D15B Vtec swap/boost/vtec/?

[93civicracer]

Yea the ONLY thing keeping me in school is the fact that my highschool is blessed with a nice big garage with the best tools, everything you need and I can take the Civic in whenever I need to. If it weren't for that I probably would've left by now, and I figure while I'm there at least pass all my classes. I've been speaking with councelors about getting financial aid to go to tech school like Wyotech or UTI, next year my senior year if I can score enough grants and a student loan I'm definitely doing that. Planning on specializing in body repair/paint since engines/engine management are advancing so rapidly, but there's still gonna be lots of crashes .

The only times I consider dropping out are when I face the facts: There's 3 of us living here, BARELY able to keep up with the bills in a damn trailor, and the job I have right now is so FUCKED UP I'm lucky to ever make $100 check in 2 weeks and that almost all goes to bills, not to mention I showed up today and found out they rescheduled and didn't even bother to call me. So I'm like you know how can I even think of getting to tech school if I can't even find a good, steady part-time job 6 days a week at least 5-6 hours a day so I can afford my share of the bills and have something left over, I mean, I'm 17 and wearing a lot of the clothes I wore when I was 13, and half of them are old clothes my friends gave me. Makes me want to just get out of school and get 2 full time jobs and probably a part time night job on top of that.

 

[daveholiday]

Makes you want to drop out so you can get 2 fucked up full time jobs, with a possible fucked up part time at night, instead of your 1 fucked up part time? Unfortunately, I see multiple flaws in that plan. I think first, you need to focus on school, and not the school's garage. If you drop out, you're not going to be making any more than you are now, for the rest of your life. Try managing a family on what your making now. After that, if you have a fucked up job, then get a new one. I work at Wendys. It sucks. It has for the past 4 years, and I'm shittin at a whopping $7.80/hour. But you know what? They take care of me. I bust my ass there, but not too much to keep my head out of school. If I say I need 40 hours that week, I get 40 hours. Bust your ass, earn your keep. If your job is fucked up, get a new one. Fast food sucks. You smell like shit. But I pay my bills. Just keep some of that stuff in mind. And keep in mind that you should pass all your classes, and use the garage while your there, not the other way around. Passing all your classes is great, but the better you do, the better chances you have at scholarships and grants.

 

[93civicracer]

Yea but I mean cause it's like for right now I don't know what to do. I mean I never have any money left over after bills and gas even though I get great gas mileage, I just don't have anything left over and I'm really not looking forward to another year of this shit. It's damn near impossible to find a job here and none that I can get right now pay enough.

 

[BrutalB83]

Makes you want to drop out so you can get 2 fucked up full time jobs, with a possible fucked up part time at night, instead of your 1 fucked up part time? Unfortunately, I see multiple flaws in that plan. I think first, you need to focus on school, and not the school's garage. If you drop out, you're not going to be making any more than you are now, for the rest of your life. Try managing a family on what your making now. After that, if you have a fucked up job, then get a new one. I work at Wendys. It sucks. It has for the past 4 years, and I'm shittin at a whopping $7.80/hour. But you know what? They take care of me. I bust my ass there, but not too much to keep my head out of school. If I say I need 40 hours that week, I get 40 hours. Bust your ass, earn your keep. If your job is fucked up, get a new one. Fast food sucks. You smell like shit. But I pay my bills. Just keep some of that stuff in mind. And keep in mind that you should pass all your classes, and use the garage while your there, not the other way around. Passing all your classes is great, but the better you do, the better chances you have at scholarships and grants.

+1 on all of that

You gotta remember that a lot of scholarships are based on grades, so the higher the grades you get, the more money you'll be eligible for. And yeah man, I understand that your home life sucks, but then again, if you want to eventually rise above it, you've got put in some time and some hard work. One thing about college and tech schools though, sometimes having a low family income can be to your advantage. Be sure to fill out the FAFSA and send it to any schools that you're interested in. Based on a number of factors you could be eligible for quite a bit of financial aid.

Trust me on the school and college stuff, I'm a college admissions advisor, so I do know what I'm talking about...

 

[99sidude]

I'd look at a local community college for mechanic's school. I've heared from multiple sources that the UTI type places are a scam.

 

[93civicracer]

Guess I'll have to take full advantage of our low income but I'm like a D maybe C student I barely pass, failed a couple classes I gotta make up, and currently failing 3 or 4 so if I don't get all my credits for this semester I'm just quitting. Not that I'm not gonna try, just that I've already fucked up my average is like a 30 in those 3 classes because that's the half I sleep thru usually.

But I DO have an A+ 100 average in my auto mechanics class and I'm getting 2 more full credits in that area next year if I don't fail any more classes to make up in place of that.

 

[99sidude]

Why are you failing your classes? Is it because you are a retard or because you arn't trying? From what I have gathered from your posts, it seems like all you care about is the present: a fast car, money, ect... I would take a serious look at where you want to be in the future. Do you really want to be doing body work for the rest of your life?

Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice in the present so make a better future. Be it blowing $700 right now on a nitrous kit or saving up for a turbo, or drop out of school now to make money, or work hard in school so you can go to college and go somewhere?

 

[93civicracer]

I'd look at a local community college for mechanic's school. I've heared from multiple sources that the UTI type places are a scam.

You know, I've looked it up what people think about those places and found very mixed results.

I read that some graduates from Wyotech and UTI tried to get a job at an auto shop, and got LAUGHED at when they told the boss where they came from. Others that say the $30,000 was a complete waste they got absolutely nothing out of it. They say the DVD's are complete BS and that the instructors don't really teach you anything, it's really nothing but a waste of time and money.

On the other hand, I've read that there's quite a few Wyotech students who applied themselves learned a great deal, and were getting $64k/year job offers before they were thru with even the 9 month base program. These guys stuck with it and landed those jobs. They say the DVD's and commercials are completely true, and that if you apply yourself you'll succeed with Wyotech.

 

[93civicracer]

Why are you failing your classes? Is it because you are a retard or because you arn't trying? From what I have gathered from your posts, it seems like all you care about is the present: a fast car, money, ect... I would take a serious look at where you want to be in the future. Do you really want to be doing body work for the rest of your life?

Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice in the present so make a better future. Be it blowing $700 right now on a nitrous kit or saving up for a turbo, or drop out of school now to make money, or work hard in school so you can go to college and go somewhere?

Failing because I USED to be able to work over 40 hours/week, 6 days a week and the first 3 classes in the morning were my sleeping classes. I figured I was already screwed so I haven't been putting much effort into those classes til the last couple weeks and I managed a 30.

Yea like I said I've been thinking about it off and on, going to a college preferably technical school because there's NO WAY in HELL my ass is gonna sit at a desk in front of a teacher after high school. What I want to do is learn how to do body work and paint, maybe custom paint, land a job at a good body shop then while I'm working I could start business school and maybe open up my own shop. But that's only if I can.

 

[daveholiday]

Even good body shops go out of business, and lose customers, have slow periods, etc. And places like that, if they don't need you? You don't get work, and if you don't get work? You don't get paid. I think you need to suck it up and do what you have to so that in the future, you can drop $15k into your car and not even phase you. That's what I think you need. Unfortunately, I had to come to the same conclusion with the CRX. I loved the car, I wanted to go fast now for real cheap, and it came down to it and I started doing poor in school and my bills got behind because I worked my ass off for a ton of money at my age, and my free time was spent tinkering, and all my money was spent on my car. But then I had a reality check. This car won't last me the next 10 years, won't last me the next 5 probably. So why sacrifice everything for it now? That's when I decided to get my priorities straight, so that in the future, I can buy another, do what I want, and not worry about a thing. If you're failing classes? Take summer school. Next year, double up on classes if you have to, because being a senior, I know that seniors aren't required as many classes as everyone else as long as they have the credits to graduate. And unfortunately, without a HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, you're chances of going anywhere in life are stacked against you like a can of fucking Pringles, so you can forget about any tech school, or any other school for that matter.

Suck it up, deal with the slightly slower car, get your school work together, and get a better job. You're 17, you've been in school for aproximately 17 years, you have 1 more to go after this, do you honestly wanna drop out for a shit job, so you can say that the past 17 years of your life has been a waste of time? I don't think so.

EDIT: And if you USED to be working over 40 hours a week, but currently aren't, then there's no reason for your grades to not improve.

 

[UNDR8D]

Even good body shops go out of business, and lose customers, have slow periods, etc. And places like that, if they don't need you? You don't get work, and if you don't get work? You don't get paid. I think you need to suck it up and do what you have to so that in the future, you can drop $15k into your car and not even phase you. That's what I think you need. Unfortunately, I had to come to the same conclusion with the CRX. I loved the car, I wanted to go fast now for real cheap, and it came down to it and I started doing poor in school and my bills got behind because I worked my ass off for a ton of money at my age, and my free time was spent tinkering, and all my money was spent on my car. But then I had a reality check. This car won't last me the next 10 years, won't last me the next 5 probably. So why sacrifice everything for it now? That's when I decided to get my priorities straight, so that in the future, I can buy another, do what I want, and not worry about a thing. If you're failing classes? Take summer school. Next year, double up on classes if you have to, because being a senior, I know that seniors aren't required as many classes as everyone else as long as they have the credits to graduate. And unfortunately, without a HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, you're chances of going anywhere in life are stacked against you like a can of fucking Pringles, so you can forget about any tech school, or any other school for that matter.

Suck it up, deal with the slightly slower car, get your school work together, and get a better job. You're 17, you've been in school for aproximately 17 years, you have 1 more to go after this, do you honestly wanna drop out for a shit job, so you can say that the past 17 years of your life has been a waste of time? I don't think so.

EDIT: And if you USED to be working over 40 hours a week, but currently aren't, then there's no reason for your grades to not improve.

Very well said! Furthermore, if you learn to manage your time and don't act like an impatient douche nozzle, you can do well in school AND build a car! OMG, no way. Go to fucking school, work hard, do lots of homework, study a lot, and when you have free time, work on your car. I built a bagged truck during my under-graduate, which I just sold. I am in graduate school (MBA) and just finished my LS swap with rear disc conversion and a hand built exhaust, and I work at Autozone for $8 an hour. I also have a 3.5 GPA.
You do not want to do body work. It's crappy white trash work and there is no where to go doing it. What are you going to do, get promoted to shop manager? Enjoy the $15 an hour pay ceiling.

 

[93civicracer]

Well I'm not sure I'm just thinking of what I'd like to do for now, but it more than likely will be with autos, and I'm about to take a highschool auto collision/painting course my senior year and see what it's like. And incase you didn't read, I want to learn body work, then when I start working, I can start business school, take out a loan, and open up my own shop. Whatever I do, I'm doing business school after that to try to start my own shop. I really would love being a full time mechanic, but cars are just advancing too rapidly and before you know it EVERYTHING will be electronic and it won't be fun anymore. Plus if I know how to paint professionally, I can do like one of my dad's friends and have that for a side job. He says there's a guy near him that works at a body/paint shop and does his own side jobs, he only charges like $400-500 for a factory-quality paint job and does it on the side maybe twice a month for an extra $1,000. That alone left over after bills and necesities is enough to satisfy me. Not that I'm not shooting for more. And $15/hour is more than worth it if I find I love doing body/paint work it just looks so fun to do and the results look very rewarding. Hell I've never felt a bigger sense of accomplishment than when I swapped in my d15b vtec and got my first car running again, unlike most people who would probably just ditch it and buy another car. So I know it'll be something in the field of autos. Maybe work at a dealership or design the new cars or something. Wait no you'd need to know too much math to do the designs.

 

[BrutalB83]

If you're opposed to sitting behind a desk and listening to a teacher after high school, than you're not going to enjoy business school.

And I agree with much of what was said above. I know you don't think that doing well in stupid high school classes is worth any of your time, but the fact is, you're not gonna get very far without at least a high school diploma, if not decent grades.

I'm not allowed to accept any students without at least a 2.25 GPA and an 18 on their ACTs. If I find out that those requirements aren't met, then I have to say "sorry, can't accept you." Now realize that this is for an accredited four-year college, so their requirements are more strict than a community college's will be, but still, your grades matter if you plan on doing anything education-wise after high school. You might be able to get financial aid, but you're not gonna get any scholarships if your grades aren't decent.

 

[BrutalB83]

Oh, and don't think I'm just preaching to you man. I know exactly how you feel. There was a time a few years back when I was thinking of dropping out of college and going to work full-time for $10 an hour doing building maintenance. I had only ever worked part-time at crappy retail jobs before, so the though of 10 an hour, 40 a week sounded freakin' sweet! I was like "I'll finally have some money to fix up my car and get out on my own."

In the end though, I went back to college and finished, and I'm so glad that I did, because now, just starting out, I'm making $30k a year salaried, awesome benefits (I don't pay anything at all for medical, and $30 total a month for full vision and dental), and perks out the ass (discounts on cell phones, cars, gym membership, etc.).

Yeah, it sucked for those few years, having to keep on living with my parents and driving a slow-ass turd of a car, but in the end I'm in a much better place, and finally in a position where I can start buying some of the stuff I've been wanting for a long time, and doing some of the stuff I could never afford to before.

So please, at least stick it out through high school and get your diploma. I know it might seem like a waste now, but you won't regret it later. Half the point of high school and college diplomas is to simply show to potential employers that you stuck with something and finished it out.

Alright, I'll get off my soap box now...

 

[93civicracer]

Oh yea the diploma I'm going for it. But the schools I've been looking at only require a GED, and so I figure going for a diploma no matter what the grades I'll have a better shot. But I'm still gonna try really hard my senior year, and the rest of this year. The next six weeks grades are restarting soon I'll have a fresh start but evening out a 30 average is hard.

 

[BrutalB83]

Yeah, just do your best man. In special cases I'll look at somebody's transcripts and see that they made an improvement in their grades near the end and take that into consideration when somebody's on the edge of being accepted or not.

 

[daveholiday]

Unfortunately, there's another flaw in your plan. Despite what you do, if you get your GED over your Diploma, there will be companies that will choose someone with a highschool diploma over you. Here is some truth: Most people, go to college, and end up with a career that they didn't even major in, even minor for that matter. How do they get the career? The hear of something that interests them, and they talk to them, submit their resume. The company takes a look at it, and says "Oh wow, they finished highschool, got their diploma, and then went for (insert major here) and got their bachelors! They have no experience in our field of work? That's okay, they stuck it through 18+ years worth of schooling, so we know they're reliable, so we'll teach them what they need to know."

Now, if you get your GED over your Diploma, that's just one more strike against you. That's one more thing the other guy has over you, and one more thing companies frown upon.

As far as opening your own shop? They don't make that great of money, unless you invent the Windows operating system, which unfortunately for you, has already been done. Owning your own shop requires a lot of responsibility, that as of right now, you have proven yourself incapable of handling. Not only that, but if you get in a body shop as a job, it doesn't pay shit, and you'll go nowhere. $15/hour, big whoop. I can be a nurses aid at a hospital without a degree other than a high school diploma, (not GED,) and make $22/hour. And then they'll pay for my school if I want to further my education in the medical field, but I have to keep a 3.5 GPA. There are a ton of companies out there, that will do this.

And I hate to tell you even more, but you'd probably make more as a manager at Wendy's than workin/owning your own body shop.

 

[93civicracer]

I just said I'm going for the diploma.

And I've already said whatever I do is going to be in the automotive field, it's just what I want to do I have a lot of fun messing with the Civic and other cars, and my car needs some body work, and it seems to me that it'd be a lot more satisfying doing something I enjoy rather than something I hate to make more money. I've never done body work, so I'm taking a highschool course for it next year and see if I like it enough to go for it. I'd really like to learn how take all the little dents out of my car and line up all the front pieces, then spray it with a nice fresh coat of paint, and if I can do it myself it can feel very rewarding.

But I think I know where you're going with this. I think you're saying I should go to school for something that probably sucks ass to do like a pencil pusher's job that makes a shitload of money so I can have a whole lot of money then learn the other things I want to do on my own time, right?

 

[daveholiday]

But I think I know where you're going with this. I think you're saying I should go to school for something that probably sucks ass to do like a pencil pusher's job that makes a shitload of money so I can have a whole lot of money then learn the other things I want to do on my own time, right?

Almost, but not quite. I'm glad you decided to go for the diploma, good choice.

What I'm saying, is that there's not a lot of money in the automotive field unless you own a highly successful dealership, or make a new car that is a huge success. And there is a little bit bigger of a picture than feeling the rewarding experience of looking at what amazing paint you just did, what front end you just aligned, etc. Like my dad for example went to school and got his bachelors in computer science. He now manages a huge network for GEAE (General Electric Aircraft Engines) and makes aprox. $120k/year. I've talked to him a lot about his job, and if there's a couple things he's ever said, I'll remember these:
- Don't think about what you have to do to get you by, but think about the future at what you'll have to do to get your family by.
- Don't do your #1 hobby as a career, because chances are, when it's all said and done, it'll no longer be your hobby. You'll work hard all day, come home, look at your hobby, and shiver, and never look at it again as your hobby.

Sure, he sits in front of his desk most of the day. But his job isn't exactly "pencil pushing." He works in an area that he can't even take his phone to work because it has a camera. Sure, he'd like to work on cars, VW's particularly he says, but instead he chose for something that he can support both of my younger brothers, and my stepmom, so that she doesn't have to work, while buying her a brand new Volvo, himself a new VW R32 (06,) as well as a new Yamaha R1 every couple years.

Just work hard dude, like honestly. Don't settle for what will get you by. Settle for what will take care of you and your family and your hobbies. And don't let your hobby be your job because it probably won't be your hobby anymore. My buddy loved Honda's, so he got a job at a Honda dealership as a mechanic. He makes ok money, but he got so sick of them in general that he went and bought a Silverado.

Just think about it dude. I'm not gonna criticize you anymore, and I'm all out of advice.

 

[UNDR8D]

You don't need any business training to open a body shop. Just common sense and an understanding of very basic economics, accouting, and time/personnel management. There are many small b usiness owners who still don't have that much knowledge, and they do ok.

Also, well said again daveholiday, there is almost NO money in the automotive field. Seriously, I have been involved with it for 5 years now, in part time and full time work. It't not really worth it.