Auto Tech vs. Auto Body Career?
Asked by M G
I'm having a little trouble thinking about what career path in the auto field I'd like to get into. I'm trying to decide between taking a career path for just a regular Auto Mechanic or going into the Auto Body field. I've always been interested in cars, but just haven't really gotten a chance to learn or work on them as much as I would have liked. I always thought I'd like to be a mechanic, but as I've thought about it more I'm not sure whether that's the best fit for me. I have a friend who works at a Cadillac dealership. I've helped him with his cars sometimes and he's helped me with some car issue's before. When I'm with him I always feel a little "in-over-my-head" because there seems to be so much that goes into a car and I just don't seem to understand it. He's always talking about things I don't really understand. I always feel a little overwhelmed by the complexity of cars! Than I thought if being a mechanic won't be right maybe I should consider an Auto Body career, which probably would better suite me. My whole family is pretty artistic and I guess I would consider myself artistic as well. I've always been good with colors. It actually took me a long time to learn color names because if I saw a "blue" that was a little bit lighter than the "blue" that my teacher was showing us, I would assume it was different color. Honestly though I've heard mixed things about going into an Auto Body career. People say its a lot harder than just being a regular mechanic sometimes. There's good pay, but it can be a difficult job. Being a mechanic has it's downsides as well. Of Course people will always need mechanical work done on their cars, despite these economic times. It doesn't seem that way in the Auto Body field. The auto classes at my local Community College start at the beginning of February. So I'll need to decide quickly in what I want to do. Currently though the Auto Collision program is just getting up and running. The program isn't as well setup as the Auto Tech programs. They don't even have facilities and equipment yet and are using a high school's shop. What do people think? Is one career path better for certain types of people? What skills are good to have in being a Auto Mechanic vs. Auto Bodyman? What are people's personal experiences in the fields? Would you suggest one or the other? I'd appreciate your thoughts and advice.

Best Answer:
I'm more into Auto Mechanics, myself, even though I'm pretty artistic. I also only have a few years of experience either way, seeing as I'm still in high school. If you're planning on getting a job sooner rather than later, Mechanics would be best. Auto Body training takes longer and is definitely harder. After all, mechanics is just taking bookwork and making it hands-on. Auto Body work is creativity, and a steady hand, for starters. Going into both would be good, too. Then you'd have both subjects under your belt and you could probably even start a business or something. The more you know, the more likely it is that you can get yourself a good job.

I cant fully answer your question as I don't live in America. I don't know what the markets like, I don't know what the demand is for body work specialists is. I know in my country (Scotland) the demand is low, people are opting more for replace rather than repair. The only people asking for body repairs are people restoring or modifying cars, and even then they tend to do it themselves. Employment is also hard, as I have worked in two garages and both have screwed me over when it comes to job safety. One minute they needed me, the next they didn't. What I can tell you though, is that painting and repairing body panels is not as easy as it sounds. One of the most important things you need to have is "Patience." In some cases expect to spend a full days work and only really make a small improvement on your project. Expect to do a full days work to then mess it all up and start from scratch. Panels need to be flat, and you need to know how to check if they are flat. Preparation upon painting needs to be brilliant. Its a general rule when painting that the better the preparation work, the better the paint finish will be. Basically what I am saying is: Neither occupation is easier then each other. They are different, but equally as hard at mastering. The paint course you are talking about sounds a bit dodgy. The course I was on was on its first year and it was a shambles. It was so unprepared I am surprised I came out with a qualification at all! Your artistic skills are useless in the bodywork career. Sure if you are putting after-market bodywork and modifying vehicles they would come in handy, but when it comes to insurance jobs and bringing something back to standard, its patience and an eagle eye for detail. You have to really look at what your doing, looking for faults in the paint job, any slight dents that haven't been quite sorted etc... there's just so much to mention, only training can make you aware!
Answered by Ally is Confused