The ASVAB tests for aptitude, hence the name, not the ability to step into a job without training. Looks up practice questions for the Mechanical Comprehension portion to see the kinds of questions that might suggest someone could be a good mechanic.
The U.S. army absolutely does provide training to its mechanics, and does not assume people know jack shit coming in. I scored high enough on the MM portion of the ASVAB to be one and don’t don’t know a damn thing about fixing vehicles.
I spent 4 years in the USMC and have a very complicated relationship with my time enlisted. There is a lot I’m proud of, but there’s also a lot that would be nice to forget.
Did you file with the VA? If not, you need to. Get all the benefits possible.
I filed three times after getting out, got a lot of “we lost it, file again! Haha!” I told myself since all my limbs are attached, didn’t deserve anything. Someone finally convinced me otherwise and now I get a little extra every month as well as being able to go to the VA for routine stuff.
Wait. Some school districts actually have everyone take this by default? Our public schools kept the recruiters in a dark corner of an unused hallway behind the library and you had to actually go out of your way to talk to one to make an appointment for ASVAB testing
I have a buddy who went from smoking crack to making more money than me in a year working as a mechanic being trained basically from scratch. Now that’s obviously anecdotal but it does happen.
You get a job as an oil tech sweeping floors and if you aren’t an idiot, you will learn on the job and study. Eventually you take the ASE certification tests and are then a mechanic. If you are looking to get into a performance shop, this is the best route to go because you will learn specialty knowledge and can eventually be paid well, but those jobs are hard to get and you have to really make an effort and put up with a lot of shit to get to a great place in your career.
You can do college courses to get a degree and then pass ASE certs. You can then get a job in a shop and will have to prove you aren’t just someone who can pass a test before you are actually a mechanic.
There are trade schools, which you can get scholarships for or be sponsored to go to. The sponsorships usually come from working in a dealer shop, some sponsorships are for secondary trade schooling(like diesel tech) and they pay for the secondary schooling and will give you a job for a certain number of years after under contract. I know a few people who had Ford pay for their diesel program, one is doing really well for himself and the other failed out because of a girl and was on the hook for thousands to pay back Ford.
If you want to make great money, you will have to work for 5+ years in an Audi dealer and then can try to work for an exotic car dealership. You can work for an exotic dealer with experience from a brand like Toyota with a degree or the right trade school, but you are less likely to get the job.
Car mechanic? Nah. Maybe reading many articles from internet and watching many videos can somewhat help with theory, but not with pranctice and foundational knowledge. Well, maybe you can get foundational knowledge if you follow what people learn in colleges, but then getting on budget is probably easier. Practice still would be a problem.
Idk man, friend of mine works as a mechanic for the airforce and makes ~78k/yr, gets a large housing bonus, and has access to military loans that have really good terms, comparatively.
Ignoring the whole military lifestyle bs that he has to go through, it’s not that bad for someone who really doesn’t know what to do with themselves.
The US army uses basic socialist policies (we will help you if you’re dying from cancer etc) to recruit. It only works because the US state refuses to take care of its subjects. The moment people are no longer desperate, the recruitment numbers will fall.
I heard people got respiratory cancers specifically from being in the military and having been instructed to burn piles of trash without proper safety equipment.
And then they got discharged, fucked over sideways by the VA, and died. Welp.
The VA has to process the claim, and in the meantime you get no medical treatment for anything.
Let’s use the cancer. You are in, a fine soldier, and get diagnosed with cancer. Not only do you now lose your job, but you lose your entire life and support system. You instantly lose your house, medical coverage, and source of income. All of it is gone immediately along with any plans for retirement.
You now go home, your wife has also left you because you are now a shitbum with cancer, and owe $2000/mo in child support based on military income and you have no means to pay it. You file with the VA to get your cancer taken care of and are told it may be 12-36 months before it’s processed.
You get a minimum wage job since civilian employers don’t care about military experience. Most of your check is garnished for child support but still isn’t enough so you lose your driver’s license. You cannot pay rent so apply for homeless veteran housing which has a ten year waitlist. So you are now homeless and working, slowly dying of cancer on the sidewalk. You try to get help at a hospital, but since you are a veteran they say “VA has got you”.
There you lay, rotting from the inside, wondering how it all went wrong when only two months ago you were counseling soldiers on why they shouldn’t buy cars at 29% interest and to make better life choices. Yes, this exact scenario plays out all the goddamn time.
He doesn’t work on aircraft. He works on other vehicles needed on base. Much of his income isn’t taxable, so he effectively brings home more than average. Not to mention Healthcare is paid for, even if it’s not that great.
The “having to live wherever they want” part is a non issue for some people anyway. Though I agree I would see that as a significant con.
Dude should have just walked down to the local mechanic. Better pay and hours
Would a local mechanic train a stranger who had zero knowledge?
The Army doesn’t either. He scored highly on the test for that.
The ASVAB tests for aptitude, hence the name, not the ability to step into a job without training. Looks up practice questions for the Mechanical Comprehension portion to see the kinds of questions that might suggest someone could be a good mechanic.
The U.S. army absolutely does provide training to its mechanics, and does not assume people know jack shit coming in. I scored high enough on the MM portion of the ASVAB to be one and don’t don’t know a damn thing about fixing vehicles.
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I thought the army gave recruits an IQ test and then trained them for what it thought they were good for.
Some portions of the ASVAB have questions very similar to those you might find on an IQ test, but it is much more broad than just IQ.
My parents didn’t let me or my sister to go to school on the ASVAB test day. They didn’t want recruiters contacting them constanty.
That’s probably for the best.
I spent 4 years in the USMC and have a very complicated relationship with my time enlisted. There is a lot I’m proud of, but there’s also a lot that would be nice to forget.
Did you file with the VA? If not, you need to. Get all the benefits possible.
I filed three times after getting out, got a lot of “we lost it, file again! Haha!” I told myself since all my limbs are attached, didn’t deserve anything. Someone finally convinced me otherwise and now I get a little extra every month as well as being able to go to the VA for routine stuff.
Good call
Wait. Some school districts actually have everyone take this by default? Our public schools kept the recruiters in a dark corner of an unused hallway behind the library and you had to actually go out of your way to talk to one to make an appointment for ASVAB testing
This was a long time ago, and in a city with a military base.
Yes. More often than you think. If you can tell a 1/2 inch wrench from a pair of pliers you are already ahead of some applicants.
I have a buddy who went from smoking crack to making more money than me in a year working as a mechanic being trained basically from scratch. Now that’s obviously anecdotal but it does happen.
Are you now a mechanic? If not, why not?
Oh no, I’m not in that field at all.
Probably still likes smoking crack. It is a powerful drug.
My soft, delicate hands
You get a job as an oil tech sweeping floors and if you aren’t an idiot, you will learn on the job and study. Eventually you take the ASE certification tests and are then a mechanic. If you are looking to get into a performance shop, this is the best route to go because you will learn specialty knowledge and can eventually be paid well, but those jobs are hard to get and you have to really make an effort and put up with a lot of shit to get to a great place in your career.
You can do college courses to get a degree and then pass ASE certs. You can then get a job in a shop and will have to prove you aren’t just someone who can pass a test before you are actually a mechanic.
There are trade schools, which you can get scholarships for or be sponsored to go to. The sponsorships usually come from working in a dealer shop, some sponsorships are for secondary trade schooling(like diesel tech) and they pay for the secondary schooling and will give you a job for a certain number of years after under contract. I know a few people who had Ford pay for their diesel program, one is doing really well for himself and the other failed out because of a girl and was on the hook for thousands to pay back Ford.
If you want to make great money, you will have to work for 5+ years in an Audi dealer and then can try to work for an exotic car dealership. You can work for an exotic dealer with experience from a brand like Toyota with a degree or the right trade school, but you are less likely to get the job.
You can go to college on budget
In fact, you can do them with thrown away magazine clippings.
If it was because of typo, then good one
Car mechanic? Nah. Maybe reading many articles from internet and watching many videos can somewhat help with theory, but not with pranctice and foundational knowledge. Well, maybe you can get foundational knowledge if you follow what people learn in colleges, but then getting on budget is probably easier. Practice still would be a problem.
I believe they were making a joke about your use of the word “collage.”
Oops, lol. I meant this. Or even this.
Idk man, friend of mine works as a mechanic for the airforce and makes ~78k/yr, gets a large housing bonus, and has access to military loans that have really good terms, comparatively.
Ignoring the whole military lifestyle bs that he has to go through, it’s not that bad for someone who really doesn’t know what to do with themselves.
The US army uses basic socialist policies (we will help you if you’re dying from cancer etc) to recruit. It only works because the US state refuses to take care of its subjects. The moment people are no longer desperate, the recruitment numbers will fall.
Except if you get cancer while in they medically discharge you and leave you with nothing. “Go file with the VA!”
I was in for ten years and saw it happen multiple times.
I heard people got respiratory cancers specifically from being in the military and having been instructed to burn piles of trash without proper safety equipment.
And then they got discharged, fucked over sideways by the VA, and died. Welp.
The VA has to process the claim, and in the meantime you get no medical treatment for anything.
Let’s use the cancer. You are in, a fine soldier, and get diagnosed with cancer. Not only do you now lose your job, but you lose your entire life and support system. You instantly lose your house, medical coverage, and source of income. All of it is gone immediately along with any plans for retirement.
You now go home, your wife has also left you because you are now a shitbum with cancer, and owe $2000/mo in child support based on military income and you have no means to pay it. You file with the VA to get your cancer taken care of and are told it may be 12-36 months before it’s processed.
You get a minimum wage job since civilian employers don’t care about military experience. Most of your check is garnished for child support but still isn’t enough so you lose your driver’s license. You cannot pay rent so apply for homeless veteran housing which has a ten year waitlist. So you are now homeless and working, slowly dying of cancer on the sidewalk. You try to get help at a hospital, but since you are a veteran they say “VA has got you”.
There you lay, rotting from the inside, wondering how it all went wrong when only two months ago you were counseling soldiers on why they shouldn’t buy cars at 29% interest and to make better life choices. Yes, this exact scenario plays out all the goddamn time.
No kidding, wish we would just develop these policies for everyone, not just military service.
It’s not terrible, but the housing allowance is because they force you to move wherever they want. And that salary is within the normal range:
https://www.salary.com/research/salary/listing/aircraft-mechanic-salary
You are looking at the “pros” without really seeing the “cons”.
He doesn’t work on aircraft. He works on other vehicles needed on base. Much of his income isn’t taxable, so he effectively brings home more than average. Not to mention Healthcare is paid for, even if it’s not that great.
The “having to live wherever they want” part is a non issue for some people anyway. Though I agree I would see that as a significant con.
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I just looked at the enlisted pay table charts. Unless he lives somewhere with high COLA payments and has kids, he probably isn’t making 78k/yr.
If there is one thing we love in the military, it’s telling big fish stories.