Anyone in automotive school?

[s197richie]

I took some classes in my early-mid 20's while working at the auto parts store and then the Chevy dealer as a lube tech. Tbh it was the highlight of my week as I was a studious student in high school but couldn't get financial aid, and learning was a welcome change from the drudgery of work. My manager at the parts store was always insistent it was a waste because you didn't need knowledge to work there but he was pretty bitter having joint custody of a son after divorcing his wife when he walked in on her with like, seven guys. So he didn't exactly have a lot of free time. Anyway I'm getting off the subject.

I certainly don't have any interest in that kind of work because even in my 20's it beat me up pretty badly. It would be only for my own personal interest and to pass time because tbh I'm pretty bored. Maybe it would be a waste because anything my car needs there are several vids on and if I decide it's out of scope for me I farm it out to an actual mechanic anyway. Idk. I don't want to return to work at the store because it's some pretty rough clientele and ppl get crazier everyday.

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[LouG]

I did my 4 year apprenticeship on the job. The only clasroom stuff was three 1 week sessions year at the local Tech institute to learn the finer parts like theory, dyno work, welding, fabricating and such.
Having seen the results of classroom training on a greater scale at the Harley shop I worked at in the early 2000's, I think we were much more practical and far more careful in our work.

 

[ThomasN]

I took some classes in my early-mid 20's while working at the auto parts store and then the Chevy dealer as a lube tech. Tbh it was the highlight of my week as I was a studious student in high school but couldn't get financial aid, and learning was a welcome change from the drudgery of work. My manager at the parts store was always insistent it was a waste because you didn't need knowledge to work there but he was pretty bitter having joint custody of a son after divorcing his wife when he walked in on her with like, seven guys. So he didn't exactly have a lot of free time. Anyway I'm getting off the subject.

I certainly don't have any interest in that kind of work because even in my 20's it beat me up pretty badly. It would be only for my own personal interest and to pass time because tbh I'm pretty bored. Maybe it would be a waste because anything my car needs there are several vids on and if I decide it's out of scope for me I farm it out to an actual mechanic anyway. Idk. I don't want to return to work at the store because it's some pretty rough clientele and ppl get crazier everyday.

That mix of being a studious student back in the day but hitting a wall with financial aid is a real bummer. It's cool that you found that spark in those automotive classes, even if the job itself wrecked your body. Honestly, just learning for the sake of personal interest is a solid reason—it beats being bored out of your mind. I feel you on the YouTube rabbit hole, though; sometimes you just want that structured vibe of a real lesson or a tutor to break things down, not just some dude with a shaky cam. Speaking of academic help, if you ever decide to pivot or just need a hand with the math-heavy side of things, you should check out https://mysupergeek.com/statistics-assignment-help-service because it’s a lifesaver for students juggling a ton of stuff. It’s not a classroom, but having that backup when college work gets wild makes a huge difference. Keep chasing that knowledge, man—whether it’s under a hood or in a library, it’s never a waste.

I went through some auto tech classes a couple years back at the local community college. It was decent for picking up the basics on diagnostics and electrical stuff, especially with all the new electronics in these newer cars.

 

[Achlys]

Back in the day...I was doing program punch cards, learning Fortran and Cobol, that's the computer languages back then. Now there's AI, which can build a webpage in a matter of minutes. Fast forward 19 years: I was hired at Costco and within a couple of years became a tire center manager. All that to say, I was a certified Advanced Tire Industry Instructor for several years. Had the opportunity to drive BMW at Michelin proving grounds several times like we stole them, been to several off road in the mountains seminars, Bridgestone winter driving school, and on and on. Don't limit yourself; find a niche that has interest for you and dive in. Life is like a box of chocolates, but if you don't take a bite you will never know what you will learn or where it will take you. The only I can't is you. It's not what you want; it's what are you going to do about it. Don't be a defeatist; it's your future. Merica' is wide open for those who dare.
ALL THAT TO SEE THAT THE ACCOUNT IS BANNED

 

[Zig]

Back in the day...I was doing program punch cards, learning Fortran and Cobol, that's the computer languages back then. Now there's AI, which can build a webpage in a matter of minutes. Fast forward 19 years: I was hired at Costco and within a couple of years became a tire center manager. All that to say, I was a certified Advanced Tire Industry Instructor for several years. Had the opportunity to drive BMW at Michelin proving grounds several times like we stole them, been to several off road in the mountains seminars, Bridgestone winter driving school, and on and on. Don't limit yourself; find a niche that has interest for you and dive in. Life is like a box of chocolates, but if you don't take a bite you will never know what you will learn or where it will take you. The only I can't is you. It's not what you want; it's what are you going to do about it. Don't be a defeatist; it's your future. Merica' is wide open for those who dare.
ALL THAT TO SEE THAT THE ACCOUNT IS BANNED

Ahhh….. punch cards, hey wait is that a ‘bug’

 

[Neggytive]

Any time I can get some education or skills for short money I took them

I went to night school for auto body, I learned enough to fix and paint my car, and fix and paint a couple of cars for friends.

I learned how to do "pick and file" and lead work from a guy who was taking the class to work on his cars. Not only did we have access to the tools, we had use of the spray booth too

I was a manufacturing engineer at the time

Fast Forward a few years I now have gone from wrenching to frame tech, we bought totaled cars that were easy fixes on the frame machine and we made piles of money, enough that as soon as I was pension eligible at my night gig I retired at 49

Sold the body shop 4 years later, and went to the insurance side as an appraiser

I was in demand because I had a degree, ICAR certified, had been a mechanic so I knew that skill, knew body work, but most of all because I knew frame and structure.

I made a ton of money doing that too

But even though my late 70's college education at a state school was paid for as I went, and the company I was an engineer for after college paid for me to start my Masters, here is what made me successful

Reading Hot Rod and Car Craft, and any trade mags that got sent to the shops I was working at for friends

I think my CDL school was like $200 at the time, I always had that as a fall back skill and in reality that got me in the door at the State gig I retired from

That $200 not only made my a great paycheck, but they have been sending me a kiss in the mail for like 17 years now and have been paying my health insurance for me and the Mrs since 2009 too.

Appraisers licensing course, $500, a requirement to take the test in MA,

The body shop paid for my ICAR certs

College of hard knocks was free.

Night school for Auto Body was like 80 a year, I did it for 2 years, I ran the paint shop at the place I was an engineer and we had a spray booth large enough for a car. I painted a lot of car and bike parts for my techs in that booth, my spray gun was in my desk.

My point is for less than $1000 in Adult Education tuition, I made a ton of money.

My Sister went to Harvard, my Brother went to an Ivy League school.

Not only am I better off than them financially, I can fix almost anything that is broken

The only thing I suck at is working with wood, and I got a guy for that.

My only caveat is once you learn a skill, you have to use it and keep up with the changes in the field. For an example the auto body/collision industry has, in a very short time changed completely. The materials used have changed how or even if you can repair damage, some of it has to be cut out and replaced. Deformed metal acts differently than undamaged metal and that has a huge impact on how the car deforms and how the air bags deploy. Air Bags are set to deploy based upon the sensors being on virgin metal, change how that metal reacts after being repaired and there is no guarantee they will work as designed. There is no more heating frame rails and working them back into position and shape, we are cutting back to factory seams and replacing the damaged part per OEM specs.

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