Am I in the right place?

Howdy all!

I am from the USA and an absolute beginner. I recently realized that no one in my family is a car person and that this is a problem.

I love to learn and believe this is the best information I have found so far. I figured that learning the sport side of it would double for general mechanics as well (keeping my daily drivers happy). Am I in the right place?

Absolutely (IMHO)...

It depends on just how limited is your basic knowledge, and how far you want to go.

I would probably suggest a duel, or multiple, learning path - especially because on-line courses don't have the critical 'hands on' learning.

You don't say how old you are, but if you're still in school, you may be able to take 'shop classes' which can be a very good introduction to vehicles and general engineering - both theory and practice. If you're a bit older, or if classes aren't an option, you may find your local school/college offers evening classes that can be beneficial.

Again, depending on your specific circumstances, you could try approaching local garages (the 'old school' type where they repair, rather than just replace, parts), machine shops, or even race teams - the good ones will probably start you off with the more menial 'sweeping, cleaning' duties as they assess you and give you more responsability - on a weekend/evening volunteer basis. That would also give you some idea where your interests, and abilities actually lie - some are fabricators/welders, some are engine people, some transmission, electronics, earo'or whatever. Some polymaths can do many different things.

Hi Rory,

Where are you located in the USA? What kind of cars are you interested in?

Thanks for the responses. I am out in Utah. I have been interested in drifting, but have always been dissuaded by not knowing enough to clean up after myself for the wear put on the vehicle. Subaru’s are popular in Utah and I have grown up driving Impreza.

I don’t know enough to to have any projects in mind. I really just want to get my feet under me. I have a friend’s family that owns a mechanics shop. I used to hang out there, but never worked there. I am 30 and work a 9-5 job. There are great universities around, but finding classes in my schedule is hard :-). I know the internet won’t turn a wrench for me, but I really want to understand the machine.

Ah, that means you're also going to have other financial and personal responsabilities to take into account. You may have a bit of an 'in' with the friend if you can ask him to ask his folks if you can talk to them about your interest in motorsport and what some of the options/contacts they might be able to help you with.

There does seem to be quite a few options - https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Utah+automotive+training+courses%3F - but if they're not in your district, or require day study, or are too expensive... Oh, with day/block study you may also have the option of taking that as your leave/holiday allocation - most countries have a minimum of four weeks (excluding holiday overlap, which can extend them) and up to 6, or even more, weeks for some as a service reward - but as I understand the USoA is quite backward where leave is concerned, perhaps mix it with unpaid leave?

It will depend on your job, and relationship with your employer(s), but if it's a problem with getting to the class you may be able to negotiate leaving early to get to the class(es) on time - maybe making the time up on other days or having the next shift (if applicable) coming in early?

There is heaps to read and see here the courses webinars and chats are great, `we look forward to seeing your progress