Julia Johnson,
Instructora en SkyLine College
San Bruno, CA

¿Cuánto tiempo has trabajado como técnicode automóviles?
Julia trabajó tres años en los oficios de reparación de automóviles antes de unirse a la facultad de Skyline College, donde es profesora titular en el departamento de Tecnología Automotriz. Ella enseña la clase de Reparación y Reconstrucción de Motores, así como la enseñanza y la coordinación del programa técnico de nivel de entrada.

¿Tomó usted taller en la escuelasecundaria?
Julia no tomó ninguna clase de automoción en la escuela secundaria. "Siempre quise saber cómo trabajar en los coches, pero en mi escuela secundaria, usted tuvo que abandonar y matricularse en las clases de Vo-Tech. No quise comprometerme con eso en el instituto porque, ya sabes, las chicas no estaban realmente invitadas a la industria del automóvil en los años 80. Intenté aprender de mi padre en la entrada de la casa, pero eso siempre resultó en entregar herramientas y sostener linternas. Nunca pude aprender de esa manera. Ver a otra persona no es lo mismo que aprender".

¿Fuiste a la escuela de oficios?
Años más tarde, cuando el hijo menor de Julia estaba en preescolar, recibió por correo un catálogo del Skyline College de San Bruno, California. Cuando lo dejó caer sobre la mesa, se abrió con las clases de automoción. "Cuando vi las páginas de automoción, pensé 'sabes, realmente me gustaría hacer esto' y tomé mi primera clase en Skyline. Era una clase de fin de semana en la que trabajabas en tu propio vehículo. Llevé mi Ford Galaxy de 1964 y me dije: "¡muy bien, enséñame cómo se hace!". Después de esa primera clase, Julia quedó enganchada. Fue aceptada en el programa de automoción a tiempo completo y se graduó en 2007.

¿Te preparó la escuela de comercio para trabajar en el mundo real?
El programa de automoción en Skyline proporcionó a Julia una sólida comprensión de los fundamentos y la teoría de la reparación. Sin embargo, el programa de automoción carecía de una clase de habilidades básicas y ella se sintió completamente desprevenida para su primer trabajo en un taller. Se encontró con que tenía que aprender las habilidades mientras se esperaba que completara el trabajo correctamente y dentro de los límites de tiempo, como un técnico experimentado. Sobre este primer trabajo, dijo: "Me lanzaron a lo más profundo. No sólo me tiraron a lo profundo, sino que me llevaron en un barco a una milla de la costa y me tiraron al mar" .

¿A qué retos específicos se enfrentó como mujer que trabaja en un sector en el que el 98% de los técnicos son hombres? ¿Cómo se enfrentó a esos retos?
Julia aprendió muy pronto que había una clara diferencia en la forma de comunicarse de los hombres y las mujeres. Aprendió que si respondía a una pregunta con dudas, sus compañeros de trabajo pensaban que no sabía lo que estaba haciendo. Incluso si tenía la respuesta correcta. Aprendió que los hombres equiparan la confianza con la competencia.

Julia afrontó estas diferencias en la comunicación observando a sus colegas y respondiendo como ellos lo harían: con confianza en su trabajo y en sí misma. Funcionó. Cuando le pidieron que diera un consejo a una mujer que quisiera entrar en la industria, dijo: "¡La confianza es la clave! Preséntate como si supieras lo que haces y estuvieras orgullosa de tu trabajo. No te vendas barato. Las mujeres suelen dudar de presentarse así, pero es necesario para desenvolverse y salir adelante en el mundo del automóvil."

How many different shops have your worked at? 

Julia worked several different shops. The first shop was a family-owned independent shop that performed general automotive for fleet accounts, working on Ford F-350s, plumber vans, locksmith trucks and other big vehicles. She worked at a very high-end European repair shop where she worked on the likes of Aston Martins, Bentleys, and old Rolls Royces, as well as late model BMWs, Mercedes and Porches. “That was an exciting experience which allowed me to hone my skills. My first job on my first day was diagnosing a no start on a '79 Jaguar. I learned so much at that shop!" She also worked for rental car shop busting out tires and doing oil changes on hundreds of cars in their fleet. She got really good at busting tires and doing oil changes.


What ASE Certifications do you have?
Julia has almost all her certifications, except Air Conditioning and Manual Transmission. She also has the L1: Advanced Engine Performance Specialist certification.

Do you feel ASE Certifications are important to have and maintain?
"Absolutely! ASE certifications are the gold standard in our industry and it's the only certifying body in our field. These certifications are the way you show that you possess a superior understanding of the vehicles. I always tell my students that their employer may not require ASEs to get hired, but you will be expected to earn them if you want to advance in your career and earn wage increases."

What are your words of wisdom for a new auto technician who is discouraged?
Julia says, "Just remember, even when you get into the industry, you will always to be learning. You're never going to know everything. Nobody knows everything. Even the people who have been in the industry for 30 years are still learning. So don't feel bad because you don't know everything. You will get there. Just take every opportunity to learn more - read articles, go to seminars, complete online training for your employer, earn your ASEs and go to school. And don't be hard on yourself - everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes spectacular failures...in front of the boss... and your coworkers...and the customers. Ask me how I know!"


Why did you decide to become an Automotive Shop Teacher?
Julia started teaching part-time at Skyline when she was still a student. After a year of automotive classes, she felt like she knew enough to offer a basic auto class. She created her first class, "Car Care Basics for Women" and was teaching the class through various Parks and Recreation departments in surrounding cities. When she told her mentor, the department coordinator, he said, "You should be teaching that here?" She has been teaching ever since.

What do you enjoy most about being an Automotive Shop Instructor?
Julia feels that teaching automotive techology is her dream job. "I love being able to help young people gain skills to begin fabulous careers. I love helping them find a direction in life and pursue it with confidence. I especially enjoy watching them learn and grow over the course of the program. It's the best job I could ever have."
In addition to teaching, Julia wrote and won multiple grants to recruit and retain women in the auto program at Skyline. Her recruiting methods were a huge success and Skyline went from one female graduate in 10 years to 12 young women enrolling in the auto program. The female students decided to form a club, which they named "The Heart Wrenchers".

The club members decided they wanted to use their automotive skill to help low-income families. They put together a series of of car care clinic where they did inspections, maintenance, and repairs for people who could not otherwise afford it. They found sponsorship for their events, got donated cars, fixed them up and gave them to the low-income families. They gave workshops for Girl Scouts and the Boys and Girls Club and at the "Expanding Your Horizons" event that introduced over 100 high school and middle school girls to STEM careers. “That was a really great experience and excellent use of their skill to help others. They were a great group of young women. I miss them!"

What is the top challenge you face as a Shop Instructor?

Convincing the students of the value of education and that they need to invest in any learning opportunities that come their way. She also has found that that she needed to adapt her teaching to accommodate a variety of learning disabilities. "That was difficult," she said. "I had to learn on the fly and make changes to everything I did while the semester was in progress. I didn't know anything about learning disabilities until I could see them in the classroom."

Do you feel that continuing education is important for technicians?

"I can see in just the last five years, how dramatically the technology on vehicles has changed. If you're not constantly learning, you're going to get left behind very quickly, especially in the world of ADAS: Advanced driver-assistance systems. And just around the corner are self-driving cars. Electric vehicles and hybrid are old news at this point.”

How do you see your job or this industry changing in the next 10 years? 

"That's an excellent question.” Julia feels that everyone in the education world is “trying to figure out what do we need to be teaching now so our technicians will be marketable when they get out of school.”
Julia feels that technicians need to know the basic mechanical principles, the four-stroke cycle and things like that, but emerging technologies out of EVs, hybrids, ADAS, and digitalization will be the skill sets in demand. And even more so, as new inventions hit the market.