Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
He has been there for 9 yrs now, made Master Tech a few yrs back and makes VERY good money. .
After nine years, my definition would be over $120,000. Do you define VERY GoOD differently?
To me for an establiushed career Good money = $70,000 - 100,000. Very Good Money = $120,000 - 170,000. Execellent money is $200,0000 plus. Of course that would vary depending on location and whether you have a family.
If he can start in the $40,000 range and get up over $100,000 in nine years, that would be competitive with an engineering track financially. And it may be more fun or maybe not according to some posters. Hope to ehar from more with expereince. Thanks.
You would think! But the ratio of the amt. of hourly work he does, compared to what BMW charges....He gets not even half!
Traditional business model is 1/3 salary, 1/3 profit, and 1/3 overhead. Realty tends to put most of the profit 1/3 into overhead. Sometimes as you work your way up, some of the profit parts goes into your salary.
Some questions better be answered first. Things like his age, his abilities and general aptitude towards mechanics along with his desire need to be found out before he enters any school. Its easy to sign up at any school ............much harder to stick it out and finish and then its only a tool . In general mechanics never get hired because of where they just finished getting a "degree" Its a work your way up on the job type of career . Has he ever cut a finger or had a slight injury to a hand before? How do you know the first time it happens he wont quit from seeing his own blood? You are getting mixed signals from him now in the part about "wanting to have his own custom business" ..They dont teach that at mechanics school and you dont even have to be a mechanic to run a performance shop. You hire them..Dont forget mechanics are born they arent made in any school.
Last edited by crestliner; 10-17-2012 at 08:57 PM..
Those schools offer a great amount of training, however the price is insane, he will be left paying it off for the rest of his life. Check your local community college, chances are they have the exact same program for a fraction of the cost.
There are basically three of these, uno(where i wnt to go) uti and i cant remember the third. But if he wants to be a host on the powerblock and deal with that bs, the other one is a good choice. Also the money isnt in custom work, but simple work, unless he can make roush fame.
After nine years, my definition would be over $120,000. Do you define VERY GoOD differently?
To me for an establiushed career Good money = $70,000 - 100,000. Very Good Money = $120,000 - 170,000. Execellent money is $200,0000 plus. Of course that would vary depending on location and whether you have a family.
If he can start in the $40,000 range and get up over $100,000 in nine years, that would be competitive with an engineering track financially. And it may be more fun or maybe not according to some posters. Hope to ehar from more with expereince. Thanks.
I can only add, with the backing of the a Tech School, he is much more likely to get hired on. He works in one of the largest Dealerships here in San Diego...100 Techs! And only a handful are not Step Graduates. (They are also not paid as well) Guys who can work on cars are a dime a dozen. Auto Industry is looking for guys up to date on the latest technology....which is why they hire the "the Step" students out of the schools and then train them on their own cars and technology. Technicians are no longer the "grease monkees" of old. They must have computer skills as well. Like I said, my son, is sent back to the BMW school every time something new hits the streets.
There are basically three of these, uno(where i wnt to go) uti and i cant remember the third. But if he wants to be a host on the powerblock and deal with that bs, the other one is a good choice. Also the money isnt in custom work, but simple work, unless he can make roush fame.
I may also tell you that GM and FORD an others have their own FREE tech schools for those who can step up and show they got what it takes....I got 2 GM diplomas and they didnt cost me a cent....You see the GM tech schools unlike private ones arent there to charge a tuition to anyone who has the money or credit to pay so beware of the sales pitches given by private schools.
Some questions better be answered first. Things like his age, his abilities and general aptitude towards mechanics along with his desire need to be found out before he enters any school. Its easy to sign up at any school ............much harder to stick it out and finish and then its only a tool . In general mechanics never get hired because of where they just finished getting a "degree" Its a work your way up on the job type of career . Has he ever cut a finger or had a slight injury to a hand before? How do you know the first time it happens he wont quit from seeing his own blood? You are getting mixed signals from him now in the part about "wanting to have his own custom business" ..They dont teach that at mechanics school and you dont even have to be a mechanic to run a performance shop. You hire them..Dont forget mechanics are born they arent made in any school.
He is 17. Which is the age when someone decides to go to a tech school or to college.
He is very bright and seems to love working on cars. I taught him how to do brake jobs and now he does all of our family's cars. He has been taking the head off my Jensen Healey for me with me occaisionally pointing to what to do next or dealing with a stuck nut or something inaccessible. He is taking autotech at school in lieu of electives and kind of leads the way in finding challenging prjects for them to do. (We wants to bring in the carbs from my Jensen and rebuild them in class - I am a bit nervous abotu that, lots of small parts). He pulled the IAC out of his T-bird tested it and replaced it on his own. Not a huge deal, but for a 17 year old figuring out how to do things on your own is significant. Right now autotech is his favorite part of school (excpet maybe rowing). He plans to try for the eight basic certifications at the end of his high school training.
He is pretty tough I think. I do not remember him getting injured while working on a car, but he gets up at 5:30 a.m. and goes out in a tiny boat and rows in icy cold water for an hour before school, even when it is snowin. In a race, or during intense training his hands sometimes get all bloody from the oars when the calouses get ripped off and he just keeps rowing and tearing off more skin (I think that is nuts). He does not complain (much) about laying in our gravel driveway while working on a car. I do not think some bashed knuckles or a cut on his finger would phase him much.
My uncle was (is) a fabulous mechanic. He was great at diagnostics and sometimes could even find a problem by listening to the engine over the phone. Maybe it is genetic?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You would think! But the ratio of the amt. of hourly work he does, compared to what BMW charges....He gets not even half!
