Breaking into ANY field is a difficult thing to do! Breaking into the Automotive industry is no different. It used to be that getting "in to" cars and automotive used to be easier and was more common because kids oftentimes took classes in shop when they were in middle school. A lot of schools have stopped doing this unfortunately.So, when a student actually dips into automotive experiences such as fixing his or her car on his or her own, or something as simple as changing a tire, they might get a feel that this is something fun that they might want to do with their lives as an adult. Now, if you are this type of person, you may be wondering where you can get Automotive Training.
You actually have a whole slew of options available to you in order to get the experience you need and be successful in this field. First off, you could consider an automotive school. These schools teach you about different aspects in automotive training such as Service Advisor Training, Service Manager Training, Diagnostics Technology, Auto Repair Technology, etc.
Of course the Automotive Training and degree option does cost money, so if you are short on money and you want to really learn the trade before going to automotive training school, you might want to think about the next few options! You could work an Intern. A lot of the schools actually offer intern programs.
You probably won't get paid for this, but you will receive a lot of information about valuable on the job experience that you can use later on. You could work in a local auto shop, garage or even in a dealership. If you do plan on going for a degree later on, these Internships will oftentimes give you credit towards your degree! You can also try working as an apprentice.
These are seen less and less in the US, but they still do exist. An Apprentice is a person that has no formal education and is usually a person that cannot afford schooling right now, but that would like to be paid for the job at hand. It's not a ton of money, but it's better than something like an Internship where you won't get paid at all.
As an Apprentice you will also get a truck load of automotive training by a "master" in the field. Last, but not least, you could also consider working smaller jobs in hopes to learn something. These smaller jobs could include changing oil in a lube shop, working behind a parts counter, busting tires part-time, etc.
You can gain a ton of automotive consulting just by doing these few jobs or options. If you aren't really sure if this is something you definitely want to do, I would suggest reading up on a few books and magazines for automotive consulting to see if this IS something you definitely want to do. Nothing worse than going to automotive training only to realize after you get your degree that this wasn't really a passion and more of a whim.
