If you love cars and music, there's a career in tune with your interests!
Car stereo installers are called on to enhance, add to or totally replace
the sound systems in vehicles. This may include amps, speaker boxes, woofers
and tweeters.
The newest stereos (head units) are able to handle MP3s, USB devices and
SD cards.
There's a range of systems that installers may work on. Some customers
only wish to spend a few hundred dollars, others a few thousand. For others,
the sky is the limit.
For an installer to be successful, they must be extremely knowledgeable
about their field. Speaker boxes must be perfectly customized, grounding wires
must be installed in the right place and the wattage must be calculated exactly.
Otherwise, the stereo will not perform to its full potential. Attention to
detail means everything in this career.
Since technology is constantly changing, an installer must continually
learn.
"One of the biggest trends I see is using your portable player in your
vehicle," says Theresa Hephner. She's a former car stereo installer. She now
works as the national accounts director for a car stereo manufacturer in Tempe,
Arizona.
Car stereos are getting fancier and more complicated. So those with good
technical training are in demand.
"Due to the updated and integrated technologies in newer vehicles, the
demand for skilled technicians is higher than in previous years," says Vince
Edwards. He's an installer and sales manager at a car stereo store.
Ian Walls, who owns a car stereo store, says that people are less likely
to be able to install their own stereos these days. That's because stereos
are more complicated and more likely to be integrated with other devices.
For example, the stereo often includes other electronics, such as the chime
for "door ajar" or "keys in ignition." The stereo may also include warning
circuits for things like ABS brakes and airbags. If you remove the stereo,
you might be removing other important functions!
Some car stereo installers become managers after a few years. Others eventually
open their own shops. And some end up going back to school to become journeyman
electricians.
Don't expect to work just nine to five. Generally speaking, you have to
stay until the job is done. At times, you might have to work evenings.
"It's not something where you just punch in or punch out," says Carlos
Zambrano. He's a former car audio installer. He now works for a training school
in New Jersey that teaches installation. "If you're stuck on something, sometimes
they demand more of you, [so] you might have to stay later. But it's something,
if you're in the field, you're going to enjoy doing."
Zambrano visits high schools, car shows and career events to spread the
word about opportunities in car stereo installation.
"Most of them want to start a career, or build a hobby, or they just want
a career change," says Zambrano. "We explain that if you like cars and you
like music, then this is the field to be in."