Depends on where you work and who you work for. You won't be making six figures more than likely, but you make a pretty decent living on average.

 

It also depends what maker you work for and what dealership youre at. TONS of variables in the automotive industry. It can either be VERY good to you or VERY bad. One reason I never ended up pursuing it like I wanted to. In my area, not a lot of money to be made in the hot rod scene.

 

Manufacturing is where its at right now...

 

I graduated UTI in 07 and my job now is working out great. Like stated above it all depends on where you get a job... The auto business will always be up and down. I worked at a smaller shop once I got out and got my feet wet then moved to where I'm at now and been there for 6 years and I love it. I did the paint and body side.

 

full time farm hand, dairy farm so we're busy year round, harvest in the summer and calving and trucking in the winter

 

Local 12 I.U.O.E. Land Surveyor

 

I'm not to familiar with the US side of the industry but I've heard it can be real up and down.
around here the wage is pretty average betweens shops and dealers
if you go to a dealership they typically pay well but its flat rate, usually $32-$37/hr so on some jobs you win and some you lose
smaller local shops typically pay hourly and its a bit less usually $25-$35/hr depending on the shop but thats hourly so regardless of whether you take 3 days to swap that engine or 8 hours...your paid just the same and when the shops dead your still getting paid.

I was at a flat rate shop for the last 2 years getting $35/hr and when times were good....man were they good. some days i'd have 13 hours before 4pm and just go home. but then some days i'd be there for 10 hours and go home with 0.3 hours. I ended up leaving cause I couldnt handle the fluctuations. 85-105 hours one cheque then 30 hours the next...gets tough

I now work at a local shop hourly for $30/hr and my cheques are the same every two weeks, so i'm happy and once I finish my last course in january-february i'll get a nice bump to $35.

I've been in it for about 7 years now and its nothing like power block or muscle car on tv, haha "your friends at snap on" wont have a magic tool to make for you, you wont have every tool imaginable, its always gonna be seized, the wire is always shorted in the worst access spot and the customer diagnosis always misleads you haha so if its truly what you wanna do then do it! but if you watch a tv show on sundays and think man thats cool...its not haha

 

I build The Rolls Royce RR-F402-408B jet engine for the USMC Harrier. I started doing this 14 years ago when I was a young Marine. Now I do it on the civilian side for the Department of Defense. I have one class left to graduate from SIU in Aviation Management, then I will try to get out of the tool box, but stay in aviation.