Diesel Mechanic

[grolla42]

Thanks guys. The last bit of input really helped and is taken into strong consideration. I do believe I am going to Lincoln

 

[DutchVDub]

I've been a diesel mechanic for over 10yrs now working on Military Equipment. I do everything from HMMWV's to 20ton Scrapers. I'm completely burned out from it both mentally and physically. Working on big diesels tears you up. The tools are heavy, the parts are heavy, and there is a lot of climbing involved.

 

[DutchVDub]

Thanks guys. The last bit of input really helped and is taken into strong consideration. I do believe I am going to Lincoln

Unless Lincoln has greatly improved over when they were DADC then I think you would be better off going to WyoTeck or UTI. When I went to FRCC for Automotive Repair we had guys transfering over from DADC who all said that Front Ranges Automotive program was far better. This was over 10yrs ago though, so a lot could've changed.

 

[JJacobs]

Auto college will get you into a job changing oil at most shops I know of. I just don't see the benefit in spending all that money just to get your foot in the door in an entry level position.

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Auto college will get you into a job changing oil at most shops I know of. I just don't see the benefit in spending all that money just to get your foot in the door in an entry level position.

I've obviously been out of this career path loop for quite a while, but to get a job at a decent place, aren't they damn near requiring some sort of prior experience or having graduated with a degree from a tech college these days?

I suppose it helps the employer know the applicant has shown initiative and feels confident in their career path...... kind of a risk for them to hire someone who comes to the table with little more than some hobby wrenching experience and says they think they'd like to be a mechanic...... Helps eliminate the potential for "I didn't know it'd be like this" or "I guess I realize now I'm not cut out for this"....... :dunno:

 

[DutchVDub]

All you need to get a job is a nice tool box and an lot of confidence. I've seen perfectly good mechanics get replaced by somebody with a fancy ass SnapOn toolbox and a lot of talk about how good they are. Shortly thereafter its realized that they don't know shit, except how to rack up debt on the tool truck.

Tools and real world experiaence are what get you into the door. A degree helps but also normally means the person is overly confident and is going to struggle like crazy for the first year or two. I've seen it first hand. We've got a kid at our shop now, great kid and he definitely has a lot of knowledge (especially with newer computer controlled diesels and EGR systems, most of my knowledge is based on older mechanically injected engines). The problem though is the school taught him to overthink shit and he constantly skirts the real issue trying to find the problem with a vehicle.

 

[eflores]

All you need to get a job is a nice tool box and an lot of confidence. I've seen perfectly good mechanics get replaced by somebody with a fancy ass SnapOn toolbox and a lot of talk about how good they are. Shortly thereafter its realized that they don't know shit, except how to rack up debt on the tool truck.

Tools and real world experiaence are what get you into the door. A degree helps but also normally means the person is overly confident and is going to struggle like crazy for the first year or two. I've seen it first hand. We've got a kid at our shop now, great kid and he definitely has a lot of knowledge (especially with newer computer controlled diesels and EGR systems, most of my knowledge is based on older mechanically injected engines). The problem though is the school taught him to overthink shit and he constantly skirts the real issue trying to find the problem with a vehicle.

Very much truth in this post.
One must be a mechanic and a technician in today's market.
I've taught myself a lot of how to be a good diagnostician but I came from one hell of a group of true gear heads....it truly takes both to be successful.
There's a fella at out local shop that just graduated wyotech....he pumps gas now...another guy who graduated from the same place has taken nearly 15 years to become a lead tech