Automotive Engineer: Auto Body Shop Owner

Introduction
If you dig on working with your hands, then this is a good route to check out. If you don't have good people skills, though, you might want to reconsider—a big part of the job is telling people what's wrong with their car. This may not sound really all that daunting, but remember, people have a special fondness for their cars and don't really know how they work, so when you tell them that it is going to cost them $2,500 to fix it, you better do so nicely and be able to explain everything. People get irrational when their wheels are involved, and people skills become just as necessary as your automotive expertise.

Job Function
Like any other job, there are a million little hassles and disturbances to deal with as an automotive engineer: people who will enrage you, models of cars which perplex you (damn you SAAB!!), aches and pains and so forth. That being said, this is a great job. You meet lots of cool people, and if you do good work, they will stay loyal to you and keep you in business. The work isn’t hard so long as you know what you’re doing, but it isn’t so easy where you feel worthless, like a monkey could do what you do just as well; you will be challenged enough to enjoy your day, but not so much that stress will tear you apart…it has the perfect balance. Advertisement
Lifestyle
I own a shop, so I work when I want to. If you get a job some place as an automotive engineer, you will most likely work a standard 40 hour week. The real goal should be to get into my position. Owning an auto body shop is a pretty sweet deal, I make good money and work only as much as I have to.

Additional Information
Jobs where you can smoke butts while you work are the best jobs of all. Work at Midas or Pep Boys and you’ll be kicking yourself in the ass every time you have to go out into the cold to puff away; work at some locally owned, small time shop and you’ll be on cloud nine, smoking away with wild abandon as you tinker around an engine block.