As was mentioned above, the future money is going to be in the electronics of cars. There is a company in BCS called Gladney Automotive. It is a mobile company that goes to mechanic shops and body shops to reprogram computer modules, sensors, sunroofs, air bag systems, and everything else you can think of on a modern car. We use them all the time at my shop after collisions because so many things need to be reprogrammed or reset. Almost every OEM requires pre and post scans of the electronic systems after a collision. This is where the money is to be made in the future.

Too bad your son isn't a few years older. Gladney is so busy they are looking to add another truck and need someone to run it.

I concur with the advice to look into the future automotive world and acknowledge the electronics/systems-heavy trend. If he goes to a formal auto tech school, it would be wise to take every course associated with that tech.

Body work/paint will always be in demand of course, but low earning potential unless owning your own shop.

What aspect of the auto world does he like the most? Tuning and performance improvements? If so, he needs to realize that almost all paid auto mechanic work is mundane stuff like brakes, tires, suspension, cooling systems, etc on grocery getters and not race cars. Some day he might be able to start his own shop and specialize in the fun work, but that is a real long shot after years of working for the man doing boring work.

I also agree with the potential of an enlisted military option that leads to an A&P license for aircraft mechanics. There is a huge shortage now and it's getting worse. It could be used for everything from working in an aircraft factory to a corporate flight department, aircraft maintenance facility, or shade-tree/independent mechanic (like I use for my little plane). There are lots of options there. Of course the military option comes with many amazing opportunities in it's own right too, including a nice pension that would offer a good back-stop when starting a new civilian career before age 40. Two of my Aggie classmates are doing that now (age 45-46) after USAF careers after A&M...it is really nice security to have that in place, especially after some really cool experiences in the service.

Military is a good option, but if he wants to work on fast cars and be in the go-fast crowd he should learn how to weld. Specifically if he could build cages he could work just about anywhere. Every form of racing needs a cage and there are 100 guys that can rebuild a motor to every 1 guy that can weld a cage or a chassis.

Dont be a mechanic. Advise from a mechanic.

It was a really good profession about 10-15 years ago. There was a "shortage" so a crap ton of kids went to tech school, schools created programs.m, etc. market is saturated now. Cars are built better these days, there are dealerships everywhere, I can go on but wont.

I would get in with either Cummins (factory store) or Caterpillar equipment.

If he is dead set on auto I agree with the welder route. A GOOD Tig welder/heli arc welder would be in great demand.

My brother did this. Parties his way out of tech. Got a job schlepping parts for a big Toyota dealership. The good news is working at a big dealer will get you sent to training and certified on there stuff which gets you set up for ase certification.

The secret to regular mechanics work is killing the flag hours. Early in my brother worked at a huge gmc dealer. They had a great setup shop where each tech had a specialty. He wound up doing brakes and suspension exclusively and would average working 34 hours a week but booking 70.

From there he got into the high end custom/restoration / race stuff which is great but the clientele can be kind of unhinges.


He was approaching 40 and the body was not happy so he got on with Tesla. Now he basically walks around and punches on a tablet all day

OP, I'd love to talk more in depth about this with you. I run a Chevrolet dealership and we all need mechanics badly. The oil field is our main competition, and even with the ups and downs it's often times hard for us to compete. That being said, we do offer scholarships to technical schools as well as have internal programs to progress tech's through certifications, both manufacturer as well as ASE. My top techs make between $80-$110k per year.

vhz said:

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OP, I'd love to talk more in depth about this with you. I run a Chevrolet dealership and we all need mechanics badly. The oil field is our main competition, and even with the ups and downs it's often times hard for us to compete. That being said, we do offer scholarships to technical schools as well as have internal programs to progress tech's through certifications, both manufacturer as well as ASE. My top techs make between $80-$110k per year.

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What do the entry-level techs make? Thats an important number for somebody that might be financing their education.

Have him look into Commercial Diesel trucks, a lot of opportunity right now especially with new technology. My company currently hosts a tech rodeo for its technicians and emphasizes tech retention by hosting this event:

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/rush-enterprises-showcases-employees-tech-skills-rodeo

Tim, there's really two pathways as far as how we do it. If a potential tech doesn't go straight to technical school we will start and train them as a lube tech to learn the basics. A Lube tech typically starts in the $10-$12 hourly range and works anywhere from 40-60 hours a week. A tech straight out of technical school with ASE certifications will start between the $15-$17 flag hour. Main difference is the lube tech's get paid hourly while they're here where as a true flag hour tech will get paid what they bill. An average tech bills around 40 hours a weekly whereas good tech's bill upwards of 60 hours weekly, of course it all depends on work load and traffic. The hourly tech will increase as their manufacturer certifications get completed. With supply and demand, especially on good diesel mechanic's with manufacturer certifications will pull in flag hour plus a weekly stipend, those guys will make $80 to well over $100k.

vhz said:

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Tim, there's really two pathways as far as how we do it. If a potential tech doesn't go straight to technical school we will start and train them as a lube tech to learn the basics. A Lube tech typically starts in the $10-$12 hourly range and works anywhere from 40-60 hours a week. A tech straight out of technical school with ASE certifications will start between the $15-$17 flag hour. Main difference is the lube tech's get paid hourly while they're here where as a true flag hour tech will get paid what they bill. An average tech bills around 40 hours a weekly whereas good tech's bill upwards of 60 hours weekly, of course it all depends on work load and traffic. The hourly tech will increase as their manufacturer certifications get completed. With supply and demand, especially on good diesel mechanic's with manufacturer certifications will pull in flag hour plus a weekly stipend, those guys will make $80 to well over $100k.

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Good info, thanks.

My daughter's boyfriend wants to go into the trades after High School. I will give him this info. He's a car guy already.....