The constant push to send young people to college is having an effect and it isn’t good. Too many do what they’re supposed to do, pursuing a degree they don’t really want with money they don’t have for a job they’ll never get while at the same time, auto dealers are struggling to find good mechanics, who can work their way up to solid positions earning $100,000 per year or more. While those of us more technically inclined have been aware of this for years, it’s getting to the point where the major media are catching on. What needs to happen is more young people have to catch on, too.
The New York Times reports how BMW is showing up at job fairs and tech schools to find promising students for positions at local dealerships. Fiat Chrysler says it could absorb another 5000 technicians over the next two years. One manager of the automotive program at a local college estimates a shortage of over 25,000 technicians across all dealerships over the next two years.
Unfortunately, many young people don’t have the interest in cars that some of us did while growing up. The trend to getting a drivers license later and not even owning a car doesn’t help while working as a pump jockey at a gas station that does mechanical work is a learning opportunity that went away years ago with a few exceptions here and there. Local drag strips are going away and auto racing in general has less attraction to the young when previously it was a strong draw to the automotive field.
What many young people don’t realize is working on cars is a lot different than it was not long ago, the preponderance of computerized controls throughout the vehicle, not just on the engine, makes the technician’s job a lot more challenging and, as a result, a career path that leads to high pay because of the high skills necessary. The young guy that loves computers can find a lot to like in a modern car.
There are several technical schools around the country with excellent programs for future technicians, local colleges and trade schools offer courses, even a fascinating book for the budding hacker who wants to know more about the tech side of the control systems and how get a little more performance from the car in his driveway.
If you’re young and looking for a great career, if you like working hands on instead of living in the land of cubicles, you might want to think about it. The job isn’t going to be outsourced, either, the local dealership needs you right there, right now. Sounds like opportunity to me. How about you?
The money quote I saw elsewhere on this subject was ” His car dealer told him that he has a flood of people wanting to work in the office making $40K, but can’t get enough people willing to work in the shop making twice that.”
But, But, I has a Masters in Puppetry and minored in Gender Studies, Waddaya mean I can’t get work in my line of studies?
Then again, it doesn’t help when some places want a degree and 5 years experience for a position as Shipping Manager. Most all of your best experienced candidates have no degree (two I knew had no HS Diploma!), and who wants to get a degree just to be a shipping manager?
Redirecting that person with the “studies” degree of one sort or another into a technical school for fixing cars may not be the best idea anyway, but there aren’t enough young people catching the car bug early on who would be the naturals to introduce to the world of mechanics. The urge many of us felt when young was brought on by the environment around us when cars played a much bigger role in the lives of everyone, but someone is going to have to fix the high tech vehicles going forward, especially as complexity rises and the DIY work is increasingly harder to do.
Like I said, there’s a huge opportunity here for the young folks paying attention.
“The constant push to send young people to college is having an effect and it isn’t good.”
As noted in your article, becoming an auto mechanic requires a college degree today. It may not be a 4 year degree but most shops want at least a 2 year degree from a technical program to get into the door.
“The job isn’t going to be outsourced, either…”
The job isn’t likely to be outsourced but the number of mechanics required is likely to shrink rapidly in the next 15 to 20 years. Electric cars do not require routine maintenance and are much simpler than gas cars. My Spark EV requires the coolant to be changed at 120K miles – that is it.
I think the trades are a great field for a lot of people but today I recommend young people look into becoming a CNC machinist, robotics technician, HVAC technician, electrician, plumber. Mechanic isn’t on the list.
Well, a mechanic in the old sense is certainly on the way out, electric vehicles are taking over a lot faster than many think. The future needs a higher tech skill set.