New to Technician industry

[aaron1987]

Hi guys been coming here a long time. Love all the help and experience you guys have to offer. So, to the point. I just got a job at Firestone. I'm set for the moment as far as hand tools go. One of the questions I have is about laptops. At my Firestone they use Mitchell on demand. If I have a laptop does this mean I would be able to access the software to my computer at my bay? I'm not worried at the moment being I'm a C Tech so I'll mainly be changing tires and oil changes. I don't mind putting in the time. But I am hoping to move past being a C Tech rather quickly. Plus any and all advice you would be willing to share about being a professional in the industry would be greatly appreciated. I'm excited to begin and hope I can make a real good go of it.

 

[Badattitude]

As long as they give you the login ID and PW for Mitchell, and you have web access. Do they have WIFI? If not you need access to their network.

As for advice about being a pro in the industry...RUN!! AND DON"T LOOK BACK!!!
kidding but be forewarned...it's not an easy trade anymore

 

[Eastsidetech]

Hi guys been coming here a long time. Love all the help and experience you guys have to offer. So, to the point. I just got a job at Firestone. I'm set for the moment as far as hand tools go. One of the questions I have is about laptops. At my Firestone they use Mitchell on demand. If I have a laptop does this mean I would be able to access the software to my computer at my bay? I'm not worried at the moment being I'm a C Tech so I'll mainly be changing tires and oil changes. I don't mind putting in the time. But I am hoping to move past being a C Tech rather quickly. Plus any and all advice you would be willing to share about being a professional in the industry would be greatly appreciated. I'm excited to begin and hope I can make a real good go of it.

If they have wifi and give you the password to Mitchell then yes you can access it at your bay/ in the car you're working on. Very convenient although for trouble trees and wiring diagrams etc I like to print it off to write on it. Example is scratching off the area of a wiring diagram that is irrelevant to the issue or writing voltage or resistance values on a trouble tree to show how I came to a diagnosis. Your pen is your greatest tool on flat rate(just make sure you buy the pens that come with a conscience and honesty). Your reputation will follow you from one employer to the next so don't shotgun repairs or write up unneeded services.

 

[aaron1987]

I'll find out from them about the WiFi and such. I'm just nervous I guess. Plus I'm not great at driving a manual transmission so I can only imagine that's all I'll get my first day lol

 

[shoggoth80]

"So, to the point. I just got a job at Firestone."
-I'm so sorry. Lol.
Firestone was my first spot in the automotive industry (as an actual paid technician). I wasn't overly happy with the experience. Got my foot in the door, and for that I gotta give 'em credit. Your mileage may vary. I've seen some guys who were very satisfied with their spots.

 

[Fedwrench]

I'll find out from them about the WiFi and such. I'm just nervous I guess. Plus I'm not great at driving a manual transmission so I can only imagine that's all I'll get my first day lol

New on the job means you'll be busy stepping and fetching. You won't (shouldn't) need to look stuff up as your tasks aren't that complicated.

Every one starts somewhere so, Firestone isn't a bad place to gain experience for a better job.

Develop your work ethic (early is on time, don't look like you just crawled out from under a rock, stash the cell phone unless at lunch, learn quickly by watching what the other techs do, etc)

Lastly, it takes time to master navigating Mitchell quickly. Good luck!!

 

[ngk22r]

As someone else pointed out: RUN AND DONT LOOK BACK!!!

This indusrty is a joke and the earnings are going down.