Project GrandAm dent repair and refinishing
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In all honesty I would stick with the Mcdonalds gig, and work your way up to management.. Much more stable than this business and I am sure much better benefits.. The good days are long gone in collision repair, yes their is still money to be made, but not like in the 90’s.. Will it ever come back around? I dont think it will, not for many many years.. The investment in tools, equipment is just to much to for a 12-18 dollar an hour job.. Keep it as a hobby and keep looking for a better career. My 2 cents.
Yea man I hear 2 sides to it almost every day. Half the people I talk to tell me the same thing. But the actual shop owners I’ve spoken with and my instructors at TSTC are all telling me to go for it saying there’s lots of money to be made if I start here in Abilene and get work at a dealership or at Barrett or Accent possibly make good money here or move to the metroplex and make lots of money and that’s coming from shop owners and instructors so I’m just going with what they tell me but I understand where you’re coming from. I think if I stick to it I’ll find some good work somewhere.
My resume looks like this:
[center][/center]Justin Cacioppo
250 Chapel Hill Rd. #83 Abilene, TX 79605
(325) 455-4425 justin.cacioppo@hotmail.comEducation and Experience
Have been doing body work, painting, and mechanical repairs for over 4 years, in classroom setting
Texas State Technical College – 300 Homer K Taylor Dr. – Sweetwater, TX
August 2010-December 2011 Autobody Cert IITSTC AUTOBODY Cert II program August 2010-December 2011
Course included both class and hands-on experience in the following:
Use of hand and power tools to repair damaged vehicles including vehicle trim and hardware
Basic metal repair
Fiberglass and plastics
Panel replacement
Use of body fillers/bondo
Replacement and repair of mechanical components
Structural analysis and repair
Autobody welding
Collision repair estimates
RefinishingTSTC studies were much more in-depth than high school experience. Refinishing is my strong point and I am always doing bodywork.
Abilene High School – 2800 N. 6th St. – Abilene, TX
Abilene High School AUTOTECH program involving the use of hand and power tools to properly diagnose and repair mechanical and electrical systems including powertrain, drivetrain, electrical, brakes, suspension, and charging systems. Completed powertrain transplant including engine, transmission, and ECU on a 1993 Honda Civic as well as diagnose and repair numerous vehicles.
Cooper High School AUTOBODY program involving the use of fillers, hand and power tools to repair damaged vehicles including the replacement and repair of mechanical components and the repair and replacement of body panels and fixing external damage. Covered basic metal repair, fiberglass and plastics, panel replacement, mechanical repairs, and refinishing.
Certifications
OSHA shop safety certified
TSTC Autobody Certificate IIWork History
McDonalds – North 1st St. – Abilene, TX June 2008 – Present
Kitchen Crew Displayed excellent work ethic and reliability, always on time and ready to work
Quickly learned everything in the kitchen and was promoted to Crew Chief
Responsibilities included delivering cooked, hot, fresh food
Supervising/managed 10+ employees in the kitchen areaI would like to become a valuable asset to your shop and do my part in fixing damaged vehicles. I have always had a very strong drive, great work ethic, and would like to be able to say “I took that wreck and helped make it beautiful again” at the end of the day.
I am a shop owner, have been for 15 years now. Their is still some money left, but you will never make enough to justify the amount of tools you need, trust me on that one, unless you plan to be a painter 🙂 When I got in this business in 89-90 a good painter in this area (chicago land) was making 50k easy, body tech was 55k,mid nineties I worked in a shop most painters were making close to 90-100k a year.. A good painter now in the same shop is making 48-58k. I opened my shop in 1995 we did 1.2 million my first year in business, working up to 3.2 million in ten years, we are about back down to what we started at in 1995 for 2010, we did close to 1.5, and I am guessing this year will be 900-1 million if we are lucky.. The point is if you already own all the tools you need and they are paid for you will do just fine, but if you have nothing you will find it very hard to make a living and pay for tools at the same time.. There are too many ups and downs in this business and you never know when they are coming.. Also remember the new guy is the first one to get let go when things get tough.. Remember the trades schools are going to tell you what you want to hear, they are a business after all.. I can give you the name and numbers to about 10 guys who went through these programs to only come out making minimum wages, trying to pay for tools and school debt is near impossible, they all ended up leaving body shops to find higher paying work..
i think its great that you have the ambition to join this industry but like Joe put it, if your in it for the money, be prepared to be disappointed.
Yea, I’m not just in it for the money but I DO plan on making a living in the business. Expecting $10/hr to start and no more than 30k/year at the top and buying tools along the way I know what I’m getting into. I just love doing it and that is such a long story why. Not trying to be so cliche but I really couldn’t imagine doing anything else, I just stepped in the door from wet sanding the primer in my driveway during my off time from school, about to go to work in an hour at mcdonalds and thinking about painting the car sky blue!
Oh and for the record, I’ll be in a total of less than $3,000 debt from school thanks to my family being low-income and getting lots of pell grants and a scholarship 😉
I think you will be in for an eye opening experience, its nothing like they teach you at school.. You would of been better ahead to have gotten in a shop and worked part time sweeping the floor.. 3,000 dollars is not bad, but when you come out only making 8 dollars an hr and the guy next you has no training and is making the same you will start to wonder why you did what you did. I wish you the best of luck, but keep your options open and just dont limit yourself to this business. If you enjoy it now you wont in 5 years, work is work, money is money. Remember this line of work is hard on your body, think about 20 years from now, bet they dont talk about that at your school.. Just trying to give another prospective. Therevare better paying, easier jobs out there.. Why stress yourself and kill your body? In the end its all for a pay check to survive, dont make it harder than it needs to be… Wish I could be 20 again, I would of never gotten in this business.. But hindsight is 20/20….
Jump to the other side and be an insurance adjuster…lol. You can still see wrecks everyday…just you make the money to look at them rather than beating up your body repairing them.
yep what my dad told me to when i wanted to do body work said dont do it you will beat yourself up and by 40 you will hurt all over all for nothing. so I became an electrical mechanical tech for the Dairy industry and do painting on the side for lil extra cash also around here (wisconsin) the fast food managers make like 55-65k a year
and you dont want to base your top pay at only 14.50hr (30k year) that wont get you anything
now if you were in a place where custom paint is in you could make some good coin maybe work for foose or buy boyds old shop if the bank dont have it yet start a reality autobody shop show( wait maybe thats been done ) well ya theres better things to do than suck fumes for a livingI’ll take that good luck wish 🙂
Finished product! Will take a picture in the sun today! Not perfect, had some color runs, little bit of primer shrinkage, and small clear runs that I’ll be sanding out today but it’s my first overall paint job I’m proud of it.
[img]http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/183636_138538366212168_100001680165449_232343_6120920_n.jpg[/img]
[img]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/185952_138538382878833_100001680165449_232344_540470_n.jpg[/img]
looks good. that light blue isnt the easiest color to spray. dont put the base on so wet you shouldnt get runs in your base :blink: its not meant to be sprayed like clear 😉
looks like u did it good. move to jersey, ill give u a job
I have to agree with everyone else, Painters used to make alot of money!!!!! Its dropped off dramatically in the last few years. My dad has been a painter his whole life, thus I followed in his footsteps, so I got an early start. Imo You wouldve been better off going to work in a shop and working your way up from there. I know people who have went to school for it and say its nothing like what they were tought in school, and most of them thought they were gonna leave school and jump right into a journeymen position. Not trying to rain on your parade, but you have to really love your job because the money in this trade is fading fast!! Car looks great though, and good luck in the future.
MoCoke You’d really give me a job in Jersey? I’d have to move all the way from Texas. My instructor was telling me he’s trying to get me work at this “International truck dealership” mostly painting said it pays really good money and he’s really trying to work it out for me before I graduate in december. But if I can make a living in Jersey I’m all for it.
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