Where's all the auto techs?

[2FER SLOTS]

There is a shortage of qualified Automobile Technicians in this town.
What do you think?
Are we not training up enough or are there some in other parts of the country looking for work?
Good honest work,but it is work!

[ddyke]

The problem is the word "honest." Too few everywhere.

[TsgtRet]

Having been a service mgr/service writer for 11 years I can tell you this has been an ever growing problem in the auto repair field. The cause is twofold; first how many "high school gearheads" are there today compared with 25-30 years ago? When I was in HS you were a car guy...period; even the "nerds" in the VWs knew how to bolt on an Empi extractor exhaust and Chevy bolt pattern Cragar SS wheels. We even had auto shop as a class. Many of those gearheads went on to be today's techs. Now fast forward to today, most (not all) young guys/girls don't even know how to change a tire on their car...... but they can put in a killer sound system!
Second, the modern car has become so complex with computers and sensors that it takes a special education to understand them. Unfortunately, the people that do understand them don't want to get their hands dirty once they get the education and take that training to another field.
Bottom line, if you do find a good tech, hang on to him like grim death....he is becoming a rarity.

[DAVE]

Correct. Most high schools have dropped auto shop, along with the rest of the "industrial arts" programs.
Strangely, with the new OBD systems it is actually easier to trouble shoot most engine problems. When
I went to school they taught you what the symptoms probably indicated, but in many cases it was only
a starting point. I guess before too long we will have to send the car back to Japan or China for service.

[corokid]

I have been a mechanic my hole life about 40 years in the field, I would not wish what going on in the field of work to many. First a mechanic could fix and repair anything and tech can fix very little in his field because he or she is a tech and can read a scan tool and bail parts until it is fixed. know one overhauls anything they just put it a replacement part in. Our poor young people don`t know how overhaul things or rebuild things because the scanner told them to replace. These are the reason you don`t fine mechanic anymore.I will never put tech with my name.I have been running a municipal shop for 30 years and hire good mechine and few tech.
enough said
Larry :banana-rock:

[2FER SLOTS]

[FootScoot]

True mechanics are a dying breed. A true mechanic will fix things that are broken until there is no possible way of fixing it anymore. Technicians just replace the broken parts, hoping that cures the problem. I myself am an amateur mechanic, but I can tear a 350 Chevy engine down and rebuild it. I will take the block and heads to a machine shop, but the rest I'll do myself. I did put a 350 in my S-10 when the crappy little V6 gave up the ghost at 29,000 miles. Not many true mechanics around anymore. :(

[dreinecke]

No politics here - this is a very good discussion of the lack of certain good positions and people to fill them.

One issue is the college-culture, of which I was a part of for a long time. My parents didn't go to college, and while the Air Force taught my dad computers in the 1960's and he had awesome jobs, college was drilled into our heads and we really had no choice. Hence, I always had the same outlook for my kids - college has to be done. My son took full advantage and loved every minute of learning in that setting. He excelled at it.

It was my daughter actually changed my way of thinking about it. She absolutely dislikes the idea of going to a 4 year college and is instead heading to Cosmetology school starting next month for her certifications. She wants to do what she likes - and therein is the problem as others on this thread have pointed out: a lack of VOtech schools, classes, and kids wanting to go into any field not requiring college due to environmental influences telling them they have to have the college. I've had people flat tell me that she is wasting her time, that isn't a real career, it is so sad that she's not doing more with her life...really? If she loves the job, can make VERY good money, and can be self-sufficient, how is that bad? A friend of the family makes almost $100k annually at a salon doing mostly hair. That sounds like a very good living to me, and if you can get up in the morning and go to work happy, how awesome is that?

I've often wondered what would lead a 17 year old to get into mechanics today. I see virtually no gear-heads like when we grew up, and slot cars are an extension of that. I think the push for colleges the last 30-40 years has killed the shop classes and started the anti-VOtech type of issues that are going to hit hard in the next few years. My daughter and others like her have proven that you can make a very good living in a career with a demand and not get a degree to do it. Nursing is another area that is struggling from what friends are telling me. Lack of folks going into it, and while it does require significant schooling, can you think of a higher-need field?

I've also got friends with kids who got any degree just to have it (English/History - two of my favorite subjects!) and they can't get jobs. They have the paper, but that isn't helping.

And finally, this is what happens when you become a service-oriented society. The lack of building and manufacturing is killing off an entire sector of the workforce.

[Young again]

Dave,
I am an educator of 38 years and starting my final year in the classroom. I have refused to swallow the Kool-aid in regards to college and all of its supposed benefits. I am not against a college degree but it is not the answer to and for everyone. My son is a perfect example of the college mantra. He is completing a five year degree in landscape architecture and urban planning. He truly has a talent for landscaping and would be an asset to any landscaping firm. The downside to this story is the fact we have invested $100K with no guarantee of employment.
Within my classroom I put a lot of emphasis on vocation related careers such as electrician,machinist,carpentry, and excavating. The employment opportunities are there but we as a society have down played them to the point that they are not promoted. A two year degree or apprenticeship that allows you to enter the workforce in a timely manner certainly makes sense to me. Our workforce needs to start using our hands and minds to produce something other than quarter pounders and fries.
And that's all I have to say about that,
Over the hill Dan

[TsgtRet]

:angry-soapbox: Expanding on my previous comment, I think Dan has hit the nail on the head and also should be praised for not "drinking the college Kool Aid". I never intended to go to college after I graduated HS; I just worked full time at A&P (young ones ask the old ones what that is) until Uncle sent me a personal invitation: "Greetings, you are hereby ordered....". The Air Force taught me a useful trade which I followed for 20 years, the fact I no longer follow it in civilian life has more to do with changes in technology (when was the last time you saw someone replace a component on a circuit board?) than personal choice. The point is, I knew I wasn't "student" material after I graduated and was looking for something that was enjoyable to me and paid the bills, just like Dave's daughter.
Our society has become so much of a "hire someone to do it" world that the thought of doing it yourself is novel and sometimes looked down on depending what it is. Looking back, I am grateful that I come from the generation I do because, it appears, we will be among the last ones that knew how to do it for ourselves. I got my training from my maternal Grandfather, who passed much of his common sense knowledge on to me. Those of us that can teach members of the next generations the value of getting your hands dirty, doing it yourself and thinking a problem through, will be creating a small minority which can "adapt and overcome" while their peers sit on their hands waiting for someone else to fix the problem. >>>>>Climbing down from soapbox, grabbing hat and leaving the room<<<<< :shifty:

[PinkPig23]

Another aspect of the issue is the decision to work in a blue collar field or a white collar one.

I'm a few years shy of the 40 year-old mark and remember the "what do you want to be when you grow up" discussion in my senior year of high school. I could have easily continued with what I liked (Auto Shop and Weld Shop) but instead chose a career in Engineering. Now I'm in management and although I work long hours for a salary instead of the hourly rate (and overtime) that I would have in a blue collar job, there's a reason that I'm glad that I made the choice I did that I never thought about 20 years ago.

I have a number of friends that work for automotive and fabrication businesses that are between my age and their mid 50s, and I'm watching them from afar as their bodies start to break down. Bad knees, bad shoulders, bad backs, etc.. They have enough problems making it through an 8 hour day, let alone working on things around the house after work or on the weekends. I know that my eyes are paying the price from using the computer at the office all the time, but at least my back and joints are still doing fine.

I wonder how many high school kids today look at how long they'll have to work before retirement and make a career decision based on longevity versus what they truly enjoy?

[2FER SLOTS]

[dreinecke]

Somethings are fun and not too bad to fix - washers are one.

Then there is the glass cook-top I just replaced at 3 years old since two of the burners and their switches gradually crapped out over the past two years. I couldn't even get a repair place to come to the house to fix it!!! I purchased the exact same model...why? Parts of course! The glass top alone is $400! If any of the other burners and switches go, I can at least replace them easily.

[DAVE]

I too am an example of "college isn't for everyone". I was a toolmaker for well over 40 years,
and did very well in that career. I was blessed with a natural mechanical ability that most
people don't have. I come from a long line of metalworkers tracing back to the 1300s in
Scotland. I have worked on everything from steam locomotives to WWII warbirds. But
very few people have that talent. There are a few on this site, but when it comes to
working with their hands, most people are all thumbs. Plus they tend to become frustrated
with their first attempts and give up. There just aren't enough mentors out there to help
them get through the teething pains of completing their first projects. I was lucky. There
was a wealth of highly experienced and knowledgeable people to guide me through my
early years. Now it is my turn to pass it on, but there just aren't any young people that
I know who want to do this "dirty work".

[2FER SLOTS]