I've spent the better part of the last couple days wondering if I should chime in on this thread at all... or how, should I choose to..
because I really support these bitchfest threads
The repair industry is short of techs.. general techs, specialty techs, lube techs.. by some estimates, 50,000
Yes, I said lube "techs"
Even something as seemingly innocuous as an oil change has become a specialty operation. Gone are the days when two different weights oil, five filters, and a grease gun, and you could cover 99% of the vehicles.
Now, the same vehicle, the same year, may have two different oil filters on the same engine (Ford Escape Hybrid) based on engine code (ones a canister, the other a spin-on).
Fluids can differ within manufacturer, don't even get me started on tire pressures vs handling characteristics..
And because even trained, qualified, certified technicians are still looked upon as "grease monkeys" by the public, pay remains performance based rather than hourly or salary, and high schools nationwide are slashing vocational ed programs to balance budgets; the industry is forced to hire the first "Generation Wii" that comes through the door and train them, which costs money, or train them on the job, which takes time. By the end of which, the employee has become bored with the job and quality is reflected in work habits, then the employee quits to go work at McDonald's and make more money and get better benefits.
Now let's talk about tools.
A decent NEW laptop computer is what, $500?
And with proper training, you could expect to earn what, $18,000. to $22,000 as your first year as an accountant?
Take that same $500 and buy an impact gun, air ratchet, sets of sockets for each, metric and SAE wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, hammers and a box large enough... and see how far that same $500 goes toward your first $10,000 - $15,000 annual income.