Thinking about an internship

its nice you want to learn and work for free we definately need more teens like you in the world. Unfortunately the path you picked is not easy. Detailing for a bodyshop is not the same detailing we do here because everything you use would have to be bodyshop safe. I would suggest if college is not for you maybe an autobody or automechanic school is an option. After you complete any of the two more doors and options are available to you.
 
Go for it Bill. If you can talk them into a minimum wage that's great but if not go for the internship. You may learn skills that will help you later in life.
 
Do it man, I am currently Detailing on the side. I am also going to College.

Say you become the greatest Detailer in the world. Then great for you, you earned it.

But being the greatest Detailer in the world with a Bachelor's Degree is even greater.

You could even be a Detailing Dr.
If you stick with it :)

Good Luck, and props for trying!
 
Phathooddetail said:
its nice you want to learn and work for free we definately need more teens like you in the world. Unfortunately the path you picked is not easy. Detailing for a bodyshop is not the same detailing we do here because everything you use would have to be bodyshop safe.
Click to expand...

Wouldnt body shop safe mean voc compliant?
 
Here is how it is, there is a 95 percent chance (my guess). That the idea of auto repair is considered hazardous meaning I cant work their till im 18. Im 17 now, (sorry if I got my age wrong). I feel that this is not right as accidents can happen anywhere on a job. However, I guess CT feels that lets be safe rather then sorry. I might wait a year and ask about a job to accept a big learning curve , but I could help in the shop maybe next year
 
You might ask them I f your parents sign a waiver releasing them from all liability would that work? I would for my kid given that If I knew teh garage, and how it was run, I trused the people. Like you said, Accidents can happen in your driveway.
 
At my seasonal job, I delt with a chainsaw, they also asked me to drive the forklift. I said no. I did not want to learn and it says on OSHA or Ct employment that I cannot use one until im 17. DANGER right there. I also understand that cars have chemicals that dont belong in your smoothie, so --dont breathe them in or dont huff them
 
Bill:

Only you can decide where your interests actually lie. If it is learning about auto repair, you should find a way to do that. If it is college, you can always do that as well.

I still ask people that are middle aged and older "what do you want to be when you grow up?" And, many of them point at something that they never got to do.

When I was in my early teens, it was dangerous for me to have a screwdriver. I could easily punch a hole in my hand with one. Because my dad was one of the pioneers in the computer industry, I got exposed to that at a very early age. 7th grade science project was writing programs for a payroll system. Very few people even knew what a computer was. Electronics, no problem. Anything mechanical, I was a disaster waiting to happen. I tore apart clocks, radios, televisions, etc. What I didn't usually do was put them back together.

When I was 16, I got a job in a service station, primarily to pump gas, wash windows, check oil, clean the bathrooms, etc.

A father and son owned the business. Dad realized I had a lot of potential, and he started teaching me things. We started with oil changes, then tire repair, tune-ups, brake jobs, starters, power steering, differentials, radiators, manual transmissions. When I got my first car, I tore the engine apart, redid bearings and rings and made it run again. I even learned how to use an arc welder. Replaced body parts, parts of the frame and even painted it.

When I got out of school, father had kicked out son (drug problems), and offered me a job as a mechanic. I already had a job lined up as a mainframe computer operator. He offered me double what the computer job paid. I thought long and hard about it, as I really enjoyed working on cars. I had the foresight to realize that 5 years into the future, as a mechanic I'd be making relatively the same amount of money, but with a career in technology the sky was the limit. Turned him down.

But, during those years, I went from a complete klutz, to someone who could tear apart and put together just about anything.

I didn't choose that as a career field, but I've been forever grateful for the experience and the mechanical skills I acquired.

Since everyone seems to want to go to college, there's a real shortage of people who have craft skills in many disciplines.

Since our economic system really is about supply and demand, there are lots of jobs that college guys are "too good" to do. If no one learns how to do them, the demand will outstrip the supply and up go the wages.

Right now, you should be exposing yourself to anything and everything that seems interesting to you. Optimally, your career should reflect your passions in life. I'm 61, and I haven't dreaded going to work a single day in my entire adult life. When you love what you do, it isn't a "J-O-B".

Jim

PS - it would still be a lot easier for people to help you on this forum, if you would give them the complete information up front.
 
Bill1234 said:
Wouldnt body shop safe mean voc compliant?
Click to expand...

nah its not the same. voc compliant is more of a safety precaution of explosions or fire risks things like that. body shop safe is more towards the painting aspect of the body shop like a lot of detailing products have silcone in it which is a big no no in the body shop or anywhere around the body shop. It is possible on a windy day you drive to a body shop and have silcone dressings on your car in the parking lot can effect a painter booth and cause fisheyes in the paint. yeah the chances are small that would happen but when your talking doing paint jobs and spending over $500 to paint a vehicle and someone brings in a bottle of wax with silicone and then the body shop just ate that $500 then they decontaminate the shop so it doesnt continue. Issues like that is why detailing is not a strong point at a body shop
 
This is also where a detailer with knowledge about paint can make good money if you know the limits of polishing fresh paint and not sealing for 30-90 days depending on the system and paints/clear the bodyshop uses. Personally i would wait 90 days before i seal it and just polish as need be
 
My uncle went from, Detailing, prepping, some body work, painting, now he manages the whole shop.

He estimates and a whole bunch of other things as well.
 
Phathooddetail said:
if you know the limits of polishing fresh paint and not sealing for 30-90 days depending on the system and paints/clear the bodyshop uses. Personally i would wait 90 days before i seal it and just polish as need be
Click to expand...

This is a point I have commented on numerous times to the Idiots on YT showing people how "not"'to paint, sand and seal. So many people have no Idea that no matter what paint is on a car, it needs to "gas" out for that few months. Polish polish, but no wax or sealer.
 
After going back and forth in choice, I went over to the auto repair place and said I do detail work and I also would like to intern for free. They said they dont have alot right now but they will see later, meanwhile I saw like 30 cars in the front
 
That was a polite brush off. Ill bet one of their own guys has a sideline doing it or gets a kick back for sending them to a place.
 
Bill,

I think it was Jim that mentioned the shortage of skilled tradesmen these days. That is the one thing (so far) I got out of this thread that makes the most sense. In fact, some high schools and even 2 and 4 year colleges are now offering auto related courses. Things like welding, and especially "old school" trades like metal fabrication. Not just welding two pieces together, but actually using a hammer, and a wheel to shape metal. Real old school hot rod building and the people that KNOW HOW TO DO IT are a dying breed. The guys out there are literally old and dying (compared to what there were just 20 years ago). Take a guy that knows how to shape metal into a fender, or French headlights and tail lights, and truly fabricate and that guy will make a decent income for as long as he cares to stay in the business.

Now as far as working as a free internship. You shouldn't be doing that at your age. If you're working, get paid for it, period.

You do seem like you are thinking about a degree, and that's fine. But... keep in mind that there are more college educated people with degree's out there today that are OUT OF WORK than at any time in our history. The economy is one thing, but a lot of that is due to the fact that they got useless degrees just for the sake of getting that piece of paper. Whatever you do, DO NOT get caught up in that rat race.

My daughter just got married Saturday, and she graduated college in 2010. Back then she was pre-law but by the time all was said and done she decided to go straight to work rather than bite off half a million in student debt going to Law School. Thing is she ended up going into retail, not because it was the only thing she could get, but because she was good at it. She's now a store manager for a national clothing chain and HATES IT! She'll be back from her honey moon this weekend, and in less than a month is quitting and going back to school. She's doing a 2 year course as a certified paralegal that'll pay (when she gets out) a minimum of $10K more than what she's making now. While that isn't great, especially considering what she'll lose by not working for $18.50 an hour till then. What it DOES DO is give her a Monday ~ Friday job, no weekends, no holidays, no nights. It also means she isn't expected to get paid for 40 hours but have to work 60.

You should start studying what field you want to get into, NOW. Don't wait till your senior year and then start trying to figure it out. Also, there is nothing AT ALL wrong with working as a volunteer when it's a civic minded organization. College entrance administrators look closely at what the applicants have done BEFORE they get to college. Take two identical students from the same high school, same age, sex, same grades, same classes. One didn't work at all, and wasn't a part of school extracurricular activities. The other worked a little part time job, but was involved in Student Council, worked on the yearbook, volunteered at his church feeding the hungry, even worked with the community in some random civic duty. Guess which one gets admitted to his first choice college?

Being as you are indeed interested in cars, (and believe me Bill I think that is AWESOME) it might be a good to start checking into colleges and/or trade schools that do offer the courses I mentioned above. You've already gotten input from guys that have "turned wrenches" for a living and they'll tell you it isn't exactly something that most guys are fired up about. In my 18 years owing a towing service I knew thousands of those guys. The ONLY ONES that I knew that were anywhere near happy where they worked were the ones at the BMW and Mercedes dealerships. That being said, the MB Techs were constantly changing jobs! I actually had to put together a "tool box moving kit" with hundreds of dollars worth of various straps, pads, floor mats, etc. to be able to move their massive tool boxes from one shop to another. I became known around Atlanta as THE "go to guy" for moving those 2, 3, 4 ton boxes. (Because I did it right, didn't hook chains to the boxes, and never EVER damaged one.) So yeah... some guys did get to make the big bucks and they'd be the ones that never moved. The others... they'd move from one shop to another chasing more money, then end up a year later moving back to where they came from. (Go figure....) :dunno:
 
Bill,

I think it was Jim that mentioned the shortage of skilled tradesmen these days. That is the one thing (so far) I got out of this thread that makes the most sense. In fact, some high schools and even 2 and 4 year colleges are now offering auto related courses. Things like welding, and especially "old school" trades like metal fabrication. Not just welding two pieces together, but actually using a hammer, and a wheel to shape metal. Real old school hot rod building and the people that KNOW HOW TO DO IT are a dying breed. The guys out there are literally old and dying (compared to what there were just 20 years ago). Take a guy that knows how to shape metal into a fender, or French headlights and tail lights, and truly fabricate and that guy will make a decent income for as long as he cares to stay in the business.

Now as far as working as a free internship. You shouldn't be doing that at your age. If you're working, get paid for it, period.

You do seem like you are thinking about a degree, and that's fine. But... keep in mind that there are more college educated people with degree's out there today that are OUT OF WORK than at any time in our history. The economy is one thing, but a lot of that is due to the fact that they got useless degrees just for the sake of getting that piece of paper. Whatever you do, DO NOT get caught up in that rat race.

My daughter just got married Saturday, and she graduated college in 2010. Back then she was pre-law but by the time all was said and done she decided to go straight to work rather than bite off half a million in student debt going to Law School. Thing is she ended up going into retail, not because it was the only thing she could get, but because she was good at it. She's now a store manager for a national clothing chain and HATES IT! She'll be back from her honey moon this weekend, and in less than a month is quitting and going back to school. She's doing a 2 year course as a certified paralegal that'll pay (when she gets out) a minimum of $10K more than what she's making now. While that isn't great, especially considering what she'll lose by not working for $18.50 an hour till then. What it DOES DO is give her a Monday ~ Friday job, no weekends, no holidays, no nights. It also means she isn't expected to get paid for 40 hours but have to work 60.

You should start studying what field you want to get into, NOW. Don't wait till your senior year and then start trying to figure it out. Also, there is nothing AT ALL wrong with working as a volunteer when it's a civic minded organization. College entrance administrators look closely at what the applicants have done BEFORE they get to college. Take two identical students from the same high school, same age, sex, same grades, same classes. One didn't work at all, and wasn't a part of school extracurricular activities. The other worked a little part time job, but was involved in Student Council, worked on the yearbook, volunteered at his church feeding the hungry, even worked with the community in some random civic duty. Guess which one gets admitted to his first choice college?

Being as you are indeed interested in cars, (and believe me Bill I think that is AWESOME) it might be a good to start checking into colleges and/or trade schools that do offer the courses I mentioned above. You've already gotten input from guys that have "turned wrenches" for a living and they'll tell you it isn't exactly something that most guys are fired up about. In my 18 years owing a towing service I knew thousands of those guys. The ONLY ONES that I knew that were anywhere near happy where they worked were the ones at the BMW and Mercedes dealerships. That being said, the MB Techs were constantly changing jobs! I actually had to put together a "tool box moving kit" with hundreds of dollars worth of various straps, pads, floor mats, etc. to be able to move their massive tool boxes from one shop to another. I became known around Atlanta as THE "go to guy" for moving those 2, 3, 4 ton boxes. (Because I did it right, didn't hook chains to the boxes, and never EVER damaged one.) So yeah... some guys did get to make the big bucks and they'd be the ones that never moved. The others... they'd move from one shop to another chasing more money, then end up a year later moving back to where they came from. (Go figure....) :dunno:
 
I am certified as an estimator (took a college course) I also took an auto body 101 class just for kicks.

Didn't really care much for it, The teacher just asked me if I was willing to buff out other teachers cars. I even wet sanded a students car. (This I did enjoy doing and got an A in the class) lol

Wow now that I think about it I was 23-24. Idk hard to remember my memory is all screwed up. I even forget the post I have already posted at times. Lol

Sorry guys if i repeated this already.

I am forklift driver certified as well haha

Next I am pursuing getting PPG certified.

If you want to keep pursuing Auto Body look for a community college that offers these courses.
 
Whatever you decide to do, I think one of the keys to having a successful life is being able to grow in your career field, perhaps even to the point of becoming an entrepreneur (wow, I even spelled it right!)

Let me give you a few examples of people I know starting with me.

First technology job I had wasn't a whole lot of fun. And it was only a summer job while I was in college. I was working for people who were more than willing for me to take on more and more of the workload, but then tried to put me in a box (they were afraid of me making them unneeded).

My dad sat me down and gave me what I think is the most important piece of wisdom I ever got. He told me that the key to being successful was to use my skills to help make everyone around me successful. Didn't matter whether they were superior, peer or subordinate. Don't keep knowledge secret, just keep learning and stay ahead of the people around you by learning more.

So, path of my career.
1. (1973) Mainframe computer operator
2. (1974) Supervisor of Computer Operations ($90 million per year company)
Moved from Chicago to Phoenix
3. (1976) Manager of Computer Operations ($100 million company)
4. (1983) Director of Information Technology (same company, now up to $200 million per year
Company acquired by Carson, Pirie Scott of Chicago (Fortune 100 at the time)
5. (1988) Database Design and Training consultant - (U-Haul) 88 on the Fortune 100 list
6. (1989) Vice President of IT and Corporate Officer - IT (U-Haul) total annual budget under my control $45 million
7. (1993) Consultant - International Atomic Energy Agency - Department of Safeguards (Vienna, Austria) - Design, build and implement most of the systems used by the Nuclear Inspectors
8. (1998) - Consultant, and then half owner of a Multi-Level Marketing Company in Dallas TX
9. (2000) - VP of Logistics Talentsoft Hong Kong(I was actually a consultant, but they gave me the title to interact with the executive levels that I needed to be a peer to, in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
10. (2001) Consultant to Enron (5 on the Fortune 100 list) - designed the databases and systems that move natural gas through the pipelines throughout the US (mostly to power plants)

9/11 made me think a lot about all the time I spent on airplanes and I decided I didn't want to travel that much any more.

2004 Got rid of MLM ownership to concentrate on my interests.
11. (2004) Owner of all Arizona franchises for a computer repair company called Geeks On Call. (Chairman of the Franchise Advisory Council)
12. (2008) Back to individual consultant with about 70 Small Business customers.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because, when opportunity knocked I always answered the door. I never looked for any of those positions except the first one, they all managed to find me. Not a bad career for someone who wasn't sure what they wanted to be when they grew up. I couldn't have planned that career if I tried. And, I never moved from Phoenix. All of the places I've been have been temporary assignments. Some lasted a long time, but home was still Phoenix. The field I'm in has changed dramatically in the course of my career. I know a lot of people who gave up and found different ways to make a living. I decided to help make the technology change, and stayed in the same field my entire life.

Example 2
One of my clients owns a high tech machine shop. It is far beyond a client relationship, and I would count him as a good friend.

Started his career at Northrup Grumman, running machines in a machine shop.

Opportunity knocked, and he decided he could have his own machine shop. What did he make? Most of the aftermarket heat sinks for Intel and AMD computer chips.

He also does a lot of custom machining projects for individual companies. Yes, he has made parts that have been on the space shuttles, and the ISS.

As that business matured, he needed some new lines for his CNC based shop (several million dollars worth of equipment)

He found a niche in the professional level paintball market. That division of his company is called Custom Products, and you will find their products (and banners) in almost every Paintball store in the US, and bunches of them in Europe. He sponsors a lot of tournaments, and goes to many of them.

He also ended up with a customer who sells most of the equipment people use to re-load ammunition, and business is booming. He manufactures much of the equipment they sell.

Again, someone with entrepreneurial spirit, who was willing to take some chances, and try new things.

Example 3
Another client I would consider a friend.

Started as an auto mechanic.
Worked for a chain of auto repair clinics in Memphis and worked his way up to store manager.
Decided he wanted to run his own business, but had a non-compete agreement.
Moved to Phoenix, and found an investor who believed in him.
Created a business called Car Life that is, to say the least, a high end experience for every customer who walks in the store to get their car repaired. Opened first store in Glendale AZ area in 2009. Used that store to refine business and marketing techniques.
2011 - opened second store in Scottsdale, AZ
2012 - opened third store in Gilbert, AZ
2013 - opening fourth store in Goodyear, AZ
Plans for perhaps 50 stores.

What do all of these people in completely different businesses have in common?

Paying attention to opportunity when it knocks
Mostly associating with winners.
Not viewing their profession as a job, rather as steps in a career.
Doing excellent work for their clients.

No one gets to start out at the top of their field. Hard work, dedication to detail, willingness to put in extra effort, and not getting bogged down in the mundane day to day life. You have to market yourself every day. That doesn't mean blowing your own horn. It means being someone that everyone around you relies on to get things done. That's why the lesson from my dad was the most important thing I ever learned.

You can be whatever you want when you grow up. Pick your field, and figure out how to excel at it. Just be sure that you're passionate about it.

Jim
 
Last edited:
jgg85234 said:
Whatever you decide to do, I think one of the keys to having a successful life is being able to grow in your career field, perhaps even to the point of becoming an entrepreneur (wow, I even spelled it right!)

Let me give you a few examples of people I know starting with me.

First technology job I had wasn't a whole lot of fun. And it was only a summer job while I was in college. I was working for people who were more than willing for me to take on more and more of the workload, but then tried to put me in a box (they were afraid of me making them unneeded).

My dad sat me down and gave me what I think is the most important piece of wisdom I ever got. He told me that the key to being successful was to use my skills to help make everyone around me successful. Didn't matter whether they were superior, peer or subordinate. Don't keep knowledge secret, just keep learning and stay ahead of the people around you by learning more.

So, path of my career.
1. (1973) Mainframe computer operator
2. (1974) Supervisor of Computer Operations ($90 million per year company)
Moved from Chicago to Phoenix
3. (1976) Manager of Computer Operations ($100 million company)
4. (1983) Director of Information Technology (same company, now up to $200 million per year
Company acquired by Carson, Pirie Scott of Chicago (Fortune 100 at the time)
5. (1988) Database Design and Training consultant - (U-Haul) 88 on the Fortune 100 list
6. (1989) Vice President of IT and Corporate Officer - IT (U-Haul) total annual budget under my control $45 million
7. (1993) Consultant - International Atomic Energy Agency - Department of Safeguards (Vienna, Austria) - Design, build and implement most of the systems used by the Nuclear Inspectors
8. (1998) - Consultant, and then half owner of a Multi-Level Marketing Company in Dallas TX
9. (2000) - VP of Logistics Talentsoft Hong Kong(I was actually a consultant, but they gave me the title to interact with the executive levels that I needed to be a peer to, in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
10. (2001) Consultant to Enron (5 on the Fortune 100 list) - designed the databases and systems that move natural gas through the pipelines throughout the US (mostly to power plants)

9/11 made me think a lot about all the time I spent on airplanes and I decided I didn't want to travel that much any more.

2004 Got rid of MLM ownership to concentrate on my interests.
11. (2004) Owner of all Arizona franchises for a computer repair company called Geeks On Call. (Chairman of the Franchise Advisory Council)
12. (2008) Back to individual consultant with about 70 Small Business customers.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because, when opportunity knocked I always answered the door. I never looked for any of those positions except the first one, they all managed to find me. Not a bad career for someone who wasn't sure what they wanted to be when they grew up. I couldn't have planned that career if I tried. And, I never moved from Phoenix. All of the places I've been have been temporary assignments. Some lasted a long time, but home was still Phoenix. The field I'm in has changed dramatically in the course of my career. I know a lot of people who gave up and found different ways to make a living. I decided to help make the technology change, and stayed in the same field my entire life.

Example 2
One of my clients owns a high tech machine shop. It is far beyond a client relationship, and I would count him as a good friend.

Started his career at Northrup Grumman, running machines in a machine shop.

Opportunity knocked, and he decided he could have his own machine shop. What did he make? Most of the aftermarket heat sinks for Intel and AMD computer chips.

He also does a lot of custom machining projects for individual companies. Yes, he has made parts that have been on the space shuttles, and the ISS.

As that business matured, he needed some new lines for his CNC based shop (several million dollars worth of equipment)

He found a niche in the professional level paintball market. That division of his company is called Custom Products, and you will find their products (and banners) in almost every Paintball store in the US, and bunches of them in Europe. He sponsors a lot of tournaments, and goes to many of them.

He also ended up with a customer who sells most of the equipment people use to re-load ammunition, and business is booming. He manufactures much of the equipment they sell.

Again, someone with entrepreneurial spirit, who was willing to take some chances, and try new things.

Example 3
Another client I would consider a friend.

Started as an auto mechanic.
Worked for a chain of auto repair clinics in Memphis and worked his way up to store manager.
Decided he wanted to run his own business, but had a non-compete agreement.
Moved to Phoenix, and found an investor who believed in him.
Created a business called Car Life that is, to say the least, a high end experience for every customer who walks in the store to get their car repaired. Opened first store in Glendale AZ area in 2009. Used that store to refine business and marketing techniques.
2011 - opened second store in Scottsdale, AZ
2012 - opened third store in Gilbert, AZ
2013 - opening fourth store in Goodyear, AZ
Plans for perhaps 50 stores.

What do all of these people in completely different businesses have in common?

Paying attention to opportunity when it knocks
Mostly associating with winners.
Not viewing their profession as a job, rather as steps in a career.
Doing excellent work for their clients.

No one gets to start out at the top of their field. Hard work, dedication to detail, willingness to put in extra effort, and not getting bogged down in the mundane day to day life. You have to market yourself every day. That doesn't mean blowing your own horn. It means being someone that everyone around you relies on to get things done. That's why the lesson from my dad was the most important thing I ever learned.

You can be whatever you want when you grow up. Pick your field, and figure out how to excel at it. Just be sure that you're passionate about it.

Jim
Click to expand...

This was a great read, thank you

Art
 
Another example from another field.

Guy who worked for a company that sold car care products. Worked hard at creating an environment where he could help other people to do specific tasks on a professional level. Hit the ceiling where he was at, and went out on his own.

Ultimately moved from the west coast to the east coast.

Has made quite a name for himself in the industry, not by telling everyone how wonderful he was, but rather helping everyone around him to be successful. He even gets on TV periodically.

Who?

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/off-topic/4688-mike-
phillips-left-meguiars.html

Mike Phillips' New Opportunity...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/company-forum-news-headlines/18897-mike-phillips-joins-autogeek-net.html

No matter what field you choose, if you have a passion for being the best at what you do, and help the people around you to be successful, your reputation will spread far and wide.

It's not just what you know, it's also who you know, and what they think of you. It's also who knows you (or of you), and decides that they want you on their team. Sharing your passion for what you do builds your reputation.

For any given field, someone has to be the best. Frequently, it's more than one, but, in general, only a few people in any given profession have the reputation of being the best.

If you choose what you do wisely, and make the determination that you are going to be the best at what you do, the world will have a place for you.

Jim
 
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