Growing up, Joe always had an affinity for taking things a part and figuring out how to put them back together
Leesburg, Va.—The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence occasionally profiles one of its ASE Certified professionals. Interested in sharing your story with ASE? Send an email with your contact information to marketing@ase.com or click here.
Joe Bzdawka
Automotive Technician
Get Spiffy, San Diego
Tell us about yourself. What made you decide to become a service professional?
Joe currently lives in San Diego and works at one of Get Spiffy’s recon centers as an ASE Certified Technician. Outside of his day job, he likes to restore old cars. Growing up, he always had an affinity for taking things a part and figuring out how to put them back together. This paired with his love for cars and everything automotive is what gravitated him toward this industry.
Where/How did you get your training to get the knowledge you have today?
He first started his career working in smaller shops before transitioning into the Nissan and Infinity dealership businesses where he worked as a shop foreman. Previous to this opportunity, he learned a lot of what knew from hands on practice after watching other automotive professionals. Fast forward, Joe knew he wanted to learn more of the ins and outs of the industry, so he became a Nissan and Infinity Master Technician during his time at these dealerships. This was no small feat, as it required close to 1,000 hours to become certified at this level. This not only enhanced his knowledge on the modern car, however, it intrigued him even further on the educational front. This was also when he decided to pursue his ASE Certifications.
How long have you worked as a service professional?
40 years/ 25 years of being a Master ASE Certified Technician
What role has being ASE Certified played in your journey?
Having these certifications have opened many doors for him a long the way and he takes great pride in being certified. Additionally, safety is another component in which he consistently has at the back of his mind when working because of his ASEs. Each day, as he is working through a hard to diagnose vehicle, he is always aware of doing things the safe and right way.
What ASE Certifications do you currently hold?
A1-A9
What are some of the top challenges you do/did face as a service professional and how do/did you overcome them?
Over the course of 40 years, vehicles changed exponentially. There was a time earlier in his career when the first electronic systems were implemented in cars. Every manufacturer called it something different. This took a lot of learning on how it all worked. It was good to have the supplemental classroom and car manual, however, a bulk of his learning was hands-on trial and error. From that experience, he realized that things are not always going to work the first time you try them. At that point, it is best to work through the steps from beginning to the end to see if something might have been a miss until you get it right. He relayed that it isn’t always easy, but when a solution is found, it is really rewarding.
Do you have any advice for today’s students who might be thinking about entering the automotive industry or becoming a service professional?
Being in the automotive industry has been a very rewarding and well paying career for Joe. He relayed that if you want to survive in the industry, you can not cut corners and need to do the job right. This industry is ever evolving which makes it an exciting niche to be in.
What do you like most about being an automotive service professional?
Aside from the satisfaction of diagnosing and fixing vehicles, he enjoys the people and the automotive community as a whole.
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