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Salary for a mechanic?

2K views 25 replies 17 participants last post by  gamiller 
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#1 ·
Lately I've been thinking about changing jobs, as my current one sucks. So I've been thinking of going to MATC (a milwaukee tech. college) and applying for an auto maintenance technician program which is a technical diploma just to get started in my new job, then taking an associate degree program afterwards.

I was just wondering, about how much do starting mechanics make and how much can one expect to make years down the road?
 
#4 ·
Originally posted by: Keliente
Depends on where you are and what level ASE certified you are. I believe starting out, mechanics make around $30k; I read that master certified mechanics can earn up to $70-$100,000 per year.
If you are master certified and work at the right shop, $70K-$100K is a very good estimate. I have a family friend that runs a very honest and reputable shop and his head mechanic will make about $120K this year. My cousin is the head mechanic at a Lexus dealership in Oklahoma City and was making $80K/year 6 years ago!
 
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#8 ·
Most (if not all) mechanics do have to buy their own tools. But 50-100k for tools? I don't think so. Just 5-10k can get you a great set of tools and a good tool box to put them in. It's not like they have to buy their own lifts or anything like that.
 
#9 ·
yea i'm currently going to school for a B.S. in computer science....i'm in my last year and it's not looking too good. Starting salaries for CompSci majors are like $40K, only $10K more than mechanics. Pretty sad considering I have to go for 4+ years and work my butt off. I really wanna go to Lincoln Tech. There's like no jobs anywhere for anything computer-related. When I look in the classified ads in the newspapaper, I see about two columns with 'mechanic, mechanic, mechanic' There's also alot for body shop people..they make good money too, but they breathe in a lot of bad stuff. If you got all those certifications as a mechanic, you can definitely make good moula.
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Mike
 
#10 ·
i make nearly 6 figures as an IT consultant.... getting a raise next month will bump that above 100K.... and i'm only 25 years old

If you are good, IT is still the field to be in.... you don't get dirty, you get way too many perks, and i don't have to buy a single tool for myself... heck for that matter each year i get all the latest and greatest tech goodies for free... right now i'm working on a P4 1.8 laptop with 14.1 TFT screen, 2 usb, built in NIC and modem as well as video out port... if i would of gotten the laptop 1 month later it would of had the centrino chip with built in Wi-Fi also

especially with the recent large investements by major companies in their IT departments in the past 6 months the field is in a healthy rebound from 3 years ago and will only prosper from here.....

you didn't waste 4 years of your life... it may take 5-8 years before you realize that perfect job but if you stick at it and stay on top of the lastest trends, you will prosper....

only thing i can say about people in my field is there are 2 kinds of them.... thoses who get in it for the money and thoses who get in it because they love the field.... if you are of the former group you will fail miserably
 
#11 ·
Originally posted by: 99CouGSweetRide
yea i'm currently going to school for a B.S. in computer science....i'm in my last year and it's not looking too good. Starting salaries for CompSci majors are like $40K, only $10K more than mechanics. Pretty sad considering I have to go for 4+ years and work my butt off. I really wanna go to Lincoln Tech. There's like no jobs anywhere for anything computer-related. When I look in the classified ads in the newspapaper, I see about two columns with 'mechanic, mechanic, mechanic' There's also alot for body shop people..they make good money too, but they breathe in a lot of bad stuff. If you got all those certifications as a mechanic, you can definitely make good moula.
.
Mike
I've heard bad things from a few different people about Lincoln Tech. Two off the top of my head said they ended up dropping out of the program to go to a different school for their training. The one guys stated that "Lincoln Tech is a f@#$*# joke". But that's just their opinion, and maybe just the one location, the one that used to be in Oak Lawn I believe. I'm a firm believer that you have to like what you do for a living so if you truly believe that wrenching is for you, then I say go for it!
 
#13 ·
I am mechanic, i am the heavyline mechanic for the licoln/mercury dealer in my town. Heavyline is that of engine swaps rebuilds, rear ends Transmission, clutches, leakes. I do enjoy my job dearly. I went to my local Techincal school, and graduate with high honors, went to state comps and placed 2nd in states, 25th in country, but ASE means NOTHING. Shops pay for exprence. Our lead tech down at work went to tech school one year then dropped out, does not have any papers, ASE that is and he makes $110k a year no probs. Knowledge is power not a piece of paper. Everyone can have a piece of paper but it is the person that uses personal exprence. I go to him quite often for stuff. $30 k upnorth is about right starting here in FL $20k is starting it seems.
 
#14 ·
Originally posted by: Miez
make nearly 6 figures as an IT consultant
Thats in CANADIAN dollars Pierre....:evil:

I make 7 figures in Pesos......:)
actually thoses are US dollars :)... so that's like 8 figures in pesos :)
 
#15 ·
I graduated from a 2 year automotive program about 6 months ago. Great program, but NO school can teach as well as actual experience. As for tools, I have about $4500 invested in tools and a box. Make sure you take a very good look at the area you live in for the job market. Where I live, a lot of mechanics are starving right now. To many people are buying brand new cars with extended warrenties. This is all fine and good for the dealerships, but if you work at an independant shop it kinda sucks. I work at a high perf/custom/bodyshop and really lucked out with the job. GREAT experience, and fun work. Bad pay unfortunatly, but hopefully the experience will pay off in the long run. If you DO work at a dealership, plan on doing a LOT of oil changes, etc before you get into the heavier work. Also make sure the "flat rate" system works for you. Thats basically where you make a fixed rate for how many hours you book. This is determined by the job. if it takes you 1 hour to do a 2 hour job, you just made out rather well. But if you take 12 hours to do a 3 hour job, you just lost out bigtime. Also think about the future. Do you really want to be getting all greasy/dirty, and be doing moderate pysical labor when you get older?

Honestly, if you love cars and thats your biggest hobby, you might want to NOT do that as a career. You might think that you are gonna love it, and then work on your own car, but you will probably just get burned out on everything and your car will just end up in pieces and be a project that never gets finished. I have seen this happen with a decent number of mechanics that I know. I really wish I would have stayed in college, and finished my chem/pharmeceutical degree. I get to work on and drive bad ass cars, but I really wonder if in the long run it will be worth it. Unfortunatly hindsight is 20/20. Thats just me though.
 
#16 ·
For the pay it matters how quick you can get the cars out the door. The more work you do, the more you make. I was only a mechanic for about 3 years (professionally) the pay varies depending on how much business the shop does too. If you are serious about it, go to school for a Mercedes or BMW auto. You will have to go to school for longer, but BMW is in great need of specially certified BMW mechanics and are starting pay at close to a 6 figure.
 
#17 ·
Originally posted by: PuckPuck
only thing i can say about people in my field is there are 2 kinds of them.... thoses who get in it for the money and thoses who get in it because they love the field.... if you are of the former group you will fail miserably
I'm in the former group with no college degree, been here for 5 years still going strong, worked at several of the top IT company names in the business and I'm not anywhere near failing. ;)
 
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#19 ·
HAHA Lincoln Tech is a big joke. I went there and graduated (still not worth spending 20G's on it). Now Im in VW Tech school, they pay for me to go to their school, they pay for my room/board/food and when I graduate with all my ASE's my starting pay will be around $60K, not bad for a 21 y/o. Right now I work for a vw dealership making around 35K and have 2 of my ase's certs.
 
#20 ·
I would love to be a certified mechanic. But I would like
to do that because I love working on cars (love/hate thing)
but I wouldn't do it because you want the money.

I just don't think that's a good way to go about your job. I know it sounds stupid
but I chose my profession based on what I liked to do. I love designing
things illustrating and technical work. Bam 3 straight years through college
got my B.A. got a nice job running things.....laid off for 5 months (doing freelance
to support wife and I) then got back in the field making a lil more money. I don't
make 6 figures but everyday I wake up happy to come to work.

I can honestly say I love my job. I design posters banners ads sellsheets and alot more
for companies like McCain, Cheesecake Factory, Cargill, Trinchero, Burger King bnnrs, Kelloggs,
Sara Lee and tons more. It's fun and yes I get tons of free food.:biggrin:

Also Puck I saw something on our IT door here at work

"There are 10 different kinds of people in the world, people
that understand binary and people who don't"

I thought that was funny.
 
#21 ·
"There are 10 different kinds of people in the world, people that understand binary and people who don't"
that's great!

Mike
 
#22 ·
Originally posted by: Se7enCentz
HAHA Lincoln Tech is a big joke. I went there and graduated (still not worth spending 20G's on it). Now Im in VW Tech school, they pay for me to go to their school, they pay for my room/board/food and when I graduate with all my ASE's my starting pay will be around $60K, not bad for a 21 y/o. Right now I work for a vw dealership making around 35K and have 2 of my ase's certs.
funny...my friend went to Lincoln Tech and he now works at a VW dealership.

Mike
 
#23 ·
my dad is a retired mechanic... meaning he had his own shop and now he rents it out- and he built 2 lifts at our house for his cars that he restores.. he never really told me how much he made- but he retired at 38-39... so im guessing they make good money (if i had to guess it would be about what kelly said too)
 
#24 ·
Originally posted by: Neil
IT is information technology, right? Puck what company do you work for and what kind of work exaclty is it you do?
I work for a software company out of San Francisco called Actuate ... they make some reporting software for global 9000 companies... basically it rides on data warehouses and the likes and reports on the info... typically we'll sell a large contract and i'll go do the work to implement the software, design the application and/or get the client started in the right direction
 
#25 ·
Since jobs and money are being thrown out there.

My dad works as an SRO at a nuclear power plant. He got his nuclear background from the Navy. He's knocking on the door of $130k a year. I think 4 years of college can net you an instant SRO, my dad started as an AO, then RO, now SRO. Next would be shift supervisor, but its a different type of job, and not what my dad would want to do.

Being an SRO is great. Every 5th week you get a week off. Schedule is like, work 4 days, off 2, work 5 off 1, work 6 off 1, work 3 off 3, just depends, LOTS of time off.......its insane. But you also have 13 hour shifts.

EDIT, AO, and RO have the same type schedule deal.
 
#26 ·
Originally posted by: PuckPuck
i make nearly 6 figures as an IT consultant.... getting a raise next month will bump that above 100K.... and i'm only 25 years old

only thing i can say about people in my field is there are 2 kinds of them.... thoses who get in it for the money and thoses who get in it because they love the field.... if you are of the former group you will fail miserably
that's excellent! i'm 28 and i'm making ~$65K as an IT consultant after working four years. part of the problem may be that i've been with the same company since graduating college.

there's a third kind of people in your field: those who don't love the field or the money. :( i need to get out, but i dunno what else to do. i've spent nine years of my life learning/doing this stuff...
 
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