Last week was the first day of school for an entire new class of automobile technicians.
As I settle into my 13th year of teaching automotive technology, I always reflect on my graduates and what they become when they leave my classroom. I also begin the arduous process of breaking in the new students to mold them into productive members of our community who can do more than change a tire.
This year, I have 35 students of various backgrounds and stations in life. I have military retirees in their 50’s and I have 16-year-old dual enrollment students that will get their automotive diploma at the same time as their high school diploma. All these personalities must coexist in my shop and classroom for 16 months, and all have the same goal: becoming first-rate auto technicians.
Their first day is mostly an orientation, learning how things at the school operate, correcting schedules, and most importantly, hearing my expectations of them.
It’s only fair for me to want all of them to know exactly what they are in for so there is time to change programs if they feel they cannot meet them.
I learned long ago that this career is not for everyone.
My expectations are modest, but numerous, and reflect a strict work ethic that will take them far in the field. Their future career is not one that will be easy, but it can be very rewarding. With changing technology, I make sure that they know that walking across the graduation stage is the beginning of their learning, and not the end.
Constant training and education are key to staying in the game. I lead by example by keeping my own training and qualifications much higher than the standards require.
If and when they complete the program, their hiring prospects are high, with 96% of them finding career opportunities within the first year. Usually, they hit the ground running, getting entry level work at dealers, independent, and corporate auto facilities. Their job security is also high, as they cannot be outsourced or moved offshore and, they cannot be replaced by AI or a robot.
Auto technicians are in high demand and will continue to be for a long time coming and most of my students have jobs already before they graduate.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 67,800 open positions for automotive technicians will be open in the next decade. These techs must come from somewhere, and I am just a very small part of that.
The job isn’t easy, especially at the start. Broken bolts, busted knuckles, tool bills, and complex pay plans are something you must fight daily. It is hard on the body and mind and can bleed over into your personal and family life. If it is something you love, you will find a way, but many of my students have left the field for other careers out of frustration.
For the ones with the drive and the work ethic, the money can be worth the trouble, I have graduates making well over $100,000 a year, with many making half that at two years in. It takes a special person to repair these new cars, and they are few and far.
As I complete another day with my students, I can already see promise in quite a few. I am hoping that they will stick with it and graduate, but also that they understand what it takes to repair these modern cars. I also hope that they find employers that match their energy and provide them with a place to grow.
Automotive technicians are essential to making this country operate. We just need many more.
As for me, I will see you on the road… or in the classroom!
