Contemplating Career Change--Minimal Audi Content

[Mike Veglia]

All,

I'm interviewing for a "Service Adviser" position at a long established
local BMW shop that also does work on Audis (there's the Audi content).
While I have a strong background in consumer electronic repair and retail
repair shop management, my formal automotive background is zilch (but hey,
nobody but me has touched my '87 type 44 since 1997 and it runs great--I
have a good 22 or so years of shadetree DIY experience).

I'm not 100% happy in my present day job situation, and the motorsports
photography biz falls more than a bit short of paying the bills. The owner
seemed impressed with my qualifications. The job would entail customer
communication, routing jobs to the techs, some parts ordering, etc. In other
words, a lot of the day-to-day management of the shop sounds like it could
come my way were I to rise to the challenge (which I believe I can). The
compensation package is yet to be discussed, but doesn't sound like it is
too far off where I am at now (for the past 8 1/2 years I have been a
Technical Service Manager for a company that builds commercial laundry and
dishwashing chemical dispensing equipment) and the commute would be much
shorter (a matter of blocks from home vs. 15 miles in moderate to heavy
traffic). The days would be long (7:30 - 5:30 with an hour off for lunch
weekdays) but the 5 hours of OT per week would help enhance the bottom line.

I post this here because I know there are a fair number of folks on this
list with automotive service experience who could help shed some light on if
this would be a good path to take into automotive repair. I feel as though
I'm "too old" (44) to start out as a tech and think this may be a good fit
for me. Any advice from those of you out there in q-list land will be
greatly appreciated. TIA

Mike Veglia
Motor Sport Visions Photography
http://www.motorsportvisions.com