Choosing A Mechanic Trade School Over College

Is A Trade School A Better Choice Over College?
Here's an interesting video on people enrolling into a trade school for a 10 month diesel engine training course instead of taking 4 years of college which comes with a much higher tuition. The enrollment fee is a fraction of what college costs and finding a job is faster and easier in the diesel engine mechanic trade.

Once you get your initial training at a trade school the chances of getting a job are much higher. Employers who want to hire a Mechanic for an apprenticeship like to find someone who has the basic training. Having a new kid on the block without any training means more supervision and less production.

Mechanic Education Includes On The Job Training

For the last month we had a student from Thompson Rivers University (just across the street from our location) complete a one month Practicum in our shop. His name was Dustin & he came in personally to ask if we would give him the chance to hang out with us to complete his course.


I immediately agreed to accept him into our workplace since it's nice to have the chance to mentor someone just starting out in this trade.

I have a personal connection to TRU since I started in the pre-app course there when it was called Cariboo College.

Dustin's course was called "Heavy Duty Mechanic & Commercial Transport Vehicle Mechanic Foundation Program" a 36 week course.

He emphasized his desire to get into Commercial Transport so I got him into the mix fast giving him hands-on experience with fabricating, brake jobs, electrical, automotive, servicing, vehicle inspections, trailers, hooking up / finding engine codes and he even experienced a service call.

I added up the experience in years of all the Mechanics working in our garage and it was approximately 135 years. This was a huge advantage for Dustin to learn and ask questions. The practicum is a great idea for anyone wanting to get into a trade and see what it's like to perform real work on equipment that operates on our streets and highways.

It was a pleasure to share experience and knowledge with someone like Dustin who was clearly interested in the Commercial Transport Mechanic trade.

How To Become A Mechanic-What Does It Take?

If you are interested in how to become a mechanic there are different avenues you can take. There is online training, vocational training [at a community college] or if you have experience already and want to get certified then you can challenge the trade qualification exam. If you want to specialize you may want to locate diesel tech schools that provide specific diesel mechanic training.

What's The Best Choice?
In my opinion the college route[if you're just beginning] is the best which gets into the meat of the trade with qualified instructors and pre-planned intruction modules that will give you the experience and confidence to work in any shop as an apprentice. In my part of the world for the "commercial transport" trade you start out with a 10 month pre-apprenticeship that gives you the basics and preps you for the "real world" truck shop atmosphere. Once completed it's up to you to sell yourself and get hired on as an apprentice. In some cases you may start out as a "Mechanic's Helper" which isn't a bad start. A lot of shops want qualified personnel since time is money and don't have a lot of time to train.

Mechanic Duties.
Depending in what area of the Mechanic field you want to work in, Mechanic Duties will vary. Generally speaking you must be ready to diagnose and repair everything related to the machine you're assigned to.

You will deal with Engines, steering, suspensions, transmissions, differentials, electrical and air system problems. After Tech School training is over you'll be released into reality and if you work in a retail repair shop get ready to hustle. Time is money as they say and customers can be demanding [you can't blame them with shop rates constantly increasing]. Fleet jobs are less demanding since there are hourly drivers and spare units available, but the work quality still has to be commendable.

As an apprentice you're supposed to be working with a Journeyman but you may find yourself on your own and using your instincts more often than not.


Mechanic Shortage?
On the other hand there is beginning to be a shortage of mechanics to replace seasoned old salts like me when it's time to hang up the tools. The first thing a lot of employers will look for is someone with a good attitude and aptitude to get the job done with some direction from an experienced lead hand.

Apprenticeship Timeline
A 1st year apprentice in Canada will start off at 60% of the journeyman mechanic's wage. This goes up every year after until certification is attained. Each year [for 4 years] you have to go for 6 weeks training and pass a written exam. The final year requires an 8 week course since you'll be writing a trade qualification and interstate/interprovincial exam.

Tools Required
Mechanic's Tools you'll need is the basic hand tools both standard and metric wrenches with 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive air tools. Don't go overboard, you'll buy more tools as needed.

Does The Trade Pay?
Wages are very competitive with other trades since it's getting harder for employers to find qualified people.
Journeyman mechanics can make anywhere from $20.00 to $35.00 per hour depending where your located and what kind of equipment you're working on.

Side Note:
In 1980 I worked up North making a Journeyman rate of $10.00/hr and the shop rate was $29.00/hr. [times have changed!]

That's a basic over view on how to become a mechanic. I can tell you it's the total package full of challenges that takes patience, intuition, strength & above all experience to over come and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves diesel engine repairing/troubleshooting and working on a variety of different mechanical systems.