maybe a future resident

[Jbechtel]

I believe the dealerships pay a little more because they're in a union, since your a certified mechanic. But then you'd have to live in or near a big town which may not appeal to you. I wonder if you could apply for these jobs where you already live or try to get in the local that supports this? Just a thought before you move.

[directedbywind]

Originally Posted by SCGranny

You might try looking for a small town that only has one mechanic.

We live in a town of 145 people, surrounded by ranches and ranchers. The next town with a mechanic is 40 miles away. Our local mechanic ( a really great guy) is 70 years old; gets up every morning to open the garage at 8, works on everyone's trucks, cars, even tractors, and closes at 6. Yet he gets up to haul cars out of ditches in blizzards, go out and start dead ones on the ranches, even in the middle of the night. He has been trying to train kids around here for several years, even has offered to pay for their ASE certification - but so far, no takers. All he wants is someone to help him and take the load off - and gradually take over the business. As in Montana, the pay is not comparable to larger areas, but the cost of living (except for fuel) is pretty low. Oddly, no mechanic seems to want this - they all want to own their own shop or set their own hours, and none want to live this far out (150 miles from the closest interstate or WalMart). Apparently the tradeoffs aren't worth it.

In a rural area, as the only mechanic, you will be on call in emergencies 24/7. You won't have the amenities or much of a night life. Local folks drive everything from brand-new 4WD diesels to 30 year old rustbuckets, and every one of them has to be kept in top running condition. You might have to help work on local school buses, fire trucks, or even postal delivery trucks that have been beat to heck being driven for hundreds of miles a week. Getting your supplies in will cost you more than in a city where you are part of a series of stops. You might have to wait until someone sells their calves to get paid. You might be accused of charging too much for parts and the work that you do. Unless you have family around you, it might be a pretty lonely existence until you make friends, and it is hard to make friends because you and everyone works long hours. You can't take a lot of time off or two weeks' vacation, because you might be needed. You might go several weeks without a repair or maintenance job - and then have six weeks' of work dumped on you at once. You'll have to know how to bill out-of-state as well as in-state insurances for wrecks, and know that they are slow to pay. Even if you are closed on Christmas Day or Thanksgiving, if someone needs you, they will probably call you at home. You can consider this as being a vital part of the community - or as a big pain in the - well, you know. There won't be a business manager or even a secretary to do all of the legal and purchasing and billing paperwork required for your business - unless you can find a smart and friendly mate to marry and help you out!

If you know all of this and are willing to do something like this anyway, then look around smaller towns and see if there is someone like that in an area in which you are interested.

this sounds like a great! As tiring and as lame as it may sound...automotive and tech stuff is sort of my main interest in life really and it sounds like most people in this guys area do not settle for the lower pay but i look at it like this....If your that depended on what a terrific way for a new guy in town to meet folks! Real people, farmers and ranchers...I do not dislike people where i am but Ohio (and the rest of the east) is just a very face paced place. I bet I could have a conversation with alot of these people and they would not be texting someone while i was trying to talk to them, i also bet they do not camp out in 0 degrees for the newest ipad tablet...nothing wrong with these things just not the culture for me. simpler is what i am looking for.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by happiness is

Where the mountains and plains meet, check out

Livingston

Bozeman

Belgrade

White Sulphur Springs

Big Timber

Red Lodge

There are smaller towns, but going smaller would make it harder to find work.
In Belgrade, a town close to Bozeman, there is Yellowstone Harley Davidson, which you might enjoy.
Montana Motorcycle Dealer, Yellowstone Harley-Davidson
In Red Lodge there is Beartooth Harley Davidson.

Hope that helps.

H.I.

I would agree with most of these except White Sulphur Springs since there isn't much there at all. Bozeman is very expensive, but if you can make a go at it you might like it, although I found it to be very pretentious. Livingston, Belgrade, and Big Timber are pretty nice. I have spent very little time in Red Lodge but I can say it is a pretty town. You also might consider Columbus. That town is not too far from Billings which is a plus. Three Forks or Manhatten are little towns not too far from Bozeman that are nice as well.

[NDak15]

I will agree that you should pay attention to what Griz said as well.

[SnowSand]

Look into Townsend. Small population - half hour or so to Helena, if you can find work there. Townsend sits at the south of Canyon Ferry Lake - great for boating and fishing. Mountains and forests for all kinds of recreational opportunities. Lots of open areas too. Sounds pretty close to what you may be looking for.

[directedbywind]

Originally Posted by rambrush

Montana has so many towns and cities that could fill your ticket. The Griz has covered some of the downfalls etc.

I was also a ASE certified Master tech shortly after high school it was a great ticket to have and I could pull up roots and move on somewhere else as someone was always looking for technicians. (But working flat rate etc. there is not always a guarantee you will have a steady income). But after awhile I burned out switched to Structural and Wildland fire fighting and then back into facility maintenance and repair.
So keep in mind you are still young and may or may not burn out and end up looking at switching careers, is there a opportunity where you are going to relocate to switch things up or would you need to move on again?

not too sure about wanting to relocate too often. I am trying to find somewhere small with a shop that does a large area and more than just automotive. I would like to get some tractor and heavy duty disel experience that so far I have not seen much of in Columbus. Where ever I end up I would like to eventually stay and make it a permanent place. Last summer I took two weeks and traveled around and saw tons of major cities...Amarillo, Cheyenne, Denver, Billings, Salt Lake, and everywhere in between. I put 8k miles on my bike In the process I discovered how much I loved these small little towns between the metropolis's. Esp where the mtns and plains meet, its so beautiful and the small town folk are in no hurry it was such an amazing cultural experience for me and i realized its exactly what I feel drawn towards...simple, self reliant, slow paced, and just different in every way from the rest of the places I have ever been.

To be able to maybe take a day or two off and go up into the desolate snow peaked mtns and camp away from the noise of the world would be a true weekend...compared to your friends saying "hey lets go see this band or lets go get drunk at this bar or lets go to the movies" Quiet is something that I have a much better appreciation for now than before this trip. So I think you can see why I am interested in a place like Big Timber or Red Lodge lol.

[ElkHunter]

A lot of these smaller towns, you would almost be guarenteed to be working on everything from Volkswagens to Tractors to Semi's to ?????

The little town I grew up in (1500 pop), did in fact, have a Chevy Dealership. We got two of our tractors overhauled at the Chevy Dealer. An old International Super C and the following year a International Super M. You'd think it would look strange to have our tractors at the Chevy Dealer, however, they sat out in the lot with other tractors waiting to get in.