Looking for a career change
Discussion
Hi Guys and Girls, 
Tricky one this, I'm a 22 year old lad who loves his motors.I'm reasonably knowledgeable mechanically about cars compared to a lot of self proclaimed petrol heads and I could talk about them pretty much all day. Classic cars, Import tuners, muscle cars, track weapons, exotics, trucks, even electric cars of today and tomorrow.
I've worked in sales for a few years and while I have loved the atmosphere of a sales environment I really feel that I was born to work with cars, (I'm currently in business to business sales) but I'm on s
t money even with commission and it bores me to high hell and am feeling seriously fed up with the same crap day in day out.
The obvious answer would be car sales, but apart from the general stigma attached to being a car salesman (which i could get over if the job was satisfying enough) I generally find most dealerships near me are all close knit family run businesses or they hire young lads as green as grass that hardly know what they're talking about, who again are probably in some way related to the older more experienced salesman. If I wanted to start out in car sales i'd probably end up either on commission only in some grotty dealership or working on even worse money than I'm currently on, (which isn't an option at this point). I could probably do with learning more, but a lot of this info i'm saying is not only from personal experience but also what I've been told from others.
The other obvious answer would be to become a mechanic, but unfortunately I'd end up either working 5 pound an hour as some garage lackey doing an apprenticeship. I have a partner and a car and rent to pay, I can't afford to be loosing out on money at this point in my life.
I don't know I'm i'm ill informed and I'm hoping I am, but maybe there are other car focused jobs besides what I've mentioned that would suit me, I'm not entirely sure if I'm writing this post out of frustration or if i'm actually seeking re-assurance. What do you guys think? Should I just man up and get on with it or are there alternatives? Am at a real crossroads right now. (no pun intended)
Tricky one this, I'm a 22 year old lad who loves his motors.I'm reasonably knowledgeable mechanically about cars compared to a lot of self proclaimed petrol heads and I could talk about them pretty much all day. Classic cars, Import tuners, muscle cars, track weapons, exotics, trucks, even electric cars of today and tomorrow.
I've worked in sales for a few years and while I have loved the atmosphere of a sales environment I really feel that I was born to work with cars, (I'm currently in business to business sales) but I'm on s
t money even with commission and it bores me to high hell and am feeling seriously fed up with the same crap day in day out.The obvious answer would be car sales, but apart from the general stigma attached to being a car salesman (which i could get over if the job was satisfying enough) I generally find most dealerships near me are all close knit family run businesses or they hire young lads as green as grass that hardly know what they're talking about, who again are probably in some way related to the older more experienced salesman. If I wanted to start out in car sales i'd probably end up either on commission only in some grotty dealership or working on even worse money than I'm currently on, (which isn't an option at this point). I could probably do with learning more, but a lot of this info i'm saying is not only from personal experience but also what I've been told from others.
The other obvious answer would be to become a mechanic, but unfortunately I'd end up either working 5 pound an hour as some garage lackey doing an apprenticeship. I have a partner and a car and rent to pay, I can't afford to be loosing out on money at this point in my life.
I don't know I'm i'm ill informed and I'm hoping I am, but maybe there are other car focused jobs besides what I've mentioned that would suit me, I'm not entirely sure if I'm writing this post out of frustration or if i'm actually seeking re-assurance. What do you guys think? Should I just man up and get on with it or are there alternatives? Am at a real crossroads right now. (no pun intended)
I have a mate who now has a decent job in a reasonably high-end dealership. He's had to work for it though. My impression from looking at him is that you don't just go straight into working with performance "petrolhead" type cars without first putting in the graft at a more mass-market type dealership, working on commission and busting your gut for a few years. I guess that's the same for lots of careers.
Otherwise, think of something completely different and keep your car-related interests as a hobby. I wondered briefly about going into something car-related but I think ultimately it would kill the enjoyment a bit for me.
Otherwise, think of something completely different and keep your car-related interests as a hobby. I wondered briefly about going into something car-related but I think ultimately it would kill the enjoyment a bit for me.
Stu-C123 said:
I have a mate who now has a decent job in a reasonably high-end dealership. He's had to work for it though. My impression from looking at him is that you don't just go straight into working with performance "petrolhead" type cars without first putting in the graft at a more mass-market type dealership, working on commission and busting your gut for a few years. I guess that's the same for lots of careers.
Otherwise, think of something completely different and keep your car-related interests as a hobby. I wondered briefly about going into something car-related but I think ultimately it would kill the enjoyment a bit for me.
This is something I did worry about, part of me feels like the magic would die a bit if It was my daily grind. But then it wouldn't exactly be like my job would involve track days and working on my own car e.c.t. It would just be nice to work in something I've got a bit of an outside passion for. A few people have said the same thing as you though. Otherwise, think of something completely different and keep your car-related interests as a hobby. I wondered briefly about going into something car-related but I think ultimately it would kill the enjoyment a bit for me.
I would say go and get some qualifications then look at getting into cars from a motorsport engineering angle...got a few mates that work in motorsports and brands on the engineering side and they make good money and have a lot of prestige with the job.
And just to prove its doable..a design engineer left my company and somehow talked his way into Mclaren on the project management side of the business. He was a terrible design engineer so there is hope for all of us!
And just to prove its doable..a design engineer left my company and somehow talked his way into Mclaren on the project management side of the business. He was a terrible design engineer so there is hope for all of us!
Edited by designforlife on Thursday 20th September 15:05
Sales could work... if you have the knowledge, the enthusiasm of youth and a way with customers you could do quite well in that side of the industry but again you have to start at the bottom, do the donkey work and keep the focus and the enthusiasm. Or, get a very lucky break and pitch in to a role with a specialist marque or independent dealership. Most basic rates are low in sales but the commission can be quite good, seemingly.
If you are mechanically minded you should do CAD, it's easy once you know how and the contractor rates are still great.
Probably won't be in automotive sector though for 2 reasons-
1. They want and can get the top people because everyone wants to do it.
2. They don't actually pay that great because everyone want to do it.
Mate went to work for McLaren for less, after the initial excitement of working in the Mac Tech Centre in Working left after a year as they always wanted things done yesterday!
Probably won't be in automotive sector though for 2 reasons-
1. They want and can get the top people because everyone wants to do it.
2. They don't actually pay that great because everyone want to do it.
Mate went to work for McLaren for less, after the initial excitement of working in the Mac Tech Centre in Working left after a year as they always wanted things done yesterday!
I don't think you should man up and get on with it. If you hate what you do then you should look to change it.
Unfortunately however there just aren't any easy answers, car sales does sound like the best fit but you'll probably need to take a bit of a pay cut to begin with, which I appreciate might not be an option considering your financial responsibilities - Car sales often comes with long hours too, weekend work also. It's also worth mentioning that the way people buy / use / interact with their cars is constantly changing and will continue to do so and the jobs that currently relate to cars may not always exist as the transition to electric / automation / whatever continues.
Are there any other jobs or potential careers you think might suit you and give you more satisfaction than your current role? Cars can always remain a hobby.
Unfortunately however there just aren't any easy answers, car sales does sound like the best fit but you'll probably need to take a bit of a pay cut to begin with, which I appreciate might not be an option considering your financial responsibilities - Car sales often comes with long hours too, weekend work also. It's also worth mentioning that the way people buy / use / interact with their cars is constantly changing and will continue to do so and the jobs that currently relate to cars may not always exist as the transition to electric / automation / whatever continues.
Are there any other jobs or potential careers you think might suit you and give you more satisfaction than your current role? Cars can always remain a hobby.
One thing to remember about car sales is that loving and knowing a lot about cars will help, but you need to be able to SELL. Identify what a customer wants then tell them why the car you have meets their needs. Someone walking in with twins in tow isn't going to care about how the induction system improves top-end power, they need to know the boot's bige enough to get all their st in.
Don't mean to patronise you, just mean to give a bit of advice. I work in engineering sales and I find it very tempting to go off on a tangent of interesting engineering stuff when the customer just wants to know if it comes in colours other than orange.
t in.Don't mean to patronise you, just mean to give a bit of advice. I work in engineering sales and I find it very tempting to go off on a tangent of interesting engineering stuff when the customer just wants to know if it comes in colours other than orange.
well, something working with an engineering/mechanical focus does interest me a lot as Its physical work which is prefer as well as the ability to learn a lot. Its also an industry that is less likely to go totally automated in the future as machines will always need to be fixed/repaired/developed.
I think i'm just generally feeling jaded in the office/sales industry. At least in this kind of sales. There is no real chance for progression here either which really makes the efforts i go to feel even more futile.
I think i'm just generally feeling jaded in the office/sales industry. At least in this kind of sales. There is no real chance for progression here either which really makes the efforts i go to feel even more futile.
crofty1984 said:
One thing to remember about car sales is that loving and knowing a lot about cars will help, but you need to be able to SELL. Identify what a customer wants then tell them why the car you have meets their needs. Someone walking in with twins in tow isn't going to care about how the induction system improves top-end power, they need to know the boot's bige enough to get all their st in.
Don't mean to patronise you, just mean to give a bit of advice. I work in engineering sales and I find it very tempting to go off on a tangent of interesting engineering stuff when the customer just wants to know if it comes in colours other than orange.
Hi Mate,t in.Don't mean to patronise you, just mean to give a bit of advice. I work in engineering sales and I find it very tempting to go off on a tangent of interesting engineering stuff when the customer just wants to know if it comes in colours other than orange.
Without sounding too up my own arse, i'm not your stereotypical car salesman type guy in that I do actually listen to the needs of the customer and would always tailor what i'm selling to the customers needs. I've worked in sales for many years and just selling what you think is the coolest would never make you any money because I doubt that you'd sell anything at all with that.
Its called a needs analysis, and you sell based on the needs of the customer, alongside some charm and a bit haggling depending on how tricky the customer is. No offence taken, i'm sure that a lot of the young lads that want to be car salesman think they'll be talking about horsepower turbos and burnouts. As fun as that would be I'm money motivated and all aspects of cars interest me, not just performance. I'll happily talk about economical engines, boot space and insurance premiums till the sun goes down.
crofty1984 said:
One thing to remember about car sales is that loving and knowing a lot about cars will help, but you need to be able to SELL. Identify what a customer wants then tell them why the car you have meets their needs. Someone walking in with twins in tow isn't going to care about how the induction system improves top-end power, they need to know the boot's bige enough to get all their st in.
Don't mean to patronise you, just mean to give a bit of advice. I work in engineering sales and I find it very tempting to go off on a tangent of interesting engineering stuff when the customer just wants to know if it comes in colours other than orange.
I agree, don't settle, do something you enjoy, life is too short. You have the youth, so you have time to work towards any qualifications you need. Working a job you don't like is a bit easier if you have a goal. You are obviously clear headed enough to analyse which way things are going in industry etc.. I love cars but never really fancied car sales because of the hours (that said I was in the fire service so worked days and nights). It can be a mistake to combine work with hobbies ( I know this from experience), but I would work out what it is you enjoy doing. There are many avenues you could take including, for example, a car detailing business, retraining to do refinishing/spraying or as a mechanic, classic car restoration (courses are available), software engineering (diagnostics etc), quality engineer, health and safety adviser specialising in the engineering/ automotive industry (more interesting work than you would think) I would also consider whether you always want to work for someone else or whether you fancy being self employed. That may influence your decision. Either way, trust me, more than ever, you can do whatever you decide is for you, although it may take time. I don't remember what it's called, but I remember a very thick book about careers in the local library, which described the pros and cons, expected salary, qualifications etc etc of every career you could think of, and some you probably wouldn't think oft in.Don't mean to patronise you, just mean to give a bit of advice. I work in engineering sales and I find it very tempting to go off on a tangent of interesting engineering stuff when the customer just wants to know if it comes in colours other than orange.
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