Repost: Diesel Career Advice
 

Hello Everybody! Sorry to repost but I never got a response in general...I thought maybe this would be a better thread for this topic! So here goes...!!


So I was curious on what the Diesel Wrenches of the site considered the best way to get into the Diesel world is!


I am currently in the Navy as an ABE (Working on the Catapults and Arresting Gear on Aircraft Carriers, so nothing diesel related as of now) So I'll have money for schooling if that's the best way to get started, like going to a UTI or something like that.


Or should I just go directly to a shop and give them a résumé and hope they give me a shot right when I get out?


I love diesels and I KNOW it's what I was meant for, but I don't have a lot of knowledge with them (YET)


I've done quite a bit of research so don't worry I'm not in it for the money, it's what I love and want to do. And trust me after the Navy I'm all about doing something 'cause I WANT to not because someone told me to do it. I'd rather be happy working and making a living honestly then making a lot and miserable.


Anyway...any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Really? 1200 views and not a single response...Wow...

If your interested in the heavy side of diesel I would get Caterpillar certified. Butler Cat in the mid west does a program called the "Think Big" program where they hire you on, and send you to school at Lake Area Tech in Watertown, SD. You work in the shop for 3 months and then go to class for 3 months so on and so forth for 2 years. I know a couple guys that went that route and learned a lot. They always get hired first over the rest of us who just went to some random Tech School.

there are tons of ways to work on grease smashers. I prefer the fleet side of it vrs the service side. some type of certificate will help you get in the door anywhere. doesn't mean your an idiot without it, it just shows your trainable. ASE certs are nice and you can get those on your own. books cost $150. start out pay is gonna most likely be low. you will probably be a greaser watching and learning someone more experienced. tools are expensive! your never done buying them. Ide advise you to start somewhere that specializes in what you enjoy. that ways you can grow a specific skill set and not just be a generic wrench. be a bad ass in an area and knowledgeable in the field. you will be happier and get paid more.

day in day out customer complaints and their trucks get old
working on your own fleet is much less......... bitchy.......

I once had a semi come in the shop that a bunch of arab decent folks were driving. they had cut a whole in the sleeper and were using that as a toilet so they never had to stop. NASTY! people are gross. consider that when you are laying in their filth replacing a treadle valve.

the performance side of the diesel world is by far and away the fun part. jobs however are extremely few compared to the much much larger heavy side. on the performance side you get to work on clean things and make big horse powers. on the heavy side you throw test lights and go home with busted knuckles.

Thanks for the responses guys. So Turbo would you say getting the Cert is just as good as, say, an Associates for Diesel Technician? Cause if I'm just as well off with the cert as the associates then I might just do that. Or would you recommend just finding a shop and putting in a resume and application? Thanks!

all of the above.
you can get a technical certificate in one year through Ivy Tech while you work.
do the ASE's on the side
while you start from the ground up somewhere.
dealerships are where the money is.

Start an apprenticeship and become a journeyman HD mechanic. That will keep you in the diesel world earning some decent $$$. Worry about brand certifications later.

Another way to get into diesels is marine or power (stationary) engineering. Focus is more on monitoring running machinery, but there is always ongoing maintenance and repairs.