Automotive Trade School: Why You Should Go
People are talking about the trades.
Mike & Luren are YouTubers who are focused on early retirement. They also happen to be the guest teachers on Video School Online's Youtube Masterclass course. They made a video on trade school, and recently I've noticed more people talking about the rise in blue-collar wages, like this economist 2017 article. After 10 years of failing to be a successful sales guy, I desperately enrolled in a vocational program at my local community college. Like many millennials, Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs was a guilty pleasure of mine. He talks about the skilled labor gap on his blog and has a scholarship organization dedicated to skilled jobs. Even tonight, as I'm doing my algebra homework, Jeremy Hamby of the Quartering spoke in a live stream about the wonders of blue-collar work, mentioning examples in the midwest of contractors charging near triple digits an hour.
Skilled work can be physically demanding. It can be dangerous physically and chemicals can wreck your internal organs. And the hours can suck, and being on call can ruin your social life. So to find a normal Monday to Friday, daylight work schedule without a demanding, I decided to enroll in an Automotive Electonic Specialist program. Now I'm assisting him in teaching the class and I have to tell you: it a great industry with lots of options, and I never thought I'd be a vocational teaching assistant (it's only two hours a day, so I'm not making bank.) Now I'm certain I want to teach automotive. And if you're tired of a stuffy office environment full of overly sensitive coworkers and passionless middle managers, the auto industry is a great way to get your piece of the blue-collar revival.
And it's okay if you're not a car person. Beside two and a half years driving a tow truck for an AAA contractor, Gran Turismo on the PlayStation, and the anime "Initial D", I wasn't into cars. I spent my youth writing on fictionpress.net before they kicked original writing off to another site. I became a salesperson and wore a tie. And at 32, I'm starting from scratch. Many types of people are taking auto classes at my college: moms, gaming nerds, people with an advanced degree who are changing careers. All of them are looking to enter this new blue revival, and I believe there's a couple of reasons the auto industry stands out:
1. Location
You can work anywhere, especially in cities. Independent shops are all over major metropolitan areas like New York and San Francisco. Dealerships need service technician for post-sales warranty work. Chain shops like Costco employee technicians in their service shops, and any organization (energy companies, government agencies, and car services) need fleet mechanics. You can't find a place in the western world that doesn't have a need for techs.
2. Compensation
This is the most IMPORTANT aspect of any work you do. In California, where I live, any job that requires you to have your own tools must pay you twice the minimum wage of that area. Many cities have 12 to 15 dollar minimum wages (whatever your politics about minimum wage), so you will be earning 22-30 an hour. While many companies get around this by not requiring your own tools, a full set is a heavy investment, and it's a seller market. Employers who keep you at minimum wage know you're not going to stick around if you're smart. Medical benefits and additional training to make you more skilled increases your value, so today things are great for skilled techs.
3. Environment
Cars are dirty. But you should not be. I got my ass handed to me for getting covered in fluids. The days of dirty mechanics are dead. The shop foreman at my internship complained that people would comment his hands are "too clean for a working man".
And cars manufacturers are heavily focused on safety, which is a big reason for the modern look and design of cars. That industry attitude has spread to colleges and employers alike. Properly venting exhausts, fluid disposal, and safety gear to protect you from sound and chemicals is not just a suggestion anymore, but a requirement. Our jobs are to make vehicles safe to operate; if you can't do it for yourself, how can you do it for a customer?
Look, it may not be for you. This industry is heavily male dominated and you're expected to take charge and have a thick skin. But direct feedback and honesty can be refreshing in a world of fake smiles and compliment sandwiches, and teamwork is necessary, not optional. Flat rate is a growing problem. And you get cut, a lot. But if you're like me and want to eventually own a house with expensive Warhammer 40k models and 3rd printings of Hulk #180 and #181, I'm going to encourage you to enter the Auto Industry. Oh, and specialize in electrical, because techs shy away from learning it.
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