Mechanic course

Romana86

Hi guys,

I am hoping to find some guidance here. I am looking at the option to become a mechanic and I was looking online and it seems like the Automotive Technology course in CIT (Cork) seems like a good option. What do you guys think? It's a two year course but I am wondering what would the next step be after the course? Further study? Work placement?

Just trying to figure out what to do and what the best option for me is, so hoping there will be some mechanics here that know what to do and to point me in the right way

iwillhtfu

If you want to become a mechanic surely the first step would be to get an apprenticeship.

I just looked at that course and it looks like some kind of made up course one night a weeks for two semesters, there are no short cuts to a recognised qualified trade.

Romana86

iwillhtfu wrote: »

If you want to become a mechanic surely the first step would be to get an apprenticeship.

I just looked at that course and it looks like some kind of made up course one night a weeks for two semesters, there are no short cuts to a recognised qualified trade.

I was wondering about that, but if someone applied for apprenticeship, wouldn't they need to be knowledgeable somewhat? I'm a complete beginner in this.

jenneyk19

mechanics will be a thing of the past most cars are run by computers

electric cars are the future and the engines don't break down

i bring my car in for service and they just update the software this now can be done online

i would study computers

iwillhtfu

Romana86 wrote: »

I was wondering about that, but if someone applied for apprenticeship, wouldn't they need to be knowledgeable somewhat? I'm a complete beginner in this.

No, 1st year apprentices are generally all talk no trousers. If you have a genuine interest and read a few books or watch a few youtube how to videos it will stand you more stead than that course.

Romana86

Awesome, thanks. One more question, would one need to do some kind of mechanic course to gain more of understanding with engines to learn how to rebuild a motorcycle for example? My initial plan was to gain knowledge in motorcycles and rebuild it, either for myself or clients (car knowledge would be a bonus)

con747

jenneyk19 wrote: »

mechanics will be a thing of the past most cars are run by computers

electric cars are the future and the engines don't break down

i bring my car in for service and they just update the software this now can be done online

i would study computers

So who is going to fix all them mechanical parts on your electric computerised vehicle then? OP if that's what you want to do there will be plenty of years left before you become obsolete so go for it.

Water John

Think of your interest. Is it in cars or more broadly, mechanics? That's a much wider field. Everything from ships, aeroplanes and wind turbines.

Dayo93

jenneyk19 wrote: »

mechanics will be a thing of the past most cars are run by computers

electric cars are the future and the engines don't break down

i bring my car in for service and they just update the software this now can be done online

i would study computers

Oh ye and there's no machines left in the world that will be needed to be maintained to build your electric car, or every other manufacturing process , a mechanic has a world of opportunity if their willing
to learn and upskill

Bmw123d

jenneyk19 wrote: »

mechanics will be a thing of the past most cars are run by computers

electric cars are the future and the engines don't break down

i bring my car in for service and they just update the software this now can be done online

i would study computers

What a stupied post.
If you want to be a mechanic go do a apprenticeship like others have said the whole point of being a apprentice is that your being tought. So no u don’t actually have to know anything.

I’d rather train the young lad that knows nothing but what’s to learn and be tought. As a posed to the young lad that thinks he know more and better then the instructor. Now there is also no mechanic out there that know everything about everything every day Ud a school day and after your apprenticeship it’s up to you have far you want to upskill.

kadman

Mechanics will always be there.

Computer mechanics is a way of ripping you off, electronically.

I have yet to see a computer pinpoint exactly what is needed to fix a car,

but gives you a list of a ****load of stuff, that may be needed, but more often than not you don't need.

Old school mechanics rule....computer just says no..:)

techguy

jenneyk19 wrote: »

mechanics will be a thing of the past most cars are run by computers

electric cars are the future and the engines don't break down

i bring my car in for service and they just update the software this now can be done online

i would study computers

I strongly agree with this post and disagree with the naysayers of it.

While I completely agree about a good mechanic being worth their weight in Gold when it comes to diagnosing an IC engine and that the electronic shenanigans is is just a way of extracting more money from consumers.

But... electric and computer is how it's all going. I think we will all be in for a surprise as to how quickly EVs will take over once they become mainstream. People doing 10-15k change their car every few years, and their will become a point when they are all buying EVs.

..At which point it will no longer be "suck, bang, blow" and the supply/demand curve of ICE mechanics will change drastically, imho. A mechanic friend of mine (near retirement so doesn't care too much) reckons when this change happens.. a lot of the old school mechanics will be caught on the hop and be scrambling to get jobs in "kwik fit" to change brakes, shocks etc.

I have thought about the mechanics world myself as a possible career change. But if I was to go down the route, I would be looking at ways the EV market will affect the service sector and trying to align.

This could be for example, getting into bed with a manufacturer and training up on their platforms in order to run diagnostics and how the systems work. While it will largely "all be computer" in years to come, there will still need to be people available to receive a customers car, plug in the computer and run various points of diagnostics.

There is much speculation as to what level of business independent garages will get, but in any case, there will be a load of service centres throughout the world working on these cars as they will still break.

I find this Twitter account a really cool read - they convert ICE cars to EV. https://twitter.com/newelectricirl?lang=en

iwillhtfu

techguy wrote: »

I strongly agree with this post and disagree with the naysayers of it.

While I completely agree about a good mechanic being worth their weight in Gold when it comes to diagnosing an IC engine and that the electronic shenanigans is is just a way of extracting more money from consumers.

But... electric and computer is how it's all going. I think we will all be in for a surprise as to how quickly EVs will take over once they become mainstream. People doing 10-15k change their car every few years, and their will become a point when they are all buying EVs.

..At which point it will no longer be "suck, bang, blow" and the supply/demand curve of ICE mechanics will change drastically, imho. A mechanic friend of mine (near retirement so doesn't care too much) reckons when this change happens.. a lot of the old school mechanics will be caught on the hop and be scrambling to get jobs in "kwik fit" to change brakes, shocks etc.

I have thought about the mechanics world myself as a possible career change. But if I was to go down the route, I would be looking at ways the EV market will affect the service sector and trying to align.

This could be for example, getting into bed with a manufacturer and training up on their platforms in order to run diagnostics and how the systems work. While it will largely "all be computer" in years to come, there will still need to be people available to receive a customers car, plug in the computer and run various points of diagnostics.

There is much speculation as to what level of business independent garages will get, but in any case, there will be a load of service centres throughout the world working on these cars as they will still break.

I find this Twitter account a really cool read - they convert ICE cars to EV. https://twitter.com/newelectricirl?lang=en

So when will they be introducing e artics,planes,ships etc and that's before you talk about the remaining second hand market not everyone will automatically upgrade to an ev. Also plenty of mechanical parts will remain in an ev, mechanics aren't always servicing engines ya know.

In short you're talking ****e.

techguy

iwillhtfu wrote: »

So when will they be introducing e artics,planes,ships etc and that's before you talk about the remaining second hand market not everyone will automatically upgrade to an ev. Also plenty of mechanical parts will remain in an ev, mechanics aren't always servicing engines ya know.

In short you're talking ****e.

Jesus, i'm giving my opinion. But you would be surprised how things change.

The OP mentioned "Automotive Technology", so for all intents and purposes forget about boats and planes.

Well if I was going invest time and energy in learning something I wouldn't be doing it based on something that is obsolete - That is referring to your comment about serving the second hand market.

I'm not saying all the guys work on is engines. And I did preface my answer saying it was mere speculation.

I think change is coming but nobody knows in what way. And to that end, if I was going into the industry I would be trying to find where I could add value to the new way of business.

techguy

Oh also, I guess I don't agree about the engines breaking part.

Anything with moving parts can break. Motors can need re-winding.. I wonder at how many miles.