Lia: You're listening to the Sparky Life podcast, with your host, Lia Lamela. Here we discuss women in the trades and how to construct your career.
Our guest today is a self proclaimed Corvette girl. She was an at-risk student, turned teacher, turned auto mechanic. She discusses with us today, what “drives” her. Please welcome, Doris Benally.
Hi, Doris. How are you?
Doris: Doing pretty well, and yourself?
Lia: Wonderful. Wonderful. Thank you so much for being here.
Doris: It's my pleasure. Thank you for the invite.
Lia: So can you tell us why an auto technician?
Doris: Why an auto technician? Well, I have been raised around tinkering on vehicles with my dad since I was little. I was a teacher.
Lia: So was that your first choice? Being a teacher?
Doris: Being a teacher? Well, my first choice was actually I didn't want to go back to school after high school. I just went into the retail world and said, “I'm done with school. I don't like school, never going back”. And then I did retail for I think it was like five years. And I was like, “Yeah, I'm, I'm done”. I was like, “You know what?” One of my former teachers, actually my art teacher, she was like, “I think you should be a teacher”. And I was like, “Oh, I’ll give it a try. Why not?” And so went to school and became a teacher.
Lia: And how did you like being a teacher?
Doris: Oh, I absolutely loved it. I was a fine arts teacher. And my students were amazing. I absolutely loved it. I was able to bond with them. You know, I made impacts on their lives. I was there for them. It was on the Navajo reservation teaching at a title one school district. And so, low performing everything, a lot of at-risk students. But I'm, I was an at-risk student myself. So I knew what I was getting myself into. And with my history, I was able to use what I knew from being an at-risk student, low performing student that I could bond with these students knowing what they're already going through.
Lia: Wow.
Doris: But yeah, I absolutely loved it. And I miss it. I really do. Like I still have a lot of contact with a lot of my students still.
Lia: And so then how did we go from teacher to auto technician?
Doris: Well, when I was teaching, I was actually, one of the teachers that all the students always would ask, do you want to be a chaperone for a field trip? And our field trips, because we're on the Navajo reservation, didn't consist of like going downtown, like 30 minutes away. This was like a five hour bus trip.
Lia: Holy cow five hour field trip.
Doris: Yeah. So we drove all the way down to Phoenix. But one of the girls, there was only one girl in the automotive class that was going to UTI, Universal Technical Institute. And because she was the only female she needed a female chaperone. And so she came to me and she's like, “Miss Benally. You're one of the coolest teachers ever. Can you please come with me?” And I was like, “Yeah, of course, I would love to.” So we toured the school, we also toured NMI. And they got to take part like a front differential and whatnot, while they were there, kind of figured out like what they would actually be getting into.
Lia: Okay, help us non auto tech people. What's a front differential?
Doris: It’s basically what drives your front axle. So, makes your front wheels turn.
Lia: Okay.
Doris: Yeah. So they got to take it apart, see the insides of it and put it back together. So they got a taste of what they were doing. And there was Corvettes in there. And I'm a Corvette girl, I love Corvettes. And then like, Nicolas Cage has a car there that he donated to them. And I was like, “Oh, this is cool.” And then we got to where they do T buckets, basically, at the T bucket car, they completely rebuild an engine, a 350 engine, and then they will put it on the Dyno and see who has the highest Dyno scores. And so that was like when I saw that I was like, “Oo, I could totally see myself doing this, I'd love to do this.” And with the line of unfortunately, events with being a teacher, I decided to make a career change. And those events were just basically I couldn't get along with administration because I have a very vocal opinion a lot of the time.
Lia: Did you disagree with the way the administration wanted to teach? Or did you want to implement new things to the school and felt restricted?
Doris: Um, it was a little bit of both. It was mostly like, I always looked out for my students and what was best for them. And one of those things was leadership. And the leadership of the high school I was at was just not meeting the expectations that they needed to, you know, making them successful in life. And I went to the superintendent multiple times and it just fell upon deaf ears, and so it like, “I can't do this anymore.”
Lia: You felt like you were spinning your wheels?
Doris: Yeah, basically, like was talking to a wall most of the time. So I was like, yeah, that's, there's no point anymore.
Lia: I am an advocate for the free labor market. It allows individuals to pursue any passion they want, creating the careers they want. School systems currently limit and restrict individuals from a free labor market by pushing the opinion that college is the only successful path for a viable career. So how did your student get introduced to the trades, because it's been my experience that a lot of high schools do not promote trades.
Doris: When I was going to school, that was the same thing. Like we had a welding class. And that was about the extent of it. And I really wanted to join the welding class, and I never got put into the class. And same with me, it was always four year college, four year college.
Lia: Right.
Doris: And then as far as my students, they were very lucky. We had what they called CTE classes. I think it's like Career Technical Education or something like that.
Lia: I love that.
Doris: Yeah. And so we had a construction class.
Lia: Yes!
Doris: Yeah. We also had culinary arts, graphic arts, like legit, like computers, and then we had AG. So like, the AG was actually CTE class. And then we also had automotive. So those were classes that the students could actually take, they could take it, I think, for continual for two years, and they could actually graduate with a certification within that field that they were actually training in.
Lia: Holy cow this is, that's fantastic. Okay, so they were lucky that they got introduced to different types of options. It sounds like your school anyway, they were brought into the scope. It wasn't just, “go to college.”
Doris: I even told my students a lot of the time, like, because they would come to me, and they're like, “oh, I don't want to go to schools.” You do you, if you want to, you know, go watch your grandparents. Because on the Navajo reservation, we would watch our grandparents a lot of the time, like I was living with my grandparents. And so like, it's like, if you want to just go back and herd sheep for your grandparents, do that. Whatever makes you happy. I mean, I'm not going to tell you, you have to go to university.
Lia: So then when you went with the student and saw what was out there, it sparked something in you.
Doris: It sure did.
Lia: Revved your engine? I couldn’t help myself!
Doris: It actually was like, something that I thought about beforehand. I think it's just the joy of taking things apart, seeing how they work, put them back together. Hopefully they do work still.
Lia: Very cool. Very cool. Now that you're an auto technician, are you a part of a union? Are you with an independent company?
Doris: We are not part of a union. I am actually working for a dealership in San Antonio.
Lia: Okay.
Doris: It's actually one of the two; I work for a Cadillac dealership. So I work on the more luxury car.
Lia: Fancy! That sounds great. I mean, do you enjoy it there?
Doris: Oh, I absolutely love it. Everything from my work environment to what I'm doing.
Lia: So tell me about your work environment. How are your coworkers? I'm sure you're the only female there.
Doris: I am the only female technician. Out of all the dealerships that are owned by the company that I work for, I am one of two female technicians within about, I think it's like, 20 different dealerships.
Lia: Wow.
Doris: I honestly think I lucked out on this. Because when I started there, I was very intimidated because obviously as a female, an older female, and then I'm the only female…
Lia:... the only female!
Doris: … and being of a different ethnic background, like I had all odds going against me at that point. I moved out here for this job. So like, I moved out here, knew nobody and I was like alright, I'm just jumping off to the deep end right now.
Lia: Yeah, you were all in.
Doris: All in, all in. And so I was, it was a little intimidating at first, I'm not gonna lie. As far as the shop I'm in right now, out of all the technicians that are mechanical side, so just the automotive rebuilding, not including the painting or like the body shop, or there's about a total of 24 of us inside the main shop, and I am the only female, and I never been degraded in my shop. I think the most that they ever do is they try and help me.
Lia: They feel like they must at least offer, they're not trying to insult you, but they feel like okay, I should at least step up and assist.
Doris: Right, definitely. So like, they've kind of started to learn like, I will only ask for help if I absolutely need it. If I can't figure it out myself, then I'll go ask for help.
Lia: That's great.
Doris: Yeah, and like when I talk with them, I joke around with them. They treat me like one of the guys honestly they don't, they don't make any type of remarks or gestures towards me, they just, I'm just there I do the job they do and that's all they see.
Lia: Wonderful. That's wonderful. So you're in a great environment with a great company, doing exactly what you love to do. And what's your favorite part about being an auto technician?
Doris: My favorite part. There's a couple. So one, obviously, just taking, like I do heavy line.
Lia: Okay, explain that because I have no clue what that means.
Doris: Heavy line is going to be the mechanical stuff, so like the engines. I tried one transmission once and failed miserably at it, I doesn't mean I'm not going to try it again. I'm just taking a break from it for a while.
Lia: You gotta regroup, try again!
Doris: But um, I love doing engine work, anywhere from like, I've done pistons, I do lifters, you name it. I've done a lot of heavy line engine work, and then there are people that like to do just like, just transmissions, or there's people that just like to do like, the H vac system, which is taking apart the whole entire dash and taking care of those systems.
Lia: Wow. So you can really specialize in what it is your focus is.
Doris: Yeah, um, we are a bumper to bumper shop, so we're supposed to know everything bumper to bumper, so if I didn't have a choice of doing heavy line, I do like doing the H vac work and that's just taking apart the dash and so…
Lia: Wait, so where are you located so that you can come down and help me with my car?
Doris: San Antonio, Texas.
Lia: Ah, so far. Of course, as an electrician, I have a beater because, you know, we beat the shit out of our cars. It's part of the trades world, driving all around the place and every time that thing falls apart on me, that old Faith; I call her Faith because I'm supposed to have faith in her. I always wish I knew a mechanic or an auto technician or someone that knew what they were doing; electrical, you know, no problem. I'm on it. Car? Not so much.
Doris: I totally understand that.
Lia: But you’re too far away! I gotta move closer. I gotta move closer.
Doris: One of the other things I absolutely love is the fact that I am a female doing. I know we get a lot of people coming through the shop that are third party companies or whatever that do our windshields. I do windshields at work too. But like we have sometimes like third party shops or people come in, and I take great pride that like, they walk in and they see a girl doing the same thing as everybody else. So that's the other thing, part, is knowing that I'm, I'm different.
Lia: Well, you're very strong and unique, powerful. However, I still do not see a lot of females in male dominated fields.
Doris: There's not, there’s really not.
Lia: Why do you think that is?
Doris: A lot of us females, like even when I went into the trades, we’re hesitant, we're, I think we underestimate ourselves a lot of the time.
Lia: You know, I gotta tell you, I hear this from so many women. It's amazing, because, okay, so we have all this freedom, right? I mean, more than we've ever had before. Right? Okay, it's certainly gotten better without a doubt. Okay, without a doubt. And allegedly, you know, we're accepted everywhere. Nowadays, no one likes to be politically incorrect. So even if they don't think you should be there, they typically don't say anything because nobody wants to get sued.
But still, you would think females would take the bull by the horn and just freakin rock with it. And I'm, I'm not seeing that at all.
Doris: No, I'm not either. I have worked with one other female technician at my job. I've heard about them from like your tool guys that come around, like, “Oh, I found another female.”
Lia: Yeah, but it's like you're a unicorn. They're like, “there's one more over here!”
Doris: That really, it's sometimes a little sad because like, I know a lot of females go into the industry and they're, they're wanting to grab the bull by the horns. And then they feel like they can't do it. They don't have the personality to fit, or they they had a horrible first experience at their first dealership. Or, like, I'm part of so many forums on Facebook, and seen just like how a lot of females are being treated and like I could totally understand that's gonna leave a nasty taste in their mouth. But at the same time, it's just like, that's one dealership, there's thousands.
Lia: You hit the nail on the head with that, look at you. You're in a great company. And the way that I look at it, I've been in the corporate world, and I've also been the trades; you're gonna get sexual harassment and assholes anywhere you go. I know tons of women in the office who get harassed just as easily as you could possibly get harassed in the trades. And from my experience, and a lot of the women I talked to, I've heard more horror stories from being in the office and corporate world than I have actually in the trades and construction world.
Doris: Yeah, it's very true.
Lia: I never thought it was going to be that way ever. I would think the opposite. Yeah. Crazy.
I think more women need to feel empowered. You can do it, they can do it. If I can do it, they can do it. And the salaries I mean, in the trades, you can make really good money.
Doris: Oh, yeah.
Lia: What is the range for an auto technician, typically?
Doris: So when I started off, I think I started off close to about 45 a year. And that was about three years ago, three and a half years ago. And I mean, that's when I was just fresh in the field, I am now in the field for about three and a half years, oh, actually, four years, next month, I am making closer to about 60. And I mean, that's just gonna keep going up, I have to get more certifications and do all that stuff. And that's what I'm working on. At the same time, that's almost like a catch 22. Because I'm a horrible test taker, I get test anxiety so bad.
Lia: I am too. I'm bad. I empathize with you. I'm terrible.
Doris: So like on paper, I'm looking horrible, because like, I'm failing my tests. But like, if you go observe me in the shop, all the guys know that I will take on any job in the shop. Oh, this car is making a rattle noise. Do you want to do it? Yeah, it's you know, not it's one of the shit jobs, but whatever, I don't care, but they see that I'm willing to like work. I just don't want to sit down and like, do nothing and wait for something good to come along. I don't know, I have to work. And it's just gonna make me more knowledgeable with all the systems that I'm working with and possible failures and whatnot. So with certifications, yes, I'll be making more money. Unfortunately, not just hands on experience. But I mean, it's kind of like a 50/50 on that. I know, some people can jump into the field with lots of hands-on background and no tests or certifications behind them, can go to a private home, and probably make way more than I do. But I mean, they also have those, that experience and they're not working for a corporation.
Lia: Right, right. There are always options.
Doris: Oh, yeah, definitely.
Lia: So any women that are interested in getting into an auto technician field or you know, mechanical, what would you recommend to them?
Doris: Don't be soft. Don't, don't take everything to the heart. You got to have a strong personality, I guess the best way to say it. There's going to be a lot of joking around. Don't take it to the heart. And we say this around the shop, we cause chaos with everybody. We like joking around. We like playing pranks and whatnot. We always say, “if we don't pick on you, we don't make fun of you, we don't play pranks on you. That probably means we don't like you.”
Lia: They’re a way of camaraderie.
Doris: Yeah, the other thing is, like I said, don't underestimate yourself. There's, if you keep underestimating yourself, you don't have anything to build up to, I guess is the best way to put it.
Lia: That's an excellent way to put it.
Doris: So like every goal I've always set, I've always set a goal. And then once I reach that goal, obviously I'm just going to keep making higher goals. And even if I wanted to, I'd make a higher goal than what I would already want to reach. Because if I set the standards low, then mentally I'm going to be like, “Oh, that's the standard. I don't need to do any better than that.” I think it's just not underestimating yourself. Always setting those standards high for yourself.
Lia: And other than doing auto technician work, I think when we spoke previously you also do…
Doris: Oh, roadside?
Lia: Yes. Yeah. Roadside. Yes. Talk to me about roadside.
Doris: I also do roadside assistance through my dealership on Cadillac. That's actually one of the things that they have to offer when you buy a Cadillac, they have roadside assistance included with purchasing their vehicle.
Lia: Well, they should with the luxury-luxury, right? So tell me the look on their face when you show up.
Doris: Oh, there's been multiple times I obviously answer the phone. And they're like, “alright, well, when are they going to send somebody out?” And I'm like, “Oh, well, I'm on my way right now.” And they're like, “Oh, it's you?”, and “Oh, I know, not what you expect.” But yeah, I think or I would show up at the actual location and they're like, “Oh, I thought you were like the roadside wife”.
Lia: The roadside wife!
Doris: Like, why would I be answering it if it was my husband's job? No!
Lia: Oh, my God. Oh my gosh, like, I can’t.
Doris: Yeah, it's been, it's been crazy. I've had multiple people ask me like, when I'm changing batteries like on the Escalades and obviously, Escalades are a little bit taller to reach down for the battery.
Lia: And how tall are you?
Doris: I am 5’5”.
Lia: Okay, all right. Yeah.
Doris: So the older body Escalade say, the fender wells. It's just around about chest height. So it's still breech, the newer Escalades, the 21s and newer, especially if they have the air suspension, sit close to about where my neck is, like my collarbone. So that's like upper reach, but I will have guys like sit there and look at me and be like, “did you want help?” “No, I'm fine. I'll give you a call when I’m done with changing out your battery,” but in my mind, I'm like, “Dude, you're the one who called me. You even asked me for help, when you called me.”
Lia: As an electrician, one of the things that would get under my skin so much…oh man, did it boil my blood every time, in the shop, constantly guys would go, “So you sure you want to be electrician? Sure you want to be an electrician?” I'm like, “Yeah, you know what, I really wanted to work at McDonald's, but they weren't hiring.” Like, no, no, I'm here because I want to walk around and look at the pretty lights, like what? It's just, and I would have to bite my tongue and just say, “Yep, I'm here. And I'm gonna continue to be here.” You know what I mean? So so silly things like that. You just gotta, what's the saying? Let it roll off your back, like duck, duck’s wet back or something? Help me out with that, you know what I'm talking about.
Doris: Like water off a duck’s back.
Lia: Yes, that's it. There we go. All right, Doris, if you could leave our listeners with something that you've learned along the way, with all your experiences in life, what would you say is the most important tool in your tool belt?
Doris: Not underestimating yourself. Like I can't, I can't emphasize that enough. And it's not just like, going into the trades. It's just like, everyday things. I already explained that I was an at-risk student, low-performing. I was getting suspended. I was mouthing off to teachers, you name it, I was a horrible, horrible student. My mom even told me, she's like, “raising you was horrible. But now that you're older, you are a true blessing. You turned out to be an amazing person.” I’m like, “I didn’t know I was that bad in high school!”
Lia: At least you're making mama proud now.
Doris: And then when I went to automotive school, like, I was like, “Oh my gosh, I'm going, going into something brand new.” Our cars have evolved so much since like when I was playing with him, because when I was working with my dad, we were working on cars that had carburetors. Right. And now it's, there's no more carburetors. It's all I mean, like the 20, I think it's about 2021 is when we're starting to get more electronically advanced. And I think, 2035 or 38, General Motors will no longer be making a combustible engine. So it's going to be strictly electronic. So that's freaking me out. But at the same time, like I know, if I apply myself, I'll be fine. It's just the matter of applying yourself, own your own personal fear and not being your own worst critic.
Lia: Thank you so much, Doris. That's wonderful. And don't worry about the electronic part. You can always call your friendly electrician. Thank you so much for being with us. It was absolutely wonderful speaking with you.
Doris: Thank you.
Lia: Doris leaves us with the message, “Don't underestimate yourself. Don't let your fears stand in your way.” It's amazing to me how much your mindset can propel you in life, or can let your engine stall. After I read the book Mindset by Carol Dweck, I started implementing the growth mindset, as previously I was of a fixed mindset. In her book, she challenges preconceived ideas that talent and intelligence is something you're born with, as Dweck explains, with a growth mindset people believe their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, which Daniel Coyle’s book The Talent Code supports Dweck’s findings. To really grasp how this connects to Doris’s advice, to never underestimate yourself, I highly recommend you read the book. I trained myself to have a growth mindset and I have been able to do things I never would have imagined before. I'm severely dyslexic, and went from scoring an 800 on the standardized test SAT to getting one of the highest scores for the electrician aptitude test, which was timed and I was not allotted accommodations. And just to give a reference point for anyone who doesn't know what the SAT is, or isn't familiar, it's a standardized test where your average score is around 1060. To get an 800 is horrific. I think they say you get 400 points to put your name on the test. And I think, I think that's a joke basically. But to give you an idea of where I was,
how bad it was. Anyway, then I went from hating reading, being dyslexic I'm sure you can imagine why, to reading a book a week. This is just to name a few changes. If you'd like to hear how I did this, please DM me at Sparky Life of Lia and let me know. If you're like Doris, the type of person who likes to take things apart and put them back together, maybe the field of an auto mechanic is for you. Does an auto mechanic career rev your engine? I'm sorry, I can't help myself. Any inquiries? Let us know on our social media handles, @thesparkylifeoflia on Instagram or the Sparky Life Facebook page, and we would be happy to link you with Doris.
Thank you for joining us. If you felt a spark in today's episode, I invite you to write a review. I'd love to hear what lit you up. Take what resonates with you. And if you'd like to hear more of the Sparky Life, please subscribe, like, follow and share. Until next time, create the sparks in your life.