TIM McCREARY - CTE Automotive Instructor at Vista High School
Tim McCreary has worked as the CTE Automotive Instructor at Vista High School for the past 16 years. He teaches Auto 1 Beginning and Auto 2 Advanced over a two-year period where students can earn industry certifications that help them enter the auto industry straight out of high school.
McCreary’s fascination with cars was fostered early on by his father while growing up in Arizona. “Dad got our first family racing car, and he, my brother and I raced it,” he explains. “When they stopped, I kept going. I went out and got my own sponsors, put together my own car and began racing cars professionally while still a sophomore in high school.”
His inspiration to be an automotive teacher was fueled by his own high school Auto Shop teacher. “Coach Crawford was an amazing guy and very pivotal in inspiring my passion for cars. He was also my wrestling coach and football coach!”
McCreary entered the automotive industry straight from high school, first at his father’s RV repair facility and Discount Tires, and then the Goodyear Service Center for 11 years after moving to San Diego. But teaching beckoned.
“My dream was to be an Auto Shop teacher but I didn’t think it would be possible because those jobs don’t come up very often.” He went back to school, he says, “a little bit at a time. It took me forever, but I finally got my degree.” He even took days off from his full-time dealership job to work as a substitute teacher.
McCreary earned a Degree in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Science, plus a Master’s in Education from San Diego State. He also holds the equivalent of a Master’s Automotive Technician Certificate.
He’s keen to correct the misleading perception many people hold about today’s automotive industry. “A lot of people say to auto technicians, ‘it’s great you’re working with your hands’, but that’s downplaying it. Technicians nowadays work on very high-tech computerized cars that can drive and park themselves. The cars have so many sensors, all of which have to be fixed.”
McCreary guides his students through the scientific process when developing a hypothesis of how to fix problems. “They develop a test, collect data, and then analyze that data. It’s so much more than working with your hands; it’s really working with your brain and problem solving.”
McCreary teaches the elective course in two parts, with each course lasting one year.
Auto 1 Beginning encompasses all car maintenance basics plus some technical aspects like diagnosing the engine check light, wheel alignment, and balancing tires.
Auto 2 Advanced delves into more specific engine and sensor problems, diagnostic testing, and service management duties like writing customer estimates and orders.
Graduates of Auto 2 can often go straight to work in the auto industry thanks to a whole range of specialized certifications earned during the course. These include the ‘NC3 Mechanical and Electronic Torque Certification’, which increases employment potential in not only the automotive industry but is also required for working in the aerospace industry and jobs in engineering and PC repair.
And thanks to a recent connection with Toyota, McCreary has permission to use their training curriculum so that students can get Toyota-certified before they even leave high school.
He teaches in both the classroom and the large auto shop on campus, which is decked out with the latest tools, best diagnostic equipment, and three lifts to get cars up in the air. “A typical week entails a demonstration, a lecture, some online theory and then boom! - we’re working on the car and practicing the skills we’ve been talking about.”
Cars are either McCreary’s own, donated, or belong to students who need them fixed. One year he and his students built five engines from the ground up.
While his classes usually consist of around 5 girls to 20 boys, McCreary says girls are often the standouts and regularly earn Student of the Year accolades. He even inspired his own daughter, who went straight from his class in high school into the army as a wheel mechanic.
He also often bumps into former students at local repair shops, auto parts stores and various dealerships in Carlsbad Car Country. Some come back to class and tell their story to inspire current students.
But McCreary concludes that his course isn’t only for those seeking an auto career, and that it’s hugely beneficial even if you just own a car. “I teach life skills through the flavor of automotive repair,” he summarizes. “The skills are transferable throughout so many industries - not just auto, but for life.”