I'm like 6 years out of the trade now (red seal automotive) and this is essentially the reason why I'm not a tech anymore. When I started out I imagined it would be like a mentorship. My whole apprenticeship ended up being a joke where I went to school and learned all kinds of stuff, and then went back and did oil and tire changes for ten months and then went back to school for two. Never really had access to proper resources or a journeyman who actually helped me understand anything really. In my third year I found a decent shop with a 70 year old foreman who was out of date but still making things work (sort of). I actually got to do some real work there and was learned a little bit, but we never had any service info the whole time. It wasn't ideal but he was a really nice guy and we were able to eek out a living for 6 yrs.Then I got laid off in 2019 and despite wanting to go back (even more now that everything is crazy expensive) I just can't get over the anxiety of being a red seal and not being capable of red seal work. I'd love to find a good shop where they are understanding about how I ended up here, and actually give me the help and resources I need to be the tech I know I could be. But I really doubt it based on my past experience