The Road to a Great Diagnostician Part 1
As a mobile diagnostic technician, I get many questions, how did you get started, how do you get the knowledge to do this, can you teach me? The one question I get asked the most is, how did you get into diagnostics? The answer to that is simple, I enjoyed that side of the business more than I enjoyed the mechanical side. I knew that if I could find a way to get paid for my knowledge and expertise that I would be happier and likely healthier. I started networking and found there were many people in the industry already doing just that. Mobile diagnostic technicians, technical trainers, factory technical specialists, etc. This was the direction I knew I wanted to head so next I had to devise a plan to get there!
I realized immediately that although I enjoyed diagnosing vehicles, if I was going to make it into a career, I needed much more knowledge than I had. I started looking at ways I could gain knowledge beyond what I was able to in tech school or in college. I had been a long-time reader of IATN and knew that there were training conferences that happened around the country, but I had never been able to afford to go. I was extremely fortunate that during this time I was working at a shop that gave me a monthly tool allowance that I had worked into my pay plan when I was hired. I asked the shop owner if he were willing to let me use that money for training instead of tools and I would just pay the travel out of my pocket. He loved the idea and that gave me the opportunity to start traveling more and attending conferences.
The first conference I ever attended was the TST Big Event in NY hosted by Jerry “G” Truglia. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a great event and you would be doing yourself a favor to look it up! What I didn’t know at the time of attending this event is I would meet some great new friends and mentors there. I was introduced to my now boss Mark Warren during that first event years before I became a training manager for Worldpac, I’m not sure if he remembers this interaction but it was a staple in my career. I realized that at these events there were like minded individuals and even the smartest of them was as humble as the day is long. No one bad mouthed each other and everyone was willing to help you learn. I met several mobile diagnostic technicians that day as well. One of them let me go for a ride along years later to show me how he ran his business and has been a huge help to me ever sense.
Why did I give you this whole back story? Because without getting involved in attending training conferences and building a network no one can accel to a high degree in diagnostics. No one can know everything and having a network helps you to have a much greater pool of knowledge. Maybe one person in your group is a transmission specialist, electrical specialist, or a programming guru, you can call them when your stumped and learn from them, just like they will call you when they are stumped to learn from you. Everyone in my network attends 100’s of hours of training a year and we still call each other for help now and then and that’s okay!
To summarize, part one in becoming a great diagnostic technician is to get out there and attend conferences and build a network. Don’t be afraid to spend money to gain knowledge, if you focus and work hard it will pay off in the end. In part 2 we will discuss choosing training classes, attending them and learn how to get the most knowledge possible out of the class.
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