Being a modern technician requires the ability to accurately read and understand a maze of wire schematics. Modern vehicles are equipped with modern amenities that require miles of wiring that is always in danger of being compromised from the constant rattling of chassis, heat from the engine and driver abuse. Today, it is impossible to be a lucrative technician without a good working knowledge of electric diagrams.
I was attending a seminar at a local technical institute, speaking to students about the skills required to make it in the automotive industry and what they can expect when they enter the work force. The room was filled with students on one side and an advisory board on the other. The advisory board was a melting pot of small shop owners, dealership representatives and seasoned technicians all in attendance to give young, aspiring technicians advice and share their experience working from the ground up as an automotive technician.
Generally, at these meetings, the advisory board has a plethora of different subjects of focus ranging from diagnosis to engine repair to customer service relations. But this time there seemed to be something different. A look of desperation and frustration was plastered on the face of the advisory board in a way that made you think they were all experiencing the same dilemma; a serious lack of electrical knowledge in too many technicians.
One outspoken shop owner spoke of a young man he had hired that went to that very school. The young student graduated top of his glass and was highly recommended by the instructors for a full time apprentice technician position. The student only lasted 3 months in the shop. The owner was furious. “He was a mechanical parts replacer, not a technician,” I recall the owner scowling.
But was it the school’s fault for not giving him a proper education? I don’t think so.
Anyone can skim through some books, memorize some schematic symbols and pass the tests, anyone can memorize. It takes a focused mind and a sincere desire to properly understand and learn, rather than memorize. That is what this business is all about, reading, understanding and applying. There is no “faking it” in mechanics.
Maybe transmissions are your specialty. Drivability, heavy line, engines or suspensions might be what you are best at. But no matter what area of focus you excel at, it all means nothing either in a dealership or a small shop if you do not have working knowledge of electrical schematics and how to diagnose electrical problems.
