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General => General discussion => Topic started by: ScottMk2Gti16v on 05 December 2006, 13:11
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I'm 24 years old, just jacked in a full time job (office/IT/admin kind of stuff) to go back to college to study computing (I am also working part time in my old office job). I'm sitting here bored with programming code and a bunch of weirdos in my class and don't think I want to pursue any kind of career sat behind a desk answering a phone or pissing about with programming code!!
Anyway, as I'm getting more and more into my cars I can't help but wonder if it's possible to pursue a career as a mechanic (or motor vehicle technician as it now appears to be called....). As far as I know it's only easy to break into the industry as an apprentice and don't think anyone would consider hiring such an old newbie to the trade. I've had a quick look at various websites/agencies/organisations today and am a bit overloaded with info - I've sent a few emails and await a response, but am just wondering (as I presume a lot of you work in the trade!) if you've had any experience relevant to what I'm on about here. Have any of you dont it yourselves? What's the latest one of you has chosen to go down the road of mechanics?
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Why not start by jacking in the computer course and taking up a course in motor mechanics such as a b-tech, you can start at the foundation level,which is a year i think or if youve got a little knowledge already then start at the intermediate level, which again i think is a year and at this level they will organise you work experience which might very well be the openig you need. Istarted this course when i lived in london but qiut half way through due to personal reasons but i regret leaving it :cry:
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buy a set of spanners.... :wink:
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Whatever you do don't do anything related to motorsport. It is the biggest failure course in the system. Not because no one passes (as that is the easy bit) but because companies are not interested in anyone without a degree for such a level of mechanics.
I learned the hard way, now i am a fully qualified engineer, and doing a degree in automotive design.
The best advice i can give is to go to a reputable college and have a word with their lecturers, and don't let them start talking about how good the college it, go in and actually speak to people without all the "glossing over" that happens. If you show them that you mean business most places will appreciate it and give you some honest answers.
If that fails then approach as many businesses as possible, and ask about their apprenticeship schemes, they will more than likely send you out a pack that you can read through. :smiley:
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or, do what i did and teach yourself everything you know... :huh:
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There is that way an all, i did the same, but then i was younger and had the time and money to spend without the worry of bills or anything like that.
I suppose it depends on what sort of time frame you are looking at. Basically all cars are pretty similar underneath, so if you can do something on one car then you can do it to another.
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I left school at 16 and did an apprentiship 3yrs i got a BTEC national cert in motor vehicle engineering , a NVQ 3 in motor vehicle diagnostics , Repair and maintanance
Worked for a couple of years then went off to uni and basically experianced what Slick did
they didnt cater for what i needed to know i was recovering things that i learnt at 16 and then doing math and engineering science that was WAY too difficult for me to comprehend
As for starting out i knopw what i was leaving school i started applying for apprentiships now , try wrighting to as many places as you can , explain your interest , many places will apreciate somone that WANTS to do the job instead of endind up with some plank , i remember i place called BK international dealt with honda , jaguar , and some other main manufacturers could google them see what comes up
as a word of caution tho , when i was working in garages i found it quite hard to find the motivation to work on my own car , you might be different , an if you do get yourself an apprentishop be prepaired for a bit of frustration at collage youll be there with mainly 16yos many without a care for cars or learning anything (tho most tech collages have hair n beauty courses there so that sometimes makes up for it)
last of all good luck , i dont twirl spanners for a living anymore but still got all my pretty shiney tools to use on whatever i want
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Build a kit-car instead to get it out of your system, suffer out the computer course and get yourself a well paid job in an industry crying out for people. It's pretty much what I'm doing :grin:
It is hard work though, I might be luckier than you too because none of the guys are nerds or into games like I was expecting - they're all into sports, cars and music - we basically had a band going over the summer :laugh: It's an option though.
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(tho most tech collages have hair n beauty courses there so that sometimes makes up for it)
That and biology, loads of fit girls!
How i miss my days at college, there are no fit girls doing physics :sad:
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I had to go away to tech collage , every other months i went away to nottingham , stayed at the AA s own collage , gym swimming pool sauna , bar ON SITE , then nottinham was 15 mins taxi away , wednesday nite was student nite was like a holiday for 2 weeks every months , all the apprentises from across the country used to go at the same time was carnage but great fun
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i went to a local mechanics college.
passed etc. was great
they find you a place to work too which helps. You might need to hussle abit on the side as aprentis money is peanuts :laugh: but once your qualified its all good
:smiley:
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i left school at 16 in er... 1991.. i did 1 year at college doing b tec 1st diploma in motor vehicle engineering then 2 years following doing the btec national diploma (not sure what these equate to in modern qualifications??), i also did my nvq's in welding and fabrication along side these courses, when i left college at 18 1/2 there were f00k all jobs for mechanics unless you wanted £35 a week yt places..... not for me.. did a stint at safeways and then in a fabrication shop till i was 21 as money was nice and enabled me to buy cars  :evil: then i got a job where i am now as a maintenance engineer and electrician, i fix things for a living, and there more complicated than cars tbh, dont get me wrong i havent forgotten what i learnt, i still do most my own stuff from re building an engine to changing brakes... but there are times when i cant be @rsed and pay the grease monkeys to do it...
as with any dream/subject you can spend years of your life doing studying etc and at the end of it theres no job... choices choices, dont regret what ive done, and i earn a hell of a lot more than a grease monkeys hourly rate so i think i made my choice wisely!!
but do what you think is right... youll soon know if youve done the right thing
:smiley:
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im a qualified electrician too gaz. like you say mechanics (grease monkeys) dont earn much but there is a shortage of them compaired to electricians and plumbers.
all in good time :wink:
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Just work along the lines of never regret what ya have done always regret the things that you never did
  sod the money as long as you are happy , there is always the added bonus of doing work on the side to bump it up a bit , and like blue says , its all about the hustle
An when i started my apprentiship at 16 in 1999 i was earning £64 per week , for a full 40 hours , tho when i started bein useful the lads used to pay me cash in hand to come in on weekends just to grease stuff n top up oil .
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im a qualified electrician too gaz. like you say mechanics (grease monkeys) dont earn much but there is a shortage of them compaired to electricians and plumbers.
all in good time :wink:
I beg to differ! (sparky chimp)
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i fancied a career change as a mechanic because valeting is sh!t and i can never be arsed to clean my own after doin
loads at work and i always enjoy working on my car i dont know a awful lot but i have learned many things
like fitting a vr6 motor into a mk2 lol
but if i was to change career as apprentice mechanic i could not afford to be on crapper money
i will just learn as i go along try find something mor suitable
do what you thinks best
would turn out good in the end