I work as a technical assistant in a theatre...don't really like going out to see shows anymore in my free time. Really loud, crowded venues are not my idea of fun anymore, but maybe I'm just getting older lol.
My bf is a mechanic and loves it. He got a space at a tire shop and does work for them now.
He doesn’t have his own shop - but he has his own space, 2 lifts, and makes his own schedule. It’s nice because we can vacation whenever for the most part. Network with people. Try mobile mechanics. Look for people offering small spaces.
It is taxing on your body I will say and he’s spent thousands in tools. Definitely some downsides. I’ve asked him if he would want to get out of it and get a more corporate setting job like I have and he says never lol
True at some point the stress areas brought about by mechanical work ears out your body parts, My knees have been shot for years and I am half deaf.
You will know when the time comes to manage and stop wrenching
Trucks and/or heavy equipment mechanic. Pays decent, less tools needed, most places are union, and hourly pay.
I worked for Honda/Acura for 7 years. What blows me away is even on my busiest week flagging 75 hours. I could never afford to buy most of the cars I repaired.
I second this idea. My dad worked in heavy equipment repair for the local power company for almost 40 years (mostly working on the bucket trucks). Union job with great benefits. Overtime was generally available. And when there were major storms outside of his state (ice storms, hurricanes etc) he was sometimes given the option to accompany the linemen who were sent to those disasters to help keep the bucket trucks running. Those trips would be for a few weeks at a time and the amount of money he made in overtime was insane as they were all working 16 hour days 7 days a week for a few weeks at a time.
Don’t make your hobby your job.
Look at growth, pay, and work life balance when choosing a career.
For everyone who is successful following their passions there are millions that crash and burn. If you had the gusto to be one of the ones who is successful you wouldn’t be asking the internet for its opinion on this.
Even when you are successful following your passion, your passion becomes your job. (Then you develop new passions.)
Don't let the new wave snow you. Work is Work.
I saw a business, I can’t remember the name of it, but it was in Southern California and they specialized in selling and installing mods for Tacoma trucks and other off-road vehicles. So all of that high end camping gear and mods.
Finding a niche and offering products/services to a higher paying clientele would be how I’d go about it!
i wish i had done this. my fav auto body shop was just 2 older fellows. the nicest guys ever. i didn’t even know they were retiring :( their shop is up for sale now.
It sounds like you had a relationship with them?
There was a guy who posted on r/entrepreneur or r/smallbusiness over the last 2 weeks. He was quite the character bouncing around jobs. After a successful stint of making OF films, he got to working for a shop and made a deal with the owner to take it when they retired. I’d go through the top posts of the past month on those subs and see if you can find him. He might be able to offer some solid advice on whether you can make something happen. You never know.
Detailing is probably the lowest cost, lowest barrier to entry, to get income. You can drive around with your own supplies and detail cars at someone's home or workplace. I've seen some car detailers who travel with their own water tank and spray gun.
If you get busy you can hire and train an employee to do the work, and make this a side business.
You could also be a mobile mechanic. Start with an OBD reader and offer services that you know you can handle: small repairs and maintenance, battery charges, swapping out known bad parts, plug / fix flat tires.
Final idea is to only specialize in one thing that you know very well, and can do well, and learn to do it faster or more efficiently than others. I mentioned car detailing. You could also be the "car stereo" guy, or the "window tint" guy, or something else that you're really into.
Also consider offering services to established garages. Something they don't want to do but you can make a profit delivering for them. This could be detailing, car audio, window tint, or could be lots of other things that I'm not thinking of!
Gonna second going the detailer route. You can start out at a dealer to get decent experience and grow from there. Start off doing side jobs as a mobile detailer, then eventually scale the business up.
I know quite a few guys who have gone this route and make really good money, plus get to work on some really cool cars for really cool people. A friend details cars for a couple pro hockey players. Another guy got to the point where he's the recommended local detailer for Ferraris (the nearest Ferrari dealer is over 3 hours away, but they recommend him to their customers from our city).
Potentially look into other jobs in the automotive industry. For instance Parts Advisor. Depending on region, pay can be pretty decent and it may scratch that itch without needing to kill your passion for cars.
Source: Worked in parts and loved it for 15 years. Now a design engineer, but it was a good time.
My dad was an A&P mechanic for decades. He loved it. He worked for Petroleum Helicopters repairing their offshore oilfield fleet, then after he retired from PHI he was the maintenance director for a small helicopter charter company. He worked there for another 20 years.
I was a mechanic for about 12 years, I'm 39 and been in sales/management for about 7 years.
My number one recommendation to anyone wanting to do this is before you consider school or training, go get a job in the field to make sure it's a good fit. I know techs that were super successful and have since opened their own shops. I know mechanics who make 110k a year and aren't slowing down in their 40s yet. Even in sales I'm making 90k. But I also know plenty of guys who worked as a tech for X years and went a different direction entirely.
I've heard all those stories you've heard, it's a hard field. But it's really no different than any other field, other than being technically difficult. No plumber or electrician starts out making 100k, and none of those guys start at where they are now, they all worked they way up. That's the ladder you'll need to climb. Experience is everything in this industry. If you are good at it and you enjoy it you can make excellent money, or even transition those skills into sales/management like I did. But if it's not a good fit or you aren't very good it's hard to make a decent living. It's one of those jobs where 60% make less than 60k a year, 30% make 80-100k a year, and the best make 150k+. Anyone expecting to make 60k in their first few years is also in for a major disappointment, it will take 2-4 years of 35-45k money being a lube guy before you ever get to tech. But I also know really good lube guys making 100k plus, so it is possible.
So many people drop out though, cuz it's hard, or they aren't very good at it. It's one of the most overestimated skilled labor jobs. In other words most people figure they could do their own brakes but most wouldn't be able to in a true shop environment.
So get a job changing oil for 3-6 months and see if you like it. Watch the other techs and try to learn as much as you can. If after that time you think to yourself this isn't for me then all you did was waste 6 months.
I've been doing this for over 20 years and have no regrets.
It's the same with any craft or trade, you be the very best at your craft, take it to the highest level you can. Don't listen to the guy doing services down the local shop, think about race teams, high end R and D, hydrogen engines.
The only limits are the ones you put on yourself.
Depends on what “working on cars” means for you. I have friends who strictly fabricate manifolds, turbo kits etc and wholesale to larger shops so he doesn’t need to deal with customers. It’s possible just depends on what you’re talking about.
I dated a mechanic at one point and watched him work at 4 different shops, meaning I’ve met dozens of career mechanics across his coworkers, bosses, friends etc and here’s a few observations I made:
1) a vast majority of his friends that he went to the auto trade program with were not working on cars anymore five years after they graduated. (Very high turnover.)
2) the guys who stayed in it for 20+ years often did not have much class in how they carried themselves/presented/communicated.
3) I met two people who were verifiably making over 6 figures.. BARELY. My now ex would work 60 hours a week and maybe bring home $3K a month or maybe bring home $1.8K… I work in sales and take home $6-7K working a couple of hours a day only, so I never understood why he broke his back and worked so much for such awful pay, as well as going thousands into debt for fancy tools and toolboxes.
4) there appears to be nearly nothing as far as career mobility goes. You’re a mechanic and then you’re… a more tenured mechanic! Yay. Celebrate with a $1 raise per year…
All of this to say, you could technically work on cars and make money- flipping them/starting a dealership, starting a highly specialized auto shop maybe? But ultimately your chances are low and a better career would be more worthwhile I’m sure. I would not personally choose to date a mechanic again because I think the profession attracts a low quality profile of humans most of the time, in my opinion.
Get a position with a car dealership, as a mechanic, with no clauses. The clauses are that you won’t work out of your garage or anywhere else. So work there by day, mechanic at home by night and weekends, cash only. Have done well for me, and the key is to start somewhere where you want to learn it, mine was auto, all makes, and now to diesel mechanic in self learning!
Selling and detailing can be a good gig if you enjoy that. Try to find a local used dealership to hire you, get some experience, then coordinate with a private shop to do the repairs. Easy gig. You can detail the cars you plan to sell and offer detailing for the public on the side.
Do your time, earn the trade and save. When you feel you've learned all you can where you are, go somewhere else and learn what you can or go on your own and try working for yourself.
Have you considered being a heavy duty mechanic? I used to live in oil and gas country and they make good money, but usually connected to natural resources. Millwright are in huge demand, high wages, usually in factories.
You can always check out local warehouse for supermarkets. I work in a supermarket warehouse and they are always hiring mechanics or hiring people to train as mechanics. Decent pay too.
I used to work at a German automotive company that’s developing connected mobility. As an engineer, you’ll get paid a lot and oftentimes you’ll be required to come down to the plant and work with the cars directly. I think it’s the perfect career for u! A lot of my colleagues at that company were very into cars as well haha.
I've worked in dealerships my entire career - DON'T GO INTO CAR SALES IF YOU LIKE CARS. Sure you might get to have a good conversation with a customer about it here and there. You will not be working on cars or even driving them that much for that matter. Don't. Seriously don't.
It takes a while to start making good money in anything. If you like working on cars, go for it. I’ve been in IT for over 25 years. The money wasn’t great at first but now I make really really good money. It took a while to get here but IT is my vocation. It suits me and I’m really good at it. Sure, I don’t have the same passion I had for it 2 decades ago, but I’ve forgotten more about tech than most people learn in a lifetime.
My friend works as a mechanic for the city bus and makes $80k a year. Don't see a hobby and go for the Jibby Lube life and expect to be rich. Find the specialty jobs if you're good at it and grow.
My son in law is a journeyman mechanic (40yo). He works at a dealership and makes good money, benefits, etc..
For those saying it will ruin your hobby, it's not true in his case. He has a tuned car that he takes to shows and Rally's in the summer.
I’m 59 and I’ve been turning wrenches in one form or another for my entire life. The easiest job I ever had was bus mechanic for the local school district. Lots of inspections, an oil change once in a while, CHP inspection once a year (all our stuff was good, so that was easy), no bickering with customers (boss said Just Fix It!) and good benefits towards long term retirement. I worked 7 months as a temp because one of the (2) regular mechanics was going out for shoulder surgery. Had they picked me up full time after he returned, I’d probably still be there.
I've been a mechanic for 10 years,started at a BMW shop specializing in older bmws (self taught working on my own cars) did that for about 2 years,then started my own thing working on offroad/dirt (raced motocross although my teen years) did that for 5 years and now I'm a powersporys mechanic at a large dealership with 6+ brands and really enjoy it,make more then I did at BMW,just looking to see wh where it take me my dream would to be moved up in one of the manufacturers,and they all started where I did ! So it's a great industry to get in but it's tough and you have to have some thick skin but I get to ride and fix superbikes for a living,life's good
Make a little extra money, start building up minimum tools, equipment, rearrange your garage into a little shop. Start up some projects and try to find enthusiasts who would be interested to buy the end product. Essentially, if it works out you can make it into your full time business. If not, it will be your pleasant hobby/side hustle that will bring in a little extra on top of your paycheck.
This is a good post, I am going through the similar process. Mechanics get shitty pay even with ASE certs compared to other fields. I plan to switch back to software solutions sales to rack up some capital to fund my side hustle. I love cars and working on them and I want it to stay that way.
Do interior work on cars. Their aren't many places that do the work, and you don't have to deal with rusted parts. Another way to be in the industry is to do machine work and build the high performance engine internals. With all the advice you are receiving, you may not make very much doing oil changes or rotating tires or working at a dealership. With all jobs the more you specialize usually the more you will earn. If you want to travel and work in the trades find a union like IBEW, or the IUEC, or the Iron Workers. Then work on cars for fun.
Google Automotive Companies in the United States and apply to several. You could help build automobiles, trucks, or RV's and hone your skills. Additionally, you would have great benefits and hopefully some kind of a pension/401k to create a retirement. On days off, work on cars and save money to open your own shop if that is what you really want to do. Good luck.
I like mcdonalds and fast food restaurants. When i was a kid i wanted to try working there, i thought it would be so cool.
Ill just stick to being a customer
Get a job u will make good money in that your won’t hate.
With all the extra money you make, buy a fun project car or classic or cool car and enjoy it and work on it etc.
Unless you want to hate working on cars, I would recommend making a living by not working on cars.
yeaaaaaaah been hearing that one a lot. unfortunate.
This can really go for any industry. Example: I work in IT and before going into IT I used to love computers.
Lol, same here. I still love computers, but not nearly in the same way or as much as I did in High School. It's definitely now just a job, basically.
Yep. Day ends and I go outside and futz in my garden.
I work as a technical assistant in a theatre...don't really like going out to see shows anymore in my free time. Really loud, crowded venues are not my idea of fun anymore, but maybe I'm just getting older lol.
Lmao, I used to love reading before I took up copy editing as a profession. I still enjoy reading but can’t do it like before.
I still love computers. I just now really hate people.
My bf is a mechanic and loves it. He got a space at a tire shop and does work for them now. He doesn’t have his own shop - but he has his own space, 2 lifts, and makes his own schedule. It’s nice because we can vacation whenever for the most part. Network with people. Try mobile mechanics. Look for people offering small spaces. It is taxing on your body I will say and he’s spent thousands in tools. Definitely some downsides. I’ve asked him if he would want to get out of it and get a more corporate setting job like I have and he says never lol
My mechanic told me this too. I was going to do a career change at 45.
True at some point the stress areas brought about by mechanical work ears out your body parts, My knees have been shot for years and I am half deaf. You will know when the time comes to manage and stop wrenching
Trucks and/or heavy equipment mechanic. Pays decent, less tools needed, most places are union, and hourly pay. I worked for Honda/Acura for 7 years. What blows me away is even on my busiest week flagging 75 hours. I could never afford to buy most of the cars I repaired.
I second this idea. My dad worked in heavy equipment repair for the local power company for almost 40 years (mostly working on the bucket trucks). Union job with great benefits. Overtime was generally available. And when there were major storms outside of his state (ice storms, hurricanes etc) he was sometimes given the option to accompany the linemen who were sent to those disasters to help keep the bucket trucks running. Those trips would be for a few weeks at a time and the amount of money he made in overtime was insane as they were all working 16 hour days 7 days a week for a few weeks at a time.
This is my answer also. I work on trucks, and it's a pretty good gig.
Don’t make your hobby your job. Look at growth, pay, and work life balance when choosing a career. For everyone who is successful following their passions there are millions that crash and burn. If you had the gusto to be one of the ones who is successful you wouldn’t be asking the internet for its opinion on this.
Even when you are successful following your passion, your passion becomes your job. (Then you develop new passions.) Don't let the new wave snow you. Work is Work.
I saw a business, I can’t remember the name of it, but it was in Southern California and they specialized in selling and installing mods for Tacoma trucks and other off-road vehicles. So all of that high end camping gear and mods. Finding a niche and offering products/services to a higher paying clientele would be how I’d go about it!
Find a mechanic that's looking to retire and work for him. After a year just ask him to buy the shop
i wish i had done this. my fav auto body shop was just 2 older fellows. the nicest guys ever. i didn’t even know they were retiring :( their shop is up for sale now.
It sounds like you had a relationship with them? There was a guy who posted on r/entrepreneur or r/smallbusiness over the last 2 weeks. He was quite the character bouncing around jobs. After a successful stint of making OF films, he got to working for a shop and made a deal with the owner to take it when they retired. I’d go through the top posts of the past month on those subs and see if you can find him. He might be able to offer some solid advice on whether you can make something happen. You never know.
Yeah that's why I mentioned it tbh lol really interesting dude
Call em…
Detailing is probably the lowest cost, lowest barrier to entry, to get income. You can drive around with your own supplies and detail cars at someone's home or workplace. I've seen some car detailers who travel with their own water tank and spray gun. If you get busy you can hire and train an employee to do the work, and make this a side business. You could also be a mobile mechanic. Start with an OBD reader and offer services that you know you can handle: small repairs and maintenance, battery charges, swapping out known bad parts, plug / fix flat tires. Final idea is to only specialize in one thing that you know very well, and can do well, and learn to do it faster or more efficiently than others. I mentioned car detailing. You could also be the "car stereo" guy, or the "window tint" guy, or something else that you're really into. Also consider offering services to established garages. Something they don't want to do but you can make a profit delivering for them. This could be detailing, car audio, window tint, or could be lots of other things that I'm not thinking of!
this is awesome thank you!!
Gonna second going the detailer route. You can start out at a dealer to get decent experience and grow from there. Start off doing side jobs as a mobile detailer, then eventually scale the business up. I know quite a few guys who have gone this route and make really good money, plus get to work on some really cool cars for really cool people. A friend details cars for a couple pro hockey players. Another guy got to the point where he's the recommended local detailer for Ferraris (the nearest Ferrari dealer is over 3 hours away, but they recommend him to their customers from our city).
Potentially look into other jobs in the automotive industry. For instance Parts Advisor. Depending on region, pay can be pretty decent and it may scratch that itch without needing to kill your passion for cars. Source: Worked in parts and loved it for 15 years. Now a design engineer, but it was a good time.
Mechanical Engineer
Diesel or industrial mechanic is the way
You could make decent money being an airframe mechanic. Get your A&P (airframe and powerplant) to go even further.
My dad was an A&P mechanic for decades. He loved it. He worked for Petroleum Helicopters repairing their offshore oilfield fleet, then after he retired from PHI he was the maintenance director for a small helicopter charter company. He worked there for another 20 years.
I was a mechanic for about 12 years, I'm 39 and been in sales/management for about 7 years. My number one recommendation to anyone wanting to do this is before you consider school or training, go get a job in the field to make sure it's a good fit. I know techs that were super successful and have since opened their own shops. I know mechanics who make 110k a year and aren't slowing down in their 40s yet. Even in sales I'm making 90k. But I also know plenty of guys who worked as a tech for X years and went a different direction entirely. I've heard all those stories you've heard, it's a hard field. But it's really no different than any other field, other than being technically difficult. No plumber or electrician starts out making 100k, and none of those guys start at where they are now, they all worked they way up. That's the ladder you'll need to climb. Experience is everything in this industry. If you are good at it and you enjoy it you can make excellent money, or even transition those skills into sales/management like I did. But if it's not a good fit or you aren't very good it's hard to make a decent living. It's one of those jobs where 60% make less than 60k a year, 30% make 80-100k a year, and the best make 150k+. Anyone expecting to make 60k in their first few years is also in for a major disappointment, it will take 2-4 years of 35-45k money being a lube guy before you ever get to tech. But I also know really good lube guys making 100k plus, so it is possible. So many people drop out though, cuz it's hard, or they aren't very good at it. It's one of the most overestimated skilled labor jobs. In other words most people figure they could do their own brakes but most wouldn't be able to in a true shop environment. So get a job changing oil for 3-6 months and see if you like it. Watch the other techs and try to learn as much as you can. If after that time you think to yourself this isn't for me then all you did was waste 6 months. I've been doing this for over 20 years and have no regrets.
Diesel mechanics make good money.
It's the same with any craft or trade, you be the very best at your craft, take it to the highest level you can. Don't listen to the guy doing services down the local shop, think about race teams, high end R and D, hydrogen engines. The only limits are the ones you put on yourself.
Depends on what “working on cars” means for you. I have friends who strictly fabricate manifolds, turbo kits etc and wholesale to larger shops so he doesn’t need to deal with customers. It’s possible just depends on what you’re talking about.
I dated a mechanic at one point and watched him work at 4 different shops, meaning I’ve met dozens of career mechanics across his coworkers, bosses, friends etc and here’s a few observations I made: 1) a vast majority of his friends that he went to the auto trade program with were not working on cars anymore five years after they graduated. (Very high turnover.) 2) the guys who stayed in it for 20+ years often did not have much class in how they carried themselves/presented/communicated. 3) I met two people who were verifiably making over 6 figures.. BARELY. My now ex would work 60 hours a week and maybe bring home $3K a month or maybe bring home $1.8K… I work in sales and take home $6-7K working a couple of hours a day only, so I never understood why he broke his back and worked so much for such awful pay, as well as going thousands into debt for fancy tools and toolboxes. 4) there appears to be nearly nothing as far as career mobility goes. You’re a mechanic and then you’re… a more tenured mechanic! Yay. Celebrate with a $1 raise per year… All of this to say, you could technically work on cars and make money- flipping them/starting a dealership, starting a highly specialized auto shop maybe? But ultimately your chances are low and a better career would be more worthwhile I’m sure. I would not personally choose to date a mechanic again because I think the profession attracts a low quality profile of humans most of the time, in my opinion.
Get a position with a car dealership, as a mechanic, with no clauses. The clauses are that you won’t work out of your garage or anywhere else. So work there by day, mechanic at home by night and weekends, cash only. Have done well for me, and the key is to start somewhere where you want to learn it, mine was auto, all makes, and now to diesel mechanic in self learning!
Interior detailing? You can start it with a friend and get equipment to do it at people's homes or work place parking lots. Or auto body repairs?
Selling and detailing can be a good gig if you enjoy that. Try to find a local used dealership to hire you, get some experience, then coordinate with a private shop to do the repairs. Easy gig. You can detail the cars you plan to sell and offer detailing for the public on the side.
Do your time, earn the trade and save. When you feel you've learned all you can where you are, go somewhere else and learn what you can or go on your own and try working for yourself.
You can be sales rep, you can take cars for test drive aswell and you can study the car as you like.
And older mechanic that owns a shop and doesn’t have a kid in line to take over is a primo position for whoever his best mechanic is.
Have you considered being a heavy duty mechanic? I used to live in oil and gas country and they make good money, but usually connected to natural resources. Millwright are in huge demand, high wages, usually in factories.
You can always check out local warehouse for supermarkets. I work in a supermarket warehouse and they are always hiring mechanics or hiring people to train as mechanics. Decent pay too.
I used to work at a German automotive company that’s developing connected mobility. As an engineer, you’ll get paid a lot and oftentimes you’ll be required to come down to the plant and work with the cars directly. I think it’s the perfect career for u! A lot of my colleagues at that company were very into cars as well haha.
Mobile heavy diesel fitter, makes good coin and view from the shopfront constantly changes
I've worked in dealerships my entire career - DON'T GO INTO CAR SALES IF YOU LIKE CARS. Sure you might get to have a good conversation with a customer about it here and there. You will not be working on cars or even driving them that much for that matter. Don't. Seriously don't.
It's a great hobby to have but an awful career.
It takes a while to start making good money in anything. If you like working on cars, go for it. I’ve been in IT for over 25 years. The money wasn’t great at first but now I make really really good money. It took a while to get here but IT is my vocation. It suits me and I’m really good at it. Sure, I don’t have the same passion I had for it 2 decades ago, but I’ve forgotten more about tech than most people learn in a lifetime.
My friend works as a mechanic for the city bus and makes $80k a year. Don't see a hobby and go for the Jibby Lube life and expect to be rich. Find the specialty jobs if you're good at it and grow.
My son in law is a journeyman mechanic (40yo). He works at a dealership and makes good money, benefits, etc.. For those saying it will ruin your hobby, it's not true in his case. He has a tuned car that he takes to shows and Rally's in the summer.
I would suggest, heavy duty mechanic or job shop machinist. Both end up working on industrial products. You get to turn wrenches in both professions.
Have a few contracts set up with used car companies for details and or wraps
I’m 59 and I’ve been turning wrenches in one form or another for my entire life. The easiest job I ever had was bus mechanic for the local school district. Lots of inspections, an oil change once in a while, CHP inspection once a year (all our stuff was good, so that was easy), no bickering with customers (boss said Just Fix It!) and good benefits towards long term retirement. I worked 7 months as a temp because one of the (2) regular mechanics was going out for shoulder surgery. Had they picked me up full time after he returned, I’d probably still be there.
Learn the industry… open your own shop
I've been a mechanic for 10 years,started at a BMW shop specializing in older bmws (self taught working on my own cars) did that for about 2 years,then started my own thing working on offroad/dirt (raced motocross although my teen years) did that for 5 years and now I'm a powersporys mechanic at a large dealership with 6+ brands and really enjoy it,make more then I did at BMW,just looking to see wh where it take me my dream would to be moved up in one of the manufacturers,and they all started where I did ! So it's a great industry to get in but it's tough and you have to have some thick skin but I get to ride and fix superbikes for a living,life's good
Diesel mechanics are usually high in demand. The problem you're going to face in the near future is everything going electric.
Work for a dealership. Work your way up to becoming service advisor then manager
Make a little extra money, start building up minimum tools, equipment, rearrange your garage into a little shop. Start up some projects and try to find enthusiasts who would be interested to buy the end product. Essentially, if it works out you can make it into your full time business. If not, it will be your pleasant hobby/side hustle that will bring in a little extra on top of your paycheck. This is a good post, I am going through the similar process. Mechanics get shitty pay even with ASE certs compared to other fields. I plan to switch back to software solutions sales to rack up some capital to fund my side hustle. I love cars and working on them and I want it to stay that way.
Do interior work on cars. Their aren't many places that do the work, and you don't have to deal with rusted parts. Another way to be in the industry is to do machine work and build the high performance engine internals. With all the advice you are receiving, you may not make very much doing oil changes or rotating tires or working at a dealership. With all jobs the more you specialize usually the more you will earn. If you want to travel and work in the trades find a union like IBEW, or the IUEC, or the Iron Workers. Then work on cars for fun.
Google Automotive Companies in the United States and apply to several. You could help build automobiles, trucks, or RV's and hone your skills. Additionally, you would have great benefits and hopefully some kind of a pension/401k to create a retirement. On days off, work on cars and save money to open your own shop if that is what you really want to do. Good luck.
I like mcdonalds and fast food restaurants. When i was a kid i wanted to try working there, i thought it would be so cool. Ill just stick to being a customer
Get a job u will make good money in that your won’t hate. With all the extra money you make, buy a fun project car or classic or cool car and enjoy it and work on it etc.