Not sure whether I like my job.

[boss-290]

Well, this week I started my apprenticeship in motor mechanics at a dealership.

And I am not too keen on it anymore.

They have basically got me to mop floors, do tyre pressures, and basically help out wherever I can. I do everything I can, like emptying bins, getting parts asking questions about different things and the likes.

I'm filthy and tired by the end of the day, and grumpy. Even the guys I work with don't seem to smile, they just get one car in, and get the next one out sort of thing.

I might sound like a whinger, but I just don't know whether its what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm afraid I will lose my passion for cars as a hobby 'cause I won't want to work on them on weekends and stuff.

I guess I'm just looking for advice from people who may have/are in my position to get me through it.

I must say though, this week has gone pretty quick.

Thanks for reading.

[Peuty]

Just stick it out for a while. you can;t really judge a job on it's first week, because being the new kid, of course you will get all the scummy jobs first up. Once you actually start getting stuck into the proper side of the job, then make a decision.

[Mongoose]

Thats all i do as well, but thats what first year apprentices do in workshops, trust me, once you become 2nd year, it will get a whole lot better

[reddave]

Just stick it out, it was about 6 months before I started turning spanners, and being the newest guy there didnt help until the next guy started.

But seriously it only gets better, I have been in the trade for about 10 years now and love every single minute of it, learning new stuff every day, admittedly I dont tinker as much, and the pay isnt the greatest but when you are paying trade for everything and all your mates want stuff done to there cars then it sorta cancels itself out.

Maybe a dealership isnt for you, matbe you need to be at a smaller workshop if you decide to continue in the trade, I started my apprenticeship in a dealership and the best thing was leave after 2 years and work for a smaller garage, the amount of stuff that was not done at adealership, compared to the little guy down the road is just completely stupid at times.

It is worth it, but it is only what YOU make of it!!

[ETH02]

Just about all apprenticships start the same way. Start at the bottom and as you prove yourself to your employer/supervisor you get to do more trade related things. Main thing is to keep in mind that all the tradies around you went through the same thing ( if not worse - they can't treat apprentices like they used to ) and that your getting qualifications that will make it easy to find a job provided you get a good reputation for quality work.

Keep asking questions and try to remember the explinations given, it's better to ask a question than make an expensive mistake and always show your keen to work.

I'm doing a second apprenticship at the moment as a sparky and started off doing the cleanups and menial tasks too ( all ready a qualified Fitter & Turner ).

Keep your chin up an try not to let work get to you.

Cheers

[Green X]

Mate your are a 1st year and have only been there a week they should easy you into proper jobs once you have proven yourself to be trustworthy and mature.

You need to shown the tradesman you work with you are keen to learn and if you know how to do something just speak up and ask if you can do that Job, It's a fine balance between being too vocal and too quite if ya ask 50 questions a minute they will hate working with you and if you are too quite you come across as not interested.

If the tradies you work with know you are capable and a good worker they will be more likely to request you for the bigger jobs and make the Floor supervisor awair of you ability's.

As for disliking your Job, well that is something you need to figure out for yourself weather you don't like the work or just don't like the workshop you are at, and what else do you think you might like doing.

My advise would be see out the 3 month probation period and if things are still looking down then reassess your situation.

Cheers.

[Cashie]

There's some good advice here, mate stick with it for a while before judging it as a career.... Things WILL get better!

[fordel]

When i saw this title i was going to have an easy answer, find a new job

If you have only been there a week its not a huge indication of what its really like.

Ive changed jobs in the last 2-3 months, and my first week here i was so overwhelmed with everything i was doubting i had the right choice.

After a couple weeks it was the best thing ive ever done, Give it a few months, then if you arent happy move on.

[redxm]

Stick with it mate. Everyone who is new to a place, be it apprentice or not get the jobs. Thats just the way it is. Be keen & observant and prove yourself reliable things will change very quickly. If you are asked to do something then do it. If there is some reason you can not do it, let someone know.
There is nothing worse than asking someone to do a job and finding out 3 days later they havent done it.
As for getting dirty and tired , you will get over the tiredness as you get a few weeks under your belt. I take it you just left school and jumped straight into an 8-5 job. Any change in your work habits will take some adjustment, particulaly the stress of a new job. Drink lots of water and eat properly, I know most tradies love a pie at smoko but a sandwich is so much better at fuelling your body.
As for getting dirty, while not a mechanic Id pretty much assume thats part of the job?
Ive been a tradie for 15 years and there are still days I come home hot, dirty and smelly.
Stick with it, in ten years time you will be glad you have a trade under your belt.

[BZINGA]

1st year apprentice = gofer, you gofer lunches etc and do the sh1tty stuff, don't expect much at the start but you'll gradually work into it.

[Full Noise]

Stick with it, you have a lot to learn.

I’m not going to sugar-coat anything here, so please don’t be offended. At the end of the day, you are a first year apprentice, in your first week. What did you think you were going to be doing? If you do a good job sweeping up floors, emptying bins, making coffee etc, they might let you do some minor work. Like others here have mentioned, you have to prove that you can be trusted at the end of a spanner. If you can’t do the menial tasks without stuffing them up, your employer will certainly not allow you to progress to more complex tasks.

I started my apprenticeship working on trucks quite a few years before you were born, and let me tell you, it was a brutal environment in the mid eighties. I’d love to see how a lot of people these days would get on if we could turn back time.

[Jack91]

Yeah well Id agree and say give it atleast a month. Also, make it as fun as you can, it makes the day go so much quicker if you're happy and chatting while doing the work. You'll stop being "the boy" once they put another apprentice on.

[Charliewool]

Can't add much to some excellent advice already given.
I've had 3 apprentices go through my place and starting a newbie 1st Yr on Monday week.(Fitter/Machinists) The 3 have been a real learning curve for me as well as them, I can tell you!
I suppose the biggest thing I learnt was that these guys, even at 16.. 17 have their own minds, traits and individual personalities. What works for one, as in "stroking their ego" can have a negative effect on another. One will thrive on the menial tasks, whilst another devours knowledge.
Mate, give it time... be genuine in wanting to learn, and I'm sure the qualified guys will sense this & take you under their wing... Good luck!

[devilracer_01]

The start of all apprecticeships are tough, I mean lets be honest they arent going to have you stripping down an engine in your first week. I remember when I first started my bakers apprenticeship and spent the first 12 months oiling trays, putting rolls on trays hand loading a bread slicer putting rolls in bags and icing finger buns, it was as boring as dog and worse still was night shift so it would just drag the night out and I spent most of my time trying to stay awake, stick with it and it will only get better.

[Bax]

Yeah stick with it, if it's something you like then it'll be worth it - just being new they haven't got you doing any of the stuff you want to get hands on with. I guess if after 6 months you're still not progressing by all means get out of there and find somewhere new.

I'm on my 3rd year of a traineeship and haven't honestly learnt all *that* much to do with my job, I find I still get treated like cheap labour and given all the nasty jobs that nobody else wants to do, or that we don't have a casual to do. Paperwork and boring repetitive jobs when I should be out doing the full on stuff, after all I only have a year to go, once that's completed I should be fully trained right?

I find the working conditions effect me the most, if I didn't have a nice boss and a heap of good work mates there I'd be out a long time ago. So, I guess keep the chin up for a bit, be proactive and tell them that you want to do this instead of doing the basic . But being an apprentice and so fresh they may react negatively.

All the best with it.

[rodderz]

You have the 3 month trial period, so there is some scope for changing somewhat....but Ide say that your employer is just testing the waters to see what you're like.

I'm not saying you're not already, but show enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, start early and work hard, and ask some of the guys if you can help or get shown stuff. That goes a long way for them to think that you're in it for the long haul and that you want to learn the trade.

[XJR1200]

Cant add much to the good advice already given. But stay put for a while until you have had enough time to really understand what your job will finally be like at the end of your time. Dont worry about the jobs. We all went through that in the first year and someone has to do them. All tradesmen are very much in demand these days and as a result the dollars are going up. To many people are leaving school wanting to be desk jockies are computer geeks. You will end up having a trade behind you that will take you anywhere in the world you want to go. Think very carefully before making your decision and good luck.

[XW_GS]

Ive experieced this with a friend of mine.

The harder a time the boss gives you initially, the crappier the jobs you get as an apprentice, the better person and the better mechanic you become later.

All these things are part of running a business.

You will be the same when u open our own shop and hire your own apprentices.

Same as if a hairdresser hires a new apprentice and gets him or her to cut your hair in the first week? Aint cutting my hair!

As Rodderz said above," show enthusiasm and a willingness to learn" that goes a long way with your employer.

I had a hard time when i started in the electronics field, but isnt it great getting paid for doing something you love!!!

Stick to it

[GT-E]

As the others have said stick with it.
I was making coffee, sweeping floors and cleaning up after the mechanics for the first 3 months of my 1st year as a mechanic. The best part is when a new 1st year starts, as you get to kick them around and this should move you up.
The first few months are to see if you can do the crap jobs well and without complaining. If you can do boring and tedious jobs well, you will be promoted to the tools quicker. If you do a bad job or complain, you can bet you will do it for longer or until you quit.
I now run a Computer service company and I still treat my new junior staff as 1st year apprentices for the first 6 months to see if they have the right stuff.

[troppo]

I didn't even get to go to work for the first 6 months of my apprenticeship...the company I did it with sent all their apprentices to a training centre before we were even allowed on the factory. Even then, my first week was nothing but site processes, safety lectures and emergency procedures...

There are some fairly unglamourous tasks within every trade and your willingness to sweep floors and such is a fairly good indicator of whether you would be prepared to tackle the less glamourous jobs later on. Those that don't often go on to a full and rewarding career behind the counter at your local wholesale store.

[EvilChief]

Originally Posted by boss-290

Well, this week I started my apprenticeship in motor mechanics at a dealership.

And I am not too keen on it anymore.

They have basically got me to mop floors, do tyre pressures, and basically help out wherever I can. I do everything I can, like emptying bins, getting parts asking questions about different things and the likes.

I'm filthy and tired by the end of the day, and grumpy. Even the guys I work with don't seem to smile, they just get one car in, and get the next one out sort of thing.

I might sound like a whinger, but I just don't know whether its what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm afraid I will lose my passion for cars as a hobby 'cause I won't want to work on them on weekends and stuff.

I guess I'm just looking for advice from people who may have/are in my position to get me through it.

I must say though, this week has gone pretty quick.

Thanks for reading.

no offence but after one week you cannot expect to swing spanners and do evrything at once

i started my apprenticeship over a year ago, and i worked as a TA for almost 2 years prior to that, yet i was still the one cleaning every morning and afternoon and looking over everybody elses shoulder for the first 4 weeks, just to get used to rules and procedures of this particular workshop.

due to my prior experience i was given the opportunity to move into more difficult stuff straight away, such as electrical wiring and diagnostics, mechanical diagnostics, timing belts, clutches and transmissions, engine conversions and replacements, tuning, etc, otherwise i would still be stuck with services, which i still do 75% of the time.

there is also a huge difference between dealership apprenticeships and independant apprenticeships. As an independant you not only work on every car under the sun, but the range of diagnostics and problems you are faced with is much much broader, which will only help you later on.

if you are really keen and serious about your passion, then stick with it, or since you already got ur foot in the door and look for an independant apprenticeship, that is where you will learn most and have the best opportunities to experience diff scenarios.

[mik]

plenty of good advice here for my first year myself and the other first year had to sweep around 20 bays dragging a sack of saw dust around to soak up oil which usually took an hour or two of each morning, after that the foreman would put us with a mechanic to learn something (do menial stuff sometimes) this went on for a year .......and like others the apprentices did plenty of shite jobs but thats part of the trade, and like full noise i did mine in mid seventies (not a hoist in site ) all work was done on stands or on a pit in a big tin shed, that was boiling in summer and freezing in winter and had the lighting of a dungeon , the second year it was much easier and no more sweeping up mechanic field is very diversified if down the track you feel servicing is not your thing you could branch off to another field become a specialist.........electrical , auto trans, brake and clutch , lpg etc etc, i was`nt tuff enough to finish my time and chucked it in at 3rd year and regreted it for years later, .........have patience.

[GK]

Try to work out which of the mechanics (probably an older, patient and wiser bloke) will let you hang out a bit with him during breaks etc. If you can get one of the well established blokes to take you under your wing, you'll learn lots of extra good stuff.

Also, pick a mechanic that you can tell has a love of the job, integrity and excellent work standards. If you learn from one such as this, you'll be on your way to something great.

GK

[Rodp]

I've been doing my job for 15 years and I'm not sure whether I like my job. 1 week, I envy you!

[XDV800]

As stated by everyone else, it would be wise to keep the apprenticeship going, you'll get used to doing the scummy jobs, and may find ways to make yourself more efficient at them, discipline which will make working on vehicles easier in the future.
Plus you get $800 a year worth of free tool allowance from the government which are yours at the end of time, pretty sweet deal.
Having your own knowledge, a workshop and tools at your disposal to service/repair your own vehicle is neat.
I went through it all and got the chitz plenty often, but the thought of doing the time required to gain trade qualification was my ultimate goal, and i felt i had made something of myself after all that time, and was able to make a decent earning for a while as a tradesman.
Mind you after 10 years ive had enough and i'm now starting out as a bonehead machine operator. Although ive still got a trade to fall back on if it doesn't go well for me.
Pretty easy and challenging profession, stick it out if the desire is there.

[Ringo]

Yep....been there. As a first year I spent at least half the day doing something other than turning a spanner. There was a whole daily routine which also involved getting morning teas for 20 mechanics and a few detailers. I did a lot of wheel balancing, puncture repairs and tyre changing plus the Service Manager used to get me in on Saturdays to do guess what?....more cleaning!

What I ended up realising was the impact that I had on how things ran and looked in the workshop and started taking a bit of pride in having things done BEFORE they were an issue. I was proud when it was noticed when I wasn't there (trade school, holidays etc)

No-one said you have to do it for life. I did it for 6 years (4 years apprenticeship + 2 years qualified) and have moved on….now I am desk jockey in the automotive industry.

[paul_r_d]

First impressions DONT last in this situation. I've started many jobs and thought in the first week what the f%^# am I doing????
My sister was an apprentice chef...........she had to wash the bosses car, and pick his son up from school! She now is fully qulified and works for one of the most highly recognised restaurants in Melbourne.

Try and nut it out for a few months and see how you go.

[Ringo]

So what's it like this week?

How do you feel about it?

[boss-290]

Firstly, thanks for the great advice that you all have provided. It has motivated me heaps knowing that I'm not alone and there are people that have been through and worse situations that I have.

Yeah, bit of an update.

It hasn't been too bad. Its just that there hasn't been busy this week.

Usually, all jobs are finished by at least lunch time and then its quiet and boring as bat sh!t.

Today, all work was done by 10am, which made the day go really slow.

I just run out of ideas of things to do on the real quiet days. And plus with everyone watching me, I don't want to stand around doing nothing.

At least its Friday tomorrow.

Cheers

[AUXRVIII]

When it's quiet and your looking for something to do, grab a workshop manual and read the description and operation sections, you will learn so much from these parts of the manual.