need insight from fellas who are done with school (im at an educational standstill

[RsStanG1987]

I love music so iwent to school to be a music producer and learned the inns and outs of buis. But i couldnt get a job after school without at least a years worth of internship with no compensation at all. That would be cool but i lived alone since i was 17. So i decided to work instead of follow one of my dreams. I had a good job at a nursing home but couldnt get the hours to fit the internship. Now I live in florida and make about 1k a week selling random crap on ebay. Got an internship lined up for the spring and i am finally playing in a band again. Id say go where your heart leads you to but make sure you can deal with the hardships of the decisions life throws at you. Just My .02

 

[caseywan]

Yep, I've been there too. Was planning on going to Wyo tech and becoming and auto tech and wanted to open a Mustang shop someday, then I realized that if I did that I would turn something that I love into something that I hate. Though I'd still like to go to some tech school to learn more just for my personal benefit.

My advice for you would be to think about which of those things you love to do the most and could see yourself enjoying it even though you do it every day, and go for it. If you have a passion for it than you can make it work, IMO anyway.

 

[notch22]

Well, I graduated in May with my bachelor's in mechanical engineering. While I was in college I was a mechanic at a Dodge dealership. Like what was said earlier, I quickly found that its not so fun working on other peoples piles as it is mine. Plus, everyone that I have come in contact with while I was working there said the same thing, when the auto biz is good, the money is ok, when it is bad, the money is nonexistent. I will be honest, I am more than ecstatic about graduating with my 4yr because now I have more than enough money to pay for a big house, three cars, and take care of a wife, kid and dog without having to worry about living paycheck to paycheck on a mechanic's salary. IMO, get a good 4yr degree. Its more than worth it. Heck, if you like working on your car, become an M.E.. I get to design cool and complex machinery and get to look at :SNSign: all day!

 

[89gtstalker]

Wyotech and all of those highly advertised, overly expensive trade schools aren't all they are cracked up to be. I worked in a body shop for a few years during school. I got the job by stopping by and striking up a conversation with the boss, and went in part time pushing brooms and doing little odds and ends. I had zero body work experience, and by the time I left, I had learned enough to do some pretty extensive repairs. While I was there, they hired one of the Wyotech kids, and he was horrible. If you want to do mass production dealership repairs, you can do that. If you want to do reputable custom, get in a magazine type of work, your not going to get that going to wyotech.

At the shop I was at, they hated hiring people that had gone to these trade schools because they came in thinking they were great body men because they had 18 months of schooling. Your butting heads with people right away, and it causes some friction. Then we would spend months breaking them of there incorrect techniques and teaching them the right way to do things. They would rather have someone with zero experience that they could train at there shop to do things the way they want them done.
(The statement 'those who cant, teach' applies here. Why do you think the instructors at Wyotech are instructors? They couldnt hack it in the production side of the business)

And you are correct on one thing, you will be 30k$ in debt and still come in the door making 7-8$ an hour. So my advise would be, if autobody is something that interests you, find a shop in your area that has done some cool work, has been in magazines, has a reputation, and go in and tell them that you want to learn the trade, and your willing to start at the bottom to learn it. Put in some OT or some weekends if there open and learn all you can. If your hard working and have some skill, you will be moving up in no time, and you will learn alot more in a lot less time, and you wont be shelling out tons of cash.

On a side note, I went to school and got an electrical engineering degree, and like many have said, its fun working on your own car, but sucks working on everyone elses car. When you work on cars all day, the last thing you want to do when you go home is work on cars. Its nice to go to work and come home and have money and time to work on making your car better.

 

[jrichker]

I I have had 4 different careers I my adult life. One as an auto mechanic, one as an aircraft mechanic, one as an electronics /computer tech and finally a desktop computer tech. One thing leads to another. I started off fixing cars part time out of high school while going to college. Next came 8 years in the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic. I spent 3 more years after that fixing airplanes in civilian life. I loved the airplane mechanic business, but it didn’t pay enough to support a wife & two kids. So it was back to college at night to get a two year degree in electronics. That got me a good job with a minicomputer manufacturer as a field service engineer that lasted 9 ½ years. Then I went to work for a company that made tape backup systems for PC’s. That was the transition point that got me in the desktop PC area. I work for a bank fixing PCs & printers and an occasional network problem. The pay and benefits are good and I like my job.

Out of this story, you can learn four things:
1.) You will probably end up doing something different from what you think that you would like to do now.
2.) You can’t always do the job you love and make a decent living at it.
3.) Plan to spend some time getting more education, because it will open doors for you.
4.) Be prepared to make changes: some are pushed on you others you fall into.

I highly recommend a hitch in the Air Force. It paid for my electronics degree that helped me get the job I have now, and put food on the table. It’s a great way to learn a skill and have some time to think about what you would like to do when your enlistment is up.

One more thing: you will always have to take orders from stupid people. It is fact of life , just like paying taxes.

 

[gcwh02]

As for the union, if you get into one of those your set. Construction isnt bad if you dont have a degree, but it will pay a toll on ya. I mean you can go to a trade for electrician/plumbing/heating/etc., work for someone just to get your feet wet, then start your own business. I know quite a few people that did that and are pretty successful. Good luck

 

[RsStanG1987]

As for the union, if you get into one of those your set. Construction isnt bad if you dont have a degree, but it will pay a toll on ya. I mean you can go to a trade for electrician/plumbing/heating/etc., work for someone just to get your feet wet, then start your own business. I know quite a few people that did that and are pretty successful. Good luck

I beg to differ on the union.. My nursing home job turned into a union job and the union completely blew ass. My view is unions are money makers who rip suckers like the average joe off.