Location: Houston, TX
Experience: 16 Years
Job Title: Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service
Here at WrenchWay, we are always working to think of new and creative ways to share the knowledge, skill level, and hard work it takes to be an automotive technician. This is why we started our technicians spotlight series. These articles are part of an ongoing series to highlight and promote the technician career — demonstrating to kids, parents, and teachers how becoming a technician is a rewarding career path that can be lucrative and open the door to many opportunities within the industry.
I sat down with Felipe R., Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service to discuss his journey in the automotive industry, his favorite things about being a technician, and the skills he gained within the industry.
Felipe’s Story
For Felipe, his love for the automotive industry grew with time. He began his professional life feeling stuck working dead-end jobs and was looking for a stable career to set up a life for him, his wife, and his daughter.
“I really didn’t know what I wanted to do in life 100% at the time, but I did know that I found peace working with my hands.”
Felipe R., Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service
Felipe had a love for drag racing and went to many races growing up, but hadn’t previously considered automotive for a career. He began seeing commercials and promotional material for an automotive school, and he felt it was a sign. He began researching and learned that the automotive industry was everywhere.
From there, Felipe started off in the automotive industry as an entry-level technician—changing tires, oil, batteries, and other beginner level services. He took it as an opportunity to learn from the best. He worked his way up to a skilled technician and focused really hard on continuing education.
“One of the advantages [of being a new technician] was that each shop I worked at had different levels of technicians, so I was really able to learn from all of them which helped me out a lot.”
Felipe R., Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service
The skills Felipe developed really helped push him into the business side of the industry. After hitting a peak on the technician side, he was offered a management position to run a shop as a service manager.
Felipe then took his leadership skills to a store manager position where he was running a retail store. This allowed him to really hone in on his skills, eventually taking him to the next level which was a district management position. Felipe really began to grow his connections and had a passion for leadership and management.
“Each level where I stepped up, I was able to network with a bunch of different people and that’s kind of what got me to where I am today.”
Felipe R., Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service
Felipe has created a countless number of connections in which he still leans on and learns from today. Whether it’s on the technician side or the business side, he has someone he can learn from. These connections truly lead Felipe to where he is today, a successful area manager for Lyft Mobile Service launching his third city.
The Importance of Training
To be a successful technician, training is a top priority. Felipe believes training is as important as a technician wants to make it. A technician can’t expect to be at the highest level of their skillset without continual education.
“I had an instructor who said in the automotive industry that there is always new technology coming out, and you have to stay ahead of it. I wanted to be prepared to face situations that would put my knowledge to the test.”
Felipe R., Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service
Felipe found that the education you have, and the education you continue to learn in your career is what takes technicians to the next level. It is super important to be adaptable and continue learning from any job that comes in front of you.
Passion for the Industry
Like many technicians, Felipe has a love for problem solving. He feels proud being able to help a customer on something they rely on every single day. It could be a major issue or something simple, but at the end of the day it’s causing an inconvenience for the customer, and Felipe loves to help.
“I get to take a stressful situation and turn it around for the customer. These are usually problems other people can’t figure out, and those are the ones I like the most.”
Felipe R., Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service
The more difficult and challenging problems where Felipe gets to use his technician skills involving his hands are his favorite. He gets to utilize all his skills and training at once and turn it into a positive experience for the customer.
“Finding out the root cause of an issue, how to avoid it, and how to repair it all rolls into my favorite thing about being a tech.”
Felipe R., Area Manager, Lyft Mobile Service
Watch the Full Interview
