Job Shadow
I got there at 10 in the morning. We sat down and I asked him some questions. I asked, “What training does a person need to be certified?” He responded with “basic automotive training and knowledge about cars.” The next question I asked was “What is the employment outlook for this career?” He responded with “It looks very good from my perspective. You just have to adjust to new cars and how all cars are not the same.” My next question was “Would you recommend this career to your own kids?” He thought about it for a while and then said “Yes, I would if they love cars like I do. If not, then I wouldn’t want them to be in this type of field because it can get kind of dangerous.” After he said that I was kind of thinking of my career and was it worth going into. I thought yea it was worth it. I proceed to ask him more questions and asked if I can see what a normal day at work is like for him and he said yes.
Next, we went out to the shop and he told me that if I knew to change a tire and I responded saying "yes". Then, he asked if I knew how to change brakes, oil, and other fluids. He told me that those are basic training and I will need to know them by heart. A customer came and he wanted his tires rotated. That was a simple job for him so, I just watched him as he did rotate the customer's tire. It only took around ten minutes. I thought to myself that if I had his job, I've to be prepared for any customer even when the business is slow. Alex gave me more advice about keeping the shop clean, always have a smile on your face and be polite even when they are not polite to you. I know I will keep the advice so whenever I have my own shop like his. He asked me if I knew Spanish, I told him I understood it, but don’t speak it. Therefore, he suggested that I learn Spanish because it is an important skill to have in order to communicate with others. As the day progressed, I watched him do more tire rotations and more fix tires. I even got to see him change the oil on a car. I thought it was cool to see him work and do it so fast.
I learned it is important to take your time while working on cars because if you don’t and rush it, you can mess up more than was already was and that can be very costly. I liked how Alex greeted the costumers with respect but with authority. Also, I need to learn Spanish because that is a major skill here in the valley. However, I didn’t like how people were in such a hurry and they expect the shop to do everything in 5 minutes. I know that is wrong but many people don't realize how much work it takes to fix a car.
My mind is set on what I want to do with my life and that is fixing cars. I love the feeling of when I get my hands dirty and I love how I feel when I fix a car and make it run as smooth as it did before. I’m very much interested in this field and I can see me doing it for the rest of my life.
Next, we went out to the shop and he told me that if I knew to change a tire and I responded saying "yes". Then, he asked if I knew how to change brakes, oil, and other fluids. He told me that those are basic training and I will need to know them by heart. A customer came and he wanted his tires rotated. That was a simple job for him so, I just watched him as he did rotate the customer's tire. It only took around ten minutes. I thought to myself that if I had his job, I've to be prepared for any customer even when the business is slow. Alex gave me more advice about keeping the shop clean, always have a smile on your face and be polite even when they are not polite to you. I know I will keep the advice so whenever I have my own shop like his. He asked me if I knew Spanish, I told him I understood it, but don’t speak it. Therefore, he suggested that I learn Spanish because it is an important skill to have in order to communicate with others. As the day progressed, I watched him do more tire rotations and more fix tires. I even got to see him change the oil on a car. I thought it was cool to see him work and do it so fast.
I learned it is important to take your time while working on cars because if you don’t and rush it, you can mess up more than was already was and that can be very costly. I liked how Alex greeted the costumers with respect but with authority. Also, I need to learn Spanish because that is a major skill here in the valley. However, I didn’t like how people were in such a hurry and they expect the shop to do everything in 5 minutes. I know that is wrong but many people don't realize how much work it takes to fix a car.
My mind is set on what I want to do with my life and that is fixing cars. I love the feeling of when I get my hands dirty and I love how I feel when I fix a car and make it run as smooth as it did before. I’m very much interested in this field and I can see me doing it for the rest of my life.