Welcome to a new school year and congratulations on your choice of profession. I can assure you that the automotive industry can offer a productive and financially rewarding career once you complete your academic and hands-on training.

The negative stereotypes regarding mechanics are quickly becoming a mindset of the past. Over the years, automotive technology has increased in sophistication, forcing a new breed of service and repair technicians. Today’s automotive industry offers a high-level of professionalism where technicians need not only mechanical skills, but also an understanding of mathematics, engineering and computer literacy.

If this is your first time seeing Tomorrow’s Technician, I also would like to welcome you to the automotive industry’s only free magazine that’s focused on providing students like you the information, articles and advice that will help you move into a career in the automotive service industry.

I hope you had a good summer break. During the summer, we’ve been busy preparing for the 2004 fall season of Tomorrow’s Technician articles. We also have been working on updating our website – www.tomorrowstechnician.com.

Check it out and you’ll see that the updated version is much easier to navigate. We have improved many of the features, and even offer a few new ones.

In fact, did you know that you can search for scholarships that are available to automotive students right from our website?

And for those of you looking for part-time work while you are in school or full-time employment following graduation, we offer links that take you to businesses that are looking for qualified automotive professionals. For more information on their recruitment programs, just click the appropriate link.

(Note: If you are a company that would like to be listed in this section, please e-mail Jeff Stankard, publisher, at [email protected]).

Our website also allows you to link to nearly 50 automotive association websites to get information on every aspect of the automotive industry.

And to search back issues of T2 is even more a breeze. T2 archives its issues for up to one year. So feel free to go back and read some of the issues and articles that you may have missed, from Performance Primer, to Living Under the Hood, to Bodyworks, Foreign Affairs, Engine Series and others. We hope that you download and print out past articles for your own notes.

You also can download and print out an automotive glossary of automotive terms courtesy of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association’s 2003/04 Factbook.

So, why are we providing you this magazine and website as educational tools? Because we see every day the need for more and better qualified technicians in our industry. We understand the complexity of today’s vehicles and the skills that are required to service them. We also hope to address and change the motoring public’s negative perception about mechanics and technicians.

And finally, we want to reward you with a magazine that is dedicated to your profession – a career that you should be proud of.

Because this magazine is about students, we ask that you e-mail us with your ideas, comments, awards or school news. We will publish acceptable material in an upcoming issue or on the website.

E-mail us directly from the website or send your comments to me at [email protected].

And have a great school year!