Customizing automobiles for a living is a rewarding experience for those who enjoy building, painting and modifying cars. Automobile customizers modify the bodies of cars by performing custom paint jobs and adding both visual and performance accessories. Proper education and training is required to customize cars for a living. The first step to making a living modifying automobiles is to earn a degree at an automobile trade school or train with an experienced professional.
Locate a vocational or specialty school that specializes in automobiles.
Review the courses offered by the school and enroll in courses which are beneficial to custom car builders. Beneficial courses include automobile engineering, collision repair, engine and small engine repair, suspension and steering, automobile refinishing, automobile diagnostics and automobile electronics.
Enroll in courses that provide you with the knowledge needed to become a custom car technician. Choose courses that provide you with an automobile-related associate or bachelor degree, such as automobile maintenance technology, auto body technician or automobile engineering.
Complete the courses and earn your degree. During school, you are taught by experienced instructors and work hands-on with automobiles. Many schools require internship experience to graduate, in which you work in a garage or repair shop for school credit.
Go to a job search directory website such as Indeed, Monster or NeedTechs.com and review current job openings within the automotive industry in your area. If you are open to relocation, broaden your search and look for jobs nationwide.
Talk with instructors from your school and, if you were required to work as an intern, talk with your mentor and ask them to write you a letter of recommendation. Ask them if they are aware of any current job openings that are not found online or in the newspaper. Networking within an industry is a great way to open up new opportunities.
Apply for a job. Have a resume and any letters of recommendation prepared and submit with your application. If you get a job offer, make sure that the job requires you to work with customizing cars, not just repairing them. If you do not receive any job offers, keep trying.
