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Thoughts on Entering the Automotive IndustryPosted 4/12/1999By Jason Ellis
I picked this industry because I have great interest in it and because it is a family career. Ever since I was a little boy I have always been interested in cars - what kind they were and how they worked. When it came time to study for school, Mom had to tell me to put the car magazines down and do my homework. I have always wondered what made them go, from how the gas gets in the car to what makes the wheels move. I wanted to know what was the difference between the GT and LX models. I also picked this industry to get the training for the newer computerized cars, because I see the shade tree mechanics vanishing. You don't just open the hood and automatically see the air filter. Nowadays you have to unscrew a plastic box. I see the newer cars not needing to set the timing as much because they have electronic ignition instead of points and condensers which wear out much faster. I am taking the Hurst-Euless-Bedford (Texas) Independent School District auto mechanics course, which I was able to get into earlier than others due to a recommendation from the general motor repair teacher, Gary Stevens, at the junior high. Mr. Stevens opened the door for me so I could get into the class, taught by Mr. Joe Kovach. I have yet to stump Mr. Kovach with any car problem. The class has taught me how to troubleshoot to find the problem. For example: the car has gas, but why then does the engine die due to no gas? It could be a number of things like clogged fuel filter, bad fuel pump, or a small hole in the gas line sucking air through it. Another example is when you step on the brake and the pedal pulses, it means you have a warped rotator. I see some of my classmates wanting to have some kind of a hot rod shop whether it be American muscle cars or Euro-style race cars. I see some of them getting as much fun out of the class as I do. Even though we get aggravated when the cars won't cooperate, we just like the fact we are working on cars; something that interests us. This class has really helped me in a big way. About two years ago a friend and I were in a car accident. At that time I had a '71 Super Beetle. Now I have a '66 Mustang. My grandpa, who is a mechanic, and I have changed engines in the car and done some frame work along with brakes and shocks. I had a better idea of what he was talking about because of the auto class. I have also been able to bring the Mustang in from time to time to get extra help that was not possible to do without some of the equipment we have in class. I see the profession as very high in demand, because most families own more than one car and every car has to go through maintenance, such as oil changes and brakes, tires and spark plugs. Time is also a key because time brings newer and more sophisticated cars which means more training to keep updated. You will always be learning something new and that makes the profession not boring. Yet in order to work on someone's car you have to go through the training and take the test to become ASE certified. Yes it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
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