My name is Darren Mackie. I work for Kramer Ltd. I'm the shop foreman of specialization. I look after the mechanics in the engine rebuilding area, in the machine shop area, the welding area, track bay and paint bay. I've worked there for three and a half years now. As a teenager growing up I suppose everybody's interested in the car thing and that's what got me started. I had a grade twelve education which was very important to follow through with a grade twelve and no post-secondary education other than my training in Moose Jaw. I took motor vehicle and mechanic repair. It's an apprenticeship program and at that time was a three-year program.

Well, to have a positive attitude is the most important part of any work place. I feel that if you're positive, you have a good outlook on your job in particular, you'll do very well. Teamwork skills are very important especially in a shop this size where we have up to sixty employees working in the service department. Everybody has to get along as a team and the whole system works a lot better that way.

It's very important to adapt to change as it happens. The work force is changing. The equipment is changing. If you can adapt as fast as technology adapts you will do very well. Electronics have taken over a lot in the mechanic field. Electronic control engines are coming into play more and more every day - the electronic control transmissions. It's very important you understand electronics as well if you ever decide to become a heavy-duty mechanic.

Most of the problems as a foreman that I encounter are staffing, people having to leave early, funerals, anything that has to do with an employee having to leave the workplace during the day. Yeah, the technical problems that are brought to my attention are mainly to do with failures in engines, transmissions. It's important that I find out what the cause of the failure was, try to solve the problem, help a customer with problems he might have with the machine to save him in the end excess cost.

It's important that you lead a good example or be a good example to your co-workers. The leadership as far as leading - being ahead of somebody - is not as important to me as being with the people that I work with. Granted some people do need some.. there is some time when leadership is important but as far as leading people, it's not really an issue with me

I usually put in twelve-hour days for five days a week with the weekends off. Usually around.. at six o'clock in the morning, I'll arrive here. There's some administrative duties that I do before the employees get to work. When they get to work the jobs are assigned by me as the priorities.. I prioritize the jobs and make the flow of work happen in order.

The most challenging part of my job is to make sure the customer is happy with the end result and the equipment being out on time.

The most satisfying part of my job is also making sure the customer is happy. The end result when he sees his machine back in motion, that's very gratifying. The job that I do, the return is more than fair. It's very satisfying, very rewarding and my remuneration is absolutely fantastic.

If somebody was looking to become a mechanic I would suggest that high school is very important. I would also suggest that a positive attitude means the difference in the world.