The best kind of career is one delivering a service lots of people need, but few know how to do. One of the best examples of this is the automotive industry, specifically, repairing and maintaining cars. Think about how many people drive them every day, and how many people need them fixed. People who know how they work will always be in demand, and by becoming one of these professionals, you can secure a lucrative career. Here’s the facts of why a career in auto service is an excellent field to get into.
1. If you’re outside the GTA, you need a car
Downtown Toronto has an excellent public transportation system. Combine that with a general lack of parking, and our notorious traffic, and downtown dwellers are better without a vehicle. On the other hand, if you live outside the GTA, the opposite is true. There are busses and trains, but if you really need to get anywhere, a car is a must. Even if you transit into Toronto to work, you probably need to drive at least a little bit of the way. There's data to back this up in the form of a 2011 survey from the University of Toronto, which names Scarborough and Etobicoke as the GTA areas with the most cars, with an average of 1.3 per household. So, while many of us dream of a carless future, we’re really not there yet. And what it means when everyone needs a car is…
2. Sooner or later, every car needs repairs
Sooner or later, everything breaks, and that includes your car. Every one of them is a complicated vehicle, with many moving parts, and even a well-maintained one will need parts replaced over the course of its lifetime, and regular service, from simple things like spark plug or oil changes, or more important things like fixing breaks. Another fact about car ownership: Even if you’re a perfect driver, sooner or later, you’ll hit something and need some body work done, even if you accidentally back into a parking spot wrong.
3. Most of us need to turn to the experts
I recently needed to get a set of parts switched on my vehicle. I'm not a "car person" at all, so I couldn’t even tell you the name of most of them. In fact, I don't know anyone who's really a "car person." That's the thing about how complex cars are: To know how they work, and how to fix them, it's a whole lifestyle. Not only that, but few of us have the time, knowledge and resources to do anything but the most basic DIY repairs, meaning we often need mechanics for their shop and resources just as much as their knowledge.
4. Becoming one of those experts will make you an extremely needed person
I first found out my car needed new parts because it was making strange noises. Not knowing what they meant, I went to a local automotive mechanic that my family knew. He diagnosed the problem, ordered the parts, and installed them. While it was cheaper to go to an independent mechanic than a big company, we still paid him handsomely, and only he could have done it.
5. You can get a career to suit your tastes
Centennial College's School of Transportation programs are taught at our Ashtonbee Campus, Canada’s largest Transportation training hub, where you learn practical experience in our labs and garages, actually working on the vehicles you’re learning about. Not only that, but there’s a wide variety of different ways you can enter the transportation industry, depending on what you want to specialize in. For example, when it comes to learning about all of those different parts, there’s our Automotive Parts and Service program, which is the first program of its kind in Canada that focuses on automotive parts, and how they get to the vehicle.
For those looking to fix up a car’s body damage after one of those inevitable, unfortunate accidents, we have a whole host of auto body programs, including Auto Body Repair Techniques (a one-year certificate program) and Auto Body Repair Technician (A two-year certificate program). That’s not to mention our other Automotive Apprenticeship Programs, which give you even more hands-on experience with the automotive service industry, by putting you in the very workplace you’ll be joining.
Since most working adults need a car, all cars break down, and only the experts can repair these vehicles, becoming a professional in car repairs and service is a natural career move. Luckily for you, Centennial makes that easy, giving you the skills you need to get a career doing something everyone needs.
By Anthony Geremia