| Wanting to apprentice as Mechanic - Click HERE for Original Thread |
| PnOyGhost |
| looking for a place that wud take me on as a mechanic apprentice |
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| baker_jeff |
| Lots of places in Nisku are hiring. You won't start off as an apprentice, but it's a way to get in. (These would all lead to heavy duty mech). |
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| Bombshazzle |
pretty much any dealership on the south side and a few in sherwood park that i know of. but i gotta tell ya automotive tech is not much of a trade and im only on my 1st year!
1. You have to buy all of your own tools. even with the tax writeoff you MUST buy your tools and believe me you will need a lot if you plan on becoming a journeyman. the journeymen at my shop have at LEAST 10k worth of tools and whatnot.
2. To even get your blue card youll probably be a lube tech for 6+ months.....
i could ramble all night.....but come on at this day and age even bums camping under the low level bridge know that there are such better trades......learning about cars is great and fun but PLEASE DONT SUPPORT THIS WHOREBITCH OF A TRADE WITH YOUR MANHOURS come on now!!!! |
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| MPZoom |
| Don't listen to the guy above me. |
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| Bombshazzle |
| good argument. |
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| MPZoom |
quote:
Originally posted by Bombshazzle
pretty much any dealership on the south side and a few in sherwood park that i know of. but i gotta tell ya automotive tech is not much of a trade and im only on my 1st year!
1. You have to buy all of your own tools. even with the tax writeoff you MUST buy your tools and believe me you will need a lot if you plan on becoming a journeyman. the journeymen at my shop have at LEAST 10k worth of tools and whatnot.
2. To even get your blue card youll probably be a lube tech for 6+ months.....
i could ramble all night.....but come on at this day and age even bums camping under the low level bridge know that there are such better trades......learning about cars is great and fun but PLEASE DONT SUPPORT THIS WHOREBITCH OF A TRADE WITH YOUR MANHOURS come on now!!!!
1. It all depends on what you specialize in and if you are in a private garage vs dealership. Small shops you will have a shitload of tools because of the special tools you need when working on a TON of makes. If you work in a dealership you'll end up having less tools. Your figure of 10k of atleast is somewhat correct, your journeyman probably has a box thats worth as much probably. One of the best guys in the shop I work at has a puny single tier'ed Mastercraft top chest and a single-tiered roller chest with just mastercraft tools and I'll tell ya that he makes a pretty good amount of hours with tools I figure thats under 10k grand. He even sports shit Princess Auto ratchets from eons ago too. So it just depends. Another tech, he specializes in Electrical and there isn't 10k worth of tools. Yeah a 6-7grand Snap-On tool box but tools? no. Like I said it depends on what you do.
2. I got signed up in less than 6months....and I didn't primarily just do oil changes, did a bunch of trim and accesories and learning how to do inspections proper.
Besides how bad of a learning experience is just doing oil changes? You get to see all different components of a vehicle and learn about it. Oh it leaks here, here and there. Suspension components got play here and there. Spin the wheels, check for tire separation, bent rim. Drop the oil, get your oil and write up an estimate. Fill oil. Presto. Lots of learning to be done. Shit, by the end of the oil change and the supposedly courtesy 10pt inspection, I almost did a 54pt. Maybe I just worked in a better environment thats more proactive but its not just oil changes. Theres more to it than thinking "drop and fill".
Judging by your last paragraph you should just get out of the trade while you can. |
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| d.maczko |
quote:
Originally posted by Bombshazzle
pretty much any dealership on the south side and a few in sherwood park that i know of. but i gotta tell ya automotive tech is not much of a trade and im only on my 1st year!
1. You have to buy all of your own tools. even with the tax writeoff you MUST buy your tools and believe me you will need a lot if you plan on becoming a journeyman. the journeymen at my shop have at LEAST 10k worth of tools and whatnot.
2. To even get your blue card youll probably be a lube tech for 6+ months.....
i could ramble all night.....but come on at this day and age even bums camping under the low level bridge know that there are such better trades......learning about cars is great and fun but PLEASE DONT SUPPORT THIS WHOREBITCH OF A TRADE WITH YOUR MANHOURS come on now!!!!
I disagree 100% with due based on your 2nd sentence and your last. Okay your a first year, yet you hate the trade? why not cut your losses and find something you like doing. As for the tools, sure you have to buy your own tools, whoopie. Buy a good brand name and it will last you and come with warranty (sometimes for life).
Me personally, I love the trade. Sure its a flat rate one but if your not cut out for it, you have 4 years to figure that out. I'm currently a 3rd year and Loving every day of it. Sure you get some dinosaur cars but hey, its great experience.
To the OP. Everyone starts somewhere. I started as a lube tech just like 90% of the other guys out there. Its a foot in the door at least. |
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| ehos |
It could be worse, you could be busting tires on big trucks to fill your first year hours...
Oil tech is eaaaasy. :) |
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| Cyle |
| It's getting to be a pretty touchy trade now. Biggest thing is getting into a good shop, because automotive techs are getting a BAD rep for being nothing but lazy useless thieves, not everyone is, but to many and it's bringing them all down. If your dedicated to the job you can do well, but unless you really enjoy it, you won't last. I know everytime i've had my vehicle in a shop i've had problems, to the point were I refuse to let ANY mechanic touch it, even at the dealerships they are no better, they just don't give a shit and won't do any more work then they have to. |
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| ehos |
quote:
Originally posted by Cyle
and won't do any more work then they have to.
Who does more work than they have to?? Unpossible. |
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| PnOyGhost |
| ok thanks for the info guys. just to let u know i do work at mr lube. but there are no mechanics there all we do is change oil lol. wud i be able to use that for some hours towards my apprenticeship? i am currently a master technician right now. |
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| SilverNeonRacer |
| I know a guy, he was a tire buster/lube tech at CT for years, move to Millwoods, switched ct's.. now he's a lube tech/tire buster at Midas... he's getting paid more per cheque than the mechanics.. but he put in alot of time, and he's good at what he does.. it's an easy job, and well he's got prolly close to $15,000 in tools.. but he's silly that way.. he sees a tool that looks cool, could do a job quicker/faster/easier than a current tool he has so he gets it... plus he's being doing it for shit atleast 6 years.. he's started to apprentice twice, but due to politics he stopped and switched shops.. |
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| chris f |
| We(Pro max) is looking, send me your resume and well chat. |
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| Bombshazzle |
both of my posts are worded horribly wrong..... but most of you are right. i should not use my personal experience in the trade (which is not a good one) to knock it all together. if you love fixing cars, automotive tech is just dandy.... but it pays not well unless you work for a high end automaker, and if you PLAN ON GOING THROUGH ALL 4 YEARS YOU WILL SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON TOOLS BORROWING FROM YOUR NEAREST J-MAN WILL NOT CUT IT.
i could argue with you guys all day sorry just my .02 |
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| Jockette |
| yes you can use your lube tech hours towards your apprenticeship. Being a lube tech now will be in your favour if you apply at dealerships. They probably won't keep you as a lube tech as long.. but from what I've seen and hear - had you been looking half a year ago, you probably would've walked in and started ASAP but right now.... dealerships in general are not really looking. |
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