He Left Banking to Change Oil. Now He Leads the Shop.

Blaise has two ways of measuring a day at work.

There are the days he spends diagnosing and repairing vehicles. Then there are the days he spends solving problems among the people who repair them.

“If I fix more cars than people, I’m having a pretty good day,” he said. 

Blaise is the shop foreman at a Ford dealership in Pullman, Washington. [SOC: 49-3023 Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics] He supervises technicians, assigns work, and looks for ways to make the operation more effective. He also continues to diagnose and repair vehicles, which remains his favorite part of the job.

The combination suits him. Blaise loves solving mechanical problems, and he has an eye for systems, money, and efficiency—skills developed during an earlier career that looked very different. Before Blaise worked on cars professionally, he earned a finance degree, worked in accounting, and became a licensed banker.

Then he decided to start over.

Searching for work that fit

Before college, Blaise planned to become an Engineer for a straightforward reason: He wanted to earn a good living.

When he realized money was driving the decision, he reconsidered.

“I thought, ‘Why not study the money?’”

Blaise began in accounting before shifting into finance, studying investing, taxation, and financial-statement analysis at Washington State University. After graduating, he worked in the finance department of the university’s foundation. As he advanced, he eventually earned a window office. The view helped clarify how he felt about the work.

“I was looking outside and thinking, ‘I’d rather be doing anything else than accounting.’”

A position at JPMorgan Chase appeared to offer a better fit. Blaise became a banker, earning licenses related to investments, insurance, and mortgages. He wanted to help people understand credit, budgets, homeownership, and personal finance. Then COVID-19 changed the role. In-person interactions disappeared, many conversations were redirected to specialists or digital tools, and Blaise found himself making approximately 90 customer calls a day.

“I wasn’t able to talk about what I loved and what I wanted to talk about,” he said.

He had already felt that way in accounting. He did not want to experience it again.

Betting on a $17-an-hour job

Cars had always been part of Blaise’s life.

His first car was a 1970 Chevrolet Nova, which he still owns. He grew up working on carburetors and repairing his own vehicles, although he had no professional automotive experience. When a local Ford dealership advertised an opening for a lube technician, Blaise was interested. The financial difference was substantial. During a strong year at the bank, Blaise could earn between $80,000 and $90,000. The dealership job paid $17 an hour.

Blaise spoke candidly with the manager. He understood that he would begin by changing oil and that the dealership could not match his banking salary. In return, he wanted an opportunity to advance quickly if he proved capable.

“I didn’t want to be stuck doing something I didn’t like, didn’t enjoy, or wasn’t good at,” he said.

Blaise started at the dealership in November 2021. He entered through the lube lane, knowing that he would need to learn the computer-controlled systems found in modern vehicles.

He also knew that training offered his fastest route forward.

Training changed the equation

Ford offered online and in-person technical training, and the dealership paid Blaise for completing it.

His college experience became an advantage. Blaise was comfortable working through online courses, studying independently, and preparing for classroom instruction. He moved through the available material quickly.

His first focus was electrical systems. Modern vehicles are, as Blaise put it, “computers on wheels.” Understanding electrical systems and electronic modules provides a foundation for working on engines, brakes, suspension, and other vehicle systems. Within four months, Blaise had completed enough coursework to qualify for a two-week electrical-certification class. His manager called on a Friday. A course was beginning in Los Angeles the following Monday. Could Blaise fly out Sunday?

He went.

“There was a need, and I was in the right place at the right time,” he said.

The opportunity accelerated his career. Blaise continued completing training, earning certifications, and taking on more complicated work. The dealership rewarded that progress with pay increases. Within roughly 18 months, he was earning as much as he had at the bank. Today, he earns more.

“I couldn’t have imagined it,” he said. “To me, it was enough that I loved what I did every day. I got to solve problems and do diagnostics, which I love—and then you’re going to pay me for it?”

From repairing cars to improving the shop

The opportunity to shape the work has kept Blaise at the dealership.

At the bank, implementing even a modest operational change could take years. At the dealership, his manager often responded to an idea with a simple invitation: Give it a try.

“My motto was, ‘This isn’t Congress,’” Blaise said. “If it doesn’t work, we can roll it back and try again.”

One of the shop’s largest problems involved how work was assigned. Different service advisors could give the same technician conflicting priorities, creating unrealistic schedules, missed completion times, frustrated customers, and a stressed workforce. Blaise proposed that every repair order come through him. He would dispatch each job to the right technician and help workers develop specialties based on their interests and abilities. One technician concentrated on transmissions. Others developed expertise in gas engines, diesel engines, electrical work, steering, or suspension. Repeated experience helped them improve their speed and confidence.

“If you do three or four of them in a row, you’re going to get really fast at it,” Blaise told them.

The approach improved the shop’s performance. Blaise estimates that its proficiency rate rose from approximately 75% to 80% to a typical range of 120% to 130%.

His strength was no longer limited to repairing a vehicle himself. He could make the entire team better.

Building the technicians you need

Every Ford technician in Blaise’s shop now has five years or less with the manufacturer. Blaise sees that relative inexperience as an opportunity.

“I have found it so much easier to build a technician,” he said.

Many begin in the lube lane as 18- or 20-year-olds. Blaise helps them develop specialties, complete training, and gain the confidence to accept more demanding assignments. The dealership currently invests approximately $75,000 a year in training across a team of 10 people. Blaise’s goal is for technicians to complete the certification requirements for Ford’s senior-master designation before reaching the five years of experience also required for that status. That investment can be difficult to defend in the short term. Technicians attending training are temporarily unavailable to complete paid work. Blaise believes the long-term return makes the decision clear.

“You’re not going to be able to just pluck some other guy out,” he said. “This person already fits culturally, and they have the ability to learn. Go with what we know.”

In a labor market where experienced skilled-trade workers are difficult to find, Blaise’s approach offers a practical answer: Develop the talent already within reach.

Learning to lead

Becoming a foreman introduced another challenge. Technical expertise does not automatically prepare someone to manage people.

“Managers are typically people who were good at what they did, but aren’t necessarily good at managing,” Blaise said.

He has experienced that tension himself. Blaise still loves diagnosing and repairing vehicles, but major repairs have become harder to complete while he is answering questions from other technicians every 15 minutes. He has had to reconsider what it means to contribute.

“I had to check my ego,” Blaise said. “If I get nine guys to do things way better than I ever could, then we’re going to be better off.”

His earlier career continues to help him. Finance taught him to understand the numbers behind the business. Banking taught him about customer relationships. His frustration with corporate decision-making showed him the importance of listening to the people closest to the work. Nearly five years after accepting a $17-an-hour job, Blaise is approaching senior-master status, representing technicians on a Ford advisory board, and developing the next generation of automotive talent.

His career did not follow the route he expected when he entered college. It led him from finance to accounting, from banking to the lube lane, and from repairing cars to leading an entire shop.

And on a good day, he still gets to fix cars.

This is one in a series of skilled trades stories connected to our new Lightcast research report "Defining the Skilled Trades: A Data-Driven Blueprint for the Future". <--- Access that report and the complete list of US skilled trades occupations.