Landing On My Feet : High-Tech Worker Makes Right Turn

I love automobiles and restoring cars. I couldn’t find anything in my other industry, so on a whim, I presented my resume to (Honda of Oxnard).

They told me, “We don’t understand anything about your resume, but you were successful in the field you were in.” They decided to have me take the two weeks of intensive training and see how I turned out. Before my training was up, they were shorthanded and sent me out on the lot to deal with the customers, and four hours later, I sold them a car.

One of the things that made me reluctant to even try for this profession was the stigma that car salesmen had. They’re somewhere in the social pecking order below lawyers and pond scum. In any case, I found these people to be creative and sensitive. A couple were irritating beyond belief, and it never ceased to amaze me that they were successful. But by and large I find them really pleasant, intelligent company. We’ve got a former film editor, a former programmer, a former college professor.

The job has its ups and downs, its challenges. A couple of customers have actually written me letters telling me how happy they are with their cars, and that just really pleased me. But times are a little rough right now. The public is looking at transportation in a whole different way. They are becoming far more practical, not at all frivolous.

What I do like about it is that every situation is completely different. The one constant in the automobile business is change. It’s kind of like the weather in the Midwest: If you don’t like it, wait five minutes, and it will change completely.