Hey guys, just wanted to know if any of you could give me a little insight..... I'm lookin for a better job in the automotive industry and I honestly can't think of many things I could do that would be more profitable then where im at right now without sitting in the same building for 10 years. To give you a background .... I have my associates degree in Automotive Technology , I have the MLR Ford Certification, and various other worthless pieces of paper..... I have now worked in a major dealership for a year at the parts service counter... ( I was offered more money to work in parts then be a tech ) .... and I'm absolutely bored and underpaid (not underpaid for where im at ) .. IMO = ) ... B4 going to college I worked full time from 16-21 managing in a childrens entertainment company travelling up and down the eastcoast handling corporate events (kicked outta school at 16 worked there at 12) ..... so I have those skills as well.... among other computer skills and what not .... so basically... Im just lookin for something that pays more... any ideas ?

Please don't mind my rambling.... im at work and am working a 8-8day with no lunchbreak ... Feel my pain = )

 

Sorry cant help u there im currently at work as well.....Yet im paid well for what i do im just Board as Hell and in the market for a new job. I dont feel my particular skills and abilities are appriciated and utilized at this job(spelling is not one ;P haha ). And to top it off there are a few other employees here that are Back Stabbing A** Holes wich makes for an unplesent working atmospheer that is NOT needed in Law Enforcement :-/.

Figured ide rant some too

Im thinking Homeland Security may be my next step........ dunno yet.

 

Haha.... atleast you can relate = )

 

I've been a Service Manager in a medium sized car dealership and now Equipment Repair Manager in State government for the last 25 years. Technicians in this area can easily make $50,000 a year coasting, and 35-40 in a government job. Hell I had 2 Technicians earning $100,000 a year at my dealership 16 years ago and they weren't ripping anyone off, they were damn good and they worked hard, even putting in extra hours but at 25-30 per flat rate hour the money piles up quickly.. The field pays well and it helps if you have ASE certifications on top of that college degree. None of those pieces of paper are worthless, we're looking for people with those pieces of paper everyday.

 

My problem is that I don't want to turn wrenches ...or settle for 50k a year.... I want to go into one of those odd jobs in the industry that people don't normally know about.... problem is I'm one of those people.. lol.... for example... I know a guy who is a Port Inspector for Subaru ... he makes 125k-150k a year....how do you get a job like this ?... what are other alternatives to working in a dealership ?

 

Here's where I chime in about how the world is not fair. I got some examples for ya. Be a valet car parker at a major Las Vegas casino and make over 50K(I knew one). If you look good as a female and shave enough to where a french cut boustier (sp) you can serve drinks at the Rio Hotel in 'Vegas and make enough to drive the latest Bimmer, Vette or whatever you want. You don't even have to know how to mix a drink. Or you can develope a catch phrase like "LLLLLet's get ready to rumbllllllle" like Michael Buffer and MC fights in 'Vegas and make stoooopid money. Or, you could drive a limo like my brother used to in 'Vegas and make 5000 friday night and 2500 saturday night on a fight weekend and have free drinks at all the girlie bars and free meals at all the top steak houses any night of the week 365 a year, all because you bring the customers. The only drawback to that job was having to carry a piece. With a permit of course. I could go on and on.
Believe me, it's not cause I don't feel your pain because brother, I do. I have turned wrenches for most of my career and have come very near to touching the Holy Grail for a mechanic only once and for a very short time. That was when I was a UNION mechanic at a major airline. Ahhhh yess those were the days. WERE. Fast fwd to today. I make about 3/4 of what I did 8 years ago. All because I want to live where I want to live. I don't want to live in hell just because it pays well. I have a family to raise and I choose to do that in a more wholesome environment, but for me, being in a career field of limited locations (aviation), I now suffer the consequences. I am on my 4th job now in 5 years ever since moving back to Michigan. I finally got into one that pays. It's not aviation, (my forte) but it's turning wrenches so I've assymilated myself. (it's large electric motors) But because of the economy, I now find myself on the layoff bubble once again having narrowly survived one round last week and three rounds at my last employer which was a Freightliner truck dealership. I know and believe there are some techs that make really good money, but it all depends on where and what they work on. For example, I knew a kid who was the transmission guru at a Chrysler/Plymouth dealership in 'Vegas. It was a large dealer and he had his own corner of the shop with his own designated lift. No one there fought him for work. He could do a flat rate trans r&r w/overhaul in 8 hrs on a Chrysler fwd anything. Book pays 12. He had been to all the schools and was all up on the latest electronic autos. With the infamous Chrysler buzz-tick tranny's failing by the droves out in the desert heat, he had a steady line of cars to work on, believe me. Of course the work sucked and he was in his own private hell every day, but he made bank. Now flip to Michigan. Deisel trucks. Pick either International Harvester or Freightliner. I have worked at both. It's pretty much hell as descibed in the bible but there aint one mechanic outta the 30 or so that I knew that was making 50 K. The shift leads might be close, but theyv'e been in the career field since I was a child and I'm 41. At that age in the deisel business, you either manage or you get out. You cannot physically do the job any more. Most of them were in the 25 to 35K a year range. Really. Sad yes. When I left America West Airlines in 'Vegas, I made over 50K with little to no overtime. I only had 4 years in the company. I knew a senior tech who worked a lot of o/t and was going to make over 70k easy. Keep in mind too that I had never made less than about 48k every year I was there and we were at that time, the #10 sized airline of the top 10. We were also about the lowest paid of the top 10. I would be ecstatic to make that kind of money again. Actually, I was on line to be close to making that with this new job I have as a lead on the night shift until the market bottom fell out. We have come to a screeching halt. I don't now what's going on. At least I have managed to stay employed but my wife who works contract maintenance via the laborers union to Pfizer here has been layed off all summer. I'm not sure if it's Michigan or the economy in general, but this year has not been real good for us. My wife is now trying to get a home based business going and I find myself once again fine tuning the ol resume and scanning the papers and internet for jobs. Oh what fun. I'm getting too old for this crap! What adds insult to injury is I have probably 3 or 4 good paying aviation jobs I could walk into right now with my experience if I didn't mind moving out of state again. Damn! I'm just about ready to cave and tell the wife to pack it up we're movin!
Of course, I am not layed off..........yet.[:@]

 

Sorry about the long post, but employment has been a sore spot for me as well. I wish I had real good suggestions for you but I don't. What I can tell you is it's good to do what you like. I liked working on aircraft. I also liked working on motorcycles which I did for a couple of years. Working at a job you hate just sucks even if the pay is ok.