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

[rick 918-S]

As a former shop owner, I would hire young, inspired guys with stars in their eyes, They rapidly figured out that the work they preformed was not always as glamorous as they envisioned. I treated them with respect, but they were tools. They either worked hard everyday and made money, or I had to get a new tool. So I ask you, in the real world of cars, do you want to be someones tool? That's what you will be until you have the experience to be looked upon as a master tech. That's the cold hard facts from the management side of things.

Here's another interesting spin on the subject. I have a good friend who owns a metal crafting business. I stopped by to visit the other day. He's always worked alone or with one apprentice. He had two guys in his shop. He started telling me that in Poland where he was an apprentice, you pay the master to learn. If you didn't have money your wife would carry water, or bring food, help clean house or something. He talked about how he even needs to inspruct how to just walk around the shop without bumping into things. He wasn't really happy with the employee thing. He went on to say, here in America, the master pays the apprentice to work and teaches him too. He went on the say "then you are the ass hole when you don't pay top wages and give time off when ever the apprentice wants."

Be sure your willing to do what ever it takes to become the best at what you choose. It's all work, it's always about money, not romantic fantasies.