Career change to diesel tech!!!

[SHolt]

Hello everyone I'm new to the forum and have lots to learn from all the wise folks here.
Wanted to get your opinions. I've been a red seal carpenter in Canada now for 8 years and in the trade for 11 and I find my self being very unhappy with my career choice now. The last year and a half I've been mulling around with the decision to switch careers in to being a HD deisel tech. I love working on vehicles and I find my self totally fascinated with Diesel engines especially the big stuff. I don't have tons of experience but I am fairly mechanically inclined and I do perform small repairs on my own diesel truck.
What do you guys you think about being a diesel tech is it a rewarding career?
Thanks in advance guys. Cheers

 

[e30bradley]

With little experience you will start at $10 an hour and if you already own a house, a car, a cell phone, etc. You probably won't have enough money to esteblish the massive collection of quality tools you will need. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Too much work, too little pay.

 

[SHolt]

I do own a house and all that but my wife works as a photographer and makes decent money and up here in Canada I've done my research and starting wages with cat, peterbuilt, kenworth, or one of the big companies they will pay for me to go to school and start me around $20/hr. Granted that's a lot less than I make now by about $12. But I believe I can do it.

 

[theoldwizard1]

There WAS big demand for diesel techs in The Tar Sands/Oil Patch ...

Still demand for both on-road and off-road diesel techs, but I'll bet off-road guys have to handle all of the hydraulics also. Also, off-road likely means working outside.

I am not sure how close you are to Vancouver, but there should be a lot of diesel work in the boat yards.

 

[SHolt]

I'm only an hour away from Vancouver so not bad at all. There seems to be a lot of demand out here still. Trucks are still the life blood of North America. I don't mind getting dirty or working out side I've done it 11 years now . A journey person HD diesel mechanic can make good money up here too.
I want to know how guys in the field like there trade and if they find it rewarding?

 

[dmw16]

I've got no experience in the field, so take my comment with that in mind...

But I'd do a lot of research on the market demand before making a big switch. With the fall off in tar sands and other oil sourcing in Canada (and the near collapse in that market with the drop in oil prices) there could be a flood of experienced guys onto the market if the slump results in lay-offs.

I don't say it to be negative, but it's something to be mindful of.

 

[SHolt]

That's true there have been a lot more Alberta plates down here in BC because of the tar sands. The guys are coming back home to work again.

 

[ScottsGT]

I hit a burn out about the same time in my first career. But there is no way I would move to a job that is mostly outside in any weather condition with the pressure to get something up and running again that is costing the owner for it to sit broke down. And as mentioned. A HUGE investment into tools. Every diesel mechanic I met worked their butts off and were always covered in grime. One guy I knew came to work looking like he was getting off for the day.
Maybe you could tie your present career into a change? Site supervisor or maybe an instructor at a school?

 

[Kpaige]

My son was excepted to a great diesel tech school he decided not to do it after talking to several techs we know and some local shops. The best jobs are in the mining industry and then oil fields. Hard hours and lots of time away from family. All of them said they make great money but their body is suffering and some are only 10 yrs into it. Keep in mind this is heavy diesel I am speaking about.
My advice career wise coming from someone who put in 22 miserable yrs in construction the money does not take place of your happyiness I got injured so forced to make a change. Half the pay but double the happiness. Now that being said my passion is motorcycle and building them I would not do it for a living as it would no longer be my passion.

 

[homebuilt burner]

I have been a diesel tech for close to 30 years. The parts are heavy, there is a reason it is called heavy equipment. The trucks and all engines are getting more complex every year. the hours are bad until you get a few years under your belt. (I worked evening shift for a long time after I did not want to.) The pay is ok, not great, I make it the mid 20s with decent benefits, but the benefits seem to be worse every year.( I don't think this is just this occupation.) I work for a very large national fleet. I have all the ASE certifications and am a Master Truck Tech, with certificates for school bus, auto, air conditioning, and auto body. The pressure on the tech increases every year as does the amount of training.

Now that said, in a recent trade magazine they were predicting a mechanic shortage of 100,000 in the next 5-10 years due to increased truck numbers, retirements, and young people not entering the field. I feel the wages are low compared to the building trades for a similar skill set and would like to think wages would be increasing to fill the empty positions, but that hasn't seemed to happen in the past 15-20 years.
There are a lot of good 2 years tech schools will good programs. Also, keep in mind at some point you will have to buy tools ( you could get by with $5k to $10k but I would plan on spending $3k to $4k per year for 10 years).

Good Luck. If you have other questions feel free to pm me.

 

[Rlfd213]

I'm in the U.S. So maybe it's different here. If you go to trade school for diesel take auto and diesel classes. Then go get a job at a city or government job working on cop cars, fire trucks and dump trucks. It's salaried with good benefits and a pension.

 

[sberry]

Continually dirty, yuk. Engine work gets old fast. I got one now I have been doing everything humanly possible to avoid.

 

[SHolt]

Up here in Canada a journeyman red seal tech makes around $35/hr or $85000/yr with benefits. I'm very keen on learning the trade I can't stand construction anymore I make good money but that means nothing when you hate your job. I dread going to work and have no drive anymore.

 

[sberry]

You will find truck work the same.

 

[T_R]

Construction is easier work than heavy diesel. Unless you are a big strong guy and don't mind being greased from head to toe 24/7 you won't cut it in heavy diesel work. It's a hard, hard living. I work as an auto tech and don't even like doing light duty up to F550 size diesel. It's crappy dirty, hard work. I wold do construction any day instead of it.

 

[nahuebsch82]

I worked for a few years as a Tech, biggest thing people don't think about is how much tool investment is and you have to subtract that from your take home. Say you decide to do it and after 5 years decide it's not for you, now you have a lot invested in expensive and a lot of very specific tools. I, personally, wouldn't go into it after working another trade for so long. You will have expectations as an 11yr tradesmen but you will be starting from the bottom.

ALSO, if you did decide to I'd suggest working for a company that has their own fleet. A lot more predictable repairs, less "surprises" around sleeper cabs and the company will most likely have a lot of their manufacture specific tooling.

 

[2rr2nv]

well, Mechs are making up to $34/hr out here at the coal mine. work 12hr rotating shifts and you get 7 days off every month plus days off mixed in. If I had the skills and certs, I'd like to do it cause it's hella pay more than what I get now and I do some of the **** they already do. grrrr. Plus I'm out in the weather and they are usually not (unless you get pit mechanic)

tool investment is HUGE!!! I have some tools but not NEAR enough and can't afford to spend that much for a job I might only stay at for a few years. as it is, I bought a tool chest today so I have someplace to lock up what little I have. can't trust folks. for some reason, tools grow legs at an alarming rate.

 

[SHolt]

Yeah I have a bunch of good tools already a bunch are proto. And I'm still acquiring about $1500 worth every year. I'm still going to try it. The job I have now I'm constantly dirty from head to toe working in the mud and freezing rain!

 

[nutsnbolts]

What do you do now Holt?

 

[SHolt]

Currently I am a journeyman carpenter.

 

[3axap]

I can't really offer much on the topic of diesel mechanic as a career choice, but here's a thought. Look around for industrial electrical and instrument technician openings. If I was looking for a tradesman type job, this one would be it. Any industrial facility needs them and many places will pay for training and facilitate an apprenticeship for new techs. Its easier on the body and the job risks are lower since you don't deal with high voltages. Just a thought as it is a frequently overlooked job path and there's always demand for I&E techs at plants.

 

[Jazz1]

Currently I am a journeyman carpenter.

My son is journeyman boiler maker. Made great money working all over Canada. After 8 years he is in college taking heavy equipment mechanic course. He likes it but is not interested at all working on trucks..He works 2 days a week on snow cats and the company will only be able to hire him full time if a apprenticeship is offered. His choice of career change is to live in his house,,,not in motels anymore.
Boy is getting $20 part time...a far cry from the $45 he was earning but there's more to life than making a living and he's got house , toys no debt

 

[roscoe2000]

It is difficult choice to make, and I can understand your reasonly. Been there. Ultimately it is your choice. Personally I would say at best...tought it out in your current field and pursue diesel as a hobby. Since you have a decent paying job, wife and home. That stability that they provide can over ride your job dissatisfaction and at a minimum make it tolerable.

 

[wrench409]

Keep in mind, wrenching on diesels and CNG/LNG isn't all there is to it. Newbies usually get stuck in the grease pit. You can learn a lot about what jobs are hard to do on a vehicle when things don't get maintained.

Also, in today's vehicles, electronics abound. I have guys on shift that read the codes and replace the part at the end of the TS steps without doing all those TS steps. That gets very expensive and bosses and customers notice it real fast. Especially when it was NOT a bad part but a chafed wire in the circuit.

Good luck though!

 

[SHolt]

Thanks for the input guys I'll be giving all of this a thought. Even if I don't pursue this field and career change I would still one day like to take a Diesel engine/electrical course so I can have the knowledge to do the work my self correctly.

 

[nutsnbolts]

Gotcha. That would be quite a drastic change, but if that is where your heart is, go for it. I used to make 50% more than I do now as a drywall finisher...and there isn't one day that goes by that I miss it