The mechanic on Cesar Chavez told me to learn Excel instead of fixing cars. I ignored him for 2 years.

Riley Nguyen · 2026-10-14T23:35:05.493338+00:00

Back in 2019 I was working at a shop off Cesar Chavez in Austin, doing brakes and oil changes for $14 an hour. An older mechanic named Ruben watched me struggle with a rusty caliper bolt one afternoon and just said, flat out, you are good with your hands but you should learn spreadsheets. I laughed it off. Two winters later the shop cut my hours to 22 a week and I could not cover rent. I remembered what Ruben told me, so I signed up for a free Excel course at the public library and finished it in about 6 weeks. Got a job as a service writer at a dealership, then moved into fleet data work, and now I make $27 an hour sitting at a desk with a coffee. Ruben was not putting me down, he saw the direction the trade was heading before I did. Anyone here get a piece of advice from a coworker that felt like an insult at the time but turned out to be a gift?

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The mechanic on Cesar Chavez told me to learn Excel instead of fixing cars. I ignored him for 2 years. | Career Advice - Librear