Eh i jus saw where u live.. i would cut that in half.. im thinkin u live up here in NOVA ( Not tryin to act snobbish) but i can see maybe 40-50k and

 

it's cool...i know noVA is big money compared to down here....who knows, i could end up in noVA, depends where they put me....thanks for the information though, i appreciate that

 

Well what ever u do is ur choice and u are young and u can always change ur profession.

 

being a mechanic myself.

i dont regret anything. cept for not buying tools/box when i was inschool when i had a 50% discount

i just got my newest snap-on box and after trading in my old box for 2 grand i owe 3200 not including the thousands i still owe on tools.

 

It would look good to walk in with all 9 certificaitions, but everyone thats been in a shop for a while has seen the guy with all the certifications and no experience that couldn't keep a float and couldn't make any money - just like everyone that has been around long enough has seen the guy that has no certifications but can fix anything thrown at him. best is to have both going for you.

 

I am a grad. of UTI (un-trained-idiot school) and I can tell you, that I have found that over three quarters of my class mates that made it are not turning wrenches on cars anymore becuase they were losing money. Not to mention you will have to supply your own tools to work in a shop, and dont think these little 36" tall tool boxes they sell at sears is going to cut it. That usually gets you laughed at in a normal shop. I think total I have burned about 5K+ on tools and I have no where near enough tools. Then there is the work load that everyone has so aptly put out already. Not only must you be proficiant but get it right the first time or else you fix it for free. Comebacks suck, I speak from experiance. And even when the hours are flowing in, and you are making 60hour weeks, dont count on that as a norm. Becuase when the winter hits and everybody in this area moves or just quits caring about their cars then expect 25-30 hour weeks. And that sucks when you have alot of bills to pay.

But some people do well in this field others do not. I personally love working on cars, but I hate fixing what people should have gotten fixed long before it got that bad.

 

Just want to thank everybody that responded to this thread. I was a lost little high school grad back then. I am now in my final semester at ODU and will be commissioning into the Navy come May 2010. Had I gone with my original plan, I doubt my future would be as bright as it is today. I plan to goto grad school soon and I've already applied to UVA (crossing fingers!)

But thanks everybody and if anyone is in a similar predicament as I was 4 years ago, take my advice as I've learned this personally--GO TO COLLEGE, cars come easy after that cause you can buy whatever you want!

 

Glad that worked out for you. I found myself in a pretty good spot as well...

Uh... question though. If you get accepted to uva for grad school, how's that going to work for that commission? Reserves?

And what did you major in, and what field are you going into?

 

I majored in nursing. I applied to UVA's online Health Systems Management grad program. I have 5 years to finish it on my own time while commissioned in the Navy. My goal is to get into healthcare administration.

Glad to hear you're finding similar success!