So...I'm supposed to be learning a trade..

[Acorus]

Well, I've been surfing the boards now for about 2 years, I think. I introduced myself a while back. (But I never post much) And now I'm finishing High school, and I'm supposed to go to college to get my "Edjoomacashun" (I'm from Indiana, gitcher corn)
My parents expect me to do something involving computers, blah blah blah. But I love cars, working on them, driving them, hell, just looking at some gives me chills.

I'm looking for some advice, from some outside sources, not from college recruiters. All that's bull anyway.


I'd kill to have a performance job, but I figured getting a performance job is like finding a needle in a hay stack.

Any input is greatly appreciated, thanks for reading.

[dodgeneon00]

Hey if you want to go to a good school for being a mechanic, try UTI. there is one in Glendale Heights, Illinois. My buddy went there, it took him less than a year and now he makes $22 an hour as a parts manager for Toyota in Wisconsin. If you are serious about being a mechanic I would say, try UTI.

[OverDrive418]

My parents expect me to do something involving computers, blah blah blah. But I love cars, working on them, driving them, hell, just looking at some gives me chills.

At the rate it's going, and with your age, it might turn out you and your parents goals will be one and the same. Everyday more and more cars are getting more computer controlled systems and I'm going to bet that it won't be that long before we commuters will be telling the car where to go and it will drive us there without us doing much of anything but sitting there.

At the least auto computer tuning is going to be a big demand as long as people are still modding cars.

Do yourself (and all of us too) a favor and look into it. In a few years we could all be your customers!

[-Devil-]

having computer knowledge can help on car repair .. esp when it comes to tuning them ...


i can say from experience though ... get a degree in a job field that can pay the bills ... then use that money to fund your hobbies ...

it can be a failure waiting to happen if you take something you enjoy and try to make a living at doing it ...

i work on computers ... and i hate them ... but it pays the bills ... which gives me money for other stuff that i do enjoy doing ...

[kevo]

My parents expect me to do something involving computers, blah blah blah. But I love cars, working on them, driving them, hell, just looking at some gives me chills.

At the rate it's going, and with your age, it might turn out you and your parents goals will be one and the same. Everyday more and more cars are getting more computer controlled systems and I'm going to bet that it won't be that long before we commuters will be telling the car where to go and it will drive us there without us doing much of anything but sitting there.

At the least auto computer tuning is going to be a big demand as long as people are still modding cars.

Do yourself (and all of us too) a favor and look into it. In a few years we could all be your customers!

exactly, if i were you i would get into a basic computer programming course. As you go along i would suggest begin learning about hardware and embedded systems. An Embedded systems engineer is someone who develops software for hardware. This software controls all things on the hardware side. This is found in all sorts of (semi)-portable systems like car ECUs, Ipods, video game consoles, cellphones, digital radios, cameras and even washing machines. By the time you get out of school there is seriously going to be a market for embedded systems programmers. Things are getting smaller and more portable every year.

Windows has recently began a nice sized branch and is planning on more complex "carputer" technology. We can already see this with it's initial offering from GM called Microsoft Sync. The toyota hybrids also have a tremendously complex computer and an extensionable multimedia system. Lexus has a very complex system that allows certain high end vehicles to parallel park themselves. All of this involves creating complex software that goes into their own specialized hardware. Many other car manufacturers such as WV plan to follow suite very soon.

Let's not forget that many of these same breed of programmers also make ECU hacks, piggybacks and lots of other car ECU mods.

[jrumann59]

having computer knowledge can help on car repair .. esp when it comes to tuning them ...


i can say from experience though ... get a degree in a job field that can pay the bills ... then use that money to fund your hobbies ...

it can be a failure waiting to happen if you take something you enjoy and try to make a living at doing it ...

i work on computers ... and i hate them ... but it pays the bills ... which gives me money for other stuff that i do enjoy doing ...

While this point is valid, I am from the school of thought do what you love you will be more motivated to be excellent at it. I have done jobs I hated or used to bridge to the next and every morning I dreaded getting out of bed.

[Acorus]

My parents expect me to do something involving computers, blah blah blah. But I love cars, working on them, driving them, hell, just looking at some gives me chills.

At the rate it's going, and with your age, it might turn out you and your parents goals will be one and the same. Everyday more and more cars are getting more computer controlled systems and I'm going to bet that it won't be that long before we commuters will be telling the car where to go and it will drive us there without us doing much of anything but sitting there.

At the least auto computer tuning is going to be a big demand as long as people are still modding cars.

Do yourself (and all of us too) a favor and look into it. In a few years we could all be your customers!

exactly, if i were you i would get into a basic computer programming course. As you go along i would suggest begin learning about hardware and embedded systems. An Embedded systems engineer is someone who develops software for hardware. This software controls all things on the hardware side. This is found in all sorts of (semi)-portable systems like car ECUs, Ipods, video game consoles, cellphones, digital radios, cameras and even washing machines. By the time you get out of school there is seriously going to be a market for embedded systems programmers. Things are getting smaller and more portable every year.

Windows has recently began a nice sized branch and is planning on more complex "carputer" technology. We can already see this with it's initial offering from GM called Microsoft Sync. The toyota hybrids also have a tremendously complex computer and an extensionable multimedia system. Lexus has a very complex system that allows certain high end vehicles to parallel park themselves. All of this involves creating complex software that goes into their own specialized hardware. Many other car manufacturers such as WV plan to follow suite very soon.

Let's not forget that many of these same breed of programmers also make ECU hacks, piggybacks and lots of other car ECU mods.

This has completely sparked my interest.

having computer knowledge can help on car repair .. esp when it comes to tuning them ...


i can say from experience though ... get a degree in a job field that can pay the bills ... then use that money to fund your hobbies ...

it can be a failure waiting to happen if you take something you enjoy and try to make a living at doing it ...

i work on computers ... and i hate them ... but it pays the bills ... which gives me money for other stuff that i do enjoy doing ...

While this point is valid, I am from the school of thought do what you love you will be more motivated to be excellent at it. I have done jobs I hated or used to bridge to the next and every morning I dreaded getting out of bed.

I completely agree, and is exactly why I don't want to be stuck in a cubicle..

[-Devil-]

i am not in a cubicle, i set my own hours, even set my own pay ... on some days i am just driving around for half of the day .. others i am sitting at a computer and surfing the internet ...

when i say i hate computers it is from a philosophical view, i think everyone is to dependant on them.

the only reason i keep working with them, is because i like helping others and teaching people how to do stuff.

[rOniN]

I love to fly and I will be doing that for the rest of my worklife...that will pay the bills and fund all of my other toys and on top of that I wont hate going to work.

As for going to school...go to Purdue and major in Mechanical Engineering or do Interdisciplinary Engineering (you can create your own degree practically). That will put you in the field and you can go from there. Your parents will be happy and you will be able to work with cars.

The school is hard but it pays when you get out.

[Acorus]

I love to fly and I will be doing that for the rest of my worklife...that will pay the bills and fund all of my other toys and on top of that I wont hate going to work.

As for going to school...go to Purdue and major in Mechanical Engineering or do Interdisciplinary Engineering (you can create your own degree practically). That will put you in the field and you can go from there. Your parents will be happy and you will be able to work with cars.

The school is hard but it pays when you get out.

That probably wont happen.
I got busted at a party there once...
No doubt I'll still apply
They even have an Embedded Systems Engineering program at a sister school.

I was looking into Indiana Tech, they seemed decent

[rOniN]

Everyone gets busted at parties...it has nothing to do with getting in...now it could give you an early exit though.