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

[Zreberlcoe]

So I'm a senior this year in high school and I'm about to graduate this May. I'm going to lay some ground work here: I have a 2.5 overall gpa, just retook my ACT and hoping for around a 21-23 (as my last score was a 19:down: ), and I have all of my credits. I am not exactly looking to go the State University route but I am looking to go to a trade school or Junior College, something with automotive technology. Why automotive technology? Because in the last 17 years of my life the only thing I have found to be really good at across the board is making, fixing, and breaking shit automotive wise. I have a friend who went to UTI in Arizona for 2 years and came out with some Ford Credits or however it works and is now working as a some sort of tech at a Ford dealership. I would love to pursue something automotive and I love to push myself to learn and soak up every little detail and information about cars, I just don't know exactly where I want to go.

So anyone with any experience with the automotive industry and an automotive education, give me your insight and what you have done. Where should I go, what should I do? What are my options? I would love to take on anything automotive so this is a broad range of answers I'm looking for!

Thanks, Zack.

[flyboyx]

well, i think you should do a search of the many threads on this subject here on r3v. most people that have posted here on this subject say being an auto tech pretty much sucks ass.

have you thought about setting your sights a little higher? i know education isn't for everyone but perhaps a 4 year degree in automotive engineering? your 2.5 gpa is pretty low. most universities won't accept a student with that background. is it because you spent your time goofing off with your friends and not applying yourself or is it because that was the limit of your ability? instead of making 25-30k a year, you could probably make almost 3 times that amount with a decent education.

anything worth achieving will take work. generally, it will pay off in the end. i hope that the reason for your 2.5 gpa isn't because you goofed off through school. that would be such a catastrophic waste. kids sometimes don't understand the importance of doing well in school to get ahead in the future. really, to a kid, school is the equivalent of an adult having a job they go to every day. those that do well advance. those that do not....well......don't.

generally, your piece of the american dream starts with a good education. the second factor in the equation is to spend the next 35 years doing something you enjoy. if you will be happy working in a job that likely has little chance for advancement, making just a bit over minimum wage, and being in debt to snap on/matco tools for the rest of your adult life, i say go for it.

[mbonder]

Rather than automotive, why not look into something that has a little more potential in the long run that still has technical/mechanical components to it.

A good friend of mine went to Penn Tech and was in their aviation mechanics program. He took two years and is now working for United Airlines out of Newark Airport. Schedule can be a bit wacky at times if they need to fill spots because of vacations and whatnot, but he works four days on three off, has full health and retirement benefits, and he can fly anywhere in the world standby for free (as well as his wife, parents, and brother).

This still involves mechanics but offers many more benefits than you'll see working on cars. There are advancement opportunities as the bigger airlines are willing to school you on pretty much anything on their dime related to planes so there is the potential to specialize on particular systems that can bring you more money as well. I don't know many auto mechanics that have full health benefits and retirement benefits either.

Something to look into.

[dereliiict]

Along those lines, join the Navy. You can get a solid background in mechanics and/or engineering, while consistently collecting a paycheck. Navy is easy, and will give you the military bearing and discipline you probably need with that 2.5. Just a thought.

[_JohnnyD_]

Have you thought of something with a broder scope. There is a growing shortage of all skilled trades and it is only getting worse as the baby boomers retire.

Consider welding, tool and die, CNC/mill work, pipe fitting, electrian, etc. Try and gear yourself to industrial trades not commercial because that is where the real money is.

The best part of those trades is that it is easier to start your own business in the future and be you own boss.

[xAZxE30x]

Might as well just toss the towel in now and sit back and be a bum like the rest of America.

Who needs school?! just have 10 kids and collect all the $ you can get your grubby 2.5GPA hands on!!

[IronFreak]

I was a month from starting at WyoTech when my grandpa asked my why I wanted to make my hobbie my career.....I had no answer, and he said you're going to kill it.

Long story short, set your sites on something higher ok. I've done it all backwards, basically found the industry I liked and went to school for it, has it been tough....extremely, has it paid of, most definitely. If you like working on cars, find a career that can fund that.

Word of advice, ad Flyboy touched on this, I would be concerned about your GPA no matter what school you look into. I take my education VERY seriously, educators and employers are going to look at that. you know whos going to have a better chance at a job in the end, the one the employer thinks gave a crap about what they were doing.

Does going to school suck, sometimes, does it pay off, yes....you can't just think about here and now, you need to look 5-10-15 years into the future. what will that hold, where will my education put me down the road.

You want a nice car, money house etc.....it starts with you, no one else is responsible for how you get to where you are going. work on that GPA, don't kill your hobbie and set the bar high.

[ST1G]

With a 2.5 GPA you an get into a state school. College isn't for everyone, but it's a pretty safe investment, especially if you do it right and work your ass off so you don't have $40,000 of student debt when you're done.

There are lots of jobs you can get with a degree that will not kill your body, or your hobby.

If you don't come from a affluent family you can get quite a lot of grants and subsidized loans if you fill your FAFSA out early.

I have been in college for 4 years now an am only a sophomore because I pay cash for my college. My parents make too much for me to get grants, but it's totally worth it. The older you get, the more you'll see that.

[Northern]

I started off doing engineering after high school, then followed a girl to another (read:shittier) school and eventually dropped out.

After bumming around taking miscellaneous courses, I decided I wanted to take an automotive mechanic course until I noticed that a lot of people who used to be interested in cars burned themselves out by working on them for a living.

Shortly after I started looking at aviation mechanic jobs, and I eventually decided that it was different enough to not kill my passion for cars, but used a lot of the same skills as the other courses I was looking at. I've also learned a lot of skills and knowledge that is transferable to the automotive world (composites, sheet metal, welding, hydraulic lines, and general fabrication skills to name a few. )

[Smelser]

I trieed to be an auto tech. FAIL

tried to apply that to farm equipment, FAIL

now I drive truck, ready mix to be exact. made more money doing this then I ever made as a tech and no investing into tools.

now the only car I enjoy working on is my race car.

[AndrewBird]

I started out as an automotive tech major, but after one term, decided I didn't want my hobby as a job and instead went into manufacturing. Definitely think twice about having your favorite thing as your job. Once you HAVE to do it, you want WANT to do it anymore.

[Zreberlcoe]

Well, those answers were a little worrying. I like what _JohnnyD_ said because at one point I was considering going for an electrician. I'm really good at doing something that involves my hands and doing hard work. I also hate but kind of enjoy doing wiring in my E30... Also my neighbor for a long time now is a master electrician and owns his own business after many years of working, and he's doing well for himself. And as far as messing around with friends, I think I took sports a little more serious than school and didn't really apply myself in school.

[Zreberlcoe]

also I know this sounds lame, but I really have a goal of getting out of my hometown when I graduate and getting an education. I would really like to gain experiences that aren't going to college for 2-4 years while living at home.

[IronFreak]

If you're looking at trades I'd highly consider welding (my industry). According to the AWS there are 3x more people retiring from the field then joining. Welding, regardless of type transcends many industries. There are tons of great tech colleges everywhere that teach it. Don;t waste time at a "specialty welding school" similar to things like UTI or Wyotech, southeast community college in Milford Nebraska has one of the best programs in the nation. you'll learn the same thing at a community college with a good program for much less. All they do anyways is teach the basics, knowledge and skill come from HOURS of practice. you like working with your hands, and want to make BIG money....welding is where its at.

[IronFreak]

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