Alright, well I will be done with my associates degree at the end of december, and then it will be time for me to make a decision as to where I will go from there. I would like to some day open my own performance shop, but I'm a little unsure of what I should be doing from here. I am going to first finish my degree in business management, but where do I go from there to learn everything I will need to know about say turbo/supercharging etc...do I need to go into automotive engineering? where did most of you learn all that you know, just trial and error? Any advice would be greatly appreciated and valued, thanks in advance.

 

Personally I think everyone on this site learned everything they know from just experience. But if you are going to do this for the rest of your life, you better have a buttload of experience (trial+error, think about boosting your tib fing02.gif ) but also a solid education, because you can't just open up your own store one day, you have to start out at the bottom, and you won't get a job by just walking in and saying "i installed my own turbo biotch!"
Check out some of those automotive tech schools to do on the side / right after you finish your MBA.
I think a good place to START working would be a dealership. Maybe you could be one of the mechanics that actually knows wtf they are talking about.

 

^^Well I know I'm going to need an education, I'm just curious in what exactly...should I go into an engineering program, or would going to an automotive tech school be the way to go?

 

if u wanna get into car performance theres nothing better then hands on experience. work on everybodys car every1 needs car help now n then . even if its small grab a hanes n go to town the more u know on how engines work or cars n general the more u will know. as far as schooling its not a mandatory thing. and if you need to know allot more about turbos n superchargers theres books u can read or even internet sites. i use a site for just about everything i need to know if im unsure http://www.auto.howstuffworks.com i know its just basic stuff n not specific but it is a starting point. a tech school woud be the best but they usualy cost a bit even if they say it wont. i was gonna go into it had all the financial aid n everything when i got there they said they needed more money n i never went back. dont regret it cuz i learned allot just by working on my own cars. i have bought 5 cars so far all under $500 with problems and fixed them n sold um for 5 times as i bought um for.

i dont know allot about turbos or superchargers cuz i have never instaled one b4 or actually seen one n real life. but i will n the future cuz i will put one on my car prolly when i get my taxes back.

anyway what im tryin to say is that it would be best for u to do it the way u feel more comfertable if u would rather go to school n spend your money there to learn u can or u can spend the same money prolly less n try doing it yourself again its up to u. good luck

 

Another way you can go about it is to get your degree, make some good money, and buy a shop already in existance. Then hire people (or keep the ones that are already there) who are knowledgeable about running a performance shop and let them run it for you. It's still a good idea to have some experience in this field so that way you at least know a thing or too.

 

im currently working at a dealership right now as a technician, and all i can say is that hands on experience (trial and error) is the best education out there. cause you can pay a butt load of money for a school to give you a piece of paper that says you know what you're doing, but you'll end up leaving the school and still not knowing a damn thing sometimes. i'll put it this way, almost 3 years ago i couldn't do an oil change without screwing it up. now i diagnose & repair "almost" any thing with some time with it. i am nowhere close to being a genius, but i know enough to make ends meet.

high performance is a different story. fixing cars gives you a base knowledge of how to make more power. but knowing what you're doing in that area is a new ball game. im gonna learn by doing it myself.