Not Made for a Desk | Auto Graduate Jennifer Carbajal’s Story
"If this is something you really, really want to do and you love what you do then I say pursue it and don’t hold back from it."
The thought of working a sedentary job in an office never felt right to Jennifer Carbajal. She knew that she needed to do something active. “I noticed that I liked doing things with my hands,” she says.
And she was no stranger to the trades. One might say it ran in her blood as her dad worked in construction and some of her cousins in the automotive industry. But she was a little unsure of what she wanted to do. After all, it’s uncommon to see women with grease on their hands. “I thought – you know what – that’s not gonna stop me, just because I’m a female,” she states.
So when Jennifer discovered trade school, it was like coming up for fresh air. She recalls, “I saw that automotive was an option for school so I took a chance and fell in love with it.”
Jennifer graduated from Universal Technical Institute’s Automotive Technology program.1 Still thirsting for knowledge she went on to complete one of the Manufacturer-Specific Advanced Training programs and found herself interested in the NASCAR program, so she decided to tack that onto her resume as well!11
After finishing three programs, she found herself accepting a job as a technician at her brand of choice, Porsche! “When I went to UTI I told myself this is the brand I want to work for and I’m going to get there. It doesn’t matter how I’m going to do it, it’s going to happen,” she says with pride.
Jennifer’s been working at Porsche for over five years and still reflects on how her education helped prepare her for where she is today, “I was a beginner. I didn’t know much about it.” She continues, “I really liked it. Having all the instructors teach me the basics of how to do an engine build and everything. I took it in baby steps and it was better than I could’ve ever thought it would be.”
When thinking about her transition from training into the automotive industry she believes that her education had a huge impact in preparing her. She says, “UTI very much helped me get into this industry…helped me get through the door and be able to show them that I can do this.”6
As a Porsche technician, Jennifer will do anything from changing tires and oil to working on axle struts and more. She finds that her favorite part about the job is being able to problem solve and test drive the cars to make sure she’s addressed the issue correctly.
Right now she’s working toward becoming a Gold Tech but would love to open up her career to the possibilities of working for NASCAR or even in drag racing!
Although more females are joining the automotive industry, it’s still a male-dominated field. But to any women out there with a drive to pursue a path similar to Jennifer’s, she has some advice for you: “Be consistent with it. Do not listen to the negative comments.” She continues, “If this is something you really want to do and you love what you do then I say pursue it and don’t hold back from it.”
Head to our automotive programs page to see if there’s a program you’re interested in or fill out this quick form and we’ll have one of our representatives reach out to you!