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I have a small survey to conduct.
How many of you would hire a private small engine mechanic who is new to it? Why or why not?
I am going to become a small engine mechanic next year (going to spend all winter studying, then start tinkering around with free/yard sale stuff in spring). My idea is first to get free/cheap things and fix them up and resell them to prove I can do it. Then I will take regular repairs and charge about $10/hr plus parts. I know that's a low price, but I figure it's fair since I'll be still gaining experience (maybe after a couple years, when I know what I'm doing better/faster, I can go up in price).
Does my plan seem okay? Any suggestions on how maybe I can get known better and/or prove my value?
(I'll do stuff like yard tools - trimmers/blowers/edgers, chainsaws, generators, lawn mowers, maybe even small motorbikes)
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It is a great idea, however, I would not hire you. I would like to see that you have first worked for someone who repairs small engines, rather than just "studying up" on them. I realize you want to gain experience be working on yard sale items, but you could learn more in one day with an experienced mechanic than you could probably learn in months of studying. I would get a job as an apprentice first, then work on they yard sale items on your own time to apply some of your experience and studying.
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Yeah, I thought about that, and it is the best idea. But with my health issues, it's hard to keep a job JUST because I don't have the energy to be working 4+ hours straight, I have too many sick days taken, and I rarely last longer than 3 months at physical jobs (lasted 2 years at a desk job, until I had my stroke and heart surgery).
Despite how much I like any job and give my best effort, it just never lasts long enough to matter. This is why I think I should do something I can do on my own, at home, without worrying about hindering anybody else's work/time.
In just the last 45 days I've had 1 ambulance ride, 2 ER visits and 4 days in the hospital, and barely just now getting back into my regular routine. I would hate to do that to an employer that's counting on me to be there and help out :/
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Vivid ... I SOOOO admire you!
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Awww, thanks!
There is a place online that will give me a certificate (not to be  with a degree or diploma!) if I take a 4 month course for $500. However, I don't HAVE $500, and probably won't until I get some extra work and save it up first. It's that stupid catch 22... gotta have experience to get a job, need a job to get experience 
And besides, I'm not sure how official that would make me anyway. Just cuz some online place gives me a piece of paper is not really too official in my opinion.
Besides, I think that $500 would be better spent on tools... which I don't have any, as of right now LOL
Anyhoo, I'm still focusing on fishing in my free time. Once the evil white junk starts invading, I'll study. I could probably putter around with my own mechanic, since he does small engines too (he was telling me about how to fix a plugged fuel line in a chainsaw the other day), and get that kind of tutoring.
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not to bust your bubble, but I don't see small engines as being in your best interest as a future. To many toxic chemicals for you, and to much heavy lifting in your health.. How do you expect to get a roto-tiller up on a bench to work on it?
Have you considered doing computer mechanics? You have a working knowledge of computers, there are much fewer toxic chemicals and fewer tools while having much less heavy lifting. There are just as many "free" to practice on and more people have computers than have lawn mowers.
Salt Lake Community College has a course on computer repair in their School of Applied Technology. I would think with your disabilities that you could get financial aid to cover most of the costs, and a PELL grant to cover books and tools.
The SAT (School of Applied Technology) also has a very flexible schedule that could be tailored so that time missed would not count against you as well as a job placement service to help you get a job.
Just a suggestion.
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Thanks for pointing that out. I have thought about the bigger things like riding mowers and bigger tillers. Definitely would either need help or just skip on doing them.
I really have no interest in computer work, but that's what everybody keeps telling me to do instead. For one thing, people like my godmother figure she can get a brand new one for $300 at Costco, rather than spending $80/hr fixing one that's already obsolete anyway :/ And I totally agree, unfortunately LOL
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Does your grandmother know how to get all of her pictures, programs and data from the old computer to the new?
The big money is in data recovery for people who do not properly back-up their information before their computer fails and getting viruses off working computers. There is also upgrading and replacing things like power supplies.
You are right about the $300 computers, but my last computer cost me $1,400 and I instantly did another $400 worth of upgrades on it by installing a SSD and more RAM. Upgrading by adding SSD's is the big thing people want done now.
You went from $10 an hour to $80 an hour pretty quickly, now think about that, which would you rather do, work 8 hours on a dirty gas dripping engine or for 1 hr on a clean little laptop, to make the same money.
But, if you don't want to, you don't want to.
Good luck in what ever you figure out and let me know if I can be of any help.
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