Going to be a student in september!

Well after a couple of years doing naff all i've decided to become a student again…sooo looking forward to it.

Just woundering tho if anybody has work'd or know how what could be a possible future for me??

I spent 2 years doing engineering fixing computers, pcb's, cad and a load of other stuff i cant remember… The course is called Peform Engineering operations nvq lvl 1(panel craft). Wheres i've done level 2 in engineering i feel like im stepping backwards…? but i suppose if your fixing car bodys, learning to weld, spray etc you gotta start at the begining!!

Basicaly i want a career as a sprayer, body repairs and modifications and want to own my own little shop when im older, so i think i've made a right choice in course…Plus later on in the year they'le have a an old morgan to work on!! :mrgreen:  Only disapointment is that they havnt got a sprayer at the college to teach us how to spray, they've got all the stuff and will learn how to do it but wont get a qualification for it :evil: oh and its 2 day a week for 2 years…

eithor way im happy :mrgreen:

well i suppose after spending two years fixing computers you will be able to put a car on a caroliner system and straighten the front end out and panel it up all in a day. when i served my time it was 4 days a week practical and one day a week theory for 5 years. nowadays they hand out qualifications  free in lucky bags.(keeps the fiquires looking good) you need to find a job for experience and think about college as a day release but that is my opinion. remember this you cant buy it!

Will they teach you how to type in English too…cause I can't understand half of what you go on about!!!!  ops:

It must be A SENIOR moment!!

See you tomorrow.

Dan

lowmk1 - congrats on deciding to go for it.

Its something I considered seriously having taken some welding courses and thinking about signing up for the resto course at my local tech college, but in the end I've stuck with what I know (IT), and decided to keep the welding / bodywork as a hobby that I plan to develop with evening / short course training over the next few years

I guess you have already thought hard about this, but make sure you go into it with your eyes open. Think hard about your motivation for doing it as your full time occupation. When I looked into this I was looking at approx 5 years on virtually no wages as an apprentice / trainee with a company / bodyshop before you got to the stage when you would be able to make a decent living from it.

I decided in the end I wanted to keep it as a hobby.

Also be aware of the potential health risks, especially if considering a career as a sprayer. Even with all the correct gear, you are exposing yourself to a lot of nasty stuff regularly - not such an issue for the occasional resto at home, but day in day out - be aware of what the risks are.

Having said all that I would still love to restore cars full time, although probably not under strict time / budget pressure. Like many trades I'd advise trying to go for the "quality" end of the market and be exacting about your standards. There is always some cowboy that will do a "cheap" job, but people won't come back if they get a bad job and your rep suffers. It takes a while, but building up a reputation for quality work is the only way to go long term with something like this.

Let us know how you get on and good luck  

Cheers,

Chris

nice 1 chris

Yea its something that i've given great thought about.When i left school i was intent on having a career in engineering. My dad was an engineer and also my brother whcih is why i was going down this route. Like you i wanted to do restoration on car but as a hobby and not full time. Since leaving school i've gained qualifications in engineering but cant do anything about it as i dont have any work experiance… Recently tho i've been looking at buying all the equipment needed for spraying like guns and compressor, and doing a resto on my gti. It made me think that since leaving school (now 20) altho i do have a qualification in engineering, im still basicaly un-skilled on a crap part time wage.

All my mates have skills like plastering, bricking…just made me think i need to do summet and as my intrest is in cars….it seemed right.

Yea i know i'll be on poor wages for the next 5 years but i really want a skilled trade in car restoration. Do you think getting an apprentiship would be better?

dano you old coffin dodger :mrgreen:

yea m8 c u at gaydn tmoz, wll b @ nutsfrd @8 n arrivin @ gydon bout 10

(try and work that out dano) :twisted:

Hehe mate - 20  :wink: . You got plenty of time to try at least 2 different careers before you need to start worrying about what you want to do seriously.

I think the only advice I have is try and do something you enjoy. Sounds obvious I know, but you would be surprised at how easy it is to get sidetracked into the things you feel you should be doing, or what other people think you should be doing. At the end of the day only you really know what you like doing, and its YOU that knows whether you are happy doing something or not.

From a personal perspective I think you can't go far wrong with an engineering background, but then I'm a bit biased being an engineer also by training   . Even if you move onto other occupations I think engineering gives you a good approach to solving problems that applies in almost any job and gives you a practical outlook on things.

Looking ahead in your shoes I would maybe be thinking beyond your own bodyshop and try and widen things out a bit. I think much further down the line its worth thinking about branching into teaching if you find you have a knack for bodywork / restoration. I think there will always be a demand for short or part time courses and its a good source of extra income if you have the facilities anyway.

Most of the lecturers I have been taught by on my evening courses have run bodyshops prior to taking up lecturing. Also one of the better panel beating courses I have seen is by a company that actually makes panels by hand for restoring Jag XK's.

I'd advise scoping out the courses available (if you haven't decided already). Leeds Uni do a very good course that seems to have an excellent rep.

I think the most important thing is where you go to get your work experience though. I'd perhaps avoid the high volume throughput insurance accident bodyshops and try and find a restorer that concentrates on quality and has very experienced employees. They will most likely teach you a lot you won't get from a course. Check out the ads in the back of some of the bigger classic car mags and start calling round about possible apprenticeships.

At your age I really believe you have nothing to lose. If you decide after 5 years or so its not for you, then you are still only 25, will have some useful skills to use on your hobby, and still have plenty of time to start a new career.

Cheers,

Chris