Mechanic apprenticeship programs?

[mikeinaus]

im thinking of enrolling into a mechanic apprenticeship program and was wondering if anyone had any advice? has anyone been threw such a program and know if its hard to find a job as a first year apprentice when complete?

all the adds i see looking for apprentices are usually looking for 3rd or 4th years and occasionally 2nd years. i dont think ive came across an add yet thats looking for 1st years... would it be worth the $5000 and 10 months of school, or would i be better off going from shop to shop showing interest in getting into the trade. would i have any chance of finding something?

$5000 is a life changing amount of money for me and my mother says if i show enough interest and write up a proposal she might lend me some money. she wants to know how much it costs, how long id be in school, chance of finding a full time job and starting wages i can be looking at making. i dont doubt i can pay it back, the canadian government offers $1000 a year grants to apprentices when they complete there 1st and 2nd years, then when they become journeymen there is a $2000 grand. the only thing im worried about is enrolling into the program and not being able to find a job and start working...

this forum has taught me more then i could ever express. 2 years ago i didnt even know how to change a battery. with the help of people on this forum (in particular solo_ryder) i have taught myself a tun about how cars work and how to repair them. ive done everything from a battery change to a complete motor swap with brakes, suspension, painting and everything in between. im even doing repairs on friends cars. i actually just changed my cousins starter today. i know what i want to do with my life now, and i want to have the chance of succeeding.

[solo_ryder]

Go for it bro! When my brother was taking that class you msged me about he was also doing apprenticeship part time work at a hot rod shop (forgot to mention that) almost right away, just need to put yourself out there. A buddy of his is working at Walmart now as a mechanic, sounds kinda cheesy but he is making OK money and is getting the hours he wants and is already climbing the ladder there getting experience as he is going along.

5K is almost nothing to invest if you are going for a career that could last you till you retire. You may one day look back and wonder why you didnt do it sooner.

[mikeinaus]

i know $5000 isnt much but with how much money i make and how hard its been finding a job recently it seems like an impossible amount. realistically id need to put away $500 a month for a year to have enough to go, and still work part time while in school. based on last years earnings i wasnt making much more then $500 a month, let alone bills and expenses.

my mom just sold my cottage and i gave her a sob story about how im never going to make more then $12 an hour unless she lends me money for school. she doesnt want to lend it to me and have nothing come of it and never get paid back. my family is not exactly well off and were known for being cheap ontop of that.

but honestly what is $5000 out of $250,000 you just made on selling a cottage you bought for $80,000 5-8 years ago. shes bein a cheapass and is givin me some lame story on why she needs to pay off her mortgage on her new house rather then invest in my future. children our our future god damn it! im not even going to mention the fact i was talking with her last week about visiting next summer and spending a few weeks at the cottage 2 f---ing days before she sold it! it sucks cuz ive been there for maybe 15 days out of the last 5 years since i moved out west

p.s. since when does walmart do auto repair? have i been out of civilization that long?

[Sleeper6]

Honestly 5k isnt bad at all if you feel that strongly about what you want to do. I was the first to go for college in my family and I got my degree but also 80k in school loans. I still havent found a job in the field I went for but atleast Ive found a reliable career at a dealership recently I guess the short point is, atleast you could work that amount of in a respectable amount of time to make it worthwhile. My only curiousity would be if they supply you with any starter tools out of that, I know some of the schools around Pitts for that advertised that.

As for walmart, yea theyve been doing it for awhile but I doubt yould do much real service outside of tire patches, and installs. Look into the dealerships as Ive found them to be the most focused on retaining their personal all my years in the parts buisness and theyll offer you brand specific training if they hire you when your out as well.

[mikeinaus]

they list a $700 tool set under fees so im sure id get something more then education out of it.. i already have a fairly good basic set of tools so i might be able to get by without spending the whole $700. i cant see what tools theyd expect you to have other then a box, socket set, voltmeter, feeler guages and probably some other basic measurement tools. anything "big" would be supplied from the shop or school and cost alot more then $700...

im not doubting the education is valuable. im just worried about investing this time/money and not being able to find a job...

[Inodoro Pereyra]

I agree.

The way I'd do it is to go to the shops first, and get an apprenticeship. Then, once I got the job, I'd get to school.
An apprenticeship at a mechanics shop, without any previous experience, will probably give you a specialization in sweeping floors and washing parts. But once you finish your course, it's a big difference to go look for a job with your title and a year experience at a shop (even if the most complicated thing you did was to disassemble a set of heads), than to show up with just the title alone.

Wal Mart, as far as I know, never did mechanics. They have a section they call "TLE" (for Tire and Lube Express), that does oil and filters changes, interior cleanup, tire replacement/repair and balancing, and battery install/recharge. But any other mechanics work is specifically forbidden by WM rules. I used to work there for a few months, until I got into a fistfight with a coworker.

[mikeinaus]

i have to pick up my shifter linkage from the mazda dealership tomorrow. ill ask if i can talk to the head mechanic and see what advice he has. he should know whether local shops hire people who have gone threw school and have no "official" experience. the schools website also says 60% of 10 months is hands on in the schools repair shop working on real peoples cars. so it does give "quite" a bit of hands on experience.

its not like im walking in there blind. i already know how to do quite a bit of repairs. i just need some more info on theory, internal combustion and getting faster/more comfortable doing repairs. in reality its not what you know, its what people know you know. you can be the best backyard mechanic in the world but with no job site experience and no hook ups in the industry its unlikely your going to find anything.

i think my best option is to get in the course and hit the pavement going to every shop i can find and expressing interest. i also plan on trying my hardest and being in the top of the class

[Inodoro Pereyra]

You have to remember that the most important thing you'll get from the course is the certification, not the knowledge. You can probably learn more here, and reading some books on the side, than what you're gonna learn there.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying you won't learn anything. But you will learn a lot more while working on cars. That's why, even when most shops won't even consider you if you're not certified, they will actually be a lot more interested in your working experience, than in your formal training, unless you're studying to be an engineer...

One thing that might help you, especially to get your first job, is to make a "book" of sorts, with the work you've done in your car. And, of course, drive your car to the interview, and show it off.

[Ryan]

5 k and 10 months... man, thats peanuts.

I'm pulling 5k a year, for 5 years. Thats tuition only, not books, gas, parking, or other school expenses...

and I support myself.... I just work my a-- off at shitty jobs all summer. Entry level construction jobs can pay $20/hour, if your body can handle it.

I'd say go for it! Any education is always a step in the right direction, and will always add to your job potential.

[Inodoro Pereyra]

Entry level construction jobs can pay $20/hour, if your body can handle it.

WHERE???

Here in Miami, you're lucky if you can get $8/hr...

[mikeinaus]

yeah no kidding. it took me 3 months to find the warehouse job i just got at bestbuy. its for $12.25 an hour and is only a contract until the end of Janurary. i honestly applied to 10-20 jobs a day and this was the only thing i herd back from. its very difficult to find full time work in vancouver at the moment. its not because of my work ethic or experience. i have done many different types of jobs and have alot of good references...

just because i have done alot of work to my car doesnt make it a good example of what i can do. sure ive done a motor swap, alternator, radiator, ball joints, tie rods, end links, poly control arm bushings, short ram intake, repainted in interior + a few outside panels and many more, but my transmission is on its way out, i still have alot of work to do with my suspension (it clunks and feels very loose when cornering, thinking cvs and strut bearings?) and my exhaust is loud as f---. the things i havnt been able to afford that are still wrong with my car outweigh the things i have fixed. its reliable as a daily driver now, especially compared to what it was when i bought it but i wouldnt really say anything about my car is "comfortable".

it would probably be a good idea to make a portfolio with some pics of before and after shots of the work i have done. the course, plus some pics of my mods to my car, plus work i do in shop during the course should hopefully be enough to find me an entry level position in the industry. i honestly dont care if im pushing a broom, i just want it to be for a reason and eventually make something good out of it. if its a dead end job its wasting my time and effort, unless there willing to pay...

[Ryan]

Here in MB, minimum wage is going up to $10/hr soon.

Average entry level construction wages are $12...

But if you get the jobs where you feel like you honestly might die for the first few weeks because of the work load, and jobs that most people can't handle, then you get the wages.

My last masonry job was $18/hr simply because most people can't handle it. The thing is, I'm a country bumpkin, and I know what work means. Your average city puss puss kid can't take hauling half your body weight around all day. I calculated it once, I moved 6 tonnes to stone up 6' in one 10 hour period.

The prerequisites? Take all the b----ing you get, and don't quit.
Any benefits? Good wage, and man, do you get a nice body in the process
detriments? you can get heat stroke/exhaustion and pass out in your vehicle on your way home and lose your license for a year.

Another job to look into is stucco. Pays well, but crazy hard.

[mikeinaus]

im not new to physical labour. i can and will work hard for enough money. the problem is those jobs are few and far between in vancouver, and if you can get in its usually because you know someone. last winter i was working 10 hour days, 6 days a week shoveling snow in the pouring rain on cypress mountain for the olympics. i injured my knee a few years ago and it cant take the abuse it used too. that job was only for $12 an hour and the only thing that made my knee not completely give out was the fact i was frozen cold/soaking wet all day. climbing latters/stairs repeated will make me limp. if i do it a week or 2 in a row it gets to the point where i can barely walk. pushing the clutch in my old tow truck was enough to cause pain after an extended period of time. if i could find a job making $18-$20 an hour and completely destroy my body in the process i would.

[Ryan]

Then you, sir, would be someone I'd be glad to call a friend.

I don't live in Vancouver, or know anyone in Vancouver, so I can't help you. I really hope you find a decent job, and I encourage you to go to school.

[solo_ryder]

HEY! I live in Vancouver mr.Ryan. Well, about a hour away but I do work downtown.

Mike, I got a job coming up where I need a extra guy probably, u interested in making abit of extra cash for a day? PM me, I'll give you more details