Motorcycle industry "career" options

So the economy sucks and the powersports industry isnt what it used to be.... But since I got retarded grades in school and I currently work in a factory busting my butt for $250 per 40hr work week while getting treated like a brainless robot slave I figure there must be something better out there. I'm 21 and dont feel like living in a factory such as this for 40 years.

I've been thinking about the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and other such schools but most of that seems too good to be true. So whats the word on such a school from someone who has been through it?

Obviously I have a passion for racing and "performance" but what would such a school offer someone who is into that kinda stuff? A job on any race team would be pretty cool.... even if I were just changing tires. But is that outa the question here?

 

No.

 

I am humbled by your answer. I will go meditate on this wisdom

 

What I hear from you post is...I want to make the same money that I am making now but I want a student loan on top of that.

If you want to work at a dealership, do so but don't spend a shit ton of money to find out it's not all it's cracked up to be unless you're working for yourself. And then, it's still a tough business.

 

So... It's a waste of money? What school did you take?

 

I think what he is trying to say is try it before you buy it.

 

Good friend of mine took MMI in FL, this is before it got f%$king expensive, Back then it was just expensive. No it wasn't a waste of money but don't think for a second that getting out of MMI is going to get you anything better than a $9.00/hr gig.

Do some searching. This has been discussed more than once on the beep. There is plenty of people that have worked in the industry, myself included. I got out before the bust and even then I didn't see much future in it.

p.s. No offense to anybody still in it.

 

Yeah i got a buddy that did that, he even did all the inner schools i.e honda, kawi, yami, suz, and harley because it would make him more desirable to a employer. $40k latter he sorts packages at fed ex part time, only thing he can find.

 

^da yum.

Good thing is that you are 21 and thinking long term. Nobody does that anymore.

 

Did some searching on here and couldnt find much that wasnt 9 years old.

But with the school under your belt it would at least give you some credibility right? I mean... I could go try to get a job at the local suzuki dealer right now but for all they care I'm just a 21 yr old crack head.

But even with the schooling I would still be starting out sweeping floors and washing windows?

 

yeah...
I went to Wyotech, mainly just chose it to get Ducati/Triumph/BMW certifications. I definitely wouldn't have gotten the job I got without that cert (or the BBS lol) but at the same time, I wasn't totally prepared for working in a shop. I learned a LOT more actually working than I ever came close to learning at school and it was still a huge learning curve.

I quit that job after about 6 months to go back to real college. I still regret leaving sometimes and at this point I'm not even sure what I'm going to do career wise but I will say that I at least now have a marketable and semi in-demand skill (it's not too hard to find a job as a Ducat tech if you have the certification and aren't a moron). Even though I'm not currently working as a mechanic, I still spend every weekend working on local riders' bikes and make a good bit of spare cash doing that. The best thing about it is that it's not a job, I do it little enough that I actually still enjoy working on motorcycles...

If you do it, be prepared to move around. I had a friend that graduated with the same certs that I did but he wanted to move to one specific city. The only job he could get there was working as a counter guy for a dealership. It's been about 2 years and he's still working the counter there, which is fine but he's not making that much and may or may not ever get to actually work on bikes.

School did cost a fortune but I will say, I could have never gotten my foot in the door of as good a shop as I did without the certifications I got at Wyotech. The advice of working for cheap at a local shop and learning from the mechanics there would be GREAT advice if there weren't so many hacks out there working in dealerships. You might work for a true guru that really knows his stuff or you might work for a hack that gets jobs done by taking shortcuts and ripping customers off.

 

Its a bad economy. It depends on where you live I guess. Here in the DC area where I live I was thinking how the hell can I survive on 1300 after taxes for a 40 hour work week. Best thing I can say is move to an place that is in a better job friendly area. most likely near city's. Also go onto USAJOB.GOV and apply to everything you may or may not be qualified for. It only takes one yes and your good. Best of luck to you and hope it turns out well.

 

Jesus thats depressing... no offence.... dang, times are tough

 

I would check into what % of MMI graduates make it into an AMA team mechanic position. My bet is it's pretty slim and a lot of "who ya know". A couple friends are mechanics, one at a shop and one owns his own shop. The one with his own shop works a second full time job just for health insurance, the other just lost his job when the shop closed.

 

At a line dealership you'll most likely get hired as the assembly tech. You put bikes together out of the crates. After that, you move your way on up. Slowly and if you're sharp. And if your service manager and shop owner aren't brain dead and don't want to keep you around making around minimum wage forever. More than likely you'll move on up when the senior tech moves onto another shop because the current shop won't give him a raise. That's how you get raises in this business. You move on.

Did I mention you're gonna need $20K+ worth of tools, that'll you'll be paying out of pocket for?

Go work for a dealership as a lot lizard or parts help. You can sometimes get in with no experience if you're motorcycle inclined. Work there 12 months and then make your decision.

 

school

I currently work at a shop in georgia and I have seen people come and go. I have had a couple of friends that went to mmi and neither of them are making the money they thought they would. you are better to go to your local technical school and see if they have a motorcycle program. no matter what you do you will probably start out as a set up guy or a service guy (oil changer). Fyi working at a bike shop isnt all it is cracked up to be. try to go just get a job as a parts guy or service writer first to see if you even like it. Its a tough industry now and it has a tendency to make you hate motorcycles. they are fun but your around them all the time. you see the cool things when you walk in but in the end its just like another job.

 

Agreed.

 

So you had shit grades in high school? Is that because you are an true idiot? Or were you not trying?

Assuming you are not a true idiot....

You know you can go to a community college, get good grades, wipe the slate clean and transfer to a 4 year college.

Just sayin...

 

its hard to move your way up. most bike shops just hire someone with the experience.

 

$20k worth of tools before you start the school?! Or are you talking as "assembly tech".

Problem with my location is the season changes. Seems like the shops and dealerships around here get quiet during the winter.