Buying tools is ridiculous, no?

[malykaii]

Also mentioned was that the mechanic needs to be smart about his job choices and how much he spends on tools.
Well, anyone who is financially savvy, interviews well, and knows what they need to be successful, isn't going to drop out of high school and go to devry. Sorry

 

[mikefromme]

I didn't start this thread because I am in this situation... But I once was many years ago.

I like how someone says "if your making min wage, it's your own fault" really?!?! Tell me how a high school drop out changing oil is to make more? Go to your next job and lie about your skills? You'll get fired in a week. The problem is the industry, not the worker... Reason for me starting this thread.

I'd start with a GED.

 

[Sal Bandini]

I didn't start this thread because I am in this situation... But I once was many years ago.

I like how someone says "if your making min wage, it's your own fault" really?!?! Tell me how a high school drop out changing oil is to make more? Go to your next job and lie about your skills? You'll get fired in a week. The problem is the industry, not the worker... Reason for me starting this thread.

You answered your own question right there.

 

[popit]

The thing I observe is several countries is that there are way too much workshops, so if each one buys the entire set of tools, the elevator, the rent, etc it won't break even for most of them. The same applies to small shopping centers, so in the end they increase the final price.

 

[malykaii]

"if your making min wage, it's your own fault" really?!?! Tell me how a high school drop out changing oil is to make more?

Well, did I answer my own question? Yes, and no.

First you have guy at fast food joint. No skills, no education, and no assets or incentive to get paid more. On the other end you have a lawyer with an education, maybe skills depending on job experience, and incentives such as passing the bar. What about the guy in the lower end of the middle. No education, but some auto skills, and assets like tools. Why does he get paid less than fast food guy.

We want to feel equal, but let's face it. There are a lot of struggling unintelligent people. They need work too. If miraculously we educated them all, who would change oil? Illegal imagrants, oh but now they are stealing the jobs.

Hence why I get grumpy and defend all the less fortunate co workers I've ever had.

 

[Sal Bandini]

If he gets paid less than a fast food guy then maybe he should give himself a raise and work as a fast food guy.

And what mechanic is making minimum wage?

 

[the gypsy]

If you read jrobb316 over again, he explains how you can better your situation. It comes back to the old cliche "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". I will try to explain but first you have to get your high school education then slowly like explained by robb316 take training courses to expand your knowledge and don't forget to tell the boss and ask for that raise.

 

[Kracin]

I didn't start this thread because I am in this situation... But I once was many years ago.

I like how someone says "if your making min wage, it's your own fault" really?!?! Tell me how a high school drop out changing oil is to make more? Go to your next job and lie about your skills? You'll get fired in a week. The problem is the industry, not the worker... Reason for me starting this thread.

it really is their own fault if they are making min wage. when somebody drops out of highschool they are telling an employer "i couldn't be bothered to do what 99% of other people in the us did, i'm unreliable and quit when things get tough for me".

when you take a job that was offered to you at min wage you are basically saying "i believe my skills are worth this much money". even if you take it, you aren't being forced to stay there, people who make min wage for more than a year or two are doing it of their own free will. walk down the street, every single building you see that isn't a residence, has people working in it. there are more places to work than walmart, target, midas, jiffy lube, etc just because you want to work on cars doesnt mean you should make nothing doing it.

that kinda how the world works.

uneducated/dropout are two different things. uneducated would be highschool only these days and there are a lot of jobs that pay highschool graduates a lot of money for regular work, but you have to do more than show up.

 

[Kracin]

If he gets paid less than a fast food guy then maybe he should give himself a raise and work as a fast food guy.

And what mechanic is making minimum wage?

i dont think there are mechanics making min wage.

lube guys probably, changing oil and tires isn't something you learn in school or obtain as a skill, it can be taught in a few days much like fast food work.

on the other hand, a mechanic is a valuable asset as they can not only troubleshoot and diagnose they can also fix a variety of issues on cars. a lube tech is not a mechanic. and lube/tire techs are usually the low paid ones if i am not mistaken

 

[malykaii]

The gypsy... I follow what is being said. It makes sense. I also tend to forget that NYC is nothing like the rest of America. Here,15% of the shops are dealers, 15% are pep boys and such, and the remaining 70% are local small operations. In turn, most guys aren't going to expand their skills as no one will care. Had a co worker get ase certified only for the boss to shrug and say "so what".

I am looking at this very regionally. So yes, there are options for most, but not all.

 

[malykaii]

Yes, the C level tech gets min wage. But how does one become a valuable A level diagnostic tech without doing lube at some point? Devry isn't the answer, as you get to be lube tech with that degree too.

 

[MoparTrucks]

I bought my first car at 14 (63 Plymouth Belvedere I sure wish I had still) and went the votech route in HS where I just knew I was going to be a body and fender man (what we called them back in the early 70s). I took auto mechanics, welding, auto body etc in school and most of my friends did the same. For me, a series of run ins with the law and an iffy living situation resulted in me dropping out of HS and enlisting in the Marine Corps on my 17th birthday where I wanted to be an auto mechanic but circumstances put me into the Infantry where I stayed for my career.

So long story short, one of my best friends in HS stayed in the same town where we went to HS and went the "body and fender man" career path. He had dreams of having his own shop someday but now in his mid 50s he has given up and its like his pilot light has burned out. He makes pretty good wages as a manager of an auto body shop but he has all kinds of allergies to the paint along with a lot of other physical problems, he still works 60 hours a week, and he makes less per month working all those hours than I collect in retirement.

Now I enjoy wrenching on stuff as a hobby while he just seems like he has been beat down. I last visited him a couple years ago and the happy go lucky good old boy I remember was long gone and I have often thought about what might have happened had I gone that path myself.

My biggest question is what are you guys doing to prepare for retirement? In my friends case he told me he has put away some money in an IRA and savings but he has never worked where he got a retirement and he plans to work until he either dies or he is too crippled to work any more. Depressing.

 

[malykaii]

Kracin, in theory I wish I could agree with education helping find work.I almost don't blame high school drop outs. Many of my fellow friends in honors went on to finish their degrees while I dropped out of college to work. One is part time at the apple store and the other at urban outfitters. I make more than both of them.

People say God helps those who help themselves. But the job market is getting quite funky as of late.

 

[Kracin]

The gypsy... I follow what is being said. It makes sense. I also tend to forget that NYC is nothing like the rest of America. Here,15% of the shops are dealers, 15% are pep boys and such, and the remaining 70% are local small operations. In turn, most guys aren't going to expand their skills as no one will care. Had a co worker get ase certified only for the boss to shrug and say "so what".

I am looking at this very regionally. So yes, there are options for most, but not all.

if you are a technician specializing in submarines and nautical vessels, do you think nebraska would be the best place to set up shop?

there is a reason there aren't many surf shops in idaho. if the business aren't paying what you need for your skills, find a new job or go somewhere else. not sure what to tell people who say they can't find good paying jobs where they are, either they are in the wrong place, or looking for the wrong jobs. there is somebody for every job. let it be someone else who makes that small change

 

[malykaii]

Depressing indeed dude. That's how I feel about a lot of guys I work with. A lot end up functioning alcoholics.

 

[the gypsy]

The gypsy... I follow what is being said. It makes sense. I also tend to forget that NYC is nothing like the rest of America. Here,15% of the shops are dealers, 15% are pep boys and such, and the remaining 70% are local small operations. In turn, most guys aren't going to expand their skills as no one will care. Had a co worker get ase certified only for the boss to shrug and say "so what".

I am looking at this very regionally. So yes, there are options for most, but not all.

It may be time to move on. You must take small steps. You have to convince a potential employer that you work better than most of the techs out there, you must make yourself stand out. In an interview you must show enthusiasm. That is what employers want.

I wish you luck.

 

[Gmonkee]

The new guy makes the least and has to have a base set of tools for the job. Be it lube tech with few or general mech with a full range of SAE and Metrics just to play.

lf he survives 5 years he has much better brands and more options, the lube tech may have become a more skilled tech. Now he has to have the specialty tools to rise above those who do not, gain skills to advance where others rest. He still takes home the same he made 5 years ago but has inventory of tools to show for the rest.

A decade in he has risen as high as he will go and has the best and everything possible his job demands. This should be the highest pay he will ever see and take home pay depends on how addicted he is to bigger boxes and more shiny chrome baubles. Smarter guys at this point are using up thier tools from 5 years ago and staying off the trucks means the Mrs. has that new car after years of a working class car.
This isn't a slide to retirement, rather a certain maturity to know what you need and when to stop spending on needs that are already filled long ago.

I touched this point faster but the whack on the head that told me I don't need more to do my job right kinda hurt.
I like shiny new toys. Expensive toys are fun too. But..... a base set of tools that fits a medium handbox easily is my reality. No need for 23 screwdrivers whan a simple 2-in-1 has been doing fine for years. Only one time proven ratchet. Wrenches that go no bigger than 22mm.
All in brands that are not too much prestige nor too costly in case of loss.

And I can do my job correctly. I can do good solid repairs. For me no wall-0-toolboxes stuffed to the gills with the entire catalog inventory. I do not envy those that are required to have that.

 

[Ruger_556]

I like how someone says "if your making min wage, it's your own fault" really?!?! Tell me how a high school drop out changing oil is to make more?

The gypsy... I follow what is being said. It makes sense. I also tend to forget that NYC is nothing like the rest of America.

Not to be argumentative but while I can't speak for New York if you drop out of high school it is usually considered to be your own fault...

You get paid minimum wage to do minimum work, that's just how it is. If you can't get off minimum wage it's because of the choices you have made and not because of whatever industry you work in. You can go pull weeds on a farm and make more than minimum wage (I know, I've done it) but Americans don't want to work that hard.

If what's holding you back is your location or employer just move, find a different job, do whatever you have to do. It's a free country and you can do that here Many places don't even require that much knowledge starting out, just show willingness to learn (ie don't drop out of high school) and they will train you for what they need you to do.

 

[wornoutoldman]

A bigger problem for those who feel they have topped out at/with a minimum wage job is poor/lack of self esteem usually coupled with a negative/poor attitude about themselves, their job, the world/people in general.

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right." ~ Henry Ford

 

[Danguitarman]

I didn't start this thread because I am in this situation... But I once was many years ago.

I like how someone says "if your making min wage, it's your own fault" really?!?! Tell me how a high school drop out changing oil is to make more? Go to your next job and lie about your skills? You'll get fired in a week. The problem is the industry, not the worker... Reason for me starting this thread.

Ummmm... maybe put in a little more effort into things that are important like a damned education. This is starting to sound like the burger flippers at McDonalds picketing because they want 15 bucks an hour for doing a job that a chimp is capable of.

 

[the gypsy]

The last 3 posts make some good points.

 

[Bagherra]

I am sure a lot less tools go missing this way than if the company purchased/owned them, probably cheaper in the long run.

This is what the military does.
When I was in, because of tool accountability, you were discouraged from using personal tools.

 

[ttpete]

I didn't start this thread because I am in this situation... But I once was many years ago.

I like how someone says "if your making min wage, it's your own fault" really?!?! Tell me how a high school drop out changing oil is to make more? Go to your next job and lie about your skills? You'll get fired in a week. The problem is the industry, not the worker... Reason for me starting this thread.

If you're a high school dropout, that's YOUR fault, not the industry's. Do some studying and take the GED test. Then take night courses at your community college towards an associate degree.

 

[Gmonkee]

Ummmm... maybe put in a little more effort into things that are important like a damned education. This is starting to sound like the burger flippers at McDonalds picketing because they want 15 bucks an hour for doing a job that a chimp is capable of.

This seems more like a regional standard of living issue. I flipped burgers for years and didn't hate it. Problem was the rents in the area were going up and my pay wasn't. I didn't live with mommy and roomies were not an option. So lateral moves to lesser places to keep the rents under control.

The hours in those places can be strictly controlled and most do not allow overtime.
And you'll be asked to work all shifts if you are good so another job is not an option. Too hard to schedule like that.
Not too many folks in fast food with a nice house and three kids to feed. Top positions are few and far between.

 

[Kracin]

so whats stopping these kids who can't find good jobs from joining the military, straightening their life out and earning a fine paycheck for serving their country? at the end of their time if they so choose, they could go to college for free and do whatever they like afterwards on the governments dime with the GI bill...


i always wondered why there are so many entitled kids that don't consider 4 years of their time for a future of solid living?

 

[Sal Bandini]

How does a C Tech make min wage? My nephew is 19 just got a job at one of the rental companies taking in the cars as they come in and cleaning them. He makes $11 and has no skills and almost no work history.

 

[JonDick13926]

How does a C Tech make min wage? My nephew is 19 just got a job at one of the rental companies taking in the cars as they come in and cleaning them. He makes $11 and has no skills and almost no work history.

I also wonder how some places could get away with hiring a tech at minimum wage. I started with no experience whatsoever at an independent shop, having to ask for help often from the other techs on different jobs until I learned more, at $13 an hour, close to double minimum, wage.

 

[ttpete]

so whats stopping these kids who can't find good jobs from joining the military, straightening their life out and earning a fine paycheck for serving their country? at the end of their time if they so choose, they could go to college for free and do whatever they like afterwards on the governments dime with the GI bill...


i always wondered why there are so many entitled kids that don't consider 4 years of their time for a future of solid living?

The military requires a high school diploma to enlist.

That said, the military can do a lot for a young individual. One learns to get along with others and take orders. I believe it builds character and can provide experience that's useful in getting a job. Employers see military service as a plus. If you go to work for the federal government later, your seniority will attach to the new job for retirement purposes. VA can provide medical care, a mortgage at a decent rate with no money down, and a college education.

 

[Jazzman442]

I am having a hard time believing some of this. I live in Florida. and Yea the wages here are allot less than allot of other states. Yes an Oil tech is a min wage jab. But you need to advance yourself by learning more. On the new cars and trucks it is about computers. Yes thank the Government LOL. The computer guys here are getting between 40 and 80 K. Go to work clean and come home cleaner. If you are a parts swapper then you don't get much. But the guys who know what they are doing and good at it get paid allot of money. Its like anything knowledge is power. Doing it right the first time every time is priceless. Also finding the right dealer ship / shop is one of the most important things. If you are at a shop that uses crape parts / fluid then get out of there they are only about the bottom line. Just like any job make your self important.

 

[bobbycos]

Alot of these posts remind me of why I left everyday wrenching and went to UPS

better pay and benefits

And I come home a bit sweaty and dusty but a quick shower takes care of that

All my tool purchasing and hoarding is for personal use and the occasional side job

 

[Kidder02]

Join the union as a general laborer. Might have to work a bit, maybe 12 hour shifts from time to time, but if your a good worker its good $$.

 

[Parrothead]

First off, if you're making minimum wage, then that's on you. Think about it...your employer is basically saying that we think you're worth the minimum amount required by law and we're only paying you this much because we have to. Their statement to you is this...if you can find something that pays better, offers better hours, etc. then you are free to go.

Secondly, the whole supplying tools thing has always perplexed me. There aren't too many jobs that require you to bring your own equipment. I am sitting at my desk, and I didn't bring my computer, or it's software from my house. What's even more baffling to me is the amount of money spent on tools off the truck, or even online or at box stores. The average mechanics salary is $36k, or just over $17 an hour. When you figure in the cost of tools, the fancy Snap On/Cornwell/MAC/Matco box, what are you really making? It's nuts.

http://www1.salary.com/Automotive-Mechanic-I-Salary.html

 

[GTA Matt]

It's easier to complain then it is to take some initiative and work on bettering yourself, making yourself more marketable and more valuable to your employer.

 

[jd_1138]

First off, if you're making minimum wage, then that's on you. Think about it...your employer is basically saying that we think you're worth the minimum amount required by law and we're only paying you this much because we have to. Their statement to you is this...if you can find something that pays better, offers better hours, etc. then you are free to go.

Secondly, the whole supplying tools thing has always perplexed me. There aren't too many jobs that require you to bring your own equipment. I am sitting at my desk, and I didn't bring my computer, or it's software from my house. What's even more baffling to me is the amount of money spent on tools off the truck, or even online or at box stores. The average mechanics salary is $36k, or just over $17 an hour. When you figure in the cost of tools, the fancy Snap On/Cornwell/MAC/Matco box, what are you really making? It's nuts.

http://www1.salary.com/Automotive-Mechanic-I-Salary.html

I venture that a mechanic can probably get a complete set-up for $30,000 or so? If you average that out over a 30 year career, that's like 80 bucks per month. Not an incredible amount of money when you think about it.

Plus you get to keep the tools when you retire. My dad is 73 and still works on cars PT. He has been a mechanic since 1962 and still owns a lot of the tools he bought back then.

 

[jd_1138]

Ummmm... maybe put in a little more effort into things that are important like a damned education. This is starting to sound like the burger flippers at McDonalds picketing because they want 15 bucks an hour for doing a job that a chimp is capable of.

I never have worked at a fast food place, but a friend of mine is a manager at a franchised one, and he makes like $40k/year and gets a company car.

Basically any job has its difficulties and challenges. Dismissing the entire industry as being able to be performed by a chimp is not fair. I don't think a chimp could cook a hamburger up to the correct temperature, break down a milkshake machine, fill out work schedules, deal with vendors, etc..

 

[66354dream]

Automobiles are a great hobby. Terrible career in america though I've discovered. Leaving the industry was the best choice I've mad in my life. Unfair compensation was by far the #1 reason.

X2, I left the industry as well and even though its tempting to go back I always sit down and remember ALWAYS being stressed, tired , sore and very often without any money. I love manual labor and pride myself in my work ethic but like many have said it ***** to know you've put so much time, effort and money to make less than a full time employee at Mcdonalds. Just my 2 pennies worth.

 

[Parrothead]

I never have worked at a fast food place, but a friend of mine is a manager at a franchised one, and he makes like $40k/year and gets a company car.

Basically any job has its difficulties and challenges. Dismissing the entire industry as being able to be performed by a chimp is not fair. I don't think a chimp could cook a hamburger up to the correct temperature, break down a milkshake machine, fill out work schedules, deal with vendors, etc..

There is a distinct difference between managing a McDonald's and being a burger flipper. A burger really could be flipped by a chimp. Ding fries are done I can't wait until they're done with cashiers completely at fast food restaurants as I'd rather use a touch screen and put in my own order anyway, more likely to be right that way.

 

[LordPsychon]

Re: Buying tools is rediculous, no?

...But when the zombie apocalypse hits, mechanics and doctors are going to be in high demand.

Sweet! I'm both!

 

[efb16acrx]

It's easier to complain then it is to take some initiative and work on bettering yourself, making yourself more marketable and more valuable to your employer.

Why is it every thread I go to post something in, you have usually already posted exactly what I was going to?

 

[LordPsychon]

Why is it every thread I go to post something in, you have usually already posted exactly what I was going to?

He's psychic (and he already knew I was going to post this too).