something you should know before choosing auto repair as a career..
$400 to $500 a week??? I guess you have not been on the tool truck lately or explored the cost of living,Im a ase master tech and have 19 certifications with ford,and $30,000 in tools,2 years ago I quit and put my tools in a storage unit and started a new occupation, after 35 years in the auto industry I finally fiqured out that the only ones that will ever make a decent living in the repair industry will be the tool trucks, parts houses and counter help and shop owners and service writers, my wife works for a staffing corp. that uses her once in a while for a easy manufacuring type work,mailing boxes and misc.,they the staffing place pays her a minimum of $9.00 an hour,with no trade or high tech experience, she don't have to get into grease or high tempetures or have to buy expensive tools, bettween the flat rate pay and straight commission and the seasonal work, it's like doing very hard & high tech work in the heat and having to purchase expensive tools, and the tech still cannot afford to put away a realistic amount for retirement or buy healthcare for the family, I have come to the conclusion that automotive techs are the lowest on the totum pole, when auto repair shops get off the flat rate and pay techs with pay more than a service writer that has to know nothing about cars and when techs can afford medical care I will continue to keep my tools and my experience in storage,and keep surfing the internet leaving my experience as a tech for the last 35 years on the net and in forums, I hate to see young people getting into the auto repair industry and believe its something they think they will actully make a good living at,and when they find out, its too late to do anything, it will be too late, to get back into auto repair I would need $1500.00 for a monday through friday 40 hour week. with a written contract with pay and medical and retirement and sick pay & vacations and all benefits on it ,I figure if a receptionist can make $12.00 an hour with all benefits and insurance and work sitting on their butts in a controlled inviroment and not have to know or perform any high tech skills techs should be getting a lot more than a common receptionist. remember,cars are much more difficult to work on today then in the 60's or 70's,and they will continue to get more complicated and diag will continue to take longer and be harder,hybrids are filling the market now,when they start hitting the independant shops its going to take a lot of experience and up to date training to keep those going,I also have 10 years experience rebuilding starters and alternators and wiring repair.