***** UTI and ATI is a joke. i have seen people come out of ATI knowing less about cars!
mark, you sure you like cars THAT much? i will be honest with you. only reason i work on my car is cus i dont trust most mechanics to touch my car and its cheaper than paying someone to do the work for me.
i worked for two different dealerships (Bill Ussery Mercedes Benz and Maroone Chevy) and you have the ability to make good money but there will always be limitations. while working these jobs i sure as hell did not see my self doing that for a lifetime. its tiring, too many hrs, and its a constant headache. imaching remember when something breaks on your car and you got to fix it? well guess what? immagine you get that headache 10-20 times aday and they are usually different things. some easy some hard. and im some mechanic shops there is no forgiveness plan...ifyou fuck up or replace the wrong part..its automatically coming out of your paycheck..so your diagnostic skills have to be on point. also, its based on time.
do you know how mechanics get paid? for ever certain job you do there is a set time. and you will get paid for that set time...if you pass that set time...your only making that set time...
(personal example)
working at benz i had a CL600 with a break job. being a goofball i stripped one of the 2 bolts holding the caliper on... so i had to go through a mission to remove it. after 3hrs to removed the brake caliper with out damaging it or breaking anything else i only got paid for one hr of work. cus that what a brake job pays. so i worked 3hrs to only get paid 1hr and it wasnt my fault the bolt was rusted and snapped...but its not the owners fault either and trust me the dealership will much rather fire you than tell the costumer he is wrong.
so make sure you really know what you want. i see people making this mistake plenty of times since i took part in it.
i know school is hard but its hard for a reason. in some jobs you cant make simple mistakes so they need ot makes ure you know your stuff before you move on. thats the only reason they drill math at you.with that being said.
i have since then gone back to school and working on a medical career. and yes i like it just as much as i "like" cars.