[Sin_Ister611]

So I've been looking around the net and I can't really find too much about this but I am pondering about becoming a paintball tech, but there's really nothing about it anywhere.

Would it be easier to just drive to my local shop (hour away) and see if I can interview the tech there and see what kinda stuff he had to go through?
or
Just start studying manuals and reading heavily up on everything paintball?

I know much research is needed to become a tech but I guess what I'm really asking is if there is a journeyman program or anything like that?

[Latsabb]

You can go to school as an airsmith, and I know various paintball companies offer certification for their markers. (such as Planet Eclipse) However, if you want to know how most techs became techs, then it is pretty easy. They hung around the field, working on guns for people, and on their own stuff, and just tinkered. And then the field they frequented hired them on. That is 90% of the techs. They just helped out players at the field, learning along the way. Once you are a tech, some fields will give you additional training, but nearly every tech I have met started out by just helping kids out at the field.

[THEJIMSTERNESS]

tech= unpaid for it

airsmith=paid for it

you'll know your a real tech when the time comes
usually thats when you can fix/diagnose guns you havent seen before
not much to be proud of honestly

nobody is a dedicated tech, usually. If your in a shop, your basically working retail and fixing guns inbetween customers,
If your at a field, you usually do it between reffing games

[Pakistani]

Latsabb, on 04 February 2011 - 02:39 AM, said:

You can go to school as an airsmith, and I know various paintball companies offer certification for their markers. (such as Planet Eclipse) However, if you want to know how most techs became techs, then it is pretty easy. They hung around the field, working on guns for people, and on their own stuff, and just tinkered. And then the field they frequented hired them on. That is 90% of the techs. They just helped out players at the field, learning along the way. Once you are a tech, some fields will give you additional training, but nearly every tech I have met started out by just helping kids out at the field.

latsabb pretty much nailed it.
field techs are usually just guys who know their way around a gun, get a reputation as such, and occasionally they'll get a job in the shop fixing guns.

company techs need to be certified via classes. i cant speak for PE, but i know dye offers tech classes at major events. you pay for the class and usually walk away with the gun you practice on.
even after getting a certification, that doesnt mean you work for the company, its jut something to put in your "paintball resume".

[~X~A~N~A~T~O~S~]

I am not at the tech level on anything but egos, tippmans and spyders. Reason why I say I am on those markers is because I owned them and spent lots of time tinkering, and fixing problems. Moral of the story is that I would never trust anyone who just read manuals on the guns. There is never any substitute for hands on experience. Your not going to know all the little quirks about the markers until you have seen them go down, and painstakingly trouble-shooted the marker. Just my opinion, but I don't think its something you just put your mind to and do. It takes years of experience helping people with their markers, and tinkering with your own personal markers.

[Sin_Ister611]

This is all really helpful guys, thanks a bunch. xanatos I know reading manuals gets so far and can't agree more with you on the hands on work, asked because a lot of non-paintball companies don't care if you can do something 10x better or faster than someone who has a degree which is really sad. latsabb that is very helpful I'll keep that in mind, I just fear as I am not just getting into fixing problems with my markers but I definitely don't want to try to help out at my local field and jack anyones marker up or take it apart and end up not having it go back together right. I guess I'm saying they would have to have a mini, abomb, or tippmann as of right now for me to be able to help.

[PBDarthHolio]

I found this the other day, didn't know it existed, but guess people have to go somewhere to get trained, they have airsmith and cert training:

http://www.paintballtraining.com/

[dj strike it up]

Cant you make a decent living as a pb marker tech?

[Latsabb]

From a manufacturer? Yes. From a field? Unlikely, especially since most work two days a week. It is a second, part time job for all the techs I know. Unless you work as a tech for a store, and then you are hardly a tech, as mentioned. You work as a sales person, but have the ability to also work on markers. Most fields and shops dont have that many broken guns come in.

[Yankee Paintball]

You want to check out PTI in Tennessee. They do offer some online classes too. They have been around a long time and are the only place other then the specific manufacturers you can be certified to work on markers.


Crap Darth beat me to it.

[Scheele]

I was hired on as a full time technician at the store I used to work at. It was more like, fix guns and help out in the store when it's super busy. Big enough stores can bring in a lot of repairs during the busy seasons.

Being a tech is more just about being able to fix guns. Certifications are more a piece of mind than anything else. It's nice to have a plaque of the wall saying "tippmann factory certified technician" but all that really means is that you sat is a room for 3 hours listening to some dude tell you what size screw goes where.

As far as getting into he business of airsmithing/teching, get good with fixing guns and get hired on at a shop. They will most likely send you off to get certified at trade shows and events. I don't see any need for going somewhere like PTI when you can go to somewhere like WC and meet with the company reps, order some product and do a tech class where you walk home with a master parts kit.

My experience with PTI wasn't that great. The whole thing is geared towards people who are new to the way things work. Everything they talked about in the fill station class were things that were either obvious or was something you'd be told on your first day at a store/field. There are people out there that it is well suited, like people who are entering the business with little-to-no background in paintball, or people who need all the help the can get. Everyone else is better off learning by doing and going to the actual factory tech courses.

[PBDarthHolio]

Yankee Paintball, on 04 February 2011 - 11:48 AM, said:

You want to check out PTI in Tennessee. They do offer some online classes too. They have been around a long time and are the only place other then the specific manufacturers you can be certified to work on markers.


Crap Darth beat me to it.

Sorry Yankee, didn't mean to steal your moment...

[PBDarthHolio]

Scheele, on 04 February 2011 - 03:41 PM, said:

I was hired on as a full time technician at the store I used to work at. It was more like, fix guns and help out in the store when it's super busy. Big enough stores can bring in a lot of repairs during the busy seasons.

Being a tech is more just about being able to fix guns. Certifications are more a piece of mind than anything else. It's nice to have a plaque of the wall saying "tippmann factory certified technician" but all that really means is that you sat is a room for 3 hours listening to some dude tell you what size screw goes where.

As far as getting into he business of airsmithing/teching, get good with fixing guns and get hired on at a shop. They will most likely send you off to get certified at trade shows and events. I don't see any need for going somewhere like PTI when you can go to somewhere like WC and meet with the company reps, order some product and do a tech class where you walk home with a master parts kit.

My experience with PTI wasn't that great. The whole thing is geared towards people who are new to the way things work. Everything they talked about in the fill station class were things that were either obvious or was something you'd be told on your first day at a store/field. There are people out there that it is well suited, like people who are entering the business with little-to-no background in paintball, or people who need all the help the can get. Everyone else is better off learning by doing and going to the actual factory tech courses.

Scheel, now I'm curious, if you don't work for a field or store and want to get this experience by getting factory trained, can you do that as a normal outsider? Do you just go to trade shows and get information on signing up for classes or do you have to be affiliated with a store\shop etc...?

[Scheele]

PBDarthHolio, on 04 February 2011 - 04:24 PM, said:

Scheele, on 04 February 2011 - 03:41 PM, said:

I was hired on as a full time technician at the store I used to work at. It was more like, fix guns and help out in the store when it's super busy. Big enough stores can bring in a lot of repairs during the busy seasons.

Being a tech is more just about being able to fix guns. Certifications are more a piece of mind than anything else. It's nice to have a plaque of the wall saying "tippmann factory certified technician" but all that really means is that you sat is a room for 3 hours listening to some dude tell you what size screw goes where.

As far as getting into he business of airsmithing/teching, get good with fixing guns and get hired on at a shop. They will most likely send you off to get certified at trade shows and events. I don't see any need for going somewhere like PTI when you can go to somewhere like WC and meet with the company reps, order some product and do a tech class where you walk home with a master parts kit.

My experience with PTI wasn't that great. The whole thing is geared towards people who are new to the way things work. Everything they talked about in the fill station class were things that were either obvious or was something you'd be told on your first day at a store/field. There are people out there that it is well suited, like people who are entering the business with little-to-no background in paintball, or people who need all the help the can get. Everyone else is better off learning by doing and going to the actual factory tech courses.

Scheel, now I'm curious, if you don't work for a field or store and want to get this experience by getting factory trained, can you do that as a normal outsider? Do you just go to trade shows and get information on signing up for classes or do you have to be affiliated with a store\shop etc...?

Not always. You can get in to classes at events pretty easy.

Becoming a tech means you want to work and get paid. Why not have a store pay your way? If you want to start your own airsmith business then you are part of the industry and can go to closed trade shows.

[Cookybiscuit]

Pakistani, on 04 February 2011 - 03:06 AM, said:

Latsabb, on 04 February 2011 - 02:39 AM, said:

You can go to school as an airsmith, and I know various paintball companies offer certification for their markers. (such as Planet Eclipse) However, if you want to know how most techs became techs, then it is pretty easy. They hung around the field, working on guns for people, and on their own stuff, and just tinkered. And then the field they frequented hired them on. That is 90% of the techs. They just helped out players at the field, learning along the way. Once you are a tech, some fields will give you additional training, but nearly every tech I have met started out by just helping kids out at the field.

latsabb pretty much nailed it.
field techs are usually just guys who know their way around a gun, get a reputation as such, and occasionally they'll get a job in the shop fixing guns.

company techs need to be certified via classes. i cant speak for PE, but i know dye offers tech classes at major events. you pay for the class and usually walk away with the gun you practice on.
even after getting a certification, that doesnt mean you work for the company, its jut something to put in your "paintball resume".

Hmm, walk away with the gun you say...

Im assuming the lesson costs more than the gun?

[Scheele]

Cookybiscuit, on 04 February 2011 - 05:23 PM, said:

Pakistani, on 04 February 2011 - 03:06 AM, said:

Latsabb, on 04 February 2011 - 02:39 AM, said:

You can go to school as an airsmith, and I know various paintball companies offer certification for their markers. (such as Planet Eclipse) However, if you want to know how most techs became techs, then it is pretty easy. They hung around the field, working on guns for people, and on their own stuff, and just tinkered. And then the field they frequented hired them on. That is 90% of the techs. They just helped out players at the field, learning along the way. Once you are a tech, some fields will give you additional training, but nearly every tech I have met started out by just helping kids out at the field.

latsabb pretty much nailed it.
field techs are usually just guys who know their way around a gun, get a reputation as such, and occasionally they'll get a job in the shop fixing guns.

company techs need to be certified via classes. i cant speak for PE, but i know dye offers tech classes at major events. you pay for the class and usually walk away with the gun you practice on.
even after getting a certification, that doesnt mean you work for the company, its jut something to put in your "paintball resume".

Hmm, walk away with the gun you say...

Im assuming the lesson costs more than the gun?

Usually it's given as an option. If you take the class then you can pay a reduced wholesale price on the gun you built. Only some companies do it though.

[Sin_Ister611]

That sounds like a pretty legit way of getting knowledged about the markers and everything, about the biggest anything I ever get to go to is Oklahoma D-day, and I've only been there once. Does anyone know if they do anything like this at d-day?

[Lunatic_on_high]

Latsabb, on 04 February 2011 - 02:39 AM, said:

You can go to school as an airsmith, and I know various paintball companies offer certification for their markers. (such as Planet Eclipse) However, if you want to know how most techs became techs, then it is pretty easy. They hung around the field, working on guns for people, and on their own stuff, and just tinkered. And then the field they frequented hired them on. That is 90% of the techs. They just helped out players at the field, learning along the way. Once you are a tech, some fields will give you additional training, but nearly every tech I have met started out by just helping kids out at the field.

exactly I am considered a tech because I fix on average 2 guns every night I go to my field people just trust me even though i'm 15

[MIBaller]

Im the only Angel Guy in my area so yeah I see a few Angels but mainly timmies and older poppets but as for being an airsmith your best of starting a company like CCM