Job for Jeep Parts Company

Calvin.8

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I am in high school and am getting right around that time where I need to start figuring out what I want to do in life. I have pretty much decided after working on my jeep for the last few years that I love working on cars, and I want to get into the automotive industry. It would really be a dream job to make or even design jeep parts for one of these companies such as poison spyder, genright, barricade, smittybilt ect. So what I'm wondering is if anyone here knows anything about how easy it would be to get one of these jobs, and how much pay their workers make.
 
Based on my 25 years in manufacturing, here's what I've learned and I hope it helps you out. FWIW, the company I worked for made millions of parts a year. Probably only 25% of them were for the automotive industry but making parts is making parts.

Making and designing parts are two really different jobs even if they both go towards the same product.

To start making parts you could start out as a laborer/ helper and work your way up. You could also get some training in welding and/or machining first so you could start out beyond that job instead. These guys are out in the shop and getting things done every day. It's somewhat similar to (but not actually like) working on your Jeep:D...all day long.

Many "designers" today are really artists. Artists are great. They can make good looking parts. Unfortunately, too often those parts don't work quite right or even last very long if they do work at all.

This is where engineering is more important than artists. Engineers (usually) avoid or correct problems before anything is made. They know how things work and what is needed to make them that way. If it's not known yet, they figure it out. There are several kinds of engineering. I'm not exactly sure which would be the best to learn to design automotive parts but there are multiple schools out there to teach it. Graduates end up with an engineering degree but many non-graduates know/learn enough to work in that area of expertise.

Both the artists and the engineers spend a lot of time in the office when designing. Some of them get out on the shop floor on a regular basis, some of them are stuck behind the desk and never get out there. This is somewhat similar to thinking about your Jeep while in school.:(

The amount of $$ paid to manufacturing jobs in general varies by locations, companies and products. So the laborer/helper is always the lowest paid, the welders and machinists 50% to 200% more than them, the supervisors make 25% to 75% more than whoever is working for them. Engineers get anywhere from 10% to 100% more than the supervisors depending on their degree and what their purpose is.
 
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Based on my 25 years in manufacturing, here's what I've learned and I hope it helps you out. FWIW, the company I worked for made millions of parts a year. Probably only 25% of them were for the automotive industry but making parts is making parts.

Making and designing parts are two really different jobs even if they both go towards the same product.

To start making parts you could start out as a laborer/ helper and work your way up. You could also get some training in welding and/or machining first so you could start out beyond that job instead. These guys are out in the shop and getting things done every day. It's somewhat similar to (but not actually like) working on your Jeep:D...all day long.

Many "designers" today are really artists. Artists are great. They can make good looking parts. Unfortunately, too often those parts don't work quite right or even last very long if they do work at all.

This is where engineering is more important than artists. Engineers (usually) avoid or correct problems before anything is made. They know how things work and what is needed to make them that way. If it's not known yet, they figure it out. There are several kinds of engineering. I'm not exactly sure which would be the best to learn to design automotive parts but there are multiple schools out there to teach it. Graduates end up with an engineering degree but many non-graduates know/learn enough to work in that area of expertise.

Both the artists and the engineers spend a lot of time in the office when designing. Some of them get out on the shop floor on a regular basis, some of them are stuck behind the desk and never get out there. This is somewhat similar to thinking about your Jeep while in school.:(

The amount of $$ paid to manufacturing jobs in general varies by locations, companies and products. So the laborer/helper is always the lowest paid, the welders and machinists 50% to 200% more than them, the supervisors make 25% to 75% more than whoever is working for them. Engineers get anywhere from 10% to 100% more than the supervisors depending on their degree and what their purpose is.
Ya I would want to get into engineering is what I meant, not designing. Do you by any chance know around the salary that an engineer for a jeep parts company would make?
 
Based on my 25 years in manufacturing, here's what I've learned and I hope it helps you out. FWIW, the company I worked for made millions of parts a year. Probably only 25% of them were for the automotive industry but making parts is making parts.

Making and designing parts are two really different jobs even if they both go towards the same product.

To start making parts you could start out as a laborer/ helper and work your way up. You could also get some training in welding and/or machining first so you could start out beyond that job instead. These guys are out in the shop and getting things done every day. It's somewhat similar to (but not actually like) working on your Jeep:D...all day long.

Many "designers" today are really artists. Artists are great. They can make good looking parts. Unfortunately, too often those parts don't work quite right or even last very long if they do work at all.

This is where engineering is more important than artists. Engineers (usually) avoid or correct problems before anything is made. They know how things work and what is needed to make them that way. If it's not known yet, they figure it out. There are several kinds of engineering. I'm not exactly sure which would be the best to learn to design automotive parts but there are multiple schools out there to teach it. Graduates end up with an engineering degree but many non-graduates know/learn enough to work in that area of expertise.

Both the artists and the engineers spend a lot of time in the office when designing. Some of them get out on the shop floor on a regular basis, some of them are stuck behind the desk and never get out there. This is somewhat similar to thinking about your Jeep while in school.:(

The amount of $$ paid to manufacturing jobs in general varies by locations, companies and products. So the laborer/helper is always the lowest paid, the welders and machinists 50% to 200% more than them, the supervisors make 25% to 75% more than whoever is working for them. Engineers get anywhere from 10% to 100% more than the supervisors depending on their degree and what their purpose is.
This would be a dream job
20181211_122724.jpg
 
Ya I would want to get into engineering is what I meant, not designing. Do you by any chance know around the salary that an engineer for a jeep parts company would make?

Honestly I have no idea what any engineer anywhere gets paid. If I had to guess, the Currie Enterprises dream job would pay well. Other places doing the same thing could pay a little more or a little less.
 
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I replied in another thread too, but I'll get into more detail here. I'm a degreed engineer, went to a very well respected design engineering school, and worked as an engineer for nearly 16 years. Most of that time was manufacturing engineering (figuring out how to actually build a high volume of parts of very high quality as inexpensively as possible). It was a neat job. I worked on assembly processes, machining processes, plastic injection molding, etc. I've also done quite a bit of product engineering...Not the design side that is artistic, but the engineering stuff where you take the artsy surfaces and figure out how to get all of the marketing requirements into the envelop given you by the designers.

Not saying all that to be arrogant, but just so you know that what I'm going to say next comes from experience. Being an engineer is not like working on your car in the garage. You still work with your hands a bit, maybe building prototypes or setting up tests, but EVERYTHING has to be defined, because your trying to document a repeatable result.

If you really think your dream job will be working for an aftermarket company making jeep parts, there are really only a few companies big enough to have an Engineering Department (Off the top of my head, I'd guess Currie, Synergy, AEV, Rough Country, JKS/ZONE/BDS, maybe a couple others)...and they are going to be looking for experienced engineers. So, guys (and gals) coming FROM Chrysler, GM, Ford, Dana-Spicer, American Axle, Etc. That means you gotta go to a great engineering school and do really well. Be involved in Mini Baja or FormulaSAE to learn some hands on stuff as well as the book stuff. You need the OEMs to notice you and give you that first job, so you can learn...You don't really learn what it means to be an engineer in engineering school, but you gotta go through it to learn the foundational stuff. Once you work for 5'ish years, you'll start to figure it out, if you have a good mentor. Then you can start looking to the aftermarket.

Anther route into the aftermarket is going to a vocational school and learning fabrication. Get REALLY good at it and go start applying at these places. It will probably mean moving west as that is where the greatest concentration of them are. Once you get hired, work your ass off, be a team player, smile, contribute ideas, etc. Give freely of your mind and body. Apply for ANY move up they post, as well as letting your supervisor know your goals. Eventually, they'll give you the chance.

Those are the traditional paths, as I see them. You could get on a great MiniBaja team and be a suspension whiz. If so, you can shortcut some of this...there are exceptions to every rule. One of my college aquaintances did that at Ford. He did suspension design for our FormulaSAE car, really smart and had great charisma. He ended up at Ford doing suspension simulation for the Explorer right out of the gate...

As far as pay...I started my career in 2000 for 40,000 a year. In five years, I was making about 60,000. Not sure where they are starting 18 years later, but I'd expect it to be 55-65 thousand a year, depending on your location and the job. Your high school guidance counselor should be able to help you figure that out.
 
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I replied in another thread too, but I'll get into more detail here. I'm a degreed engineer, went to a very well respected design engineering school, and worked as an engineer for nearly 16 years. Most of that time was manufacturing engineering (figuring out how to actually build a high volume of parts of very high quality as inexpensively as possible). It was a neat job. I worked on assembly processes, machining processes, plastic injection molding, etc. I've also done quite a bit of product engineering...Not the design side that is artistic, but the engineering stuff where you take the artsy surfaces and figure out how to get all of the marketing requirements into the envelop given you by the designers.

Not saying all that to be arrogant, but just so you know that what I'm going to say next comes from experience. Being an engineer is not like working on your car in the garage. You still work with your hands a bit, maybe building prototypes or setting up tests, but EVERYTHING has to be defined, because your trying to document a repeatable result.

If you really think your dream job will be working for an aftermarket company making jeep parts, there is really only a couple companies big enough to have an Engineering Department (Off the top of my head, I'd guess Currie, Synergy, AEV, Rough Country, JKS/ZONE/BDS, maybe a couple others)...and they are going to be looking for experienced engineers. So, guys (and gals) coming FROM Chrysler, GM, Ford, Dana-Spicer, American Axle, Etc. That means you gotta go to a great engineering school and do really well. Be involved in Mini Baja or FormulaSAE to learn some hands on stuff as well as the book stuff. You need the OEMs to notice you and give you that first job, so you can learn...You don't really learn what it means to be an engineer in engineering school, but you gotta go through it to learn the foundational stuff. Once you work for 5'ish years, you'll start to figure it out, if you have a good mentor. Then you can start looking to the aftermarket.

Anther route into the aftermarket is going to a vocational school and learning fabrication. Get REALLY good at it and go start applying at these places. It will probably mean moving west as that is where the greatest concentration of them are. Once you get hired, work your ass off, be a team player, smile, contribute ideas, etc. Give freely of your mind and body. Apply for ANY move up they post, as well as letting your supervisor know your goals. Eventually, they'll give you the chance.

Those are the traditional paths, as I see them. You could get on a great MiniBaja team and be a suspension whiz. If so, you can shortcut some of this...there are exceptions to every rule. One of my college aquaintances did that at Ford. He did suspension design for our FormulaSAE car, really smart and had great charisma. He ended up at Ford doing suspension simulation for the Explorer right out of the gate...

As far as pay...I started my career in 2000 for 40,000 a year. In five years, I was making about 60,000. Not sure where they are starting 18 years later, but I'd expect it to be 55-65 thousand a year, depending on your location and the job. Your high school guidance counselor should be able to help you figure that out.

I know nothing about engineering, but I would say this response is spot on advice. Sounds exactly like what I would envision the path being if you wanted to end up working for one of these aftermarket companies.

I will also add that there is another path not mentioned (and this is what I did in my line of work). Getting good enough on your own that you can open your own business.

If you got really, really good at fabricating, you could start fabricating aftermarket parts for Jeeps. In this day and age it's not hard for things to catch on and go viral on the internet (assuming you make a good product), and before you know it, you have enough demand to start your own company.

Of course any and all of these paths still require some serious fabrication skills, engineering knowledge, and real world trial and error. No matter what, nothing can ever take the place of first hand experience.
 
I replied in another thread too, but I'll get into more detail here. I'm a degreed engineer, went to a very well respected design engineering school, and worked as an engineer for nearly 16 years. Most of that time was manufacturing engineering (figuring out how to actually build a high volume of parts of very high quality as inexpensively as possible). It was a neat job. I worked on assembly processes, machining processes, plastic injection molding, etc. I've also done quite a bit of product engineering...Not the design side that is artistic, but the engineering stuff where you take the artsy surfaces and figure out how to get all of the marketing requirements into the envelop given you by the designers.

Not saying all that to be arrogant, but just so you know that what I'm going to say next comes from experience. Being an engineer is not like working on your car in the garage. You still work with your hands a bit, maybe building prototypes or setting up tests, but EVERYTHING has to be defined, because your trying to document a repeatable result.

If you really think your dream job will be working for an aftermarket company making jeep parts, there are really only a few companies big enough to have an Engineering Department (Off the top of my head, I'd guess Currie, Synergy, AEV, Rough Country, JKS/ZONE/BDS, maybe a couple others)...and they are going to be looking for experienced engineers. So, guys (and gals) coming FROM Chrysler, GM, Ford, Dana-Spicer, American Axle, Etc. That means you gotta go to a great engineering school and do really well. Be involved in Mini Baja or FormulaSAE to learn some hands on stuff as well as the book stuff. You need the OEMs to notice you and give you that first job, so you can learn...You don't really learn what it means to be an engineer in engineering school, but you gotta go through it to learn the foundational stuff. Once you work for 5'ish years, you'll start to figure it out, if you have a good mentor. Then you can start looking to the aftermarket.

Anther route into the aftermarket is going to a vocational school and learning fabrication. Get REALLY good at it and go start applying at these places. It will probably mean moving west as that is where the greatest concentration of them are. Once you get hired, work your ass off, be a team player, smile, contribute ideas, etc. Give freely of your mind and body. Apply for ANY move up they post, as well as letting your supervisor know your goals. Eventually, they'll give you the chance.

Those are the traditional paths, as I see them. You could get on a great MiniBaja team and be a suspension whiz. If so, you can shortcut some of this...there are exceptions to every rule. One of my college aquaintances did that at Ford. He did suspension design for our FormulaSAE car, really smart and had great charisma. He ended up at Ford doing suspension simulation for the Explorer right out of the gate...

As far as pay...I started my career in 2000 for 40,000 a year. In five years, I was making about 60,000. Not sure where they are starting 18 years later, but I'd expect it to be 55-65 thousand a year, depending on your location and the job. Your high school guidance counselor should be able to help you figure that out.

I'm on the Baja SAE team at my university (even though I'm not an engineer. I do the finance side of things and a very small amount of design work). From what I can tell, most of the engineers start out at a somewhat large company. We have plenty of people heading to Tesla, SpaceX, Ford, GM, ETC... We don't have anyone heading to smaller companies like Currie.

Seems like everyone starts out large and then focuses in. I think you really hit the nail on the head with your pathways based on what I can see happening with current Baja graduates and with older Baja alumni. You have to get a broad training first and then you go into more specific fields.
 
I'm on the Baja SAE team at my university (even though I'm not an engineer. I do the finance side of things and a very small amount of design work). From what I can tell, most of the engineers start out at a somewhat large company. We have plenty of people heading to Tesla, SpaceX, Ford, GM, ETC... We don't have anyone heading to smaller companies like Currie.

Seems like everyone starts out large and then focuses in. I think you really hit the nail on the head with your pathways based on what I can see happening with current Baja graduates and with older Baja alumni. You have to get a broad training first and then you go into more specific fields.

Smaller companies don't generally hire kids fresh out of school because they can't afford the mistakes that young engineers make (everyone does, they are a part of growing up). That is why you start out at a bigger company. The big guys have the resources to train and put you with a mentor. Smaller companies are hiring because they need the output right now...Bigger companies can afford a bit of training time. Again...There are always exceptions. If you can get into a smaller company, go for it! You'll get a much broader base because you'll have to wear more hats.
 
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So I'm guessing working for the smaller companies makes more money than the larger companies?
 
So I'm guessing working for the smaller companies makes more money than the larger companies?

I'm not sure there's any truth to that. It depends on the company and the position. If you were a senior level engineer for Ford, I'll bet you'd make a lot more money than an engineer for Currie (Ford after all makes way more money than Currie ever will).

However, the engineer position at Currie is probably more "fun" than the Ford position.
 
So I'm guessing working for the smaller companies makes more money than the larger companies?
Not really...Most of the time, equivalent positions make more money at larger companies. The bigger the company, generally the more responsibility you have. I work for a mid sized company and make pretty good coin. If I had the equivalent position at Ford (Director of Operations), you would be reading my name in Automotive Rags and would be able to see my salary in there SEC filings...People would hate me for being a one percenter....
 
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