..so ive always got min 25 bucks an hour, usually around 35 an hour..so i cant complain really, but its not the kinda job you wana do forever if you know what i mean..specially when im thinking of getting married in a few years.

my dad has his own business, residental window cleaning, HUGE homes, makes a good 400-500 a day...because he has 20 years experience and an AMAZING rep, so he only works really like 4 seasons a year... but im pretty sure if he could go back, he wouldnt of wanted to clean windows his whole life...but he did it for his family and i admire him for it.

ive always had an entrepreneur mindset, but often its not practical or reliable work..like being a free lance photographer, i need something REGULAR and not iffy.

if im going to have a wife in a few years, even more reason to find something stable, and something i can tolerate. it just seems not a ton of things interest me. give me ideas...

car detailing is one thing, but its sort of dead end, great for fast cash..but not forever, same with a lot of easy, low start up cleaning jobs.

one thing ive considered is being a mailman, ive heard they make good money, and i think id enjoy it. thoughts?

if anyone has any connections for me, im willing to work anywhere in the GTA, until jan-feb of next year, just p/t, after that f/t

PM me, thanks tcc nation

Legacy73

I'm at the point in my life where I need to make a decision about what I'm going to do for the rest of my life and I don't think the job I'm doing now is it, so I'm trying to get my work to switch me to days then I might try and pick up a part time job at Toyota doing oil changes and basic stuff. Hopefully they will sponsor me and I can do my apprenticeship.

That is what I want to do.

imported_Slim K

legacy, what are you doing right now, if you dont mind me asking?

yeah, ive heard most places liked crappy tire, etc will hire anyone to do oil changes, and basic stuff and they train you.

im mostly intimidated by auto mechanics, i dont know a lot, and it seems like a heck of a lot of memory work, and large room for error. im not scared of hard work, just modern cars are complicated, and i guess im all that confident in my ability to take on something so vast.

Rice Burner

I've gotten out of working on cars 4-5yrs+, untill recently. My friends got short handed and wanted me to help out, I've been helping them out since June and after the first week I remember why I stopped! Keep in mind that you are constently reading as you are constently going for update's. Also 60% of the cars you will be working on are shiet boxe's, unless you go and work for Mercedes, BMW etc... Also the car designer's don't think of you and place things in the stupidess place's! You are not going to have clean hands and are going to mash hands and knuckles often. In the summer prepare to sweat your nuts off, as most shop's don't a/c the bay's, in the winter you freeze from the bay doors opening and closing all the time.

If you can handle that then go for it. Good luck!

imported_Slim K

point taken.

what other jobs in the auto industry are noteworthy? is anyone else in the auto industry and enjoying it?

something else, is being a courier, know anyone thats done that? either for small businesses, that sell supllies or parts, to like those ICS couriers, etc. what kinda pay do they get? i got 14/hour when i did delieveries in a minivan for a friends cleaning supplies company

Rice Burner

Service advisor, car salesales man, ins...
Actully I'm assuming your still young, why don't you go to school/ collage to become an insurance adjuster or appraisor. Adjuster is higher up on the scale then an appraisor.

imported_Slim K

yes i am still young, im 20 and a bit.

insur appraizer...ill look into that, what sort of salary do they make, and is it generally 9-5 stuff? at the present time, im open for anything p/t and im assuming..that like most jobs, dont have p/t positions...but ill look into it anyways.

my main requirements are 14+/hour, not night shift, p/t or 4 days a week if possible.

imported_Slim K

humber offers "Insurance Institute of Canada - Chartered Insurance Professional"

http://cecal.humberc.on.ca/insuranc/iiccip.htm

its a course that you can take in the evenings and on weekends.

would this lead to apprazial, adjusting, or anything in insur industry? is it even an industry with getting into?