What would you guys do?, Working Professionally On Cars Options

[Eric Taylor]

I’ve been thinking about this post for a while and Britt’s thread about IT got me going again.

Right now I’m at a point in my life where I feel like I’ve got to make a few decisions. I’m about half way through school and finding myself really unsure of what I want to do. I’m currently a journalism major and am finding that I am not as interested in doing what I thought I wanted to do. The jobs I had always dreamed of in TV are starting to disappear and the ones I’m left with are not ones that interest me. So I got thinking about what really does get me going.

The part of my life that interests me the most is cars. In working with my little 914 I’ve learned a lot. It really keeps me on my toes, and while I defiantly don’t know everything I have a passion to learn and that’s a lot of why I like it. Right now I’m getting a great experience with a board member in building a 3.0 SC motor. While it’s mostly me watching and holding things, I really love the detail and the intricacy of everything and figuring out how it all works I really enjoy the puzzle of it and piecing it all together.

So I turn to my favorite group of car people for advice. What would your guys’ advice be for turning this passion into a profession? I know it would be really hard to walk into a Porsche shop and ask for a job with no actual on the job experience or training. How would you guys go about getting into this world if you were in my situation?

Eric

[byndbad914]

tough decision - but I will give you my BTDT story.

I started junior college right outta high school in 1989 to get a Mechanical Engineering Degree. Around 1991, Aerospace tanked here in SoCal and I was sorta dating a girl at that time and her dad worked in aerospace. He had lost his job, then he lost the house (because Aero was a huge influence here at that time, the housing market also began tanking so he couldn't sell his house for enough $ to cover the mortgage). Really sad deal. He was driving truck at one point just trying to put food on the table.

So, I said screw that noise and quit the engineering stuff and got my auto mechanics degree and started working as a mechanic around 94. Then, being somewhat smarter than you average bear, I knew being a manager and ultimately shop owner might be the best gig, so I got an AA in Small Business Management from the same jr college. Worked my way into manager positions, etc. Finally decided it was a hard living for not that much money compared to engineering. And engineering was on the rise by the end of the 90s. So I went back to school AGAIN and was cranking out 17 units a semester and working 40hrs/wk for about two years to "get er dun". I graduated and started a job at almost DOUBLE what I was making as a mechanic.

And I make more than many of my shop owner friends/acquaintances. The mechnic's life is a tough living and frankly my back is still a bit crappy from leaning over fenders and such, and I only did it for about 7-8yrs "professionally". Owning your own business is a whole other crazy dynamic with insane risk involved. BTDT too. And a big DITTO on the "hobbies aren't the best careers" comments - I didn't even want to change the oil in my own car at one point because I had done it all damn day.

That said, I am now going to be 35yrs old and make what most 28yr olds here do, but wouldn't trade it. I never intended to have kids, found a girl that doesn't either, so I didn't have a need for a family plan. I gained a ton of great "real-life" experience that has become invaluable to me as an engineer and a wanna-be racer.

My .02 - If you see yourself wanting to get married and start a family and have a nice house in the burbs with good schools and such, get a good degree and a good job. If you don't have a 10yr plan that includes that... man LIVE if you know what I mean. Screw the journalism for now and get a mechanic's helper job and go to school for an AS in auto mechanics if that appeals to you. Then, a few years down the road after you have "played that one out", maybe journalism will look better to you. Or something else. Hell, I could be diagnosed for career ADD at this point and I change my mind every 2-5yrs. I am already tired of engineering... and just finished my MBA in December.

Whatever the decision, make sure it includes getting at least a Bachelor's Degree in the end - that is becoming bare minimum for even a manager at a restaurant anymore. And remember that for many, it is really hard to go back to school if you stop going. I actually never quit going to school between 1989-2000. But I really enjoy learning, so I am a different bird in that respect.

edit - I echo the Cap'n - forgot to mention why mechanics was getting boring to me. All the "fun stuff" doesn't make any money. He is so right about that. Crate engines are killing some of my friends in the rebuilding biz. Machine shops all over are hurting because nobody resizes rods - they buy the Chinese H-beams for the same money. Blocks - just get a crate motor or buy an already machined one from the big 3s performance groups. Heads - buy aluminum already assembled and bolt on.

And I HATE, LOATHE - and whatever similar words are out there for hate - the whole fast and furious gay-ass ricer crap. And THAT is where the $ and work is these days frankly. For me, I love muscle cars and race cars, and a Honda or any FWD car will NEVER be a race car IMO. Even if they run 8s and 9s, it is just dumb to me. So, what I enjoy was becoming somewhat extinct from a career perspective.