Looking for advice

Setheroo

^_^ got horespower?
Oct 16, 2006
285
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Tennessee
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Just a week ago I finally graduated from college. I did so in what seems to be a record amount of time.. I only attended for a little over a year and came out with a degree that would normally take 2 and half years to attain.

I got my Associates in Automotive Technology and also attained a diploma in Alternative Fuels. I have an ASE certification in Electrical and Electronics, along with a couple of tank certifications (Natural Gas and Propane). Not only that, but I have a student organized race team that I managed on my transcript as well (it is like an addition to my transcript since I was a main founder of the race team and it became sponsored by my University).

I busted my ass through college, I literally went 15 hours a day through some quarters. I thought it was the best thing for me to do at the time, so I did it.

Going through college as fast as I did made me lose track of when I would actually graduate. So here I am now, just turned 19, and am already finished with college (at least for now, I am open to going back and getting more degrees if need be).

Fortunately, I don't have nearly as much debt as some of the people that I know that have gone through college. Some people I know have come out with 10,20,30 thousand dollars worth of student loans, and that really makes me thankful to say that I only have $3000 worth of student loans to pay back. Not only do I have the student loans that need to be paid, but I have a loan out for the motorcycle I wrecked (somehow I really got screwed over by insurance.. they didn't replace the bike, nor did they pay off the entire loan, so I now owe $3000 dollars on that too). I have no real complaints on the money I have to pay back for the bike though - I assume that as my own fault and will be taking responsibility for it. All said and done, I have $6000 some odd dollars worth of debt.

Basically the questions I want to ask to get the sort of advice that I am looking for are:
  • What would you do if you were in my shoes?
  • What are some of the best paying jobs that are in the automotive field that not too many people even know about?
  • How bad is working for a dealership?
  • Are there any downfalls to getting a job outside of your major? Lots of people are doing it and I know that I am capable of working outside of the automotive industry as well, but I want the scoop on it before I ever decide to go that route.

This week I am going to make the final update to my resume before I start turning in applications. I don't want to be unemployed for too long, nor do I want to stay living with my parents much longer than what I have to (they aren't bad, but I do not like being a sponge to anyone).

I suppose the first place that I will apply at is the Porsche dealer in Nashville if I take the working at a dealership route. I kinda figure some places are going to want experience, especially at a Porsche dealer - but I want to try anyways, nothing is stopping me from doing that.

Being on this forum for over a year now, I trust all of your advice will be both honest and useful. Thanks in advance.
 

savannahashlee

I AM A CHICK :)
Jan 15, 2008
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PDX (Oregon)
First off.. Congrats!! Thats Amazing!! I've only worked on the sales end of a Dealerships.. My advice to you on that, stay with a local FAMILY dealership.. they'll treat you a lot better.. Might even try a job in sales until you can start working in the shop.. With you're knowledge you would be a great asset to a sales team..Selling might be the fastest way to pay down your debt.. Then you can get out on your own, and do the job you love when you only have basic necessities as your financial obligations (IE: Rent, Utilities, Food)
 

Setheroo

^_^ got horespower?
Oct 16, 2006
285
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Tennessee
www.revogate.com
Thank you for the advice, I must ask though - could you be more specific about working in sales?

Are you implying that I sell cars - or work in the parts department? Or do you mean become a service writer - because they are also technically doing sales as well.

I couldn't agree with you more as far as going with a family owned dealership - at least when it comes to the environment here in TN. It is a lot more laid back here, and working in the family environment is a lot less stressful. Now as far as my experiences go working with a family owned business up north - I couldn't stand it. Nepotism up north screwed me over pretty bad, I was working for a furniture company doing assemblies and deliveries (that job kicked ass too, I loved getting paid to drive out to the middle of nowhere hourly with benefits) and I ended up getting "let go" because my coworker ended up having another kid at the age of 19 and needed a raise to support his newest child. My coworker was my boss's son, so my coworker's undeserved raise came from what used to be my paycheck.

Later on I found out that same boss ended up hiring his step son - because he could pay him half as much as what I was being paid because they could get away with paying him under the table... I don't even like mentioning that he was only 14 years old. (I guess I am jealous of the kid, I really liked my job, lol).

I am only saying that sometimes family owned places have some serious nepotism problems.
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
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Serena's Place ;)
kwnate;927949 said:

I saw this coming haha



As for the job, I work for a FAMILY dealership here in Atlanta, its great, I work right now in Express (honda) and Im moving into the shop sometime soon here. I absolutely love my job, granted I have no degree and my pay shows this.... Its just a hell of a lot of fun. Damn near every person Ive met and continue to hang out with here since I moved here almost a year ago, are either people from work or through them somehow.

Oh and congrats on the degree at 19 man... tough but Im glad people are still pushing that hard.
 

Setheroo

^_^ got horespower?
Oct 16, 2006
285
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0
Tennessee
www.revogate.com
kwnate;927949 said:
Yeah, no kidding, that coworker I had was strange... he always looked forward to getting drunk while mowing the grass... and always cheated on his "babies momma." I never understood how he could cheat on the woman that he now has 2 kids with.. IMO he would be a lot better off leaving then to put her through with all the crap of an unhealthy relationship.

Phoenix - I appreciate the comments - I am really going to look into a few of the local dealerships around here if the Porsche thing doesn't work out... I figure if I do the dealership thing for a while to get some general income then maybe I can seek out an even better job down the road... I really want to be working with high performance and custom stuff... kinda hard to find in my area but maybe with some luck I can find something.
 

tlo86

Ninja Editor 'Since 05'
Jul 24, 2005
3,914
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Colorado
i have 3 majors right now, political science, history, biology. no debt but rather i just got a check in the mail from my school saying i paid too much which was nice (was only a 25$ check but still Lol)

i suggest you keep going, then again im the person that will probably never stop going to school. after law school i plan to keep going as well even, it only benefits you
 

HommerSimpson

New Member
Dec 31, 2007
1,067
0
0
New Smyrna Beach Florida
Setheroo;923671 said:
Just a week ago I finally graduated from college. I did so in what seems to be a record amount of time.. I only attended for a little over a year and came out with a degree that would normally take 2 and half years to attain.

I got my Associates in Automotive Technology and also attained a diploma in Alternative Fuels. I have an ASE certification in Electrical and Electronics, along with a couple of tank certifications (Natural Gas and Propane). Not only that, but I have a student organized race team that I managed on my transcript as well (it is like an addition to my transcript since I was a main founder of the race team and it became sponsored by my University).

I busted my ass through college, I literally went 15 hours a day through some quarters. I thought it was the best thing for me to do at the time, so I did it.

Going through college as fast as I did made me lose track of when I would actually graduate. So here I am now, just turned 19, and am already finished with college (at least for now, I am open to going back and getting more degrees if need be).

Fortunately, I don't have nearly as much debt as some of the people that I know that have gone through college. Some people I know have come out with 10,20,30 thousand dollars worth of student loans, and that really makes me thankful to say that I only have $3000 worth of student loans to pay back. Not only do I have the student loans that need to be paid, but I have a loan out for the motorcycle I wrecked (somehow I really got screwed over by insurance.. they didn't replace the bike, nor did they pay off the entire loan, so I now owe $3000 dollars on that too). I have no real complaints on the money I have to pay back for the bike though - I assume that as my own fault and will be taking responsibility for it. All said and done, I have $6000 some odd dollars worth of debt.

Basically the questions I want to ask to get the sort of advice that I am looking for are:
  • What would you do if you were in my shoes?
  • What are some of the best paying jobs that are in the automotive field that not too many people even know about?
  • How bad is working for a dealership?
  • Are there any downfalls to getting a job outside of your major? Lots of people are doing it and I know that I am capable of working outside of the automotive industry as well, but I want the scoop on it before I ever decide to go that route.

This week I am going to make the final update to my resume before I start turning in applications. I don't want to be unemployed for too long, nor do I want to stay living with my parents much longer than what I have to (they aren't bad, but I do not like being a sponge to anyone).

I suppose the first place that I will apply at is the Porsche dealer in Nashville if I take the working at a dealership route. I kinda figure some places are going to want experience, especially at a Porsche dealer - but I want to try anyways, nothing is stopping me from doing that.

Being on this forum for over a year now, I trust all of your advice will be both honest and useful. Thanks in advance.

what ever you do.. make sure you are happy doing it..
 

Setheroo

^_^ got horespower?
Oct 16, 2006
285
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0
Tennessee
www.revogate.com
tlo86;928044 said:
i have 3 majors right now, political science, history, biology. no debt but rather i just got a check in the mail from my school saying i paid too much which was nice (was only a 25$ check but still Lol)

i suggest you keep going, then again im the person that will probably never stop going to school. after law school i plan to keep going as well even
What do you do for money then? I don't know about you but I am all tapped out as it is. If I decided to take another loan to go back to school then I would only be building up a larger debt. I know that I don't have an incredible amount of debt right now, but I would have a lot of debt to deal with if I pile more debt on top of my current debt...

Plus, the only thing that I could think of right now that I would want to go back to school for is a degree in writing of some sort. I wouldn't mind writing for a car magazine..

All I truly know is that I need to be making money.. and the only problem that I have with that right now is finding an enjoyable career.
 

Rennat

5psi...? haha
Dec 6, 2005
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Tracy, CA
www.myspace.com
I would try to get a Bachelors Degree. Especially if you excelled that fast through your first year... but its going to cost a lot more, but it'll pay off way more in the end.

Orrrr get a job at a dealership and have them pay for the rest of your schooling, because most will... especially places like dodge and chevy. And dont be scared off by a porsche dealer... if you have the references to prove you know your shit, they just might hire you.
 

Setheroo

^_^ got horespower?
Oct 16, 2006
285
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0
Tennessee
www.revogate.com
Rennat;928112 said:
I would try to get a Bachelors Degree. Especially if you excelled that fast through your first year... but its going to cost a lot more, but it'll pay off way more in the end.

Orrrr get a job at a dealership and have them pay for the rest of your schooling, because most will... especially places like dodge and chevy. And dont be scared off by a porsche dealer... if you have the references to prove you know your shit, they just might hire you.
A Bachelors degree sure would be nice. I had really considered it there for a while, and I plan on getting it eventually, but I really have something in my head saying that I want a place of my own already. I plan on getting a place first, then venturing back to school. I suppose it will be a little easier to get the degree if I have a means of getting it paid for, whether it be a dealer like you already mentioned, or it be myself with having my own means of funding it.

As far as references go... I feel as if I have all that I need. I did a lot of extra curricular activities while I was in college, and while I must admit it wasn't the easiest to do, it sure did pay off in the long run.

Chopstickz - Don't let life get you down - I am 100% positive that your ability of logging into this forum and knowing how to post a response on this thread is more than A LOT of people know how to do these days. So use what you got; if your life isn't on track, it can be. Oh and to explain that a little - I have witnessed quite a few people get degrees that still could not fully operate a computer and or the internetz. lol.

To be pretty honest - I wish that I wouldn't have raced through school like I did... it may have given me the head start, but it doesn't mean much at all really. I am really behind in the maturity aspect of things, most people with degrees that I know are way ahead of me in the things that really matter.. the only thing that I have the upper hand in is booksmarts. Everything else I just kinda... fail.

I will find my own way, but I really do appreciate all of the advice that I have been given here. I really look forward to finding a new job, and all of the things that come with it.
 

phoenix6

Rockin' the blades
Aug 13, 2006
1,138
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Serena's Place ;)
my whole plan is to work my way up to a master tech since they send me to school for it, over a set period of time. After that, Ill look into opening my own shop, Ive always wanted a high performance shop for imports.

one thing, for a dealership job, you are gonna see some MAJOR idiots who own cars. Like the one lady who came in 3 days ago for her FIRST oil change on her newer 07 accord..... it had 17,625 MILES!! What gets me, IS THE FUCKING CAR TELLS YOU WHEN YOU NEED SERVICE! I thought this has to be a mistake, she got it done somewhere else b4... NOPE, all signs proved car had never had it done. Its days like that.... I wanna not work there lol. Or the 16 yr old whos parents got him a Civic Si, and at 16k miles already busted a CV Boot, and fucked the thing up. Now at 20k its back getting his transmission worked on, bc he absolutely destroyed it, and then when Honda said they wont warrenty it, his parents didnt wanna pay so they took back a car that cant even leave 1st gear or go past 5mph.
 

7MsuprO

Member
Apr 29, 2006
322
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16
Huntington Beach CA/Ohio
Why not go for a bachelors degree? If you did well with your Associates, maybe you can get some financial aid. You could also stay in a dorm which would get you out of your parents house. I think that'll help with the maturity element of your life too.
 

savannahashlee

I AM A CHICK :)
Jan 15, 2008
121
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40
PDX (Oregon)
Just start looking where they're hiring.. I sell the vehicles itself.. I guess I'm fortunate because the family dealership I work for is amazing.. They treat their employees wonderfully.. Good luck and great job!
 

Setheroo

^_^ got horespower?
Oct 16, 2006
285
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Tennessee
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7MsuprO;928862 said:
Why not go for a bachelors degree? If you did well with your Associates, maybe you can get some financial aid. You could also stay in a dorm which would get you out of your parents house. I think that'll help with the maturity element of your life too.
I never want to go back to living in a dorm, that is for sure. The University where I was at had 6 people to what was basically a 2 room apartment... needless to say, it sucked. I tried it for a while and couldn't really stand it, and all of my roommates couldn't either, lol. So instead I lived in an apartment with just one roommate, and that worked out quite nicely. I have experience living on my own, my college was about 7 or 8 hours away from "home."

I have tried to get financial aid and everything, but it just didn't work out. My parents are right on the line of making too much money, and yet not having enough to just foot the bill. I paid for a majority of the college myself with what little I had, and the rest came from withdrawing out my dad's retirement fund... and it's sad to say that my dad has barely anything left out of that... although I really am thankful he has made that sacrifice for me.

Phoenix - yeah, you aren't joking when you talk about there being some real dumbasses out there that don't know how to take care of their vehicles. I must say, you have it pretty good to be having your dealership pay for most of your schooling, so good luck with all of that.

Savannah - thank you for the comments. I bet you are wonderful at selling vehicles, and unfortunately I just can't envision myself actually doing it. Too many times I have found myself swearing at the salespeople for not knowing jack about cars, and I know that there are some that are not that way, but I know of many that are that way, and I don't want to have to work with them. My old roommate works at a dealership, and everyone at the dealership is just a jackass, and because of that it made my roommate very uptight because he didn't enjoy his job at all... and it isn't like he could just switch jobs at any given time because they were about the only people that worked around his schedule. I dunno, I guess that I am just scared to get a job that I have a feeling that I wouldn't like.

I think you are pretty cool Savannah, and if all the people that sold vehicles drove a Supra like you, I would probably be applying right now. :)
 

savannahashlee

I AM A CHICK :)
Jan 15, 2008
121
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40
PDX (Oregon)
I know what you're talking about I've worked with some real assholes.. but I am very happy where I'm at now.. Granted, its still basically a "Fraternity" for Salesmen... We have to go through insane training on Nissans in order to sell them here.. Its nuts! I never thought I'd be one to sell cars either, but I love competition.. I've swore at tons of salesmen, and gotten insulted by a ton.. Most of them dont realize there is a woman who knows more about cars then them.. Thats why I started selling.. to be that other type of salesmen... its brought me a lot of money