5 Reasons NOT To Become A Mechanic in 2023

Todays episode I explain some key points to consider before going into the mechanic career path.

[markdominguez]

Did warehouse work for 16 years and was a single parent. when my daughter went off to the military I decided to take up automotive at 40 lol, quit my job, sold my house, gave a bunch of stuff away and moved to Hawaii. now I'm 45 and making more than I did at ware house work, I'm one ASE test away from master tech status and never in my life have I been happier. it doesn't matter how long you've been at a job or how old you are, do something you love. life is too short.

[chrisengland]

From automotive technician to mechanical engineer, I make twice the money and dont come home unable to move from pain. Being a mechanic was rewarding in some ways but I highly recommend taking the drive you may have to learn about how these machines work and apply it to an engineering degree. It is difficult to get the Bachelors but it is far from impossible.

[WL-mtmv]

I knew a guy that loved to work on cars and was a mechanic for a while but ended up leaving the industry. The thing that turned him off was people would neglect their cars until it just had to be repaired. They would then want to spend the very minimum on the repair but expected it to run perfect.

[joey]

One thing to remember is "the grass is always greener" and every career has problems.

In IT 80% of people are on adderal/ psyc meds for depression and/or anxiety, electricians spend the first decade digging trenches and climbing into 150° attics trying not to fall through the roof or get electrocuted while having rats crawl on them, plumbers obviously have some shitty days too 😂

[EppingForest]

Mechanics are definitely under appreciated! A lot of knowledge & experience is required to repair modern cars! 🚗

[wolvessoccer]

30 year old here. I've been working on cars since I was 16. Worked construction from 18 years old until 25 years old. Went into corrections from 25 to 30. At 30 decided to go work as a mechanic at a dealership. Told them I knew how to work on anything. They started me at 12$ 3 months later got bumped to 22$ flat rate. 4 months after that asked for another raise since I was running circles around their "master techs" got bumped up to 30$ flat rate. Been working 1 year there already. I will be getting another raise after I complete their manufacture training. I do not recommend getting into this field unless you already have real experience working on cars. Flat rate is not for the weak, especially if you're not self driven and a hard worker.

[bradyfabila]

Worked at a dealership on the lube rack for about a year and a half moved up to be a line tech about a year ago. Made more money on the lube rack and had double the head aches. Did lots of repairs for free because the advisors “forgot” to flag me on but always told me they’d “take care of me in the next ticket”…. Never happened started to call them out on their bs and let the service manager know about what they have been doing and nothing ever changed. Got asked if I enjoyed working for the company Monday morning told em “you’re not gonna like what I have too say” and they let me go on the spot. Then called me back about 2 hours later offered me my job back apologizing about letting me go the way they did. Told them I’d think about it. Currently applying to performance shops to actually pursue the career I want.

[RobLowdown]

Mechanic work is the hardest physical job I've ever done, and I've done many blue-collar jobs. It kicks your ass! Just working on own vehicles, not a professional. Much respect to mechanics.

[Japplesnap]

I worked as a dealership technician for a few years after going to tech school. It wasn't long before I realized that the work was really hard on your body over time. The few older guys had n the shop all had bad knees and/or bad backs. So I looked for other opportunities using my skill set. I ended up working at a big pharmaceutical company as a machine mechanic. Indoor work, tools supplied by the company, regular hours, overtime pay. It was a dream come true. Then I got promoted to shop supervisor. Then department manager. Now I run the whole department and make almost $200k a year. All from being a dealership technician. So just remember that your skill set can take you places if you make the effort.

[hatchibakku]

17 yrs Diesel Mechanic and on going. I never liked working for a company that deals with sales/economy/customers so I went for a government job and boy it was night and days working for public transportation(bus/train) under Union. Become an apprentice, great benefits, great pay with longevity, no labor charge (Unfinished work just passes on to the next shift), no warranty work, awesome vacation(5 weeks for me), the shop provides tools too, lots of open opportunities to move up but all these examples can vary per states. Bottom line is this is a public transit and not a dealership.

[cruzanbum]

You forgot the part about cars getting more technical and over-engineered making a typical hour long job take longer with more parts to remove. To all the auto engineers out there… If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

[chevelle]

Many years ago when I worked for someone else. When a customer came to pick up his car and everything was done right the owner of the shop would say he did it. When the owner never worked on anything. When there was a come back the owner would tell the customer I did it.

[Cody_]

I changed careers into a Diesel Mechanic from 15 years of warehousing. I made more money in warehousing at a very well known brewery. However, it took me 10 years to make $28/hr in warehousing (here in PA), but it took me a little over a year to make that as a “new guy” in the Diesel Industry. Learn a lot, show your value, and leave a shop when your being under paid, you’ll almost always get a raise this way. You can make the money, but sometimes it doesn’t feel worth it with all you gotta know, continuous training, tools, beating up your body, etc. Gotta ask yourself if the game is worth the candle.

[craigjorgensen]

You brought up some important points. The fact the job is physically demanding. It’s very hard and the older you get the worse it becomes. You won’t see many techs over 50 for this reason. Most people have no idea how much techs invest in tools. It’s an ongoing expense. Others in the trades spend very little in comparison. It’s not an easy way to make a living.

[jasonkoplen]

As a middle aged tech on my way out of this hellscape of a profession my advice for those thinking of getting into the automotive side of this industry is, if you want to work on your dream car/truck become a mechanic, if you want to own/enjoy your dream car/truck pick a different trade preferably a licensed one.

[Bassingtv]

No one is born wrenching every mechanic or every tech has learned in field and in all honesty whoever puts in the work will move up the fastest

[ejtru]

Nearing 30, been working on cars since about 17. Went to the oil field for a bit, led me to hd diesel.. tech school led to $25/hr start, a few yrs in I found myself in calibration engineer for autonomous semis. Now in maintenance engineering for autonomous robotics looking into going back to school for electrical & controls engineering..
Though I miss turning wrenches some days, the toll working on hd equipment took is insane.. not to mention that spark and burning passion I once had now being simmering ash.. I can honestly say that I don’t regret my path, as what I loved doing for a period paid the bills for years thereafter and will forever be something I can call on if or when needed..
I implore those curious about being a tech to truly weigh out options.
I firmly believe in growth.. if you are coming in chasing money, tool badging or dreams, you very well may find disappointment one day. However, the journey to attain a skill set that may lead you to other opportunities in the future…that’s something no one can ever take away from you.

[darrylleigh]

I was a Nissan and ASE master tech back in 1987. Still in the business as a successful manager. I never forgot where I came from. I would occasionally change my clothes and go help the techs in the shop. Wanted them to know i wasn't better than them, I just had a different role. With all of the large Dealer groups and publicly traded dealer groups that has gotten almost impossible to do. It seams to be profit over your people. I have a problem with that. Vehicles have gotten so technical and expensive along with increased customer expectations that it's difficult to balance. I will say, all of the service writers and most of the service managers couldn't fix a sandwich let alone a vehicle. I still have 10's of thousands of dollars worth of tools and try to take new techs under my wing to help them be successful. I've always remembered, it's not me, it's we.

[refineme]

When I was young I wanted to become a mechanic, but I ended up in IT/Data Warehousing as a career ($170k/yr). I have no regrets. But I agree with you, my passion is still cars and fixing/restoring them, but I do it as therapy on some weekends to get away from other stresses. I do all my own work (from fluids, bearings, brakes, timing belts/chains, engine swaps). So it’s a hobby and from time to time I fix friends and family cars if they can’t afford certain major repairs.

[namarhodge]

Thank you for your honesty for the ones considering being a mechanic. I worked 18 years as a heavy equipment mechanic. Low pay and high price tools at that time. I have recently checked some tool truck prices, and they are extremely higher than when i was working as a mechanic. I really enjoyed the work but i never felt like the pay was any where it should have been. You always hear tales about some body making a mint, but you never come close to it. The ones that are sucessful are usually independent and broke away from dealerships. These ones will tell you it is extreamley diffcult, and very costly to keep up with technology if you can find reliable sources of repair information.