The Best Thing I Ever Did for My Automotive Career
Written By: Ian Clayton
Edited By: Merielle Donaldson
The best thing that I could have possibly done for my automotive career was done thirteen years before the thought of becoming an automotive technician even crossed my mind. When I was fifteen years old, I wanted to do what my dad did for a living and learn how to be an audio engineer. I decided to take audio engineering as an elective in high school, but before I could do so I had to take a basic electronics course. The course consisted of building circuits on learning boards, household wiring, and - most importantly - reading wiring diagrams. I gained a lot of knowledge from this course and learned skills that have stayed with me to this day, skills that not only help me in my career as an automotive technician but which have also helped me in my daily life. If you are thinking about a career as an automotive technician, I highly recommend that you take a basic electronic course first, and below you will find a list of reasons why you should do so (no, there is no downside list in this post).
1) Basics are important: You must first learn to walk before you can run. And before you learn how the most complex module-controlled circuits work you must first understand how electricity works. In a basic electronics course, you will learn the most basic equation that runs modern society, Ohm’s Law. You will learn about supply/power, load, and ground - fundamental aspects of all circuits regardless of their complexity. You will study how circuits work in series and parallel, in addition to how current and voltage change as loads are added in series and parallel circuits. Now, we did go over this in my automotive technician schooling; however, this lesson was brief and, in my opinion, insufficient for someone who may have had no prior electrical training. These fundamentals are crucial for understanding electricity as it relates to the automotive field and having this basic knowledge will put you much further ahead in your automotive career. It will also make some aspects of your training easier, as you will already have the foundational knowledge needed to perform certain advanced tasks without having to start from scratch.
2) Tools: Knowing how to use things like a multimeter, amp clamp, test light, and power probe are all crucial skills to have in life and in the automotive industry. At this point in my career, I can confidently say that not a week goes by when I don’t use one of these testing tools. Knowing how to use them is critical, and taking a basic electronics course will help you gain experience with all of these tools, putting you one step ahead in your career or schooling.
3) Wiring Diagrams: Learning how to read a wiring diagram is a necessity in both your automotive career and life. Physically seeing a wiring diagram on the practice board in front of you will help you understand and visualize how the flow of electrons works in a diagram format. Whether it be on a practice board or in a household or industrial wiring diagram, seeing these systems in a more basic form will help tremendously when you begin working on electrical systems with additional complexity and factors involved. The utility of reading wiring diagrams is not limited to electrical systems, but also includes multiple other applications in an automotive career and general household maintenance that will last a lifetime. What is a cooling system but a circuit through which coolant flows? What is an A/C system but a circuit through which refrigerant flows? Imagine brakes - the master cylinder is your supply (voltage) and the caliper piston is your ground. The plumbing system in your house is a circuit with a supply at the faucet and a ground at the sewer, the water and waste must flow through the circuit and into the sewer. Knowing how to read, understand, and interpret how circuits work is a crucial skill in the automotive industry and in life.
4) Skills Acquisition: I bought my first house at twenty-five years old, and I can assure you that the house I could afford at that time came with a multitude of repairs and necessary upgrades. I have done countless amounts of electrical work over the past eight years and never once paid an electrician. Running wire, wiring outlets, wiring in switches, wiring in three-way switches - some of these skills were learned from my father, but most were learned from the Basic Electronics course that I took in high school. These are all processes that we use in the automotive field, just done a bit differently. A foundational electrical course will teach you how to solder, how to use a crimp and seal connector, and how to apply heat shrink tubing. These are all things that I do weekly working on automobiles and trailers, and furthermore, they are all things that I’ve done around my house.
If you’ve read any of my prior posts, you’ve read my thoughts on the importance of knowing electrical knowledge in the automotive field. The need for this knowledge is ever increasing as the more basic circuits are being phased out of cars and trucks. Headlights, taillights, brake lights, and turn signals were at one point some of the more basic circuits on a vehicle. Those days are gone. These basic functions of automobiles are now being module-controlled, increasing their complexity. You as a technician will need to understand how these systems work. Whether this increased intricacy is for the better or worse is outside of your control, but what you can do is learn the systems inside and out. And that starts with the basics.
Just beware, they may try to lure you into the field and make you an electrician. But remember, if you become an automotive technician, you have continual access to a bathroom for eight hours a day that isn’t made of plastic. And that’s a good enough reason to keep your focus on the automotive tech trade if you ask me.