New York Woman Pursues Collision Repair Program, Finds Career

June 17, 2022

After high school, Emily Burns took a job at an auto parts store that inspired her to pursue a collision repair education. 



June 17, 2022—At 24 years old, Emily Burns has found her niche with collision repair. 

According to Rochester First, Burns got a job at a used auto parts store after graduating high school. This ended up inspiring her to enroll in the collision repair program at Eastern Monroe Career Center, Monroe One's Career and Tech Ed center in Fairpoint, New York. 

She signed up for the program during the summer of 2021 and began taking classes the following fall as the first student to pursue platinum certification. This included an additional 61 credits. 

Burns is planning on wrapping cars with Ewing Graphics in Farmington, New York. She is grateful for the program, which helped her explore the areas of collision repair that she enjoyed the most including welding, painting cars, and repairing them. 

Burns said that she felt pressure from society to pursue a four-year degree, but she is incredibly happy with her decision and the relationships that she made along the way. 

“You can always start over,” Burns said in the article. “This place for sure changed my life, in a good way.”

Her instructor Joe Alati said that her platinum certification will help her stand out, which is a great asset to have in the industry because of the opportunities currently available. 

“There are jobs in everything we teach here, from construction to auto tech, to collision repair. Every employer, the phone never stops ringing, they’re always looking for people,” said Alati in the article. “The sky is the limit for people that come into the trades right now, we have collision repair techs making as much as $175,000 a year, here in Rochester.”

About the Author

FenderBender Staff Reporters

The FenderBender staff reporters have nearly three decades of combined journalism and collision repair experience.

Sponsored Recommendations

Learn how ADAS utilizes sensors such as radar, sonar, lidar and cameras to perceive the world around the vehicle, and either provide critical information to the driver or take...
Enhance your collision repair workflow with Autel’s IA900, a process-driven solution integrating precision alignment, bi-directional diagnostics, and ADAS calibration. Designed...
The Autel IA700 is a state-of-the-art and versatile wheel alignment pre-check and ADAS calibration system engineered for both in-shop and mobile applications...
Discover how the investment in an extended-height paint booth is a game-changer for most collision shops with this Free Guide.