Looking to start a career in automotive

[vc commodore]

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biggest shock I got was afew years ago when I asked the fourth year to service and tune a patrol , he had no idea how to change a set of points , so threw them in the bin and finished the job without changing them .
when I discovered the points hadn't been changed I asked him why , his response was todays cars don't have points and they don't teach this at trade school anymore ....:banstick:

How true.....Going to a small workshop, would be ideal to learn these sorts of things, rather than a dealership or alikes....

 

[JmL300993]

Thanks everyone for their inputs many people have gone through different avenues or paths, All i know is i'd sweep floors, change oil and clean parts every day if i eventually learnt about the dynamics of motors.

Working on my car and stuff was never a hobby, i just had to change a water pump, One thing lead to another. I want to be able to acquire the knowledge of motors. Diagnose and fix, I don't know why i really want this as a job i just have an urge to,The good with the bad, i'm not sure why anyone wants to either its not a question i have asked a mechanic.

Thanks for the dealership advice i will have to check it out make some phone calls the least they can say is NO.

 

[JmL300993]

Another thing i could also say i wouldn't care what car i was working on, if it came in with an issue or 10 and it left with none, Did my job. There is honor in that.

 

[MiKExAUS]

Thanks everyone for their inputs many people have gone through different avenues or paths, All i know is i'd sweep floors, change oil and clean parts every day if i eventually learnt about the dynamics of motors.

Working on my car and stuff was never a hobby, i just had to change a water pump, One thing lead to another. I want to be able to acquire the knowledge of motors. Diagnose and fix, I don't know why i really want this as a job i just have an urge to,The good with the bad, i'm not sure why anyone wants to either its not a question i have asked a mechanic.

Thanks for the dealership advice i will have to check it out make some phone calls the least they can say is NO.

Some great tips on this thread.

Learning about the dynamics of engines? Sounds like you could be satisfied by studying automotive engineering/mechanical engineering at Uni or tafe.

I'm in my last year of mechanical engineering at uni. It's been bloody hard and have felt like quitting many times due to the workload. But It should work out good as I can do technical stuff at work then work on my/friends' cars at home.

I'd only suggest studying engineering if you're fairly good at math though... Even then, anyone can do it, you just gotta dedicate a lot more time and effort.

 

[Biznatch303]

I did my apprenticeship in a small workshop, in 2000 i was a wide eyed first year and pretty much the gofer for the whole shop on top of my own work i would clean, sweep, empty bins, empty oil containers and get all the horrible jobs (meat vans)...
But it didn't stop me, i just kept plugging away. Down turn in the industry around 2005 saw the shop close and i moved to a dealership for a few years which was alright but i didn't find it as fulfilling.

I ended up at night tafe doing my heavy vehicle cert and then cross traded with auto electrics too. Not in the industry anymore (left in 2008) but it was a job that gave me a wealth of knowledge and i enjoyed at the time.

If you can find a mix of new and old school mechanics you will learn a lot.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Yeah it's not the same as it used to be. I started doing a mechanical apprenticeship but didn't finish it, found a better industry for myself.

But in TAFE they were changing up the course because the dealerships wanted it to represent the work that they did, so rebuilding motors and tearing down components to service / repair them was becoming non existent when i did it.

Basically it's coming down to now you just replace a component rather than fix it, Even dealerships with motors will often opt for a new motor than tearing it down and rebuilding it was what i got from the others I learnt with.

The other downside is it is pretty lousy pay unless you own your own shop and starting out there is generally an expectation you will get your own tools sooner rather than later, so chipping out 2k for tool box within the first year is something to look forward to.

 

[Bigfella237]

My first ever personal loan at the ripe old age of 16 was for a toolbox... at that time it was the largest amount of cash I'd ever had in my hands!

(A so-called "mate" at the time damn near convinced me to buy a car with it instead!)

 

[JmL300993]

I like the idea of engineering it's just a step ahead of what I want for now, as is my focus is learning it I'm not even sure how to word it properly I want to learn all aspect ex: engine transmission fluids etc etc etc this is what I want to know then consider the engineering aspect of it, I have thought on it but I have a goal set in mind! Still handing out these resumes hopefully one day soon I come on here with some good news, at least good enough for someone like me who's like #### yer he did it lol

 

[JmL300993]

Thanks mate will do cheers for the information!

 

[vc commodore]

Perhaps get onto your local MTA and see what they can do for you.....I have seen a lot of MTA trainees around dealerships, starting out in this field...