Mechanic courses and other helpful advice needed!!

Post by **admiral51** » 29 Nov 2009, 20:12

Hi All
Its getting to the stage of my 14year old sons education where he needs to make decisions on what he wants to do for gainfull employment in the not so distant future

He has for the last 18 months or so saying he wants to work with/on cars as he reckons it cant be that hard if an old git like me can muddle along and keep the Xantia on the road

Fortunately his school is offering an engineering Diploma and some sort of work experience as part of this course

As i have very little knowledge of mechanics/electrics etc etc does anyone have some first hand info on things that both SWMBO and myself can look at getting him to sort of help him on his way

I know that should he follow this through he is likely to need his own tools in the end so was maybe thinking of in another 12 months looking into Snap On tools as these could be bought over a period of time but it was more things like books/dvds showing him how things work and their relationship to other components etc

Cheers in advance

Colin

addo · Post by **addo** » 29 Nov 2009, 21:01

If you have reasonable means yourselves, why not propose some sort of study bond with him? By that, I mean if he can demonstrate continuity, results and perseverance then you'll come to the party quite solidly at completion of his studies.

Engineering - unless it's specifically trade related to machinery - also involves an awful lot of stuff you wouldn't touch in a workshop, such as thermodynamics and fluid flow. This can be both surprising and disappointing if people think it's all about gears and welds.

With tools, there's a minimum you really need to launch successfully; the tool trucks make a mint off people who started without quite enough and then have to buy in dribs and drabs (far less economical overall).

I'd personally make the bugger learn to oxy weld, braze and solder anything. Then he'll find stick and MIG/TIG simple to understand because he'll know how good a weld can be. And a demonstrably good welder will always have access to either decent wages or the ability to travel (highly portable skills).

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 29 Nov 2009, 21:50

My advice would be to avoid being a car mechanic like the plague !! It's a hard , tedious , underpaid , stressful , dirty and unfulfilled career. This is no disrespect to those in the career , but I wouldn't choose it !

Also , I doubt it will be a very long lived choice , the future is changing fast and I don't see cars as we know them being around in the next 15 - 20 years.

Train to be a proper engineer , there is a huge shortage of them , then with the generous salary he will earn he can play with his cars instead of en-slaving himself to them !!

Post by **CitroJim** » 30 Nov 2009, 07:01

HDI, very wise words indeed

I love playing cars for relaxation and escape but would never want to do it full-time; it would steal all the joy from it.

Good, skilled engineers of all disciplines are rare. Don't become an IT engineer though. Two a penny and a miserable existence. Take that from one who knows!

Colin, what branches of engineering really sparks-up your lad? That'll give him a good guide as to what he should follow; something a bit out of the ordinary will stand him in excellent stead.

citronut · Post by **citronut** » 30 Nov 2009, 08:09

auto electricary i belive would be a good line to get into, even if it was after or along side learnig to weld properly,

regards malcolm

DickieG · Post by **DickieG** » 30 Nov 2009, 11:14

I agree with Malcolm, if he really wants to work on car's then auto electrician or diagnostics is the way to go as its not so dirty and being specialised he can demand a higher wage, both of these subjects are viewed as black magic by many mechanics.

Post by **CitroJim** » 30 Nov 2009, 12:37

DickieG wrote: then auto electrician or diagnostics is the way to go

Yes, although the view (unfortunately) held by many is that the diagnostic machine magically gives the answer to life the universe and everything, this is by no means true. The answer it gives still has to be carefully interpreted and this is where the real skill lies and a skill not held by many despite being in great demand.

Then, on the other side of the coin, someone has to design these diagnostic machines. Do that and I guess you could name your own salary.

Judging by the fees caharged, even just operating a dagnostics service seems to be quite lucrative although the initial outlay is high.

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 30 Nov 2009, 12:45

Forget diagnostics , it gets as tedious and boring as mechanics !!
Get into ECU mapping !! I'm involved in the performance and race car tuning industry and the guys earning the bucks are the mappers. Theres a course in the States that I'm very tempted to take , it's expensive at £3k , but very comprehensive. Then after aquiring some practical experience you can charge out upto £500 per day !! You need to understand about engines , fuel systems , turbo systems etc , but it's interesting and lucrative !

Post by **CitroJim** » 30 Nov 2009, 12:54

The only thing is though, is there a secure, long-term future in mapping given that some future legislation may well ban or severly restrict any kind of tuning or indeed any departure from how the vehicle left the factory.

Clogzz · Post by **Clogzz** » 30 Nov 2009, 13:14

a demonstrably good welder will always have access to either decent wages or the ability to travel

Adam, as soon as you set foot out of the posh areas of the big cities, it’s recession and depression everywhere.
Next door to my scrap of work is a part-time welding school, and the ‘pupils’ are all 15-year-olds … best of luck if you drive over a metal bridge.
We must be in the terminal phase of late capitalism, as it looks much like when both the Nazis and the Soviets were sending children to the front lines.

An engineering company in Ipswich of Queensland couldn’t find 30 welders for the dreadful pay and conditions they were ‘offering’.
They imported 30 ready-made ones from China.
The only proper jobs with feasible conditions will be ambushes and hiding places in the public service.

addo · Post by **addo** » 30 Nov 2009, 13:20

It's why I still support the idea of a slightly specialised hands-on trade.

Having said that, I also don't like the idea of a 14 year old being locked into a binding life direction - specialised and sought after manual skills can be simply insurance against total unemployment.

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 30 Nov 2009, 13:24

CitroJim wrote:The only thing is though, is there a secure, long-term future in mapping given that some future legislation may well ban or severly restrict any kind of tuning or indeed any departure from how the vehicle left the factory.

True , but then what job can be considered a career for life anymore ? Oh , I know , Lawyers !!

Engineer is still the best bet.

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 30 Nov 2009, 14:12

This is something I've been pondering recently. Slightly different as I'm 21 and have been in work for the last 4 years.

I, too, have come to the conclusion that I don't think I could be a mechanic for a job yet I can't stay where I am and I certainly don't think I could work in an office.

I'm currently in a rut and I need to do something about it soon or that'll be where I stay for the foreseeable future, and that is not something I want.

So I'm considering going back to education, at the moment engineering does appeal to me. Especially aerospace engineering. So it's something I need to look into.

If I find anything of use in my search Colin, I'll let you know

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 30 Nov 2009, 15:14

aerospace is also a volatile career. Heavy , general and structural are the area's I would look at.

Post by **CitroJim** » 30 Nov 2009, 15:14

Toby_HDi wrote:I certainly don't think I could work in an office.

Offices are fine so long as you have an escape at the end of the day.

Working in a big open-plan office as I do can be good. Great banter and fun flies around all day long...