2019 POTD Thread Archive

Janderso said:
I'm the general manager of a Ford dealer.
If we run an add for a Ford trained professional with over 10 years experience, over $100K per year, we will have zero applicants that are qualified.
I think partially due to the, "mechanic" or "grease monkey" image and the lack of auto, metal and wood shops in the high schools has caused a critical shortage of capable technicians.
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I do not know what the area you are looking at is, but even coming from the east coast, that does not surprise me at all. 1. Ford trained professional. Whats that, less the 1% of the population in your area? 2. 10 years experience. So you are basically looking at hiring the workers from your nearby Ford dealers. Probably down to 1% or the 1%. Even less, when you realize that most folks who have worked with one employer for over 10 years, and not looking at moving. 3. $100K per year. I do not know how the cost of living in your area compares, but that is not even close enough to get me thinking about a move to CA. My experience is that people in general do not want to make employment changes. Yes, many talk all day about moving on, but few do without being pushed out the door.

How does one get trained by Ford? Not being in the trade, I would think that one would have to be hired by a Ford dealer that will send them to Fords School.

I agree with you on the schools no longer preparing a student for a future that they like. Even though they may not line up one to one with any particular job, The many courses I took, all helped me somewhere along my lifes journey. Art class (Clay, painting, photography), Home ec, wood working, metal working (Forge, welding, lathe, mill), Small engine repair, Concrete & Masonry, Graphic arts, Drivers ed, Are all classes I took, that are no longer offered at my High School. I could go on, but it makes me sad.
 
Superburban said:
I do not know what the area you are looking at is, but even coming from the east coast, that does not surprise me at all. 1. Ford trained professional. Whats that, less the 1% of the population in your area? 2. 10 years experience. So you are basically looking at hiring the workers from your nearby Ford dealers. Probably down to 1% or the 1%. Even less, when you realize that most folks who have worked with one employer for over 10 years, and not looking at moving. 3. $100K per year. I do not know how the cost of living in your area compares, but that is not even close enough to get me thinking about a move to CA. My experience is that people in general do not want to make employment changes. Yes, many talk all day about moving on, but few do without being pushed out the door.

How does one get trained by Ford? Not being in the trade, I would think that one would have to be hired by a Ford dealer that will send them to Fords School.

I agree with you on the schools no longer preparing a student for a future that they like. Even though they may not line up one to one with any particular job, The many courses I took, all helped me somewhere along my lifes journey. Art class (Clay, painting, photography), Home ec, wood working, metal working (Forge, welding, lathe, mill), Small engine repair, Concrete & Masonry, Graphic arts, Drivers ed, Are all classes I took, that are no longer offered at my High School. I could go on, but it makes me sad.
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Before I was the service manager at a Chevy dealer (and before service writer) I was a chevy master tech and master ASE tech--took a while and lots of schooling and training.
There is plenty of opportunity to make descent money in the field if you are willing to work for it and may have to start at the bottom of the ladder to get there. I have known several that started as a porter and worked their way up to good paying jobs.
 
jocat54 said:
Before I was the service manager at a Chevy dealer (and before service writer) I was a chevy master tech and master ASE tech--took a while and lots of schooling and training.
There is plenty of opportunity to make descent money in the field if you are willing to work for it and may have to start at the bottom of the ladder to get there. I have known several that started as a porter and worked their way up to good paying jobs.
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There is many fields like that. If a kid gets into one that they like, and a good company, they can do great. But!! In their teens & 20's, many still have no real idea what they like. I made two major career changes, due to the companies cutting back, and cutting off any chance of advancement any time soon. Then when I found a great company, a job, and conditions that I liked, my health declined, and said no. The Schools around here, are useless at helping the kids, all they push is college, but do not even help the kids pick a path for college, that fits them.
 
Janderso said:
It’s not fair to ask a kid of 16, what do you want to do with your life?
They need exposure to as many career paths as possible, including the vocations.
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In the 80's we had a man visit from Russia and we were talking about life where he is from including career choices. He said you decide when you are 13 or so what you will do for your job. I asked "What if you change your mind? That is really young to decide that." He said "That would be suspicious." As in government is monitoring people and watching for irregularities. It was one guys word so not sure if true.

I do know that in many places in the world it is like that, decide early and start out training in the area at an earlier age. That is one reason some countries win skills competitions like "Skills USA" where young people - late teens compete in the vocational skills worldwide, each country has a competition then the winners compete. My dad used to run the automotive competition for "Skills USA" formerly known as "VICA" and General Motors is the American sponsor. Dad said one time a kid from Korea turned in welding work so good the judges thought it must have come from a machine but he demonstrated the perfect skill. Kids have already been at it many years full time while other kids just started out and have High School to do also. If it works out great for the worker with early training like that.
 
I'm very intrigued with this topic of trained vs untrained mechanic, i can say with confidence absolutely no mechanic has been to school around here, most of them have been helpers or floor sweepers in a mechanic business. And always get in over their head when working on modern cars. I do work 2 sometimes 3 jobs, one of which is a professor in an elementary school and the children often are reflection of their parents. In couple of years now i've never heard a child say i want to be a mechanic or a machinist so time will come when those skills will be very rare. Further proof is one of my previous jobs, Van Hool buses, no school needed, no skills needed, no criminal check, just willing to work for 300$ a month, and what can you expect.
 
Idk what the cause is of the youth these days I think it’s acouple problems that I see. 1 is the interest and motivation of kids these days. I have a 6yr old boy that wants to be by my side all the time. I teach him everything I can and he soaks it up. Learned to ride his bike at 3 and enjoys being outside and exploring. I do not promote being on the iPad and limit to a hour a day if he’s good. My new neighbor has a 8yr old boy that for the past yr. we’ve seen him out maybe twice and talking to his father he says his boy like to stay inside and play games on the computer???
2nd would be schooling I’m 42 and when I was in HS they didn’t offer the shop classes as they use to. Only wood,and mechanic shop. They were all pushing for college but no help or direction. Yes kids should go to college and be the best they can but not everyone is gonna be a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist. You can make a comfortable living working with your hands in the trades
3rd are the parents! I see parents put their kids in front of a iPad to occupy them for hours like a babysitter. They don’t motivate them to go outside because they would have to go watch them. Their motivation is to occupy the kid so they can be on Facebook or twitter or whatever they do idk. Basically no parenting,discipline or direction.
At my job which I’ve had for 15yrs I am in charge of hiring mechanics for full time mechanics positions at local golf courses we maintain. Every year I go through 3-4 guys for various reasons. Don’t show up or when they wake up they come. Don’t care to show because mommy pays for everything. Finding kids to even do oil changes is tough. I’ve learned to look for retired guys that want some pay and free golf to work acouple hours a week. It’s been like that for at least 10yrs.
Thinking about it it all comes down to the parents. Teach them, motivate them, show them the way. Do Not rely on the schools to teach our kids. We should know are kids better than any counselor does, give them the tools to succeed, direct them as your parents did and watch them evolve into a mini you or even better than you could imagine!
 
I agree kids don’t say I wanna be a mechanic or a carpenter or plumber. But I do know when I was very little I one day decided to take the snow blower apart for my dad. When he got home from work he was not a happy camper. Not mechanically inclined. I was removing the screws from the door hinges probably when I figured out lefty lucy. Did finish carpentry out of HS because I loved building stuff. Was great but ended up getting laid off every enter so I decided to change fields. Never thought I would be in the golf industry but it pays the bills well, keeps me employed all yr 40+ a week, winters are a rest time and I’m on a golf course half my day. There use to be trade specific programs at colleges for the industry but enrollment was so low they dropped the programs and now it’s near impossible to find qualified mechanics for the field.
 
IIRC, my cousins in Germany had to choose in the middle of grade school, if they wanted to go on the university schooling track, or trade school track, and their grades hinted strongly at which track they should choose... Back in the 70's here in Edmonton, AB, there were still shop classes and vocational high schools, but from what I can tell now, pretty much everything other than sports where you have a chance of significantly hurting your self or someone else has been phased out (and this had already begun when I was finishing school in the 80's).
 
It’s hard to predict. My middle grandson is fascinated by everything mechanical. He’s 9 years old...from his birthday money he bought a HF gas engine. He figured out by himself how to get a gas tank hooked up and how to get it started. I think this is hilarious: He puts it in his red wagon, starts it, then pulls it around.

The kid is going to be an engineer, no question. As a counter example, his brother is a couple years older, just wants to play video games all day.

So, it depends. On what, who knows?
 
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