Finding a job you love in today's market can seem as farfetched as finding a job at all.

"I like driving, talking about cars, working on cars."

And yet as tough as it for some to even start a career, Kim Cotta can't seem to stop working the one she's always wanted to have.

"I’m the service manager, so I’m responsible for the technicians, what goes on in the shop, the repairs of the vehicles, the customers.", says Cotta.

In other words, she makes thing run inside Darlings in Bangor.

"It seems a little surreal sometimes because it seems like just yesterday I was a student at UTC thinking, boy, I would really like work at a new car dealership and now here I am.", says Cotta.

But it's a familiar sound.

You’ll hear from not too far away.

"I do everything from keeping the shops going, the equipment going to making sure our computers and scan tools and software are up to date."

At Quirk Auto, Jonathan Kill has been putting the hours he logged in the United Technologies Center's auto shop to good use.

"It’s helped me hugely you know just be able to excel and hit the ground running.", says Kill. "They teach you everything from responsibility to showing up to work on time to actual on vehicle studies and tests."

Now, both Kill and Cotta look for those same qualities in the candidates coming to them for a job.

"Typically, in a dealership field, you have to have some type of experience in order to get into that field of study."

"The students coming out of UTC already have a good working knowledge of what it is to be an automotive tech; they already have a good foundation, a good base."

And as former students themselves, they're always happy to help a new graduate.

"Now that I’m the employer I’m really looking for students that have some hands on experience."

And potentially jumpstart their careers in a job climate that doesn't always run so smoothly.

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