IMO, tech school is a waste for autobody. The kids we get out of school just aren't any more prepared than the guys that start out as carwashers.
If you have any skills at all, and can handle working for low $$ for a while, check with some independent shops for an entry position. Will probably mean washing/detailing/gofering for a while, but if they figure out you know what you're doing and you make an honest effort to stay busy, they'll almost assuredly start easing you into light repairs.
The biggest issue today is finding people that WANT to do the work...many are sent to votech because they're poor book learners, and many lack drive. It also seems that the votech system is telling students that they'll make journeyman money the first day on the job....which is not the case.
Other markets may be different, but we never hire votech graduates...too much "I know it all" attitude, and no real experience, coupled with a system that pays based on how quickly you get it out the door leads to problems unless supervised very closely, and today's economic climate just does not allow for someone to watch over the techs every second of the day.
I'm sure there are some fine, perfectly capable graduates of tech schools, but IMO, they're few and far between.
Sorry about the parents...seems many hold working with your hands to be demeaning...I don't think that they understand that it's not 1960 anymore. Vehicle repairing, whether collision repair or mechanical repair, requires a fair amount of technical savvy/brainwork. The days of Goober Pyle are long gone.
If you have any skills at all, and can handle working for low $$ for a while, check with some independent shops for an entry position. Will probably mean washing/detailing/gofering for a while, but if they figure out you know what you're doing and you make an honest effort to stay busy, they'll almost assuredly start easing you into light repairs.
The biggest issue today is finding people that WANT to do the work...many are sent to votech because they're poor book learners, and many lack drive. It also seems that the votech system is telling students that they'll make journeyman money the first day on the job....which is not the case.
Other markets may be different, but we never hire votech graduates...too much "I know it all" attitude, and no real experience, coupled with a system that pays based on how quickly you get it out the door leads to problems unless supervised very closely, and today's economic climate just does not allow for someone to watch over the techs every second of the day.
I'm sure there are some fine, perfectly capable graduates of tech schools, but IMO, they're few and far between.
Sorry about the parents...seems many hold working with your hands to be demeaning...I don't think that they understand that it's not 1960 anymore. Vehicle repairing, whether collision repair or mechanical repair, requires a fair amount of technical savvy/brainwork. The days of Goober Pyle are long gone.
