Going to school to be an ASE Certified Mechanic (sorry, Technician) is it worth it....?

(2011-03-07 15:20:39)

1. Dave Says: I have been doing mechanic work for about 4 years now seriously and been around it my whole
life otherwise.

I absolutely LOVE it, no matter what kind of car it is, I LOVE what I do.

But,

I have been asked so many times, "Why would you bother going to college for a degree in Automotive Technology and an ASE Certification so you can get out of college and make like
30 grand a year or less?"

Makes me question, because like I said I am loving what I am doing and I strive for excellence
in everything I touch, but I am full of ambition. I am only 23 years old and my ambition is to get
out of college and work for someone else for a few years to try and get an insight into garage protocol, overhead, management and everything I need to know before opening my own shop.

My favorite things to do are transmissions (especially some of the trickier Front Wheel Drive ones, like the Jetta) and brakes.

Am I being overly ambitious?

Did any of you go to school or get your certification hoping to one day have your own shop and there
are obstacles that I am overlooking?

Is there any job you can have working for someone else as a mechanic making GOOOOD money if you are really good at what you do and have a good work ethic?

I just want some insight from the people who have been there and done that.

I have the utmost respect for certified technicians and what they do and I think people take what you guys do for granted a lot of times and complain about the price, even one that is fair and reasonable.
Thanks for what you guys do and I appreciate your input.

-Dave

2. roger Says: The heart and soul of any shop, are the guys who work there who care about what they do, and look for ways to help the customer, and not make unnecessary extra work. Screwing the customer is not a good way to run a shop, in fact you can make a lot of money doing people right. You have the right idea, and no you are not shooting to high, let me tell you why. When I see transmissions coming out with 8 speeds, something people would have laughed at 30 years ago, is now a reality. And computers are the second part of transmissions now, so the more experience and ASE certification you have, the higher you are going to go in the long run.
And if you want to open your own shop great, the first rule of thumb is do not spend all of your capital in opening up a large shop with huge overhead, and advertising and all this other stuff, yet have no money to run the business for the next one or even two years in the red, before things get going. 9 out of 10 small business's fail in the first year, due to poor management skills because they run out of money. Some of the most successful guys, started out in a garage. and built a empire . Bill Gates of Microsoft was one. and there are others as well.
going to school at night getting ase certified will benefit you now, if you were in a shop that has the ASE sign on the wall, and later when you have your own business. But I suggest finding some business classes designed to teach you the management skills anyone needs to operate a business. Among the many hats a manager wears, is they must have the ability to assess strengths and weaknesses of all employees and put them in a position that benefits the shop the most.
There is a large unlimited number of places for a GOOD TRANSMISSION SHOP. there are very few now AAMCO is the biggest thief out there, they made money screwing people and have literally thousands of complaints online, in almost every state, and is in the process of being sued by a number of attorney generals in different states.
The need is out there for good people and good shops please, go kick some butt.
My neighbor had a shop in bookings oregon . the population of that town and the few other small towns within 100 miles went to one shop. He built up a reputation for doing people right, that even dealers took their tranny jobs to him, He was booked 4 to 7 days out, but he would make an effort to get you in and on the road as soon as possible. He went the extra mile and he know what he was doing. He also did engines and transfer cases and stuff like that, but his main focus was transmissions.
Like you said its all about work ethic and many young people lack them. There are businesses at every level screaming for good employees, The one thing you have to be in any job today is dependable. Show up for work on time everyday, and you will never lose a job (at least for not showing up)
Get all the certifications you can do now, while your young and have the energy, and frankly if you are not into computers. now, This is the one thing you have to do. Get computer literate from a local computer school or community college, but you are going to have to have it, if you want to specialize in transmissions in today's new cars, Electronics, is in all of cars now, and the more skilled you are in computers, the better money you will be making/ charging your customers when you open your own shop.
Following your dreams, is super important you are on the right track, get out there and get educated. best of luck.

3. Mopar Muscle Gal Says: you dont need to go to college to obtain your ASE certification
if you are knowledgeable enough- you can just take the tests and pass them

4. Thomas Says: Its very worth it, most shops will hire you right out of school with ASE Certs, especailly if you specialize in Transmission, because really no one likes to do trannys, so yes it is very worth it, remember, that peice of paper worth alot.

5. cjo84070 Says: If your good at a busy shop, you could make 100k a year. Flat rate allows you to make good money.

As long as the shop is busy, it's up to how good you are and how fast you can make repairs. Beat flat rate and you make $$$$