DemonGT:
It's not as simple as 'computers or auto body'. It's really; college education vs trade school education and with a degree, you have a real advantage, as others have already stated. On the other side, my best friend co-owns a repair shop (3 bays) and a used car lot combined and
nets around 50k per year, plus money the taxman never sees and of course, all the work he needs on his 3 cars and parts at wholesale.
On one hand, sitting at a computer all day can get old (ask Dan McClain) just as banging out dents and painting, masking and so on can get pretty old, too.
So, your decision is just as much about what you want to do and where you want to be in five years as it is about what you may 'feel like' doing today. Gotta think long-term because either college or trade school is a big time and money investment to waste if you pick wrong. Talk to folks in body shops and hang around (if you can) to see if this looks like something you want to do for 40+ hours a week. Sometimes things look interesting from a distance but up close, they lose appeal. Computers are the future, but you have to be into the whole deal to get anywhere and not be just a grunt in some big company, tapping your life away. Dan McClain has talent and drive and his love of computers has paid off for him, but he has devoted thousands of hours to it and honed his skills as well as increased his knowledge over the years to make himself very valuable and in demand in his field.
My mechanic buddy has done the same and has so many customers he has to turn them away at peak times (spring/fall) because he does excellent work and doesn't screw anyone. If he repairs your car and a week later the part fails, he replaces it and eats the lost labor. Doesn't happen a lot (he would starve if it did) but his rep is solid as a fair and expert mechanic. Only way to do it, whatever the field, is to do it well and for that, you gotta be motivated and love your work, otherwise you'll end up just a face in the crowd, collect a check but never rise above average and probably get frustrated when you've been a business 10 years and still are near the low end of the scale, because you just don't have the drive to be the best and do it better than anyone else around you.
Pick a career carefully and make sure you'll want to be there in five years, If so, that's the way to go. Good luck in your decision. Oh, and get a dictionary, or at least a spell-checker. Poor spelling makes you look, well, dumb. You may be the smartest guy in the room for all we know, but perceptions count, especially in the written word.
