Grease The Wheels Podcast
A Master Technician, a microphone, 30 years of experience in the Automotive Industry: buckle up! Come along as we take a look at the current state of the automotive industry from the point of view of the guys and gals turning the wrenches. So no matter what you fix, how you fix it, or how many tools you have to fix it with: welcome to the Grease the Wheels Nation. Also once in a while we take a look at the makes and models of cars we work on through the lenses of history, economics, politics, our own personal experiences and the experiences of our listeners. Special thanks to The Wrenching Network, Curien, Surfwrench, and Murray the dog.
Grease The Wheels Podcast
Episode 324: New Guy Survival Kit
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On this episode of Grease the Wheels, we have some serious words of wisdom (and rants) for the new guys. If you have new guys in the shop, this is probably a good one to start them out with, because it should theoretically cut about 90% of the BS if they actually listen! From inherent mechanical curiosity to becoming a master technician, the road for a mechanic is a long one that is fraught with difficulty. Choosing the right tech school is a big part of getting yourself ahead and learning many of the core concepts that we use on a daily basis - that is of course if you actually paid attention and showed up every single day. Seriously, attendance and effort are massively rewarded at this phase, because if you miss something the confusion is going to compound quickly and it can be incredibly hard to get back on track. Research where you want to go to tech school as well, because there are tons of options, scholarships, and external factors that will make your success either more likely or less likely. Continuing ed is a real thing here as well, including manufacturer specific training programs and the relentless march of automotive technology that aims to make our job more difficult every single day. We also get into the tools debate with a simple mantra - less is more! Believe us, we have seen tons of technicians go massively into tool debt and then exit the profession before they are even done paying for the socket set. Bottom line, it can be a great career, but dues need to be paid, and mistakes can quickly compound if you don’t slow down and seriously think about your choices, strengths and weaknesses.
Also, Uncle Jimmy does a short book report on ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’
This Episode of Grease the Wheels is brought to you in partnership with Surfwrench Digital! For more on Video MPI Training Visit https://www.surfwrench.com/video-mpi-training-landing/ to learn more. Video MPI Training built in the shop, by your Uncle Jimmy.