If I were going to switch careers right now I would go to school to become a machinist with cnc training.
Skilled machinists are getting harder, and harder for companies to find.

 

It cost me 16-18k to go to school for 2 years in the computer field. This was 2005-2007. I went to a state funded school. Wise move on my part. When I got out I was making 27,000/yr. I didn't think it was worth it, now I'm up to 40k/year and am starting to see some returns.

The whole job market sucks though. While I have luckily had a job since I got out of college the guy we just hired worked for 2 years as a cook before he found an IT job. I think the only truly safe bet is in a medical field.

 

The cash/loan outlay is a factor. Weigh the benefits. Knowledge is power.

 

After spending all that money and time in school, and buying all those expensive tools (granted you'll keep the tools forever), you'll still start your first job at the bottom of the ladder, doing oil and tire changes and hoping someone quits so you can move up. You'll be one step up from the guy detailing the bikes. Nothing wrong about pursuing a rewarding job but the money is better spent on learning how to make money rather than wrenching for it, In time you can have your new Harley serviced by that dealer you once yearned to work for. Speaking from a lot of offered but passed on opportunities in my life that I would have done different had I known.

 

As it seems to me there are a couple of problems with this situation.
One is the money you need to graduate...27k...wow.
Two years of your life.
What the industry considers a good wage.....$10.00 a hour for two year and $27k...wow.
Dealerships (not just HD) only need one, two mechanics which they pay a decent wage, the rest are accessory installers, oil changers, etc.
I'm not putting down mechanics in any way, hell, I wish I could find a good one myself.
What I'm saying is the industry as a whole does not want the overhead of labor salaries.

 

My brother in law is looking at the same thing. I researched it for him and there were a few things that I noticed. 1. $26,000 where the starting salary is about $8/hr is a tough trade off. 2. The market is saturated with new grads. 3. A lot of the guys (with dealership jobs) reported that they spend a lot of time at the shop which does not leave much time to ride. He's only 18, so for him I think joining the military and learning to be an aircraft / helicopter mechanic wouldn't be a bad idea. You want to have the time and the money to be able to afford to do the things you love vs. working all day around bikes but hardly having the chance to get out and ride.

 

You would still have to start at the bottom of the food chain.I think you would start out at like 10-12 an hour.
You would probly start out as an operater.Finding a shop that would let you advance may be hard to find.
A school can teach you how to run a machine but you still need hands on experience which takes years of working in a shop.
To get hired for a CNC set up person,the norm around here is to have 3-5 years experience.

 

Here's what I know. I have a neice that wanted to go. I asked at 3 dealers in my area what they thought of it and all 3 said they wouldn't hire anyone new that hadn't gone there. She went, graduated, came home and had a job within 2 weeks at a dealers. A year later she moved on to a dealer closer to home for more money. That dealer sold out, she got advanced by the new owners and is making decent wages after not quite 3 years. The school is very hands on and if you don't work at it and take it serious, you won't make it. She had 30 in her first class and of that 30, only 12 graduated. Some quit after a week, some after the first section or two was over, and some just plain flunked or got thrown out. They were very big on attendance. Miss 1 or 2 days and your automatically set back to wait and start that section over when it comes up again in about 6 weeks. Drugs and booze are big no-no's to. Traffic tickets. They have a pro attitude and image they try to instill in the students and their conduct rules are a big part of it. After graduation job opportunities very much depend on LOCATION! She could have accepted a just above minum wage job at a Fla dealers right out of school. She came home and shopped herself around here and got a much better paying starting wage. As I said before in my area there are a pretty fair number of dealers within a 30 mile radius and they all pretty much require new hires to be grads. The days of starting at the wash rack and working your way up are getting few and far between. They can get a trained newbie for the same wage as the no nothing with just a willingness to learn. Ask my niece and she will tell you it was worth it. She applied for and got several grants and scholorships and things like that to ease the financial load, but it was still pretty hefty. Remember that you are on your own for room and board. They can guide you to low cost housing and help set you up with roommates, and stuff like that, but you are on your own for food and shelter.

 

Really, there are people wrenching for $8/hr?
**** MickeyD's pays that here, in the middle of the cornfield.
School investment = $0.

I'd get the student loan, buy a CVO Springer and move here. Problem solved.
Then the bike is free next year when all student loans are forgiven.

 

one of my friends/coworkers went to mmi. we work in a manufacturing plant here in phx. he's in maintenance and i'm a shift supervisor. i asked him why he doesn't work in the motorcycle industry and he said it doesn't pay enough.

i'm sure his mmi degree didn't hurt to have on his resume getting the maintenance job at the plant. he says he never intended to do it for a living. i think he used his GI bill money or something to pay for it. he is doing a lot of side work out of his garage and making $25 or so an hour at work. he seems to be doing alright. he graduated mmi about 4 years ago.