Originally Posted by
Flexray
Coming from IT, that is probably going to benefit you.
Be very selective on where you work. The first few years in the trade is when you will form all of your habits. Like how clean and organized you are, the quality of work that you do, how many fucks you will give.
How the shop pays it's technicians will directly impact you. Look for a shop that pays hourly. You want a mentor that actually has time to slow down and teach you. If they pay flat rate, the technician is loosing money off his pay to teach you. Dealerships are staunch die hard supporters of flat rate, where most aftermarket shops will pay hourly.
Technology and automotives had always gone hand in hand. Coming from IT, you have an awesome opportunity to crush it in this industry. Vehicles are no longer low tech mechanical devices, they are massive rolling super computers. Understanding machine learning, communication networks, and electricity down to the molecular level is going to greatly benefit you. It is hard work and will take a few years before you see a return. It took about 10 years in the trade before I felt that I had any sort of competency.
The automotive repair industry is the wild west, we have no rules. In 20 years of fixing cars, I have never seen anyone from AMVIC, Alberta transportation, Canada transportation, granted I don't put myself into positions that I would have to. With the introduction of autonomy, I think that will change.
I have had a very rewarding career fixing vehicles. I hope that do also.