School/career advice?

[69clone]

Hey guys,
So I'm trying to figure out what to do with my life, Like most of you at my age you were unsure/nervous as to what you would be doing for the rest of your life. I really would like to be doing something with our old cars, But I'm not sure what. The college i would go to only has basic mechanics which i don't see being much help since i already know the basic stuff although i obviously could learn more about them but about half of it i will find useless, like fuel injection, computers and other modern car stuff. I know most of you do this for a hobby and not a career but if you have any advice i'd really love to hear it. I just want to get on with my life and save these old cars before it's too late.

Thanks,
~Nick

 

[1badgtx]

Wyo tech,and UTI offer very good classes...UTI even will train you to be a nascar tech or pit crew member..What I would do is take a body and frame course...From there you can get a job at a body shop that works on classic cars...It takes years to learn the trade well...If you are good your paychecks will reflect that!!!
Petty Blue 67 GTX

 

[wannadrag]

Here's my take on it.Keep your car passion a hobby.I have a buddy who has a shed full of cool stuff{70 RR,57 hemi chrysler,62 Polara,72 dart just name a few}He is a body man and has no urge to work on his own stuff at all.
Me i am a crane opperator for a large bridge building company here in WI and sorta stressfull so i actually enjoy tinkering and working on the cars.Its kinda hard to explain but i can sorta relax doing the old car thing.I guess for me i like keeping the two,work and my hobby seperate.Just my 2 cents worth

 

[chrisd]

I'min the same boat as wannadrag. It'a a hobby for me. I've got a full time job that allows me to be able to afford my hobby and allows time for it. My father does body/trim work for a living. He really enjoys it, but usually doesn't have time for his own vehicles. That said, it's ultimately your decision. You can pick a career you really enjoy, but it may not pay what you want. I left a job I loved after 17yrs just for the money. But, it allows me to be able to do what I want to my car now.

 

[Meep-Meep]

The best thing you can do right now is learn the basics - and I'm not necessarily talking about mechanics. Basics as in communication skills are huge in anything you do. Not to say you are an uneducated bum or anything, but becoming very proficient in conveying your idea or message either by writing or speaking will put you miles ahead of many people. If you like mechanical stuff then go for engineering. I'm not trying to down play auto mechanics or any trade, but again, the ability to communicate will keep you on top and moving upward in any field.

I also like to refer to my 50/50 rule. 50% is what you know and the other 50% is not being the company jerk. I have met plenty of sharp and talented people but they were also A$$holes!! A bad attitude can sink the company morale ship in a hurry! Again, I'm not saying you are a jerk, but just be aware and show some class when making a point.

I didn't mean to make this a lecture but I was on a roll! The sharp young people are all we got to move on. So pick something that few people know how to do and get good at it.

 

[mopar6976]

Wannadrag and chrisd took the words out of my mouth. I would keep it as a hobby, because when you work on cars day in and day out, someday it will bore you. I was obsessed by airplanes when i was younger, so i chose to be an airplane-mechanic,but the obsession faded away, because it was daily business and sometimes really stressful and sometimes really annoying. If you are willing to learn all the stuff about cars, keep it as incidental earning and as a hobby as well and it will be fun for you for a long time. If you work under stress and pressure to perform ,you will lose your delight on the cars. I hope it was understandable for you, because english is not my first language.

 

[69clone]

I can see where it could become boring to work on your car after you just spent 10 hours working on someone elses, But i wouldn't think it would be half bad since you could be building a car you love with someone elses money plus get paid and get to enjoy the fun part of building it. But maybe restoring them isn't it. I've though about specializing in just one thing that doesn't always have to do with our cars like nickle plating/chrome, powder coating/painting or even a dyno shop. Just wish i could try everything and if i didn't like it just push restart lol

 

[Redpolara]

Keep it as a hobby Nick, I worked as a mechanic for nearly 20 years and in between I did the restoration side of things. About 10 years ago I gave up spinning spanners full time,why......because it got so boring i'd have to force myself to get into the car each morning.
I moved onto the restoration side of things fulltime for a few years, but the novelity wore off that too.

Also keep in mind, by the time your 40+/- the body (yours) will most likely be shot, all that reefing,yanking, straining, working in awkward positions...the list goes on trust me I know first hand......they'll all take their toll.....to the point of effecting your personal and social life, due to a lack of mobility for weeks at a time.

I'm at the stage now where I just can't get excited about it anymore, sitting in my garage is the only factory BB 64 Polara in the country (that i'm aware of), but do you think I can be bothered getting it back together and getting it out there for people to see.....Nah not really,i'll get around to it.

Again, keep it as a hobby Nick, somewhere down the track you may wake up one morning and think Bugger it, there's no passion so there's no point.

 

[65-440]

I can see where it could become boring to work on your car after you just spent 10 hours working on someone elses, But i wouldn't think it would be half bad since you could be building a car you love with someone elses money plus get paid and get to enjoy the fun part of building it. But maybe restoring them isn't it. I've though about specializing in just one thing that doesn't always have to do with our cars like nickle plating/chrome, powder coating/painting or even a dyno shop. Just wish i could try everything and if i didn't like it just push restart lol

in a perfect world, yeah ... the world we live in is not perfect. ultimately its your decision, if thats what you want to do then gods speed and wish you the best of luck. i thought i would love working on cars, i have been a tech at a dodge dealership for some time now and honestly wish i would have chose something else back then. i dug my grave and now i must lie in it. with 2 kids,mortgage and car notes i think i will be hateing my job just to make a buck for a while !!! i would go medical, or something in electronics personally .

 

[racedodge]

I can see where it could become boring to work on your car after you just spent 10 hours working on someone elses, But i wouldn't think it would be half bad since you could be building a car you love with someone elses money plus get paid and get to enjoy the fun part of building it. But maybe restoring them isn't it. I've though about specializing in just one thing that doesn't always have to do with our cars like nickle plating/chrome, powder coating/painting or even a dyno shop. Just wish i could try everything and if i didn't like it just push restart lol

i love my 73 charger, and its won the jack stand drags 8 years in a row. you can love a car even if its a junk heap.

my advice... join the air force, get a skill, get college paid for.. then makes lots of money and buy a car already built. but i am a cynic

 

[iraqivet01]

Join the Army

 

[jaak]

When your hobby becomes a job, its not a hobby anymore. I use to work as a tech at a dealership for 6 years and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was turning a wrench. Pick you out a career that will make you good money to pay for your hobby. If I could do it over again, I would go to college to be an engineer.

Jason

 

[Rick@Laysons]

My two cents....for what it's worth.....

In today's modern world, there is no such thing as company loyalty towards their emplyees, meaning if you do train for a particular career and find a job in that field, there's absolutely no guarantee that's what you'll be doing until you retire.

So my advice would be to learn a couple of different trades/skills so that when you reach that point in your life when your present employer finds you disposible, you'll have different skill sets to find other work because the field you're presently in may not have any openings suited to you. If a person becomes tooooo specialized, it severely limits the possibilities of finding suitable employment until you can get back into your particular field of expertise.

And I do agree with the previous posters who stated that keeping your hobby seperate from your chosen field is a good thing. It's easy to get burnt out doing the same kinds of work for a living and as a hobby.

The broader your horizons are means you have more roads you can travel to get to where you're going.

 

[BuckNeccid]

There's a few lifetimes worth of good advice in this thread, and it was given to you freely. It's up to you to make the ultimate decision, but I agree with everyone who's said "keep it a hobby". I'm old now, physically broken down, but in my life I've done everything from the Military for 8 years, PI, Credit Manager for a large corporation, Rail road work, and more to the point, ran my own body/restoration shop for a few years. I found that not only was the shop a 7 day a week, about 20 hours a day in order to do it right, but I had one heck of a time finding anyone to work with me. Most who wanted to work didn't have the skill, and most who had the skill would work till they got paid, then I might now see then for a few days till they sobered up. Needless to say, I really did not feel at all like working on my stuff after doing someone else's all day, and I'd feel even more guilty if I was working on my stuff while a customer's stuff was waiting. It wasn't a huge paying job, and after about 3 years, it was time to move on to something else.

Like Rick said, learn a few different skills. There is no such thing as worthless knowledge, no matter how small the item you know, sooner or later in your life you'll use it and not even know how you knew it. And you'd be surprised at just how much knowledge translates to other subjects, even if they don't seem to be related. Just having the knowledge gives you a confidence to try things that other people just won't tackle, and people do see you know "things" and get an impression of you as well qualified, even if you've never worked that job before.

I am biased toward the military, it's not just a job, it teaches you responsibility, confidence, how to think for yourself, and generally thinking outside the box so you're able to solve problems easier.

Regardless of what you try, DON'T just give up. I think it was Edison who when he was told he had failed with his light bulb over 1,000 times and asked why he didn't give up, replied "I haven't failed, I've just found 1000 ways that don't work". Just because one job or career doesn't work out doesn't mean you've failed at life, it's just something you found that you now know you don't want to do for the rest of your life.

 

[72 Charger SE]

I'd also recommend keeping it a hobby. Try to find something else that you like to do that also pays enough for you to afford your hobby. And above all else, keep trying to learn - about anything and everything - since as others have said, there is no guarantee that once you find a career that it you will remain in it until you retire. Look at the technological advances of the last 40 years and think of how many people were forced out of jobs and into other careers (if they were fortunate enough to be able to develop the skills.)

 

[roadrunnerman]

start looking at the people you know and what they do for a job.or make a list of things you like to do and make a list of all that's good and bad.i've been a general laborer,cook,chef's assist for 10 yrs,and now a truck driver for almost 22 yrs. but that was my choice,just like it will ultimatly your choice and yours alone.there are alot of people that wonder what there life would've been like if they had chosen this or that career,the answer to that is nobody knows,what career works for one might not work for the next person.you are getting alot of good info and advise with these guys here and i respect their knowledge so when everything is said and done, digest everything and you'll have a good idea on what you want to do.

 

[scotts74birds]

Alot of good advice here! I fell into my trade as an electrician over 20 years ago. A friend of mine who had his Journeymans card, asked me to come help him on a side-job while I was on leave from the Army. I got to use my head AND my hands! Fell in love with it, and to this day, I still love what I do. Some of us aren't cut-out for "cubicle life"! At then end of my day, I have either created something that wasnt there before, or fixed something and made someone happy. Not much satisfaction to be found moving **** from an "in" to an "out" box. It's not a hobby if it becomes a chore. But whatever you choose, be the best at what you do.

 

[73HEMI_RR_GTX]

Yes, I concur, Keep your passion for cars a hobby. I would suggest going to college. If you like mechanics and or electronics go for a mechanical/electronic Engineering Degree. Or a Business/Finance Degree. Just get a college education. JUST remember just because you get/have a degree doesn't guarantee you a job. But it sure will open many of doors. Getting an education will help support your car hobby in the future.

 

[Schober Motorsports]

I'm in the same boat as you man. I'm going to be early graduating in December and I'm going to try to get into the sheetmetal trades, I originally thought I was going to work on cars, but I don't want to ruin my hobby for myself. That'd just be too much cars... Good luck with whatever you pick!

 

[Coronet 500]

I'm 52,first licensed as a Sheetmetal Worker,tough on the joints,then as a Gas Technician 2.In my 30s started a Refrigeration Air Conditioning Mechanics apprenticeship and achieved my trade licence,all HVAC related.I can bang,cut,bend and weld any metal with the best of them and love to do it in my garage as a hobby,but would hate to do it as my job.My most valuable and transportable skill is my electrical diagnostics.Almost everything in the world uses electricity,if young I would go in that direction.Now the advice,like I tell my 20,22+24yr old sons,YOU WON'T BE GOOD AT ANY JOB UNLESS YOU LIKE IT.