Bogi Lateiner
180º Automotive/Bogi's Garage
Phoenix, AZ USA
"People told me I couldn’t be a mechanic because I’m a girl. Don’t let anyone tell you your dreams aren’t good enough or they’re not the right dreams to have. If something is your passion, do it."
Career Roadmap
Bogi's work combines: Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Upholding a Cause and Belief
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I've encountered these comments frequently and both of these assumptions are horribly insulting. They imply that women can't be mechanics and that mechanics are dumb. As time went on, my passion for this industry became less about the cars and more about proving a point and proving to myself (and others) that I could actually do this.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Pre-Law Studies
Oberlin College
Bachelor's Degree
Women's Studies
Oberlin College
Associate's Degree
Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician
Universal Technical Institute of Arizona Inc
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Was originally on a path to go to law school—had a senior advisor once ask her, “Why do you want to go to law school?”, and she didn’t have an answer.
2.
She knew at that moment that academia was never going to be enough for her and she needed to do something different.
3.
Has always had an obsession with Volkswagen Beetles; started reading VW magazines to learn more about them, but she was bothered by the objectified representation of women in auto magazines.
4.
Says she got frustrated by being treated like “a dumb little girl” every time she would bring in her car to be fixed—took it as a personal challenge to learn mechanics so she could fix it herself.
5.
Early on, she was more interested in proving a point—that women could do it too—eventually, that grew into a genuine love for the auto industry and she now is a passionate advocate for the field.
6.
She constantly encounters negativity; says people either don’t believe a woman should be in the industry or they think she is too smart to just be a mechanic.
7.
Her main goal was to create an environment that was “180º different from what people expected from the automotive experience.”
8.
She now runs her own auto shop, is an industry recognized coach, is master certified, and hosts her own national television show, All Girls Garage.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You're smart and a girl, why would you want to be an auto mechanic?
How I responded:
I've encountered these comments frequently and both of these assumptions are horribly insulting. They imply that women can't be mechanics and that mechanics are dumb. As time went on, my passion for this industry became less about the cars and more about proving a point and proving to myself (and others) that I could actually do this.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was on the path to law school, but eventually realized that wasn't the path I wanted and had to completely rethink everything I was doing.