Originally Posted by cny-bikeman

Firstly it would help greatly in discussing options if we knew where you live.

To answer your question, many people become mechanics by first getting an entry level job assembling bikes in a bike shop and slowly progressing to other jobs, often after doing some work on their own. Some learn just by working on their own and other people's bikes. A much smaller percentage attend a mechanic's school. Some things are required, in my opinion no matter what route one takes in order to be a true mechanic, basically in order of importance:

1. A flexible, curious, problem-solving mindset.
2. The ability and practice of taking a logical approach to solving problems.
3. The ability to see and understand how components in a mechanical system interact.
4. Some basic math skills (including geometry and the metric system) and at least some lay knowledge of physics - levers (gears are spinning levers) Newton's laws, etc.
5. Especially but not exclusively for someone who wishes to work in a retail environment: Communication skills - the ability to convey information clearly to others, the ability to understand and follow verbal and written instructions, and the ability to interview customers in order to determine their needs.

Almost nothing of what is listed above will be gained at a mechanic's school. The advantage of formal instruction is that one receives accurate information and typically in a way that is progressive, building on what you have already learned. It also exposes you to other people's ideas and practices, and to a more thorough understanding of bikes. A bike co-op or bike kitchen can also help you learn from others, but the learning process is more spotty.

I learned about bikes on my own starting at around 10 years old. I did not own a multispeed bike until I was 22 years old, at which time I started hanging around a small town bike shop and picking up some knowledge that way. I then continued learning on my own through observation and by reading (library only - no Internet). I learned a great amount that way by working on the three bikes I owned during the next three years and riding a huge amount. I then helped found a retail bike co-op and continued learning the same way, in addition to learning a lot from others with whom I worked and again by reading.

The biggest mistake one can make in becoming a mechanic is to take only a how rather than a why approach to working on bikes. You need to understand the reason things work the way they do, not just by rote which screw to turn in which direction to solve what problem. It's very easy these days to fall into a habit of getting a single (sometimes wrong) answer by using a powerful tool like Google and then focusing only on what you think the problem is. As I alluded to above a bicycle is a mechanical system, not just an assemblage of components. On top of that it interacts with the human body and the outdoor environment, which introduces a level of complexity that most people underestimate.