I've been where you are now. I lost my job of 21 years during covid. Took 9 months to find a job. I tried every dealer and indie shop in the area. Seems like nobody wanted to hire a 50 year old guy. Swallowed my pride and took a job as a service writer with a big paycut. Stuck it out for a couple years and ended up in the shop again along with a hefty pay raise. Stick with it, it'll turn around for you. Cheers.
I watched you for years, and as I watch, we watch a man make bad judgement calls that lead to your own problems… isn’t that life some times? But the real question you have to ask is at what point are you tired of living the same life? I don’t believe you got burned out over the mechanic job I believe it was more of all the burdens of life that you placed in your life when you didn’t have too. This is just coming from a person that has watched you from day one. It’s almost like watching a movie and you know the main character is going to go through that one door that is going to lead to destruction and they go and keep going deeper and deeper. I really wish you the best. Cause you’re a real person, a selfless person.
@tootoosick18 agreed. I think Justin is the realest person on RU-vid. So, it kinda saddens me to know that he's the one struggling the most. I hope he comes back from this. Also, I made a comment earlier about where to learn about Electric Vehicles here on RU-vid but had to make it kinda abstract because RU-vid takes down comments automatically when you reference another channel.
Life / work tip. If you are searching for the perfect job with no difficult people or difficult situations, this will be the outcome. Pulling for you Justin. Honestly, you are working. Right here on RU-vid and doing a great job creating content that consistently engages the viewers. Bravo.
Honestly your life unrelated to their company is none of their business, do what you need to do to get that job you want. Fake it till you make it brotha (I’m not saying lie), thanks for the videos!
I could relate. Justin. But I think the word to keep in mind is perseverance. No matter what it is that you want to do. You have to just keep trying to get your foot in the door.
Keep fighting brother. I truly believe there is age discrimination in the work force. Tried retail, dealerships, Indy shops and everything I could think of. No one would hire me. By chance saw a sign for school bus mechanic at a local district, applied and got hired. By far the most laid back easy going job I’ve ever had. Just keep grinding. It’ll happen. Good luck
Start your own LLC and do mobile mechanics, i dont know about your state but here it only cost about 150$ and some paperwork to get started. We believe in you man keep on rolling think how nice it would be to get all of the profit...
Lifes a challenge. I work for myself, my wife has a good job with some understanding and flexability. Raising 3 kids, I don't know how we could do it with employers that don't understand that things come up unexpectedly and somebody has to look after a sick kid or take one to an appointment. Aging parents need to get taken to appointments etc. Life happens, we may occasionaly need a day or hours off. I feel for you, keep going!
I absolutely couldn't deal with all the hoops that anyone is met with in todays market. Worked for myself for 20 years now and i thibk with your personality type you gotta be your own boss. Some people just aren't built for long term company work.
Brother I don't want to be the guy I told you so you quit your last job never leave a job if you don't have something line up already stay positive if you have a good car there's lots of work down the hill
You have a military retirement safety net which is a blessing. Id say go into a completly different trade. HVAC, Welding, machining, ANYTHING! This moght be gods way of telling your not were you need to be.
Hvac doesn't work if you're not trying to drive alot... that's a giant hurdle in his job search. If he was okay with a longer commute he'd probably find a mechanic gig somewhere else
I don’t think he’s retired from the military. I bet he’s getting VA disability like my self. There’s a big difference between military retirement and Va disability. He should also look into getting his rating up if he’s not at 💯 Va disability. Justin hit me up. I think I can help in increasing your Va disability rating if that’s what you’re receiving.
I don’t get it, you think you’re the only person that has worked for people that are jerks? Your problems are all on you, why not find another job before leaving one like most of us do? Man up and move on, make better choices.
Go diesel. Big iron if you are willing. Be ready to be a nomad, but the pay far exceeds automotive by a long shot. Simply not enough knuckleheads like myself in this part of the mechanical profession. Maybe railroad in your area? I'm in the marine business, but I live on the coast. Best of luck to you!
Making 12$ a hour i have a tech school degree been fixing cars at home for 15 years since then while working as a store manager for a grocery store making way more than a entry level tech i finally got tired of this tried to get a job as a tech no bueno found a job making 55000 fixing floor cleaning equipment and a company vehicle m-f 8-5 i dont get it thats in east tennessee
Reason there are little job opportunities this time of year is because of graduation this past month. It's like the New Year Resolution everyone makes but that gym set becomes a clothes hangar. By the end of summer or fall, positions open up again because those hored will go onto college, other work, not able to hack it or their uncle got tired of their nephew or they now got a rugrat from that New Year's party. Those are real outcomes, man. Capitalize on them, brother. Its a dog eat dog in the blue collar line. Dont look for a friend in a boss, rare amd even more rare it works out. Glad you see your missed opportunities...accept it and chalk it under "Learned" to pass onto your daughter for her future endeavors. Maybe you stress today so she don't have to in the future. Keep the fight, brother.
Don't say you're ever terminated... just say you were let go. (Difference of opinions, hostile work environment) Whatever... Previous employers will almost never say you were FIRED because of defamation and state laws.
Not even that, don’t even say you were fired or let go, just say you quit and moved on for more pay, or they didn’t have enough work, they’re not gonna call them like 99% of time and if they do they can’t say you were fired just that you worked there, he’s being honest sure but people don’t appreciate that
This is advice to anyone listening. Always be thinking about how does this look on my resume? When you got a crappy job, start looking, but dont quit your job until youre hired for the new one. Take your time to find the right opportunity, so that youll actually want to stay around for a few years. Remember doing an interview isnt just about what you can offer, its also time to find out what they can offer you. You really wanna stick it out, even at a shitty place for atleast a year or two minimum. Job hopping looks real bad. Also, find a career and stick with it. Stay in and around your wheel house. Life will be much easier in the end.
Very well said. Career hopping is even worse than job hopping because you never stay at one certain thing long enough to get good at it, to perfect it.
These guys telling you to get into fleet maintenance like city or county or state government have the good idea. You have plenty of wrenching experience. Go apply at the school district bus maint facility, and other government fleet garages. Pay will probably be good AND you'll build some sort of pension benefit. The work pace will probably be easier than auto garages and dealerships as well. Start studying internet pages for govt entitities job lisitngs. Not everybody can be hired as a mechanic, unlike office help where about anybody can qualify to apply. . That means job availability because you have a skill. That's what I'd be doing in your shoes.
That why I don't like to work for shops or a dealershits I work for myself it's a struggle but I'm alot happier, I would say you should do mobile work to bad you can't work out of you're house, I used to hate that feeling you have too relying on companies for a job
I'd feel discouraged too -- but I'm older, and looking at the long view, "shit works out" Maybe not how we hope, or plan it, but eventually stuff falls in place Hang in there, and keep doing the right thing
I'm pretty sure with his large social media presence and the simple fact he is openly admitting to this supposed falsifying a repair he is pretty much fuxed as at least one mechanic per large shop probably knows about it or knows someone who told them about it
It was several years ago. A window regulator was replaced. When both were out on the bench to compare, they were misplaced and the old one got put back in
I left automotive after 19 years in the game. Landed a spot as a automation/controls tech in warehouse environment. Was daunting at first but you soon figure out nuts and bolts are just nuts and bolts. Still work with my hands which is what I know but a complete different environment which is what I needed. Watched your videos for years love the content, I hope you find what you want brother just keep moving.
If I were you I'd try and go the fleet route or just completely switch to a trade and say you got tired of wrenching and being a mechanic and now you are willing to learn an entire new trade from the ground up. Some places will pay for your training as you work for them. Do not go over your consistent leaving other places or you getting fired etc.
Don’t say you were fired broskie, just don’t do it man, you don’t have to because you don’t agree to the reason, they can’t say you were fired. Employer will never call to verify like 99% of the time and if they do they can’t say you were fired just that you worked there.
You got this man. We are about the same age and have some of the same struggles. I’d be happy to talk and be a friend. If you’re struggling to get work at all well sometimes you gotta piss with the pecker you’ve got. Find something you can do without any added certs or costs to you. If anything just to get some cash flow in to afford what you need to do something better. Also you are mechanically skilled. Why not get an apprenticeship in hvac, electricity, or plumbing?
In all fairness. After all this time you should have all your master ASE certifications. I got them within the first couple years at a dealer decades ago.
Hey brotha. With all your technical knowledge you, have you ever considered the trades like hvac, appliance repair or electrician. I know a lot of automotive guys that jumped into appliance repair that are making a great living. You got this my dude👍
Good luck Justin... And not sure if anyones mentioned but, create a offer up for the mobile repair thing. List your experince/qulifications and the types of jobs your offering. Search for other mobile repair people and get an idea of what to add to your page. Or what kind of posts to make. Hope this helps.
Having so many jobs at different shops raised red flags so they push for why that is . Keep your head up dont be discouraged. Look at fleet work for your local town , council etc or waste services. Or a company with a large vehical fleet. Fleet mechanic has been good to me its alot better then the public sector .
Hang in there Justin, something will come up, when one door closes another one opens up!! I got extremely lucky after I left the Buick Dealership after 10 years to be a Trucker, 20 years later in this job my Dispatcher also went thru grade school to High school with me so she let's me do my job and doesn't bother me!!!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Keep at it.. Stay positive. try to find a specialty in the field. I bounced around tried Transmission shops and classic Volkswagen.. Landed in Automotive Upholstery.. Loving it! hope it's my last jump. but, if it's not.. I'll keep going until i figure it out. I'm sure you will too.
Well this video just taught me that ASE certs are actually kinda important, especially for those of us that are just starting and want to get into a dealership.
Im not sure if were sold on your mobile mechanic business name... like someone said drop the inc out of it... Id also think to leave drop off out of it for HOA sake and you being mobile just go to customer. If you're still on Facebook or have a Facebook, create a secondary page for your business. I had one for small IT stuff I did on the side and I closed it and deleted it. Wish i never did lol. I had all these reviews... anyways.... That's cool to move out of state for work but i dunno if that's good for the fam. If you think it could work, sure... How about Costco? I am not too familiar with the valley and palm springs, are they close enough? Ever consider being a valet at a resort or something out there? I know the feeling about long commutes, when i have my son, im commuting both ways 1.5 hours to drop off and pick up from school while i head to and from work. Just keep your head up and pushing forward. Thanks for the content.
ASE is a freaking joke. I certified all my ase in the early 90s. The test is a joke. It was affordable years ago. The cost of recertification is stupid. I quit doing it. I think if your a master certified than it should be for life. Just a monetary racket. ASE can suck it
It's where you are. I'm in Pennsylvania a mile from Philadelphia. We have 100s of independent shops inside and outside the city with tons of work always hiring average pay 25 to 45 a hour. A good B tech $35 a good A tech 45 and up
Justin the ase recert tests are much cheaper than the full tests and way less questions. Also no matter how long your certifications have been expired you can recert them
You need to move down here to Texas! I recently hired someone as the lead mechanic, just because he had a heart beat! You are way more qualified than that dude!
Justin there two things that you can do in your situation. If the oil rigging job doesn’t plan out( I hope it does for you). You can look into a whole new trade either electrical or plumbing at this point. I know people in my family who went through a one year training on plumbing and they were working with a plumbing company while doing the training. The same goes for electrical as well I work with a electrician in my job of cryogenic technician who help me wiring up co2 heaters. He went through a year of training and was working for a company. This is in Tennessee btw so I don’t know how Nevada does their training’s but if all else fails. You can apply for harbor freight to work there and maybe even be a store manager there. You can also do RU-vid videos while working there too. You have options man don’t give up.
I'd like to be frank with you Justin. I was offered a service writer position, did the interview and was offered the position. Was told about how much I would expect to make, and politely turned down the offer in person only to have the gentlemen go up and guarantee more money. I had zero experience in a service writer position, but did have a wealth of auto repair knowledge. If, once again, I can be frank with you.... I do believe they "WANT" a year or two service writer experience, but that is probably NEVER a deal breaker. I will say, it seems to me they are not willing to give you a shot, at the time. It's like many things, how can you have experience in something, if you have to start that experience somewhere...
I don’t know if there’s any diesel fleets around you man but I’d suggest starting from the bottom in a fleet if you can, it can be great as far as hours the pay even for a lube guy is great and if your foreman isn’t absolutely horrible you’ll really enjoy it, it’s an idea anyway, good luck brother, you’re the man, keep up the good work!
It's a gamble as to what your career looks like to anyone on paper. I've worked at the same plave for 14 years - 10 of them in the same position. Sounds good, yes? I've been told that's no so desireable - shows a lack of motivation and even stuck in my ways. Plus, a lot of the full time medics at the FD rotate in and out. Get cert, grab new job. Get new cert, get better job. So on and so forth. Its just a crazy world.
Hey Justin just want to say, you did not mess up, just keep your faith in Him (Jesus Christ) because He has the job for you, just wanted to share that, I went through a similar situation, DO NOT GIVE UP
Justin, i know you have looked into switching industries several times, but have you thought about doing it in the same field, like getting into transportation or heavy equipment but still being a mechanic?
You need to find your Technical School/Vo-Tech… public/state-ran, not a rip off private one. Train in HVAC or electrical… get a skill for life. They offer grants for low income. You can often work while in school as well. Or jump into an internship… I’m in the Midwest and most trade internships pay $18-20/hr and up starting out. Also check with VA for re-training options.
Old news that’s he’s covered multiple times. It was a nearly new car and had an electrical component that needed r&r. When reinstalling the identical part, he put the original one one in and turned the new one in as the warranty part. Seemed like and honest mistake that he owned up to it but the dealer called it a falsified repair because it affected the warranty stuff. Edit: He documented what he did and turned it in, so it seem like it was just a mistake. It wasn’t like it was an old dirty part.
If I recall the new part ended up with something broken on it (unsure if from manufacturer or in the course of replacing), but he was able to fix the original part. All that being said, he was fairly upfront about it.
@@joelopez40oz23 usually at dealers they build a case against you weather you are not productive or not following rules, it looks like maybe that was the excuse to let him go.
@joelopez40oz23 which calls into question why did they want him out? Must've had an outspoken attitude about something in particular and was rocking the boat.
Has to be frustrating. Funny I always figured If I was stuck for a job I could get on at Walmart. but on FB, I saw a person said they had interviewed and were declined several times. Hard to figure.
Yuppers. I applied for multiple positions at Walmart even on the tech side. Walked in and went to ask about it and was told if they’re interested they’ll call.. sure do have a lot of positions available for a place that’s not in a dire need to hire anybody
I like it here in Canada in the way that we do our certifications . We have a certification class called the Red seal and that's like the bad ass cert that you can get in your trade. The good thing about it is will never expire so you write the test until you pass then its good as long as you pay the fee every year.
I know the state I live in, you don’t have to disclose if you were fired. When employers contact each other they ask for dates and if you are eligible for rehire. A union rep once told me never disclose your work disciplines. But keep your faith, keep pushing forward, Justin. Looks here constellis security. They’re all looking for techs. They do Government contracts
I've got nothing but respect for you and I mean no disrespect now but you are discouraged about your situation in reality you put your self where you are you was working I know it's was a tire shop not the greatest job but it's a paycheck and you quit before you had another job if your life depends on you having a paycheck don't ever quit the job you have until you know for sure you have another job so pick your self up and get back out there because there is a door with a job on the other side waiting for you to open it just you might have to open 50 doors before you find it stop talking about leaving your daughter and family because of a situation you created and that comes from someone that has been where you are now dont create more problems for your self
You don’t need ASE certs to get a job at a dealer or independent shop. You must be saying the wrong stuff at interviews or your resume must freaking suck. Also what kind of $$$ are you asking for? Your experience, work place longevity, speaks for itself. Are asking for entry level, mid tech, experienced journey man Tech, shop foreman?? How are you categorizing yourself? Does you experience years wrenching line up with what your asking as far as $$$/what you can and can’t do? I bet it’s your lack of daig that may be holding you back.
didn't get that far with Toyota. I asked the service writer if they were hiring, he said let me ask, he returned and said I can fill out an application and informed me that they required ASE certifications. That's it. No talk of money or position. Just asked if they were hiring.
Justin, get into the trades!! Go union plumber or hvac. Great pay, paid training, company provided tools. Trades need help, and everyday guys your age get apprenticeships!
Man screw turning wrenches. Seriously look into getting your CDL! Just because you have a CDL doesn't mean you have to be an over the road driver. Local runs are always hiring and necessary to any US city. Every store gets it stock from a truck. Groceries, auto parts, clothing...everything.
Call NTB in Bellevue Tennessee for a job. It is considered part of West Nashville Tennessee now. You don't need certifications. A lot of repair shops in and around Nashville need mechanics.They don't care if you been fired. 😅
Don't give up, got to dig to get the gold! Remember, you're in an area where there is a lot of high end wealth, if you do mobile mechanic, hit up the country clubs, and the shops in the area. Also all the country clubs do higher mechanics! If you can get into a country club job, even if it's working on the greens or what ever your foot will be in the door then, you can speak to all the people inside that you're a mobile mechanic, and other repairs! Those people pay money inside the country clubs, plus your English speaking! I say give it a try...
Listening tonight. Running the backroads out here in the darkness. Keep working on the self employed/mobile tech angle. The oil field will take more than it will give. I did the oilfield for 12 years. The saying is, in the oilfield, " you dont always get to take part in the life you provide for others". Maybe look back into the marine security. Get that tat removed, just for now. Or just placed elsewhere. The box needs to be thought outside of. Wish we could talk directly. Are you game?
House painters here charge $100/hour for their labor. (Materials are extra.) It's hard work, but it's something to think about. Tools needed to start are a few brushes, tape, and a ladder. I was shocked that house painters are pulling down the same cash as engineers. :-) The going rate for mowing lawns is $40/hour. A used $50 mower and $100 trimmer would get you started.
Yah it’s crazy cus they need em but yes that’s how I felt, look at his example of minimum for that many years, if he’d done anything else that long plumbing, flooring construction he’s be making more already n less tools
I work at nissan. I had to wait a year and a half to get into the main shop. Listen to the boss and shop manager BS. Then after a year of being in the main shop. They get rid of lube shop and everyone does oil change and anyone can do anything.
I’ve made comments in the past recommending auto body. Ive been a tech for 7 years and I’ve made over 100k for the last 3. Great industry and there is a shortage of techs everywhere. You also aren’t depending on customers to have cash because it’s insurance work… caliber collision and gerber collision have tech training programs that are paid and provide tools and the veteran aspect is actually something that would help get you into their programs. just a thought.
I live in the lower desert. Amongst all the cities here in CV there are hundreds of independent auto shops who would love to hire a veteran especially one who is experienced as a mechanic. Idk you personally but have you tried to consider using your asset of RU-vid to your advantage when going to these places as self advertisement. For example, go to an independent auto shop in car city (not the big dealerships) and say hey I have thousands of followers in the valley. Most of them want me to work on their cars. If I worker for you I could bring in business. I can bring you clients. I think this would be a good angle to work on instead of doing your traditional interview thing if in fact you have not already tried this. You have to sell yourself not your resume
Maybe be a mobile mechanic? Become a LLC use the tax write offs. But at some point you would need to get insurance. But could be an option in the future.
