I figured this would be the most appropriate place to post this thread.

I don’t know if any of you listen to the podcast, but I asked Jason and Chris this question last week and they were not able to give me a real clear answer.

A short history on me:

Every aspect of cars have been my passion since I was about 15. When I started college 4 years ago I went into Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech. I thought I would want to work in automotive design, but after about a year and half I realized engineering just wasn’t for me.

I transferred to Texas A&M and got an internship with a construction company after the next semester. Even though I ended up working there on and off for two years and I enjoyed the management work I was doing, I knew construction wasn’t my calling. I was unable to transfer into the Construction Science program at A&M anyway.

Through a series of events I ended up in Human Resources this last semester and for the most part I’m enjoying it. I’m getting a business minor and for once I actually relate to the class-work I’m doing.

I had a meeting with the Vice-President of the construction company a few months ago and got some less than exciting news. The company has not been doing as much work lately and may not be able to hire me this summer. This ended up being a double edged sword though. I most likely don’t have a job this summer but I now have the freedom to look into other possible careers.

About the same time I met with the VP, I was able to interview Scott Settlemire for a management project at school. Scott said you have to have a passion for your career in order to be successful. Between talking to him for an evening, attending the private Camaro showing in Dallas and just realizing what I spend all my time involved in, it all started to become clear to me.

I want to work in the auto industry.

I understand the industry a lot more than the average person and I just plain love being around cars. I just don’t know where to go from here.

I’ve been looking at Graduate schools in Texas to obtain my MBA from. Yet its becoming obvious that I’m going to need to work for a few years before a Grad school is going to admit me. I was thinking of an MBA with a focus on either marketing or operations management.

I’ll be done with my undergraduate work next spring. I know I need to continue my education with an MBA if I’m to have a chance in Detroit. I just don’t know what to do right after school. Where could I work that would help me get my foot in the door at GM? The only person I know at GM is Scott.

I’m the type of person that always sets goals and plans everything out so I have direction.

I know I want to work in some part of product development for GM I just don’t have a clear Idea how to get there from where I am.

Honestly though, I will take any job for nearly any pay if I could jus get my foot in the door at GM. If I love what I’m doing, I honestly don’t care how much they pay me.

So any advice for a smart ambitious young guy like myself?

 

I will FWD this to Settlemire, as promised in the Podcast.

 

thanks

 

I am also aiming for a job in the auto industry. For right now it looks like I am going to be taking the GM ASEP program...When I come out in 2 years I will have an associates degree and I'll have 1/2 of my tests taken towards being a master tech. Then after that I could take auto engineering for another two years at NJIT or Penn Tech...I really don't know what I am going to do though. I know I'd really love to work with cars for a living but I'm not sure what the best way is to get myself into that. I'm just hoping the current path I'm on right now will allow to get into doing R&D on high performance cars...So yeah, if anyone has any advice that they would like to share, I'd like to hear it as well I've known for a long time that I'd probably wind up doing something that involved cars but now I just need to know how to get my foot in the door...

 

Add me to the list of people who would like to be in the auto industry. I graduated from Georgia Tech last year with a degree in industrial design. I did not specifically study transportation design because it was not offered at my school but for my senior project I chose to research and design a 5th generation Camaro. I have had a real passion for the Camaro (it's the only car I have ever owned) and would like nothing better to work for GM in the design department at any capacity. I just need to know if it is possible to get my foot in the door somehow even if I don't have a degree from Art Center or a similar school. Thanks.

My Portfolio and Camaro design are on my website included in my sig.

 

I would focus on "the industry" rather than just GM. You may be passing up other opportunities. With GM's downsizing, it's going to be difficult to get in (but not impossible, so don't give up). I understand that GM may be your first choice, but you may also be quite happy working for Ford or Toyota or whoever if the GM opportunity doesn't come along. Remember, even if you work for somebody else, you can still buy a Camaro! Sure, you may get funny looks in the parking lot, but it's your money.

 

I fully understand that. I would just prefer to work for a domestic company, GM being my #1 goal.

 

 

LOL add me to the list as well. I'd love to do marketing of some sort for GM or some other auto company. Of course, my journalism degree probably won't make that happen, but you never know.

 

Whats that for?

 

Stefan, I know the situation that your are in. You want to get paid for doing something you truly are passionate about. IMHO everyone should strive for that situation. However, alot of times we're faced with having to bide our time and "pay our dues" at the beginning of our careers. For me, the two things I'm most passionate about is history and automobiles. While I flirted with the idea of becoming a history teacher (and still flirting with it), I was able somewhat get one step closer to my goal of working in my other favored field. I recently got a job at Homecomings Financial which is a subsidiary of GMAC-RFC. And yes, 51% of it has been sold to the consortium investors, however GM still has a 49% stake in it. HF doesn't have anything to do with the automotive side of the business, but we do get all of the GM family discounts. Mortgage banking may not be your cup of tea, and to be truthful, I don't see myself in this industry for more than ten years, but it is still a connection to GM and a great place to work. If you're interested I can forward your resume to my manager. I'm sure Scott and other people can tell you more about how to get into the auto side of the company, but I figured this may help as well. PM me if your interested.

 

Can I be a test driver? Seriously, I think that'd be a great job.

 

PM sent Joshua,

And another question,

Are there any positions at a dealership I could take temporarily this summer that could gain me needed skills for the industry?

I have no interest in porter positions and I’m unsure about actually being a car salesman.

I’m sure with my people skills I could sells cars, but with my own car payment, I don’t think I could live off of a commission.

But what else is there at a dealership?

 

Just the timing of your epiphany, that's all .

 

Again, in ten words or less - what is it you want to do, and what degree will you graduate with?

The best way to get a job in the auto industry is, well, the best way to get a job in any industry - graduate near the top of your class with a relevant degree from a well-respected school in your field of choice, have relevant work experience that relates to what you want to do, be able to show passion for your work in a mature and respectable manner, and understand what "soft skills" you need in addition to your formal education and be able to demonstrate them.

Also, strongly consider working for a supplier, since nowadays there's honestly more business that takes place there than at the OEM (automaker) level. It's a good way to make inroads into an OEM at a later date, you may have the opportunity to have deeper involvement with the product and with the company, and at a well-diversified supplier, you'll get exposure to multiple OEMs. I can say this - it's been a real eye-opener, and my list of OEMs that I'd like to work with the most has little or nothing to do with the product you see in the showroom. Frankly, some companies just plain suck to do business with, and I'd certainly not want to work with them full-time. No, I'm not going to name any names, and it has little to do with the import-vs-domestic bullcrap (one can find crappy car companies on any continent).