[mattdavis11]

I worked my way into a tech position, but that wasn't my intention. I was in college and had a friend who worked at an AC shop. They did it all, rebuilds, custom ac work, electrical, hoses, etc... I went up there on a Saturday with the intention of replacing a shaft seal and recharge on the 944. The shaft seal was a snap, but we couldn't get the compressor to engage. Their electrical guru was out, so I had to come back another day. After he jacked with it for several hours a few days later, he gave up, told me I owed nothing and good luck. In the hopes someone could help, I became a regular shop monkey on days when I had no classes. They let me tinker with my stuff with their tools and supplies, probably in hopes that I would leave for good when I finally gave up. However, when I figured out what was wrong and fixed the circuit board, my buddy began asking if I was going/coming to the shop almost daily. After that I worked when time allowed.

They had me do most of the diagnostic work initially, then threw me fully into the fire. Next thing I know I'm building hoses, rebuilding compressors, yanking dashes and doing custom ac work. Towards the end of my stint I was primarily dealing with BMW, Porsche and BMW's that came in. Those 3 years were pretty cool, and not bad money for a college kid who had no intention of working at all.