ray, superjay

[will77530]

so im asking for your guys advice im about to be twenty and want to have a career in car audio but dont know where to start. its next to impossible to get a job at a local shop with no prior experience. i would donate my time gladly but i wouldn't be able to do it concistantly because of my random work schedule, also wouldnt want to waste my time at a shop that is one of those hack job shops you hear about. ill take whatever college classes i need to take and do whatever i need to i just need to be pointed in the right direction and i thought you two would be the best to ask. thanks for any help

[Azagtoth502]

The best way would be to check out M.E.C.P Get the books,study like hell, become certified.

http://www.mecp.com/study_guides.asp

[will77530]

i have the basic book just saving to take the test

[audiofanaticz]

The best way would be to check out M.E.C.P Get the books,study like hell, become certified.

http://www.mecp.com/study_guides.asp

If its a serious thing you want to do as a career I think the MECP is a waste of time at the start. All you do is read a box and take a test. No real hands on experience.

No joke, but there has been people who took this coarse already, apply for a job, and not even know how to do a head unit instal in a simple vehicle.

Some places will even pay for the mecp course after you work for them. Theres a good bit of useful info gained from MECP but unless your actually doing it, it will be hard to do it in real life when the time comes. But then again, I learn things differently then others, and the way I see the MECP stuff is like taking history classes in high scool, hell I only remember Christopher columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 because of the jingle that goes with it.. LOL

You are much better taking hands-on type workshops, but they cost a nice chunk of change.

http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/118644-upcoming-classes/ for example, but this will better yourself better then reading a book.

But again, these corses are something you would want to take after you have a job, and are in a field that you enjoy doing.

The best advice is to find a local shop to you, one that you feel is decent (but being new to the field it maybe hard for you to get the feel of it being a reputable shop or not) but once you find a place, talk to the manager, and try to get some sort of apprentice type deal worked out, where your there a few hours a day, emptying trash, stock shelfs, grabbing parts, and watching the installers do their things.

Just remember in most shops, stereo installs are not the companies bread and butter income. Lots of it is keyless entry/remote start/alarm installs, and there maybe days where you got 8-14 cars to install remote starts on in 1 day, and may not do a system install for a couple weeks!! This is a big misconception to most people and they think they will just be doing a lot of stereo installs.

Edited October 10, 2011 by Audiofanaticz

[Azagtoth502]

Well getting certified is still a good start. Just like ASE some shops may not even consider you without it.

If nothing else it shows your serious about doing this.

But like Brian said, experience is the best teacher! (just getting the experience can be tough though).

[Purplehaze]

The best way would be to check out M.E.C.P Get the books,study like hell, become certified.

http://www.mecp.com/study_guides.asp

If its a serious thing you want to do as a career I think the MECP is a waste of time at the start. All you do is read a box and take a test. No real hands on experience.

No joke, but there has been people who took this coarse already, apply for a job, and not even know how to do a head unit instal in a simple vehicle.

Some places will even pay for the mecp course after you work for them. Theres a good bit of useful info gained from MECP but unless your actually doing it, it will be hard to do it in real life when the time comes. But then again, I learn things differently then others, and the way I see the MECP stuff is like taking history classes in high scool, hell I only remember Christopher columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 because of the jingle that goes with it.. LOL

You are much better taking hands-on type workshops, but they cost a nice chunk of change.

http://www.stevemead...coming-classes/ for example, but this will better yourself better then reading a book.

But again, these corses are something you would want to take after you have a job, and are in a field that you enjoy doing.

The best advice is to find a local shop to you, one that you feel is decent (but being new to the field it maybe hard for you to get the feel of it being a reputable shop or not) but once you find a place, talk to the manager, and try to get some sort of apprentice type deal worked out, where your there a few hours a day, emptying trash, stock shelfs, grabbing parts, and watching the installers do their things.

Just remember in most shops, stereo installs are not the companies bread and butter income. Lots of it is keyless entry/remote start/alarm installs, and there maybe days where you got 8-14 cars to install remote starts on in 1 day, and may not do a system install for a couple weeks!! This is a big misconception to most people and they think they will just be doing a lot of stereo installs.

I don't think it could have been said any better!

[mbdblue]

I know this thread said it was for Ray or superjay, but Audiofanaticz is definitely right. I learn the same way (hands on), and Ill remember it for years once Ive done it a couple times. When I went off to school, I got a job at a local shop pretty much being there janitor. sweeping floors, taking out the trash, and doing real small simple installs. learned a decent amount there; including finding out I never want to do it as a full time job (which is always a possibility).

also, working for a hack shop is not a waste of time. As long as you know its not the right way to do it, its still a learning experience. Just like everywhere else, you may have to do things that you don't understand or don't see as being useful, but you do them anyway because thats what they said to do.

[meade916]

The best way would be to check out M.E.C.P Get the books,study like hell, become certified.

http://www.mecp.com/study_guides.asp

If its a serious thing you want to do as a career I think the MECP is a waste of time at the start. All you do is read a box and take a test. No real hands on experience.

No joke, but there has been people who took this coarse already, apply for a job, and not even know how to do a head unit instal in a simple vehicle.

Some places will even pay for the mecp course after you work for them. Theres a good bit of useful info gained from MECP but unless your actually doing it, it will be hard to do it in real life when the time comes. But then again, I learn things differently then others, and the way I see the MECP stuff is like taking history classes in high scool, hell I only remember Christopher columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 because of the jingle that goes with it.. LOL

You are much better taking hands-on type workshops, but they cost a nice chunk of change.

http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/118644-upcoming-classes/ for example, but this will better yourself better then reading a book.

But again, these corses are something you would want to take after you have a job, and are in a field that you enjoy doing.

The best advice is to find a local shop to you, one that you feel is decent (but being new to the field it maybe hard for you to get the feel of it being a reputable shop or not) but once you find a place, talk to the manager, and try to get some sort of apprentice type deal worked out, where your there a few hours a day, emptying trash, stock shelfs, grabbing parts, and watching the installers do their things.

Just remember in most shops, stereo installs are not the companies bread and butter income. Lots of it is keyless entry/remote start/alarm installs, and there maybe days where you got 8-14 cars to install remote starts on in 1 day, and may not do a system install for a couple weeks!! This is a big misconception to most people and they think they will just be doing a lot of stereo installs.

The best way would be to check out M.E.C.P Get the books,study like hell, become certified.

http://www.mecp.com/study_guides.asp

If its a serious thing you want to do as a career I think the MECP is a waste of time at the start. All you do is read a box and take a test. No real hands on experience.

No joke, but there has been people who took this coarse already, apply for a job, and not even know how to do a head unit instal in a simple vehicle.

Some places will even pay for the mecp course after you work for them. Theres a good bit of useful info gained from MECP but unless your actually doing it, it will be hard to do it in real life when the time comes. But then again, I learn things differently then others, and the way I see the MECP stuff is like taking history classes in high scool, hell I only remember Christopher columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 because of the jingle that goes with it.. LOL

You are much better taking hands-on type workshops, but they cost a nice chunk of change.

http://www.stevemead...coming-classes/ for example, but this will better yourself better then reading a book.

But again, these corses are something you would want to take after you have a job, and are in a field that you enjoy doing.

The best advice is to find a local shop to you, one that you feel is decent (but being new to the field it maybe hard for you to get the feel of it being a reputable shop or not) but once you find a place, talk to the manager, and try to get some sort of apprentice type deal worked out, where your there a few hours a day, emptying trash, stock shelfs, grabbing parts, and watching the installers do their things.

Just remember in most shops, stereo installs are not the companies bread and butter income. Lots of it is keyless entry/remote start/alarm installs, and there maybe days where you got 8-14 cars to install remote starts on in 1 day, and may not do a system install for a couple weeks!! This is a big misconception to most people and they think they will just be doing a lot of stereo installs.

I don't think it could have been said any better!

being a good installer AND having the MECP is a good thing. Having just the MECP cert doesnt mean much. I mean if you can pass the tests that is great because i personally didnt think the test was very easy. Im not as smart as some of you young wizz's here, they barely invented electricity when i was first learning to install LOL. With the newer cars of today, you will need to know a lot more then i needed to know in my day.

[will77530]

wow thanks for all the advice. when i was reading the mecp book i would go out and try everything they explained in my truck so i could understand it better so i feel i have a pretty good grasp on everything they went over in the book so i guess the next step is apprenticeship!!! thanks again for the information

[bignickk]

i am mecp certified and it took me 6 months to find job. finally i said ill clean the dam floors for you for free to get me in the door. now that ive been at my shop for 6 months i can tell ya im a million times better then when i started. alarms arent scary anymore lmao. but seriously. i was just like you. you gotta offer to be there janitor and work your way up. it sucks dick but this is when you pay your dues.