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Comment by nimbius | Hacker News Reader

I am an engine mechanic for a chain of diesel shops in the Midwest. I hit trade school after age 17 and slid into a nice apprentice program for aspiring automotive mechanics. I can confirm my trade school, a state school, was one of the best decisions I'd ever made.

I can also confirm that some of the heaviest weight on my heart is the friends I have that struggle to maintain basic health insurance and employment despite having a biology or chemistry degree. I don't know what the solution is, but I feel bitter about the kids sold down university avenue with nothing to show.

So if I could say anything to the kids its this. We are hiring. We are hiring for work you'll be paid well for and a job you can be proud of. Welder, plumber, mechanic, these cannot continue to be four letter words. Talk to your vocational tech schools or your guidance counselor.

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One question I'd have is how easy is it to get into an apprenticeship program? I have a friend who's working at a dealership driving and shining cars with the hope that after some period he'll become an actual mechanic apprentice, so the situation seems like it's less than a sure thing (my friend had a scare when someone tried to pull scam claiming my friend had dented his car and police report would be filed, which can be bad for a commercial driver).

I'm no expert but if you are at a dealership trying to become a mechanic by detailing cars that seems like a weird/longshot unless there is a specific program to take people without certification and apply them to their specialized program from being a porter. I imagine that most people that start off at dealerships probably start off certified or with experience. If I was this person I would ask an independent shop and also a chain shop (Midas, Jiffy Lube) what the best way into the industry was if they don't want to go through trade school and get a basic automotive certification. I feel like dealerships for better or worse generally aren't in the business of training people from scratch (or have stringent requirements from corporate on who they can have service cars for warranty work) unless they have a damn good reason.

Then there's also the usual questions you should give your friend: are you sure that this dealership knows you want to become a mechanic? Are they just wanting you to be porter? Are you friendly with the head mechanic and the mechanic staff or are you more friendly with the sales part of the dealership? Does the head mechanic know you want to become an apprentice? Have other porters become apprentice mechanics at this dealership?

It also is worth asking if the mechanic's shop is an hourly or flat rate shop. A flat rate shop maybe not be the easiest place to get an apprentice compared to an hourly shop where taking an extra five minutes to explain something is not going to cut another mechanic's pay.

I think you're right, its not always easy. Apprenticeship is mostly based on the strength of a union. Mileage varies state to state

That having been said if your friend is young I'd absolutely recommend trade school. Its relatively inexpensive and based around regular adult working schedules for the most part. 2 years is always faster than just hope, but if not, definitely hold management accountable for offering that hope. Make sure its known that buffing fenders is his temporary goal and ask about the requirements for apprenticeship often, if there are any.

I’d really like to talk to you about this. Could you please email me from my profile? Thanks much.

I don't think a fossil fuel engine mechanic is a career with a long lifespan though...

A bit OT, but I’ve been thinking recently that coding bootcamps are sort of modern-day trade schools.

Cars are not going away, large diesel engines used today won't be replaced by electric ones in decades (because if they could be, they'd already had been), and you can retrain to work on different type of machinery.

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