Alright R3v, I'm a youngin, Guide me.

[Zreberlcoe]

.......It also makes building cars a lot cheaper when you can fab everything yourself.

I have a lot of friends going into welding but haven't kept in touch with the ones that have already graduated and what not. What is your job like specifically? What all do you do?

[Farbin Kaiber]

Don't go to UTI.

If I could go back, I would have gotten into the CAD production/CNC machinist and programer side of things to make really nifty things with really nifty things. The whole not getting dirty and being in a laboratory style environment sounds good too.

[IronFreak]

I have a lot of friends going into welding but haven't kept in touch with the ones that have already graduated and what not. What is your job like specifically? What all do you do?

My dad was in the welding industry for YEARS......right out of high school I tried to make my way without an education, back breaking hard work, sometimes it paid well, but I was always to tired to do anything......if I wasn't working. I started at the local community college that has a great welding program sponsored by Miller. I knew how to weld already but it allowed me access to equipment I would otherwise not be able to use. Learned and honed my Mig, Tig and other welding skills. I applied for a welding position at a local structural steel company 7 years ago. got on as a basic welder. LOVED IT, wanted to learn more so I asked to be trained as a fitter, LOVED IT. We started a new facility that specialized in small and misc fab like handrails etc. I asked to go out there, really cool experience to be on the ground floor of a new venture. It flourished and I worked my way to shop foreman. I love the steel industry and I wanted to learn more and not have to do so much physical labor as I got older.

I am just about to finish up my Bachelors in Project Management this summer. I'm actually thinking about continuing on with my education and getting my construction management degree as well. I'll tell you this, school isn't half as bad when you're going specifically for what your career is. I'm now a contract sales estimator and have started PMing small projects. I love it, I still get to weld at home, I now have the knowledge and resources to build anything I need for my cars.....and I didn't kill my hobby.

[AndrewBird]

Don't go to UTI.

If I could go back, I would have gotten into the CAD production/CNC machinist and programer side of things to make really nifty things with really nifty things. The whole not getting dirty and being in a laboratory style environment sounds good too.

You obviously have never been in a machine shop. Most machine shops are as dirty as an automotive shop. Cutting fluids, chips, dirt and dust, etc. There is nothing clean about being a machinist. I generally showered before going to bed every night because I was that dirty, and all I did was run CNC's. The only shops with a "laboratory style environment" are ones that are either crazy high end or are making computer or delicate medical components.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I have been in many machine shops, and a few high end ones as well, so, I'm not going to argue with you, but the "dirt" on cut metals and fresh cutting or protective oils are nothing in comparison to the road grime, debris, bugs, roadkill, strange random things, and we haven't even gotten to the way people keep the insides of their cars that is experienced when working on automobiles in a repair/shop environment.

[henryki]

Don't go to UTI.

This.

I have a buddy who went there, and the best job he got was a porter at some small Ford dealer.

I had a 2.7 in high school because I was goofing off, but the university I go to is a private christian school so if you have a 2.5 or above you're in. That being said I stepped up my game and now have a 3.8 and majoring in Aviation Flight. I'd say go to a 4 year school and not a trade school. hard to make a decent living now without a degree. my $.02

[ahalfacre5]

I gave up college, went around to a lot of shitty jobs and worked there 3-4 months at a time and moved on because no one wanted to keep me around or i found something a little better paying. finally got into car audio and have been doing it for a year now. i loved it when i start but now it SUCKS.i make no money, i have no way to progress without opening my own shop (which i cant afford see: no money). moral of the story, i did something i was decent at and enjoyed and now it sucks. think really hard about what you want to get up and do every day. youre not gonna be installing turbos and doing engine swaps. youre gonna be changing grandmas oil and fixing peoples bullshit problems.

that being said, i do have days where i totally love my job and if you decide to do this, you will too, but think twice dude. thats my $.02

[ahalfacre5]

also, i regret every single day of my life because i didnt join the military. dont discount that option at all

[dirtbag30]

I gave up college, went around to a lot of shitty jobs and worked there 3-4 months at a time and moved on because no one wanted to keep me around or i found something a little better paying. finally got into car audio and have been doing it for a year now. i loved it when i start but now it SUCKS.i make no money, i have no way to progress without opening my own shop (which i cant afford see: no money). moral of the story, i did something i was decent at and enjoyed and now it sucks. think really hard about what you want to get up and do every day. youre not gonna be installing turbos and doing engine swaps. youre gonna be changing grandmas oil and fixing peoples bullshit problems.

that being said, i do have days where i totally love my job and if you decide to do this, you will too, but think twice dude. thats my $.02

im going to say the same thing along with this ^

i wanted to be a mechanic, untill i starting working at a garage. when you have to work on peoples shitty rusted cars it makes you hate cars.

the mechanics at our shop used to restore classic muscle cars, and have a couple in thier garages at home and never touch them anymore because it isnt fun to them anymore.

find something youre good at outside of cars and it will make you appreciate working on your e30 a lot more.

ill be perfectly happy driving tow trucks and doing shop cleanup work vs. changing rusty break lines on grandmas ford taurus. maybe im barking up the wrong tree but thats my .02 as well and my personal experience.

[AWDBOB]

I think the best thing for a mechanically inclined person (with car interest) to do is something mechanical/civil engineering-based.

I'm a mechanic now with no automotive school (temporary job, college graduate), and other than a stealership, any shop will ask you to show them what you're capable of rather than demand a piece of paper showing that you know what a skeeter valve looks like in a textbook and how much resistance it'll have when you stick it up your ass vs your mouth.

Aka, set your sights higher. If you're good with math, try mechanical engineering. It'll make EVERYTHING car related come together in a way that you can make sense of why things make more/less power, how they operate and WHY, thus making you more useful than just about every tech that graduates from UTI (not trying to offend UTI graduates here).

Oh, and buy this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Four-Stroke-Performance-Tuning-Graham-Bell/dp/0857331256

If you do go the mechanics route, don't set your sights on working for someone. Start out small, doing work for friends/family in a shitty garage with Craftsman tools, and word of mouth will get you enough of a customer basis to make more than you would getting paid $15/hr working your ass off 60 hrs a week.

Hope that helps.

[Zreberlcoe]

My dad was in the welding industry for YEARS......right out of high school I tried to make my way without an education, back breaking hard work, sometimes it paid well, but I was always to tired to do anything......if I wasn't working. I started at the local community college that has a great welding program sponsored by Miller. I knew how to weld already but it allowed me access to equipment I would otherwise not be able to use. Learned and honed my Mig, Tig and other welding skills. I applied for a welding position at a local structural steel company 7 years ago. got on as a basic welder. LOVED IT, wanted to learn more so I asked to be trained as a fitter, LOVED IT. We started a new facility that specialized in small and misc fab like handrails etc. I asked to go out there, really cool experience to be on the ground floor of a new venture. It flourished and I worked my way to shop foreman. I love the steel industry and I wanted to learn more and not have to do so much physical labor as I got older.

I am just about to finish up my Bachelors in Project Management this summer. I'm actually thinking about continuing on with my education and getting my construction management degree as well. I'll tell you this, school isn't half as bad when you're going specifically for what your career is. I'm now a contract sales estimator and have started PMing small projects. I love it, I still get to weld at home, I now have the knowledge and resources to build anything I need for my cars.....and I didn't kill my hobby.

I like the idea of welding honestly. I have done little of it in my metals class but there is a graduated student that comes in periodically and he loves what he is doing and is making a lot of money doing it!

[Zreberlcoe]

I see what you guys mean about not wanting to work on your own car after being a mechanic. I just realized that recently I don't want to do much to my car because work (tire tech at discount tire) just makes me tired and I'm dirty from work all the time.

[xAZxE30x]

I worked at a BMW dealer for about 8 months. I remember one time at lunch I was trying to generate talk with the techs and was asking what kind of project cars they had and if they go to any meets. They laughed at me so hard and said they work 10 hours a day why the fuck would they want to go home and work on more stuff

[e30austin]

Both my best friend and I turn wrenches. We have zero desire to work on our own cars anymore really. I wish I listened earlier when multiple people told me not to make my hobby my job. You will hate life after about 8 months of doing it.

[Zreberlcoe]

Both my best friend and I turn wrenches. We have zero desire to work on our own cars anymore really. I wish I listened earlier when multiple people told me not to make my hobby my job. You will hate life after about 8 months of doing it.

I'm getting the feeling I should from your lesson.