Attn: All Auto Elec's

[Bob129]

Hey guys,
Im looking at changing my career path, ive been doing warehousing for nearly 2 years, its a dead end job, and i definitely don't want to be doing it in the future. I've been thinking ALOT about doing an auto electrican apprenticeship.
Ive got a yr 12 pass, and ive got a diploma in mechanical engineering. I've installed about 6 or so headunits into my friends cars and mine, wired up my sub/amp, ive installed elec windows into my vs, installed central locking into my bro's hilux, and installed a couple of gauges into various cars. So I definitely enjoy this kind of work, and obviously have a bit of a passion for cars too.
Im basically just trying to work out if this is what i want to do for a bit more of a long term career, especially because an apprenticeship can last upto about 4 yrs, i wanna make sure im committing myself to the right thing! So, if any current auto electricians, and even apprentice auto elecs can comment on what the job is like, what they like/don't like about the job, just a general description of your average day, what the pays like as an apprentice, how they went about getting their jobs, and anything else they feel is important for me to know than it would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks heaps guys ,
Rob

[V85000i]

i started one because i loved working on cars, like you said it is a passion, but the boss wasn't all that laid back if you know what i mean, and because i worked on cars all week i ended up hating working on them and i quit after a few months i lost intrest in the one thing i loved doing. a few other things i didn't like about it contributed to me leaving but.

[Bob129]

haha well thats not a promising start...the only person who has replied is telling me not to do it. D'oh. Any1 else?!

[Garth]

stated auto electrical apprenticeship ages ago, and lost interest in it very quickly, left it after 5 months, and chased a apprenticeship as a real sparky. dotn do it, it sucks, not a glammer job at all

[V85000i]

i'm not saying not to do it, it's just what my experience was. really it doesn't matter what job you have you will get sick of it.

[VNexecutive]

ive heard its not very good either. my brothers mate is one and wishes he never did it, he wants to be a 'real' sparky.. so to say..

but then again, if you really really enjoy doing this stuff then do it. in the end its up to you.

[V85000i]

auto electrical is much mor involved than your regular sparky, what do they have to deal with 3 wires, maybe a few more for switches and stuff, but checout the wiring in a car, imagine wiring one up if a bit of loom gets melted.

[Garth]

auto electrical is much mor involved than your regular sparky, what do they have to deal with 3 wires, maybe a few more for switches and stuff, but checout the wiring in a car, imagine wiring one up if a bit of loom gets melted.

3 wires.

i looked inside a swtichboard today and it had more than 3 wires, was a copmlete control cct and control contactors for a entire shoping center.

i wish i could sit here and say being a normal sparky was easier than a auto sparky, but it's far from it. atleast if your a auto sparky and you make a mistake you wont kill yourself with the voltage, with my stuff, you die.

the choice is yours' im not saying you wont enjoy it, but i dont recomend it to anyne

[DannyboyDS]

you can easily kill yourself with the electrics in a car.

[Wagon_Wheel]

auto electrical is much mor involved than your regular sparky, what do they have to deal with 3 wires, maybe a few more for switches and stuff, but checout the wiring in a car, imagine wiring one up if a bit of loom gets melted.

Ummmmmmmmmm ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!!! 3 WIRES!!! Think again lol, and yeah a lot more dangerous.

I did the pre-app and have been trying to pick up a sparky apprenticeship for ages now, still no friggen luck , i considered scratching that and just going auto elec, but its not a proper apprenticeship, like not an a grade at the end of it and its the same repetitious work all the time, and stuck in the same spot all day sorta thing, some of the work would be good, others would be shockin.

Still lookin for an apprenticeship though, if any one knows any one??? Any help would be much appreciated!

Oh and bob, good luck with whateva you choose.

[WhiteLightning]

i recently quit my job a 240 volt spark. due to boss related differences. and yes it is very difficult and draining. and there are more than three wires. and the tafe is oh so difficult (physics and maths b teachers power trip).
i have a mate whos a 12 volt jockey. he loves it. it is easier and if the fuse blows he knows ****s hit the fan. for me the house or switchroom or likewise blows.
so yeah bob chase your dream, but dont get disappointed when u have several crabby days in a row...because the not so bad ones weigh it out.

do agree with garth in the first instance...and v85000i...all jobs are a pain in the rear behind at times

cheers,
pearcey the spark

[badger__rox]

some times if your keen on something like auto elec it betta just to do cashies on the side for mates and stuff but everyones different.. ive been doing panel beating for 2 yr now n i still feel the same except wehn i get the ****ty cars but it help heaps if you get along with work mates and boss.. which i do so yer

[minux]

you can easily kill yourself with the electrics in a car.

hahaha, how?

[naf33n]

im in my 3rd year of my auto elctrician course and i mostly enjoy it. tafe is a bit of a bitch if your no good a maths. but besides that its easy for me(and i aint considered one of the sharpest tools in the shed)
as for the 240v stuff. i have to deal with that as well, as some of the cars and trucks run 240v. and 240v is a **** load easier. ive got 2 mates that a sparkies and they struggles to figure out 12 volt stuff

and i cant see how you can kill yourself with the electrics on a car. you can get a good jolt but you be doing alright to kill yourself

[Wagon_Wheel]

Remember its not the volts that kill ya its the current (amps) lol

[Low_VX_Taxi]

hahaha, how?

~Altenator~ VERY powerful things and when damaged they can blow apart thingz attached to em (ppl or diagnostic computers [long story])

[WhiteLightning]

Remember its not the volts that kill ya its the current (amps) lol

more voltage is more amps at the same resitance...bodies resistance is around 1 megohm or 1 million ohms (yes i have meggered myself...purely for scientific purposes)...30 milliamps puts the heart into fibrillation...which is bad...resulting in death

[ryanlkurtz]

im in my 3rd year of my auto elctrician course and i mostly enjoy it. tafe is a bit of a bitch if your no good a maths. but besides that its easy for me(and i aint considered one of the sharpest tools in the shed)
as for the 240v stuff. i have to deal with that as well, as some of the cars and trucks run 240v. and 240v is a **** load easier. ive got 2 mates that a sparkies and they struggles to figure out 12 volt stuff

and i cant see how you can kill yourself with the electrics on a car. you can get a good jolt but you be doing alright to kill yourself

I'm also in my third year of my Auto Electrical Apprenticeship and i am finding it hard to understand how it is that you don't see how you can kill yourself with car electrics. Do you not remember doing ignition systems mate? Yes we may only be licenced to 40volts but coils can put out 40 000 to 50 000 volts and if you were to create a direct path across accross your heartfor the current to flow you can indeed kill yourelf and people have.
As for the sparkies yes i am sure that you have aspects of your job that is hard and we might not be able to wrap our heads around. But i ask you this do you's have to know anything about mosfets, igfets, Diodes, silicon controlled rectifers, intergrated circuits, zener diodes, transistors, sine waves, accumulative resistances??
on top of this you have a lot more too. Every car that is brought out is not the same and they just keep coming as well as knowing new systems you have know old ones to repair them. You have to have a good mechanical mind and problem solving abilties. You have to learn air conditioning systems and how they work and they different types how retrofitting reconditioning. Anyone that says they know everything about this trade is full of s***t because you are constantly learning new things.
Also i would like to add that when i was going to TAFE the electricians were on a 60% pass mark were as we were 80%.