CALLING ALL AUTO TECHS. Advice needed please.

[twostrokeking]

I'm need some advice guys. I am 18 (almost 19) years old and I am an entry level auto tech. At a local Ford dealership. Automotive mechanics have always been my passion and I love working on vehicles. I have been at Ford for 7 months now and this is my first auto job. I love what I do but the stress really gets to me. I am hourly since I'm starting out so I am expected to stay busy 24/7. I don't have a problem with that but my manager and the owner are constantly yelling at me to be faster. I feel like I'm fast but I'd rather be accurate and not so fast then fast and skip something. It gets so frustrating to be yelled at constantly. Any advice ?? I need to be faster and more efficient. You wouldnt think so but the stress of this job is so crazy.. I need some serious help.

 

[JpRngr]

My first suggestion is to find a different career, so you can keep enjoying doing it as a hobby. After 10-20 years of it, your body will hate you and you won't enjoy it anymore.

If that doesn't work for you, try an independent garage. May be able to find one you can apprentice at. I worked for independents for over 20 years and as long as you make sure they are at the same pace as you and honest(this is very important), you shouldn't be over stressed.


Corey

 

[Catadj78]

Seems like you may be faster at other things than working on cars with a handle like "twostrokeking". May be in the wrong business.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I don't have a problem with that but my manager and the owner are constantly yelling at me to be faster. I feel like I'm fast but I'd rather be accurate and not so fast then fast and skip something. It gets so frustrating to be yelled at constantly.

That is the world of corporate auto work. It won't get any better. As stated above, get into an indy shop, or another career.

Good on you for taking longer to do the work right, and not just half *** it to make good time, like many do.

Focus on what you want to do and find a niche that you enjoy. Whether that be transmissions, electrical, etc. Get good at something others hate or aren't good at that can make you a lot more money.

 

[Hybridss]

I feel for you brother. Not a good place to be. I have no idea if you are actually slow...or the culture at your facility is toxic. Either way I would, in the short term, make every attempt to increase your efficiency. Particularly when you are doing jobs you have done before. There is no reason you cant be fast and accurate as you acquire experience. At 18 you have a tremendous amount to learn. One of the things you need to learn is to have "thick skin". What that means is that in many industries where the money is made off your back.. management will always, always, always apply pressure to workers. It never really stops. Managers applying pressure to workers many times means more money in the pockets of those managers. So why wouldn't they apply pressure?
What you need to determine is whether or not this yelling at you is the typical pressure applied to workers or if he is actually singling you out because you do require improvement. You might try direct communication with him and ask him for a quick review of your performance. A professional manager will take the time to do an impromptu performance review when asked. As a matter of fact he should be doing this regularly for new hires so he effectively communicates expectations.
If you ask him and he wont give you the time of day or its apparent hes just a jerk....continue working and gaining experience while you look for employment elsewhere.

 

[sean Buick 76]

DO not put up with people yelling at you. Stand up for yourself, remind people how young you are and that you are doing your best and learning. I am very thankful I got out of working on cars for a living, I still wrench in my spare time but on MY projects... I find its best for ME at least to keep my hobby and work separate. I encourage you to get some education in a high demand field in your area. I prefer Tech schools over university.

And good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Super Mech]

My advice is to go apply for a mechanic job at a large municipality such as sanitation,parks department, post office,,etc. You will get benefits, sick time, plenty of vacation time, and probably never get your balls smashed in for going too slow. On the other hand if you go too fast they might say something.

 

[Daedalus]

You have poor management. A good manager understands that your failings are his failings and does not rely on pressure, fear, or verbal abuse.

That said, ****** bosses are a part of life. 2nd the "thick skin" comment above--my first thought as well. I remember being your age and working in kitchens and getting yelled at. Don't take it personal. I am in my 40s, and as I look back now, I realize that a lot of my former bosses were not exactly enjoying stellar careers, and there's a reason they were where they were in life. Wish some of them could see me now . If it is indeed personal (i.e., you are 100% certain they are singling you out) then leave. One of you is not a good fit, and the chances are the guy yelling at you will be there longer than you will be. At your age, the odds of you having found the best job you could possibly get is pretty small.

 

[BillK]

ts,
Don't let it get to you. Just like in any other business there are good places to work and there are bad places to work. The industry needs people like you who like to work on cars so please don't give up quickly.

First of all it would be helpful to know where you are located. There might be people close to you that could make better suggestions.

One thing that you absolutely need to do is go to the iATN web site www.iATN.net and sign up, its free and one of the best resources you will ever have as an automotive technician ! Once you sign up, go to the Shop Management Forum and post the same exact thing as you did here. The guys on that site are generally a step above everyone else in the industry and you will get a lot of good advice.

I will be waiting to see your post show up ..... please do it. I am going to harass you until you do

Above all, like I said at first, don't give up. We need good people like you in the industry.

Merry Christmas !!

 

[ThomasP]

Boss yelling at you, pressure to hurry up, welcome to the real world young blood. Lots of good recs above.

 

[srmofo]

First off, get use to it. Its never fast enough.

Second, how long are you taking to do the olf, rot, inspection? If its longer than 20-30 minutes I'd be busting your balls too

 

[bubinga]

First off, get use to it. Its never fast enough.

Second, how long are you taking to do the olf, rot, inspection? If its longer than 20-30 minutes I'd be busting your balls too

He dont want to miss nothing, give him a chance.
Yeah, a guy with more confidence and experience 20-30 minuets, is OK,
But really, proper State Inspection, should really pull all 4 wheels.
Then have to torque them down.
OK, state may say "only need to pull 2"
But then they'll turn around and say your responsible for all 4.

But I am with the ones that say run while you can.
I could have been retired by now as a union electrician, But No, I had to piss around with cars, and work in Garages.
Now I don't have a pot to piss in.
Not to say you can't make a decent living at it, if your good, and get in the right place.
But I wish I had to do it over again.
+1 to the city or state equipment garage. lf you are dead set on wrenching.
But there, you might have to get in to the bigger equipment.
But some guys like it better, I did not.
I liked working on the little stuff.
First place I ever worked that told me to "Slow down"

 

[bubinga]

Lots of good recs above.

Yeah, best one IMO, get into something else.
get into a Union trade, Iron worker, electrician, carpenter, etc.
Good money, good pension. Wish I had gone that route.

 

[MG44]

I would write a Tech up if they did a Oil Change, Rotation, and a Proper safety inspection in 20 minutes. We charge .75 hours to do this service. It should take somewhere near .75 hours. If it takes 20 minutes, he is costing me money because are missing something probably on the inspection part.

I have hired plenty of fast technicians. They work on Boomerang Cars. We call them boomerangs because we send the customer out the door and they come right back with a problem, like a boomerang.

 

[bczygan]

Call a meeting with the manager and owner.

Explain the them both that you intend to make this a career and know you are new and inexperienced.

Ask them to mentor you by helping you find specific ways and means to improve efficiency and productivity.

Tell them that you appreciate their knowledge and experience and want to learn from it, rather than having to reinvent the wheel for yourself.

Explain that you first want to do work correctly, and with time the speed will come.

If they resist that proposal and just want to manage by yelling and bullying, then they are inept managers and you should find a workplace with better ones.

There are plenty of employers who would love to have a caring employee to mentor and bring along.

 

[Tim-Bob]

You are at a dealership. The pressure will be unrelenting. You either get used to it or you will burn out. It is all about money, and dealerships want you to make them as much as possible. The owner/manager screaming for more is par for the course. It can be a good learning environment, if you can handle the pressure. It is extremely unlikely that you will be able to negotiate any less stress because.... MONEY!!! They do not care about you if it gets in the way of ... MONEY!!!

I'm sorry to lay it on so thick, but it is completely true. I worked in dealerships for 20 years, and it always came down to the same things I've told you. I made very good money at it, and I am a good mechanic, I handled the pressure, got screamed at to go faster when I was starting out, saw others go through the same ****. A pile of dung is a pile of dung. You can't change it, only accept it and deal with it the best you can.

 

[LEVE]

Please define "Getting yelled at"...

 

[Thezapper]

been a tech for almost 20 years, it doesn't get better, **** pay, always having to buy new tools, pension is un existent, benefits if they do have them ****, your so young, try anything but auto mechanics, I wish I had listned when I was younger! very few make good money, and the ones that do really have to work hard for it. just my two cents....gotta get back to work,

 

[Showkey]

Many better run dealerships have adopted some sort of team system. Usually 3-5 tech per team with varing levels of training and skills. A team leader dispatches, supervises, teaches and trains and works on the tough or high level jobs. While the team turns out the volume money making jobs. The teams shares the dollars and divides by each persons skill level. This avoids an oil change level tech trying to fix a complex OBD emissions problem. There is nothing more stupid than having the highest paid, highest skilled tech changing oil and rotating tires. For this to work the team really has to be a team.

Win win for all involved. Avoids the gravey work being funneled to the choosen few ( problem with flat rate pay ) Works best if each team has its own service writer.
Without some system like this the new guy, low skill level, learning the job tech will get the shaft every time. OP look for a better work environment.

Service managers are famous for using the entry level tech at $15-18 per hour to complete complex warranty work then charging the factory $130 per hour and asking for additional straight time because it took too long.

 

[bubinga]

been a tech for almost 20 years, it doesn't get better, shit pay, always having to buy new tools, pension is un existent, benefits if they do have them ****,(Or cant afford to buy then) your so young, try anything but auto mechanics,****** I wish I had listned when I was younger!******very few make good money, and the ones that do really have to work hard for it. just my two cents....gotta get back to work,

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This

 

[PelicanPines]

Stay in school and learn a different trade... get a different job... you will still have stress. You will still have bosses yelling at you. No matter what you do... if you are doing it for someone, there will be stress.

That said... Do what you LOVE DOING, it won't be as bad as doing because you have to.

 

[38Chevy454]

Call a meeting with the manager and owner.

Explain the them both that you intend to make this a career and know you are new and inexperienced.

Ask them to mentor you by helping you find specific ways and means to improve efficiency and productivity.

Tell them that you appreciate their knowledge and experience and want to learn from it, rather than having to reinvent the wheel for yourself.

Explain that you first want to do work correctly, and with time the speed will come.

If they resist that proposal and just want to manage by yelling and bullying, then they are inept managers and you should find a workplace with better ones.

There are plenty of employers who would love to have a caring employee to mentor and bring along.

I am not a mechanic, but this above is right. If mgmt does not respond, they are foolish and will lose a good employee when you leave for a better place to work.

 

[Diesel Dan]

You have poor management. A good manager understands that your failings are his failings and does not rely on pressure, fear, or verbal abuse.

This, they should understand that a new person is not going to be very time efficient. Management should be wanting you to get it right first and then address speed.

That said there is plenty of managers in the world that believe in negative reinforcement.

As you found out working on cars at home is different than working on cars in a professional shop. I was in the same place you are 25 years ago.

What the industry needs more than good mechanics is good management but they don't see it that way. There is a reason so many of us techs left the field. I still like working on cars but only do it for a friends and family.

Unfortunately you will most likely need a thick skin and learn how to let the negative criticism slide like water off a duck. Good luck!

 

[domain]

I'm in appliance repair. I started 4 years ago from scratch o had a little schooling. I took so long diagnosing and repairing appliances I later found out the owner thought I had to be stopping at friends homes in between stops! When i would test the units i repaired (which noone did) i would study the parts that were not broken so if iever found that part broken i would have looked at a component that tested good already took my time and fast forward to now, I'm the best at what I do and manage the service department. I ended up taking on another appliance repair job for better pay. They would gather parts in buckets for the screened service calls. Each tech would come back with an empty bucket, besides me. I would take my time to find out which part was faulty, replace the minimum and test. This saved parts. Long story short buddy, I'd recommend an independent shop, as a corporation would not have put up with me taking my time

 

[crewchief888]

ive had a couple of poor managers in the past.
screaming, or yelling at me doesnt get too far with me,

chew my *** for something i f*cked up,
i'll shut my mouth, and take it, if i deserve it.

but "talking down" to me, redicule, or berate me, and i'll give it right back 10 fold....


i've outlasted all the bad bosses i've run across....

 

[srmofo]

I would write a Tech up if they did a Oil Change, Rotation, and a Proper safety inspection in 20 minutes. We charge .75 hours to do this service. It should take somewhere near .75 hours. If it takes 20 minutes, he is costing me money because are missing something probably on the inspection part.

I have hired plenty of fast technicians. They work on Boomerang Cars. We call them boomerangs because we send the customer out the door and they come right back with a problem, like a boomerang.

Nope. Its called time management. Do under hood inspection, raise vehicle to chest height, shake suspension, raise to top, start draining , finish under car inspection, drop the report with the guys up front while you finish things up. Let's be honest, an oil change in most cases is 1 bolt and a rotate takes about 7 minutes. That leaves plenty of time to do a maintenance inspection assuming its not a ******* air filter. Now I will agree not all techs are equal and maybe 30 minutes is too fast for a rookie, then again if he's at a dealer working the same 5 vehicles day in day out its plenty of time.

There's a difference between working efficiently and rushing to halfass a job. My comebacks were few and far between and rarely were they because of something under my control.

 

[Banjorear]

My advice is to go apply for a mechanic job at a large municipality such as sanitation,parks department, post office,,etc. You will get benefits, sick time, plenty of vacation time, and probably never get your balls smashed in for going too slow. On the other hand if you go too fast they might say something.

This. One of the best gigs going if you are wrenching. May not make big bucks, but the bennies make up for it. Plus, most foremen are cool with using the shop on your own stuff after hours.

I don't wrench for a living, but my buddy does. He left a county gig to work in a shop. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't regret it.

 

[Ruger_556]

That said... Do what you LOVE DOING, it won't be as bad as doing because you have to.

I have to disagree with this... Do what you are good at, just because you like doing something doesn't necessarily mean you have any business doing it. Ideally you should like your job and you should try to find one you do but lets face it, your dreams of being a famous rock star just aren't going to happen...

That is all, carry on folks

 

[packofqtips]

best thing to ever happen to me was getting hired at the local transit authority. great pay, great benefits. union job so mandatory breaks, no more working through lunch to make hours.
only 2-3 different models of buses so limited needs as far as tools.
try that route, not sure how it work out there but here you need to pass a mechanics test to even be considered for the job. plus back round checks, driving record has to be clean and drug free

 

[dynahoe]

if they care about you and your future they will send you to training.if not get to a different dealer that will train you.as for speeding up.get a cart and put your most used tools in it in the morning,clean and put them away at night.move your cart to where you work, routine makes speed,you need to go slow to develop a routine,less time wasted walking back and forth,do the most you can from where you stand then move.do all the work you can with the car down then lift it and do the under car work.less times up and down equals speed.it takes time to learn these steps but it will save you time and later money.when they put you on flat ****,and they will you will see what i mean.learn to remove less parts to get the job done,this does'nt mean bend and break stuff to cheat just do the job the right way the first time and then each time after see where you can make shortcuts that don't involve jeopardising the job.use grease on every thing that has threads,except wheel studs,run a tap in holes for exhaust parts before trying to force a bolt back in,i can go on all night good luck and just learn to roll with it.

 

[wyo george]

Please define "Getting yelled at"...

This! Some people's definition is quite different than others. I tend to be very direct (blunt) yet sociable and it is extremely rare that I actually get loud. Still, I have pulled an employee to the side, told him in a casual voice that he screwed up and next time I'd like to see it done differently, thanked him for being a good worker and went on my way. Five minutes later I overhear him telling someone else about the "*** chewing" he got earlier from me.

Get thick skin and realize that work is work and there's nothing personal about it. They want to make money so they will push you and this will never change no matter how long you work there or how fast you get. On the other hand, you are there to make money, not friends so don't get your feelings hurt or get all stressed out over being pushed. If you can't handle it then move on, life is too short to dread going to work every day.

 

[rednotch]

I started out hourly at a dealer to learn on the job after working in a sears auto and on my own personal cars. I knew my way around cars but never had real training before that. While I was hourly I would still flag my RO's to show time. Being hourly you got a lot of ******** work along with the 5-10k services and really didn't learn much except that warranty work, noise complaints and water leaks sucked ***. I was never yelled out or anything but all ways being pushed to go flat rate. I had, at the time a great shop foreman who taught me a lot, about the only reason I stuck around for as long as I did at that place. I had no problem going flat rate provided I would get work where I could make hours. Most of the stuff I got when I was hourly I would be lucky to show 35-40 flag hours even pushing upsell on customer pay work when it was needed.

When I went flat rate they pretty much said I was worthless to them with what they offered me in pay, My foreman left and there wasn't really anything for me to gain by staying. I bailed two weeks later hitting about 50 flag hours a week for those two weeks getting some gravy work. I learned I could work with the flat rate system just not for what they where paying me. At the time shops where slow, but the insult was what they offered me, not even 10% of what they charged for labor so they will stick it to you anyway they can. Being in NJ, nothings cheap, except dealer owners.

I would find a new shop that's worth working for like I did before I left the field or since your still young find a better profession to get into because it never gets better in this one if your working for a dealer. That's one thing I did learn from the older guys in the shops when I started out. They all ways talked about how good it used to be. Most of them left before I did. There are a lot of shops that will treat you poorly and a few that will treat you right and pay you what your worth. This is why tool boxes have wheels on them. It takes most techs awhile to find a good shop to work for.

 

[rednotch]

Nope. Its called time management. Do under hood inspection, raise vehicle to chest height, shake suspension, raise to top, start draining , finish under car inspection, drop the report with the guys up front while you finish things up. Let's be honest, an oil change in most cases is 1 bolt and a rotate takes about 7 minutes. That leaves plenty of time to do a maintenance inspection assuming its not a ******* air filter. Now I will agree not all techs are equal and maybe 30 minutes is too fast for a rookie, then again if he's at a dealer working the same 5 vehicles day in day out its plenty of time.

There's a difference between working efficiently and rushing to halfass a job. My comebacks were few and far between and rarely were they because of something under my control.

You left a few things out, find the car in the lot, 2 mile road test, splash shields on every thing these days. Do the work that pays .5 in 20 mins along with the free inspection because you wasted about 10 road testing it and finding it in the lot, write the upsell for what it needs. move it out of the bay, drop off the RO with the writer and start on the next one and repeat... don't forget to road test it when the customer turns down the upsell. No one is making money on free inspections and 5k services unless they buy upsell. That's why they ***** at the hourly kids, They want upsell but they also want them do bang them out faster then the book rate. You see a lot of the quick lane LOF stuff now because of it.

 

[600SL]

Unfortunately it is dealerships attitudes like this that give the auto repair industry a bad name. My suggestion would be to try a Mercedes Benz Dealer. That kind of **** is generally not tolerated by MB.

 

[redsand187]

I worked in a Honda Dealership, got to the platinum level, hall of fame status... walked away, best decision in my life.

I was 21-25yo. There were two older guys that still work there. One started the year Honda Auto was launched in the USA, the other started the same year I was born. They both told me, and the other younger guys to run, run far away, and run fast. Up until the late 90's they made good money. Services were plenty, hours were easy, cars were lined up. But neither of them, despite getting standard raises, have not made more money per year than they did in the late 90's. So say, in 99, they made $60-70,000, that was damn good money, but come 2014, they are still making $60-70,000, yet they are getting paid more per hour.

Contrary to what those UTI commercials tell people, cars are getting easier to work on. Electronics and computers make everything super simple. Very little in a car these day requires more to diagnose than a, "does it work, yes or no?" It either has power and ground, and works, or it doesn't. If it has it, then **** is broke, if it doesn't have power or ground, then whatever sends that is broke. It's not rocket science.

It's funny how these old guys are like, "jeez, I don't think I could ever understand all these crazy electronics, I'll just stick with my distributor and carburetor." And I think to myself, I have no clue how the **** anyone really can really understand those things work. There are guys out there that can make a carbureted engine run as good or better than the average fuel injected car, but those guys are one in a million, the other 999,999 would be better off with a stock efi setup.

Another interesting thing that you see is a lot of the real technical stuff is getting pulled out of the field. Auto ****** shot? Chances are the manufacture would rather just send you a replacement and you send back the bad one for them to rebuild themselves, than rebuild it in the shop. Honda did this a lot, the official diag was pretty much: ****** throwing a code? Yes. More than 20,000 miles on it? Yes. Swap for new transmission.

Technicians are needing to be less and less skilled, and just able to swap parts... parts that are likely already being installed by machines in the factory... how much of a career future do you really think there is in the field when you think about it?

My brother is an electrician, of all of the people I know who are in the trades, it seems like the electricians are the ones that are doing the best. If I was going to go back into the trades, that's where I'd be headed.

 

[GTA Matt]

Contrary to what those UTI commercials tell people, cars are getting easier to work on. Electronics and computers make everything super simple. Very little in a car these day requires more to diagnose than a, "does it work, yes or no?" It either has power and ground, and works, or it doesn't. If it has it, then **** is broke, if it doesn't have power or ground, then whatever sends that is broke. It's not rocket science.

It's funny how these old guys are like, "jeez, I don't think I could ever understand all these crazy electronics, I'll just stick with my distributor and carburetor." And I think to myself, I have no clue how the **** anyone really can really understand those things work. There are guys out there that can make a carbureted engine run as good or better than the average fuel injected car, but those guys are one in a million, the other 999,999 would be better off with a stock efi setup.

Another interesting thing that you see is a lot of the real technical stuff is getting pulled out of the field. Auto ****** shot? Chances are the manufacture would rather just send you a replacement and you send back the bad one for them to rebuild themselves, than rebuild it in the shop. Honda did this a lot, the official diag was pretty much: ****** throwing a code? Yes. More than 20,000 miles on it? Yes. Swap for new transmission.

Technicians are needing to be less and less skilled, and just able to swap parts... parts that are likely already being installed by machines in the factory... how much of a career future do you really think there is in the field when you think about it?

You couldn't be more wrong. Cars most certainly are not getting easier to work on. There is a reason why techs who are good at diag and driveability concerns are in incredibly high demand and a very tough seat to find and fill in most places. The reason: not many have the skill it takes. What happens when that transmission is out of warranty? Thats right, someone can actually find the problem and repair it Car has 40 modules, one of them took down the data bus. Might get expensive swapping out parts Cars are now using fiber optics for data communication. I don't think your average parts monkey that can't take the time to learn how a distributor works will take the time to figure out how a MOST bus works. Is there still a need for unskilled labor, sure, but the wages are low and there is a stack of applicants that can replace you. There's money in having a niche skill. Excelling in the future of automotive is being able to find and fix complex problems (electrical, driveability, etc.) while still maintaining the ability to repair the mechanical machine that still lies underneath all the wiring (did I mention that thing isn't getting any easier to work on either?).

 

[newbinga]

I would assume at 18 you don't have a lot of experience. Twenty years ago I was applying for vocational school to be an auto tech. Basically you had to get a job at a participating dealership first. Then it was a cycle of a few weeks of school, a few weeks of work.

Maybe you can look into that?

Luckily I was never hired and wound up in a different field.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[Super Mech]

I worked in a Honda Dealership, got to the platinum level, hall of fame status... walked away, best decision in my life.

I was 21-25yo. There were two older guys that still work there. One started the year Honda Auto was launched in the USA, the other started the same year I was born. They both told me, and the other younger guys to run, run far away, and run fast. Up until the late 90's they made good money. Services were plenty, hours were easy, cars were lined up. But neither of them, despite getting standard raises, have not made more money per year than they did in the late 90's. So say, in 99, they made $60-70,000, that was damn good money, but come 2014, they are still making $60-70,000, yet they are getting paid more per hour.

Contrary to what those UTI commercials tell people, cars are getting easier to work on. Electronics and computers make everything super simple. Very little in a car these day requires more to diagnose than a, "does it work, yes or no?" It either has power and ground, and works, or it doesn't. If it has it, then **** is broke, if it doesn't have power or ground, then whatever sends that is broke. It's not rocket science.

It's funny how these old guys are like, "jeez, I don't think I could ever understand all these crazy electronics, I'll just stick with my distributor and carburetor." And I think to myself, I have no clue how the **** anyone really can really understand those things work. There are guys out there that can make a carbureted engine run as good or better than the average fuel injected car, but those guys are one in a million, the other 999,999 would be better off with a stock efi setup.

Another interesting thing that you see is a lot of the real technical stuff is getting pulled out of the field. Auto ****** shot? Chances are the manufacture would rather just send you a replacement and you send back the bad one for them to rebuild themselves, than rebuild it in the shop. Honda did this a lot, the official diag was pretty much: ****** throwing a code? Yes. More than 20,000 miles on it? Yes. Swap for new transmission.

Technicians are needing to be less and less skilled, and just able to swap parts... parts that are likely already being installed by machines in the factory... how much of a career future do you really think there is in the field when you think about it?

My brother is an electrician, of all of the people I know who are in the trades, it seems like the electricians are the ones that are doing the best. If I was going to go back into the trades, that's where I'd be headed.

Dude, you better put down that pipe.

 

[CJM8515]

My friend has worked at a honda dealer for over 10 years, he started as a lube tech and moved his way up. He is a master now and does all sorts of fun work no one else wants to do. BUT he works about 60-70hrs a week, his body is not happy and he has all sorts of back, knee and neck problems. Dr. Said that although he is 35-he has the body of someone 10-15 years older. He doesnt really make his money doing shop work, he makes it being able to do side work at his dealer.

 

[afbrian13]

Its not just auto or trades thaat get pressured. Ive been active duty going on 12 years. I'm an aircraft electrician. The bottom line is generate sorties (ie get planes off the ground) You get preached to everyday about safety, tech data, etc, and at the same time your never fast enough. When your new you catch hell for everything, but it gets better. Once you prove yourself you can tell a boss its going to take Xhrs and the know your not sandbagging. Once you build more confidence (and I know you think you are already, but you'll see) it wont bother you. Everyone at every level has a boss pressure them to go faster, to get their guys to go faster.
There are times when you have to go fast. That is when the guys with more experience should step in, handle it, then teach you after. There isnt always time for teaching.
My biggest thing has always been learn from the bosses good and bad. I now have 15 peaple working for me and just try to remember the good and not so good traits of prior supervision.
I wrench on cars and bikes for a hobby, and there are times I've hated not feeling like doing what I enjoy because I just spent all day at work. That comes and goes. As far as beating youself up, as much as I like fixing things, its hard on you.
The biggest thing anybody says about "the new guys" is they've been coddled to much, cant take being pressured, etc. That said....there's a huge difference between constructive criticism and a healthy amount of pressure vs getting yelled at because the boss is an ***.

Brian