>35
>Fucked up in life
>Only worked min wage job for past 10 years cos it was comfy and people were good
>Things are getting shit and making me realise I probably need to move on

Is it too late for me to get into something like being a mechanic? Especially if I don't really know how to work on cars now outside of an oil change? I mean I like cars, recognise models, etc but never really knew the technical side of them. I'd be like 40 once I finish an apprenticeship

working on cars is still a minimum wage job, except now you're bleeding and the customers treat you like they treat their cars

>>28488143 (OP)
Don't. 35 is too late, you can't even become a legionnaire, the most fucking desperate thing someone can do, at that age.

nah man it's not even close to 'over' yet but yes you are behind where you'd like to be at this age.
That said at 35 you have a lot of time ahead of you to get your shit together.
I dont know what you do now but maybe there's some transferable skills into something else?
Maybe look at stuff like HVAC repair/service or electrical contracting (harder and more training/education but the payoff is better) or something else you have a passion and some level of knowledge about.
At least you've realized you're in a hole and have stopped digging down but now you need to start digging a ramp sideways until you can get to where you want to be.
Good luck man! we're here for you

>>28488143 (OP)
>this is what the typical 4chan poster is like
Lol
Lmao

>>28488143 (OP)
Don't become an auto mechanic, look at aircraft or ships instead.

>t. A&P who used to do auto work

If you're going to go into trades go into something that's high in demand.
Some of the highest paying/in demand trades off the top of my head are
>Crane operator
>HVAC/gas tech
>Plumbing
>Electrician
It's not too late for you to become a journeyman in any of these things by your early 40s if you get off your ass now

>>28488143 (OP)
It’s a shit job. You have to spend like 30 grand to buy all of your own tools to work in someone else’s garage and as the new guy they will not be interested in training you so you will be stuck doing the stupid work like oil changes. Better to go learn something else.

Not him, but I flunked out of the trades last month. All of my classes were a failure and I cheated on entry exams in order to get in anyway.

What are my options? Can I be a mechanic without any schooling?

>>28488143 (OP)
Getting into some sort of skilled trade is probably the best way to unscrew your life at this point, but an auto mechanic probably isn't the best choice. Assuming you're American, these two lists might be a good starting point https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/home.htm and https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/home.htm. If you think one is interesting, make sure to look into the training process, pay over time, availability in your area, if you want to be part of a union, and if so, is the union totally corrupt and nepotistic or can you actually just join them as an apprentice after meeting reasonable requirements.

>>28488143 (OP)
This is the kind of poster who thinks everyone richer than him is a nepo baby lol

>>28488427
>aircraft
Funny you mention that. I was looking into this first over the auto mechanic.

Thing is, I have no real knowledge of planes,, even as a surface level hobby. Does that really matter in that industry

>>28488532
Working on a piston aircraft is a lot like working on a classic car. Turbines pay big, but there is a lot of fuckery that goes on.

You have to train for both, plus helicopters (which means gearboxes), according to the FAA.

I could tell you about some of the GA types as well as commercial aircraft. Personally, I like piston the best, though it pays less. Something therapeutic about working on the engines, control cables and their relative simplicity is nice.

I will also add that there are engines and there are engines... Or rather, two categories for piston engines. Without going into sperging about them, more traditional engines are more common and are like as I describe, very straight forward, no variable valve timing or computerized fuckery to worry about (some of the ones used in ultralights are modified VW Beetle engines). Just throttle, mixture and carburetor (yes, aircraft still use carbs) heat. Newer engines from Austria (Rotax), Australia (Jabiru), China and the US tend to run on 87 octane ethanol free and have more complex features like a FADEC (makes it easier for the pilot having one lever instead of two and a switch) and VVT on some of the newer ones. In America, Canada, the UK and France, the former is more common.

I will say there are radial engines which are far less common and often are used for WWII aircraft, most people who work on those specialize in WWII aircraft and the engines are a bit like a V-Twin on a Harley Davidson. Do not worry when it is leaking, worry when it stops leaking (radials are known to drip oil and that is to be expected of them).

P.S: I am thinking about becoming a pilot too, but as a hobby, so this gives a picture of the money that I have (though this might give an illusion of actually being rich, which I am not, by any stretch of the imagination).

>>28488143 (OP)
sell drugs to children