Ok so im 22 years after graduating school i went right to work as an electrician an made damn good money and had work, with the recent downfall of our economy in Michigan I have spent almost half the year laid off these last two years. An im not a pos by any means, I have been late once my whole time to work, work my *** off, an know what im doing, there is just no work. So what im looking at is going to wyotech to be a diesel mechanicm there is more jobs in that industry and it seems more reliable. I have done all my work on my vehicales since i was 16 from transmissions to engine rebuilds, my late Father built drag cars an i have alot of mechanical knowledge from that, as well as experience in welding. Just looking for any advice anyone out there can give as to whether or not it would be a good move??

 

Well everyone is hurting right now because of the economy, even diesel mechanics. Or at least in this area it's happening. We had a pretty crappy year in the construction industry. My dad ended up laying off about 10 or 15 people out of our crew of 45. It seems like the only people that stay busy around here are the International Truck Dealership and the Cat Dealership. In fact the shop International dealership stays open 24/5 now just to keep up with truck repairs. I think it would be a smart move to go into diesel mechanics however or any kind of mechanic as long as you are going to work at a dealership or a well established private shop. If you were going to try to start your own shop, there's no telling how well things would go in todays economy. Just my 2 cents.

 

My plan is to work for a private shop/dealership. I usually have work coming up soon an figure i can work summers an make some money as an electrician during the summer an school during the fall-spring. That way i can keep my debt as low as possible.

 

im an electrician myself. like you in the last year i work 6 month, now im thinking of landscaping and general repair (home improvement) im also thinking about taking HVAC clases, that will go hand in hand with electrician i think

 

Diesel mechanics are putting in a lot of hours to get the same pay they were making within 8 hours a year ago. People can't afford to pay for their vehicles to be fixed for major issues, so they either park them, sell them or bandage them to hope to get by.

If you want to move to central IL there will be an electricion job ready for you. Plenty of grain elevators needing good electricions right now. Have a company name and contact if you are interested in moving.

 

if you want to make money become a spechialist in something. For instance a friend of my rebuilds heads for diesel engines he can rebuild like 3 a day 250 bucks a pop. If you spechilize in something then you have a better chance of making money. there is no money in rebuilds or tuneups anymore.

 

Speaking as a WyoTech graduate I would tell you to avoid them. When a seventeen year old has to correct a 40 year old on multiple things there's something wrong. And the long class days don't leave time to really do much side business. If I where to grade them I would probably give them a C because theres some decent information I didnt know and also quite a bit I did. Also, as part of the class you take your ac certification class, and that's how i got my certifications. After three years in the field i'll tell ya that you learn a lot more from expirience than anything else on these trucks and they are a lot different than cars and light duty diesels. If you have anymore questions, pm me

 

Electrician is a better idea if you ask me. Compared to a diesel mechanic, you dont have to buy a lot of expensive tools, you work in a larger industry and electricians are always and will always be in demand.

 

I would agree with staying away from Wyotech. I attended Univesity of Northwestern Ohio and worked with a Wyotech grad. Not to say he was the most motivated individual, but when it came down to common knowledge he was lost. Plus they are way more expensive. Expect to be into about $5000 easy on tools. That is basically no specialty stuff and no bigger than 1/2".

 

I'm an electrician in the oilfield and I love what I do, depending on what kind of electrical work you did (be it residential/commercial, industrial, oilfield or other) it's all the same theory so switching fields is a very easy transition. There is still going to be a learning curve but in my opinion, there is no better work that patch work. During the summer in the slow season, i still pull 50+ hours a week, and in the winter i pull 80+ hours a week. I'm a little biased but I would definitely stay with electrical!