DieselDan
Dedicated LVC Member
Hey guys,
I know this is one of those things that isn't Mark related, but I just wanted to talk to my Mark peeps...
So, as some may or may not know, I went to Universal Technical Institute(UTI) and graduated about 7-8 years ago. While there I got a very in depth knowledge of pretty much all vehicle systems and technologies. (Brakes/emissions/electrical/HVAC). Anyway, in addition to our core classes, I was able to take Ford's manufacturer specific training (FACT-Ford accelerated credential training). After leaving the school in NC I moved to Orlando and started working at a local Ford dealer changing oil in their quick lane. It was mainly flat rate pay doing oil changes, flushes, tire mounting, rotations, and brake jobs. The thing about having gone throughout FACT, is that you have a whole bunch of training that the dealer would normally have to send you to school for and lay for out of their pocket. Ford also requires you to be individually certified to do warranty repair work. So, I had a whole lot of qualifications, but not a lot of experience. When I wasn't busy, I would go help/watch the diesel guy do his thing. A guy named Mike, whom I am still very close friends with. He convinced management to allow me to become his apprentice, since I already had all the Ford required training.
On the Saturday before I would start my new job in the shop as an apprentice, I was working on an F150 and the upper radiator hose blew off, right at my chest. Long story short, I was out of work for a week with first and second degree burns on 40% of my body. I spent 1 week at home and the other 2 as light duty in the shop. My pay didn't go up much, but my first job was a 6.0 PowerStroke that needed head gaskets. Mike said just start taking it apart, you have to learn somehow. So both feet at once! We usually pulled the cab to do head gaskets. So anyway, I did this for a while and it was fun. The thing that was nice about it is in a dealership, most guys kind of share the car work, depending on what they specialize in. Nobody else wants to work on a diesel if they can help it. It is physically hard to work on, they are usually very dirty, and extremely complicated to most of the old timers. I did this for about 2 years when Mike, whom had worked in dealers for about 8 years decided to go work for Disney. This was just as the economy started to slide. I stayed there a little longer and decided I really didn't like where ai worked anymore. I worked at a subsequent dealer for about a year when my wife and I decided to move back to NC.
Once we got to NC, I went back to an old employer of mine when I was in college. It was a rental company and my old boss was up to the same BS and shenanigans he used to pull, only now I was more grown up and didn't stand for it like I used to. I put my resume out to about 8 shops and got nothing back. That was a big surprise to me because usually places are diing to get their hands on a manufacturer trained diesel tech. I was pretty bummed about it. One afternoon, I was told to go put up one of those bounce houses at a dealer in Statesville, just north of Mooresville. I took a résumé with me just for the heck of it. When I got there, there was a guy helping me put up the bounce house and I finally asked if his service manager was there. He said yes and asked why. I told him that I was diesel certified and that I needed a job. Turns out he was the owner and hired me on the spot.
I worked there for about 2 years. It wasn't really a great experience, however there were a few good people that I made good friends with. The other diesel mechanic there had worked for the company for 23 years and didn't like some kid in there stirring his cool-ade. We got along just about as much as we needed to, but it was a crummy work situation. I pretty much got all the work that he didn't want. I watched the guy siphon fuel from vehicles, sell bs work, straight up steal from the dealer. I pretty much hated the guy, but other than that, things were alright. The parts manager was awesome, he always said he liked me because I was the only person that ever stood up to the other diesel mech and his BS. Anyway, the town of Statesville had a fleet of 6.0 Econoline ambulances. I got EVERY SINGLE one of them that rolled into our shop, all under warranty. They are a nightmare to work on. Along with all of the normal diesel work and fighting tooth and nail working 60+ hours a week, just to try to make 40 hours on your time sheet. I was tired of losing my ass on every single ambulance I worked on. Right when I hit my 5 year tenure, with all of my certs, I became Ford Diesel engine and chassis master. Still making a shade over 40k a year I decided I was finished.
My buddy Mike had gone to Disney to work on their buses and would often tell me on the phone how good the pay was and how easy/stress free it was. I finally decided I was going to make a change. I got the required certs, EPA 608, and a CDL permit with air brakes and P endorsement. I drove to FL for 2 interviews, each time making the trip in 1 day so that I could be back at work the next day. First trip was an interview and the second trip was for drug tests. It sucked. But I got hired and started the transition to move to FL. We had put our house up for sale when this process started and were moved out completely and relocated to FL before I started work. It was extremely stressful, but in retrospect, completely worth it. I was moved to FL before my master plaques came in the mail.
I want to start out saying that Disney is an amazing company, if you do your job and treat people right. Pay there started out at $21 something an hour and you got a raise each year until you topped out at $26.08 after 2. There was NO stress and you knew what you pay was going to be each week. Then each year you get a percentage for cost of living increase. There was so much overtime there and I made $58k my second year gross. It would have been more, but I only topped out my pay in September, so it was only 3 months topped out pay. Most of the other guys in the department made about 65k working a lot of OT. I don't care much for the OT. (Another note is that our bus fleet is currently about 321 buses, largest private bus fleet in the company and they buy more buses each year.) My family is young and I want to watch my son grow, not work my life away.
Disney is a HUGE company. With their hotels, food, parks, and transportation, there are SOOO many opportunities for advancement, if you play your cards right. After being a bus mechanic I had played my cards right and one of my managers pulled me to the side to tell me about a job he was told about. There are a lot of politics that happen in the company, a lot of jobs aren't posted and if you are told about it, you got lucky.
So this is where the good part happens. I didn't mean for this to turn into a life story but you know, I talk a lot. The job was for a Mechanical Quality Auditor. He told me a bit about it and I decided I wanted to interview for it. What it is basically this... First off, all attractions (rides, including buses and other transportation) are subject to Ride Law. This is the Law that states how everything must be maintained for guest safety. It states how frequently things need to be maintained and exactly how certain repairs are to be made, by law. Also, we (QA) makes sure that the mechanics doing the work are certified in their knowledge of the task, so that it it really is performed correctly. What it comes down to is we Audit the mechanics, the job plans, the buildings, the administrative, and rides themselves for compliance to MR (manufacturers requirements) and Safety. Anyway, I interviewed and was hired on the spot. This was 3 weeks ago. This past week was my first full week. It was amazing. I am no longer a mechanic, which is taking a little bit of getting used to. I get to wear business casual and have a desk and a phone. My first day, we walked into the Magic Kingdom park and got to walk the ride "Peter Pan's flight. Walking down the middle of Main Street with no guests in the park and the castle all lit up. It was SOOOO cool. I also got to follow one of the Norweigan girls at Norway in Epcot. (All cast members in The world showcase in Epcot are from the country they represent.) doing her ride pre-opening check list. It is so cool walking through the rides and getting to see what make everything work. Blizzard Beach is also down for Rehab and we did a walk through there... We got to see all the ins and outs of the park with all the pools drained and whatnot. SOOOOOOOO COOL. There is soo much to learn right now. It is a little overwhelming but I know I'll get it. This Monday we are going to do a track walk of Disney's Rockin, Rollercoaster. We are also doing Star tours and Honey I shrunk the kids play ground this month. But all of the rides and attractions get done yearly/weekly/daily. Whatever they require.
Disney is an amazing place to work! I encourage anyone who wants a change and consistent, stress free pay to come here. I know this was an EXTREMELY LONG story, but its mine. I am extremely proud to have been a mechanic and worked hard to make my way to where I am at only 27.
Thank you for reading, and many more cool stories to follow!
I know this is one of those things that isn't Mark related, but I just wanted to talk to my Mark peeps...
So, as some may or may not know, I went to Universal Technical Institute(UTI) and graduated about 7-8 years ago. While there I got a very in depth knowledge of pretty much all vehicle systems and technologies. (Brakes/emissions/electrical/HVAC). Anyway, in addition to our core classes, I was able to take Ford's manufacturer specific training (FACT-Ford accelerated credential training). After leaving the school in NC I moved to Orlando and started working at a local Ford dealer changing oil in their quick lane. It was mainly flat rate pay doing oil changes, flushes, tire mounting, rotations, and brake jobs. The thing about having gone throughout FACT, is that you have a whole bunch of training that the dealer would normally have to send you to school for and lay for out of their pocket. Ford also requires you to be individually certified to do warranty repair work. So, I had a whole lot of qualifications, but not a lot of experience. When I wasn't busy, I would go help/watch the diesel guy do his thing. A guy named Mike, whom I am still very close friends with. He convinced management to allow me to become his apprentice, since I already had all the Ford required training.
On the Saturday before I would start my new job in the shop as an apprentice, I was working on an F150 and the upper radiator hose blew off, right at my chest. Long story short, I was out of work for a week with first and second degree burns on 40% of my body. I spent 1 week at home and the other 2 as light duty in the shop. My pay didn't go up much, but my first job was a 6.0 PowerStroke that needed head gaskets. Mike said just start taking it apart, you have to learn somehow. So both feet at once! We usually pulled the cab to do head gaskets. So anyway, I did this for a while and it was fun. The thing that was nice about it is in a dealership, most guys kind of share the car work, depending on what they specialize in. Nobody else wants to work on a diesel if they can help it. It is physically hard to work on, they are usually very dirty, and extremely complicated to most of the old timers. I did this for about 2 years when Mike, whom had worked in dealers for about 8 years decided to go work for Disney. This was just as the economy started to slide. I stayed there a little longer and decided I really didn't like where ai worked anymore. I worked at a subsequent dealer for about a year when my wife and I decided to move back to NC.
Once we got to NC, I went back to an old employer of mine when I was in college. It was a rental company and my old boss was up to the same BS and shenanigans he used to pull, only now I was more grown up and didn't stand for it like I used to. I put my resume out to about 8 shops and got nothing back. That was a big surprise to me because usually places are diing to get their hands on a manufacturer trained diesel tech. I was pretty bummed about it. One afternoon, I was told to go put up one of those bounce houses at a dealer in Statesville, just north of Mooresville. I took a résumé with me just for the heck of it. When I got there, there was a guy helping me put up the bounce house and I finally asked if his service manager was there. He said yes and asked why. I told him that I was diesel certified and that I needed a job. Turns out he was the owner and hired me on the spot.
I worked there for about 2 years. It wasn't really a great experience, however there were a few good people that I made good friends with. The other diesel mechanic there had worked for the company for 23 years and didn't like some kid in there stirring his cool-ade. We got along just about as much as we needed to, but it was a crummy work situation. I pretty much got all the work that he didn't want. I watched the guy siphon fuel from vehicles, sell bs work, straight up steal from the dealer. I pretty much hated the guy, but other than that, things were alright. The parts manager was awesome, he always said he liked me because I was the only person that ever stood up to the other diesel mech and his BS. Anyway, the town of Statesville had a fleet of 6.0 Econoline ambulances. I got EVERY SINGLE one of them that rolled into our shop, all under warranty. They are a nightmare to work on. Along with all of the normal diesel work and fighting tooth and nail working 60+ hours a week, just to try to make 40 hours on your time sheet. I was tired of losing my ass on every single ambulance I worked on. Right when I hit my 5 year tenure, with all of my certs, I became Ford Diesel engine and chassis master. Still making a shade over 40k a year I decided I was finished.
My buddy Mike had gone to Disney to work on their buses and would often tell me on the phone how good the pay was and how easy/stress free it was. I finally decided I was going to make a change. I got the required certs, EPA 608, and a CDL permit with air brakes and P endorsement. I drove to FL for 2 interviews, each time making the trip in 1 day so that I could be back at work the next day. First trip was an interview and the second trip was for drug tests. It sucked. But I got hired and started the transition to move to FL. We had put our house up for sale when this process started and were moved out completely and relocated to FL before I started work. It was extremely stressful, but in retrospect, completely worth it. I was moved to FL before my master plaques came in the mail.
I want to start out saying that Disney is an amazing company, if you do your job and treat people right. Pay there started out at $21 something an hour and you got a raise each year until you topped out at $26.08 after 2. There was NO stress and you knew what you pay was going to be each week. Then each year you get a percentage for cost of living increase. There was so much overtime there and I made $58k my second year gross. It would have been more, but I only topped out my pay in September, so it was only 3 months topped out pay. Most of the other guys in the department made about 65k working a lot of OT. I don't care much for the OT. (Another note is that our bus fleet is currently about 321 buses, largest private bus fleet in the company and they buy more buses each year.) My family is young and I want to watch my son grow, not work my life away.
Disney is a HUGE company. With their hotels, food, parks, and transportation, there are SOOO many opportunities for advancement, if you play your cards right. After being a bus mechanic I had played my cards right and one of my managers pulled me to the side to tell me about a job he was told about. There are a lot of politics that happen in the company, a lot of jobs aren't posted and if you are told about it, you got lucky.
So this is where the good part happens. I didn't mean for this to turn into a life story but you know, I talk a lot. The job was for a Mechanical Quality Auditor. He told me a bit about it and I decided I wanted to interview for it. What it is basically this... First off, all attractions (rides, including buses and other transportation) are subject to Ride Law. This is the Law that states how everything must be maintained for guest safety. It states how frequently things need to be maintained and exactly how certain repairs are to be made, by law. Also, we (QA) makes sure that the mechanics doing the work are certified in their knowledge of the task, so that it it really is performed correctly. What it comes down to is we Audit the mechanics, the job plans, the buildings, the administrative, and rides themselves for compliance to MR (manufacturers requirements) and Safety. Anyway, I interviewed and was hired on the spot. This was 3 weeks ago. This past week was my first full week. It was amazing. I am no longer a mechanic, which is taking a little bit of getting used to. I get to wear business casual and have a desk and a phone. My first day, we walked into the Magic Kingdom park and got to walk the ride "Peter Pan's flight. Walking down the middle of Main Street with no guests in the park and the castle all lit up. It was SOOOO cool. I also got to follow one of the Norweigan girls at Norway in Epcot. (All cast members in The world showcase in Epcot are from the country they represent.) doing her ride pre-opening check list. It is so cool walking through the rides and getting to see what make everything work. Blizzard Beach is also down for Rehab and we did a walk through there... We got to see all the ins and outs of the park with all the pools drained and whatnot. SOOOOOOOO COOL. There is soo much to learn right now. It is a little overwhelming but I know I'll get it. This Monday we are going to do a track walk of Disney's Rockin, Rollercoaster. We are also doing Star tours and Honey I shrunk the kids play ground this month. But all of the rides and attractions get done yearly/weekly/daily. Whatever they require.
Disney is an amazing place to work! I encourage anyone who wants a change and consistent, stress free pay to come here. I know this was an EXTREMELY LONG story, but its mine. I am extremely proud to have been a mechanic and worked hard to make my way to where I am at only 27.
Thank you for reading, and many more cool stories to follow!
I hope it all works out for you though. You deserve it after all the work you have put in to get to where you are.
