Auto Mechanic Field
I chose this profession or career type to go into because I have always had an interest in cars since I was little. It sounds weird, but when I was little I was always fascinated with the type of wheels that were on the car. Then later on I wanted to start to know more about cars. By doing that I started going up to my uncle’s shop to watch and learn about working on cars. And now the project that has really made up my mind about going into this field is the car that my dad got off of eBay. Therefore we are still working on it and still needs a lot of bodywork and needs painted.
Overview of a mechanic
Now to give you a little more information about what a mechanic does. Obviously mechanics are going to inspect, maintain, and repair cars or trucks. Auto mechanics are the ones that do your oil changes on your cars. When they do the oil changes they have to check and lubricate the engine parts. While they are doing this they have to follow a checklist to be sure that they have fixed or examined all the trouble spots such as belts, hoses, plugs, brakes, and fuel systems are all items mechanics must watch closely(Auto mechanic/OHCIS). During oil changes they may also put heaters in and windshield wipers. Another big thing that has had an effect on the automotive industry is the hybrid electric cars. Auto mechanics have also made changes to the older cars buy putting chips into the car to improve fuel efficiency and other things such as horsepower.
Reason why I chose this field
The reason why I chose to go into this career is because I enjoy working on cars. I also want to get to know more about cars by going to a trade school such as UTI, UNOH, and Wyo tech. Another thing is that once I’m in the field I will be able to help people with their cars and help people have a better day by fixing their vehicles.
Fields to go into
The first type of job that you can go into would be an Automotive Technician. An Automotive Technician are the people you see at like Grismer Tire or when you take your car to the dealership to get worked on. They are usually doing your oil changes or working on other problems that you might have with your engine. The courses you have to take to just earn an Associate Degree are Electronics & Electrical, Manual and Automatic Drive Trains, Engine Diagnosis and Repair, Suspension and Steering, Automotive Brake Systems, Automotive Transportation Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Engine Performance, and Computerized Engine Control Systems(Applied Technologies). All of those courses were required for the school of UNOH, but may be different at other schools. Another type is Diesel Technology. Diesel Technicians are required to know more because the engines they are working on are more complex than regular gasoline vehicles. For example dealing with just a regular gas car you only have one battery, but with diesel there are two batteries. They also have to use more electronics than an Automotive Technician. The courses that are required at UNOH for a Associates Degree are EGR diesel engines, Diesel trucks preventative maintenance, Diesel truck frames, Diesel cab electronics, Diesel steering and suspension, and Heavy duty diesel transmissions(Applied Technologies). A third type is High Performance Motorsports. If you want to go into this field then you been working on NASCAR's, drag cars, or anything that has to do with racing. They are required to keep the vehicles running smoothly with no problems. Also being a high performance technician you get paid a pretty good salary and are able to move up or advance in this field possible to be making up to 70,000 a year if you get hired to a good race team for NASCAR such as Richard Childress race team. This field also uses a high demand for using electronics like an Diesel Technician. The courses that you will need to take to get an Associates are welding and fabrication, engine machining, custom engine building, steering and suspension, drive lines, accessories trends, High Performance fuels, electronics, and ignitions(Applied Technologies). Some of the other fields are Alternative Fuels which deals with automotive and diesel. Basically this is about changing gasoline or diesel vehicles to run on alternate fuels such as natural gas, ethanol, grease, electric, and propane. Finally the last type you can go into would be Agricultural Equipment. This is working on farm equipment.
Colleges
If you are planning to go into the workforce today most of the jobs require some sort of accreditation or Diplomas to get your foot in the door. The big trade schools to go to for mechanics are UTI, Wyo tech, Lincoln Tech, and ATI. The better ones to go to would be UTI or Lincoln Tech just because of the reviews I've seen them, but really it all depends on you and how much they cost. The cost of tuition to go to UTI is 25-32,000, but it all depends on where you go to the college(Mechanics). If you wanted to go to a different school like Wyo tech the cost would be pretty much the same. So basically when you go to these trade schools you are going to pay around the same range, but it all depends on which location you go to and what mechanic fields you go into. Those colleges are the main trade schools to go to that are located around the world. Now other trade schools are located in different states, but are not located anywhere else such as UNOH. This trade school is another good school to go to. They also offer pretty much the same programs as the big colleges offer. Now the cost to go to UNOH is $1400 per course. And when you do the course their are 8 sessions per year(Applied Technologies).
Related Occupations
Another job that is related to a automotive mechanic would be an Alternate fuels technician. This is because they are pretty much working on the same vehicles, but making the engine run on alternate fuels like ethanol, propane, electric, biodiesel, and much more. Therefore being a Agricultural Equipment Technician would be related to. The reason being is because you are working on similar parts that a car might have or electronics, but the parts are going into farm equipment.
In-depth Job Description
When you are a mechanic/technician the problems are first told to the tech by the owner or the service estimator. Next the technicians run diagnostic tests to find out the problems(Auto Mechanic/Career Overview). Then the technicians have to look through all the electronic or parts depending on the issue to find out what parts are not the reason for problem. Now if the technicians can not find the problem by just looking through the car they might have to drive it around the block or use a handheld computer that tells you pretty much everything wrong or bad in the car. They may also you compression gauges. All of this steps are the deciding factor to either replace the part or just put on a new one. Most like if the problem has to with the electronics they might just replace the part if it takes to look. This is because if the problem has to do with CO2 sensors that is a major problem. The reason being is because in newer cars there are usually 2 Co2 sensors and if the computer you have tells you that both of the sensors are bad then you would think that you have to replace both, but that is usually not the case. That is because just one of the sensors is telling the computer that is leading the computer to tell you that both sensors are bad. So if you do the 1st sensor and it didn’t work then it has to be the other sensor that is bad. Therefore when working on electronics on a car it is pretty much a guessing game when figuring out the problem.
Conclusion
The reason why I did this career is not only because I want to go into this field, but I have fun working on them and I feel like I have really accomplished something when I work on cars. And when I plan to go to college to go into this field I want to go into the High Performance because it has the most interest in me and probably the most high paid status compared to other fields, but that depends on where I go with it.
Career plan
The only regret I have about going into this career is that when I started my Junior year I didn’t decide to go into Automotive at the Career Center because I was still undecided on what I wanted to do. However during the summer I figured out what I wanted to do. Now the first step that I think you should do is to have a little knowledge about working on cars before you go to a college or trade school. The second step would be to figure out what school you want to go to after high school. I would try to go to the schools to go through a tour and see if the school meets your interest. Also a very important thing to check out about the schools is how much the tuition is and what type of courses they offer. The third step is to work hard in whatever field of mechanics you choose otherwise you are wasting your time being their and money. Also you should probably take more than one type of mechanics in case the main course you want to go into will not allow you to enter. That way you will have a backup field and you know you have fun doing the job. Another thing that you have to look forward to going into this workforce is that Auto Mechanics will always be in high demand because cars will always need some to work on them. Finally the last step I would advise would be to pursue that career you picked such as High Performance and maybe one day you could be working for a major race team or even be the owner of a race team.
I chose this profession or career type to go into because I have always had an interest in cars since I was little. It sounds weird, but when I was little I was always fascinated with the type of wheels that were on the car. Then later on I wanted to start to know more about cars. By doing that I started going up to my uncle’s shop to watch and learn about working on cars. And now the project that has really made up my mind about going into this field is the car that my dad got off of eBay. Therefore we are still working on it and still needs a lot of bodywork and needs painted.
Overview of a mechanic
Now to give you a little more information about what a mechanic does. Obviously mechanics are going to inspect, maintain, and repair cars or trucks. Auto mechanics are the ones that do your oil changes on your cars. When they do the oil changes they have to check and lubricate the engine parts. While they are doing this they have to follow a checklist to be sure that they have fixed or examined all the trouble spots such as belts, hoses, plugs, brakes, and fuel systems are all items mechanics must watch closely(Auto mechanic/OHCIS). During oil changes they may also put heaters in and windshield wipers. Another big thing that has had an effect on the automotive industry is the hybrid electric cars. Auto mechanics have also made changes to the older cars buy putting chips into the car to improve fuel efficiency and other things such as horsepower.
Reason why I chose this field
The reason why I chose to go into this career is because I enjoy working on cars. I also want to get to know more about cars by going to a trade school such as UTI, UNOH, and Wyo tech. Another thing is that once I’m in the field I will be able to help people with their cars and help people have a better day by fixing their vehicles.
Fields to go into
The first type of job that you can go into would be an Automotive Technician. An Automotive Technician are the people you see at like Grismer Tire or when you take your car to the dealership to get worked on. They are usually doing your oil changes or working on other problems that you might have with your engine. The courses you have to take to just earn an Associate Degree are Electronics & Electrical, Manual and Automatic Drive Trains, Engine Diagnosis and Repair, Suspension and Steering, Automotive Brake Systems, Automotive Transportation Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Engine Performance, and Computerized Engine Control Systems(Applied Technologies). All of those courses were required for the school of UNOH, but may be different at other schools. Another type is Diesel Technology. Diesel Technicians are required to know more because the engines they are working on are more complex than regular gasoline vehicles. For example dealing with just a regular gas car you only have one battery, but with diesel there are two batteries. They also have to use more electronics than an Automotive Technician. The courses that are required at UNOH for a Associates Degree are EGR diesel engines, Diesel trucks preventative maintenance, Diesel truck frames, Diesel cab electronics, Diesel steering and suspension, and Heavy duty diesel transmissions(Applied Technologies). A third type is High Performance Motorsports. If you want to go into this field then you been working on NASCAR's, drag cars, or anything that has to do with racing. They are required to keep the vehicles running smoothly with no problems. Also being a high performance technician you get paid a pretty good salary and are able to move up or advance in this field possible to be making up to 70,000 a year if you get hired to a good race team for NASCAR such as Richard Childress race team. This field also uses a high demand for using electronics like an Diesel Technician. The courses that you will need to take to get an Associates are welding and fabrication, engine machining, custom engine building, steering and suspension, drive lines, accessories trends, High Performance fuels, electronics, and ignitions(Applied Technologies). Some of the other fields are Alternative Fuels which deals with automotive and diesel. Basically this is about changing gasoline or diesel vehicles to run on alternate fuels such as natural gas, ethanol, grease, electric, and propane. Finally the last type you can go into would be Agricultural Equipment. This is working on farm equipment.
Colleges
If you are planning to go into the workforce today most of the jobs require some sort of accreditation or Diplomas to get your foot in the door. The big trade schools to go to for mechanics are UTI, Wyo tech, Lincoln Tech, and ATI. The better ones to go to would be UTI or Lincoln Tech just because of the reviews I've seen them, but really it all depends on you and how much they cost. The cost of tuition to go to UTI is 25-32,000, but it all depends on where you go to the college(Mechanics). If you wanted to go to a different school like Wyo tech the cost would be pretty much the same. So basically when you go to these trade schools you are going to pay around the same range, but it all depends on which location you go to and what mechanic fields you go into. Those colleges are the main trade schools to go to that are located around the world. Now other trade schools are located in different states, but are not located anywhere else such as UNOH. This trade school is another good school to go to. They also offer pretty much the same programs as the big colleges offer. Now the cost to go to UNOH is $1400 per course. And when you do the course their are 8 sessions per year(Applied Technologies).
Related Occupations
Another job that is related to a automotive mechanic would be an Alternate fuels technician. This is because they are pretty much working on the same vehicles, but making the engine run on alternate fuels like ethanol, propane, electric, biodiesel, and much more. Therefore being a Agricultural Equipment Technician would be related to. The reason being is because you are working on similar parts that a car might have or electronics, but the parts are going into farm equipment.
In-depth Job Description
When you are a mechanic/technician the problems are first told to the tech by the owner or the service estimator. Next the technicians run diagnostic tests to find out the problems(Auto Mechanic/Career Overview). Then the technicians have to look through all the electronic or parts depending on the issue to find out what parts are not the reason for problem. Now if the technicians can not find the problem by just looking through the car they might have to drive it around the block or use a handheld computer that tells you pretty much everything wrong or bad in the car. They may also you compression gauges. All of this steps are the deciding factor to either replace the part or just put on a new one. Most like if the problem has to with the electronics they might just replace the part if it takes to look. This is because if the problem has to do with CO2 sensors that is a major problem. The reason being is because in newer cars there are usually 2 Co2 sensors and if the computer you have tells you that both of the sensors are bad then you would think that you have to replace both, but that is usually not the case. That is because just one of the sensors is telling the computer that is leading the computer to tell you that both sensors are bad. So if you do the 1st sensor and it didn’t work then it has to be the other sensor that is bad. Therefore when working on electronics on a car it is pretty much a guessing game when figuring out the problem.
Conclusion
The reason why I did this career is not only because I want to go into this field, but I have fun working on them and I feel like I have really accomplished something when I work on cars. And when I plan to go to college to go into this field I want to go into the High Performance because it has the most interest in me and probably the most high paid status compared to other fields, but that depends on where I go with it.
Career plan
The only regret I have about going into this career is that when I started my Junior year I didn’t decide to go into Automotive at the Career Center because I was still undecided on what I wanted to do. However during the summer I figured out what I wanted to do. Now the first step that I think you should do is to have a little knowledge about working on cars before you go to a college or trade school. The second step would be to figure out what school you want to go to after high school. I would try to go to the schools to go through a tour and see if the school meets your interest. Also a very important thing to check out about the schools is how much the tuition is and what type of courses they offer. The third step is to work hard in whatever field of mechanics you choose otherwise you are wasting your time being their and money. Also you should probably take more than one type of mechanics in case the main course you want to go into will not allow you to enter. That way you will have a backup field and you know you have fun doing the job. Another thing that you have to look forward to going into this workforce is that Auto Mechanics will always be in high demand because cars will always need some to work on them. Finally the last step I would advise would be to pursue that career you picked such as High Performance and maybe one day you could be working for a major race team or even be the owner of a race team.