What is Passion?
April 24, 2019 Uncategorized 5 comments hwoodrum19
The earliest memory I have around the automotive field was when I was about 5 years old. I can remember working with my dad on his 1995 Dodge Ram 2500. It was something simple, just changing the brakes, but it still enthralled me. Ever since then, I’ve been down the slippery slope of being an automotive enthusiast. Growing up, I’d play with match box cars and hot wheels. Normal things for kids in the 2000s to do, except I had a deeper connection with those cars I played with; I imagined myself driving each car, even though I was a kid with a very active imagination. When I was in my early teens, my passion for automotives really took off. I loved working on all the cars and trucks that my parents had. I remember replacing the fuel pump on my mom’s 1999 Chevy Blazer, replacing shocks on my stepfather’s 1994 GMC K1500, the air filter and carburetor on my dad’s First Gen 1985 Dodge D250. My childhood was surrounded by automotives and everything it had to offer, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
One may ask why do I love automotives so much? Well, My answer is that automotives is more than just a job that someone does. To me, automotives is a passion, a lifestyle. Technicians now, need to be more than just the person someone goes to to get their car fixed, they fix other problems that aren’t even direct to the car itself. Say a customer comes in and is worried about their car’s safety because the airbag light is on, and the technician finds that it was just a blown fuse. The technician just brought that customer a giant relief that their car is now safer than it was when it came in. Not only that, but that person is more apt to come back to your repair shop.
I personally love automotives because of the rewards from working on somebody’s personal vehicle. I enjoy the reward of the hands-on work, the sense of community, the worthwhile work, and the enjoyment and pride associated with automotives. The hands-on work for me is a huge plus because that is how I learn the best, and automotives is a never ending learning curve because technology and cars are always advancing. 20 years ago, a mechanic could fix a car with a set of wrenches, sockets, and ratchets. Now, technicians need to wear multiple different hats to complete the job. Techs could wear the hat of a programmer, an electrician, and a plumber. As a technician another requirement is to fix problems in vehicles.
Sometimes it’s not just the car that a technician fixes. Sometimes they just fix the sense of safety, or even the trustworthiness that is formed from the relationship between customer and tech. There is also a sense of community within the technical field, the sense of community comes from the technician helping out the person in need, much like an EMT or firefighter helping the person who is in a medical emergency or saving a pet from a burning building. The final reward from automotives is the enjoyment and pride from seeing something I worked on driving around. Being able to say “Hey, I fixed that!” is the greatest feeling in the world, seeing the thing you fixed or something that you’ve built actually working is a great sense of accomplishment and to me, the biggest reward from automotives.
The biggest push for me to continue on my path of automotives is my current teacher at Lewiston Regional Technical Center. His teaching and pushing me to better myself is the reason why I keep progressing. He’s pushed me in 2 years to earn three Student ASEs, Class A and E Maine State Vehicle Inspection Licenses, and on top of those, countless hours of knowledge that I would not have if it wasn’t for them. Also, if I earned all these accolades from going to LRTC every other day (as LRTC is scheduled) for 3 hours for 2 years, I can only imagine what I would achieve from going to school every day, 8 hours a day, for 18 months. Hopefully one day with all this training, I can be that role model for my own kids, letting them discover that event that changes their perspective on their life. After all what are inspirations supposed to do?
5 Comments
I was intrigued by your writing and can strongly relate to how you played with matchbox cars as a child. I too had a love for little toy cars. I would have races with them and recreate real life like situations. It’s cool to hear how much you’ve really kept with the automotive side of things. I also liked to hear you say pride is the biggest reward. I appreciate that thought and agree with it completely as when I fix something or rig something up, I am always proud of myself. The feeling of making something not working work is great.
Automotives are definitely a true passion of mine too, the feeling of putting something back together so that it works perfectly is something that one can never quite explain but is oddly simplistic. Possibly one of my favorite things about automotive is that the work is never ending, but with every new problem is a new solution that you would have never thought of, and there are a lot of new problems that come your way when working on old and new cars.
Although I cannot relate to a strong love for automotives like others in this thread. I think it is really cool how you came about your love for automobiles and fixing them. You’ve been exposed to vehicles your whole life and have been fixing them for quite some time. Despite being faced with difficult situations your passion for them continues. I also thought it was pretty cool to hear that your passion has been kept alive by your teacher at LRTC.
I like how through all the years of working on vehicles, your passion is still there just like it was in the beginning. It shows drive and commitment. I also like how your teacher helps your passion at LRTC.
I can connect with this so much. Sense I could walk I sat in the garage with my Dad working on vintage pick ups, When I was strong enough I’d snug up bolts and nuts. An to this very day I still work on all these things and even new cars. Automotive is a passion for few but the few that do it, are amazing at it. Follow your passion. Amazing read.