Next year I plan on going to either UTI or wyotech. I think I like what UTI has to offer and it is closer to me then what wyotech is. Just wandering what it is like at UTI.

 

My son went to UTI in Houston. He learned a lot, but got a job offer, through their "co-op" program, before completing his courses. Still well worth your time. I don't know about Wyotec, but UTI in Houston has the "Hot Rod" classes where they actuall get to build Hot rods and test them. Good luck!

 

My daughter and her husband both attended UTI in Phoenix. She studied CAD and he was in HVAC. 1997/8

Both had job offers before graduation in the Seattle area, but they decided to return home and both got jobs in the area of their training.

UTI is a good school from everything I've seen. Lots of hands on experience. I know people who have gone thru their auto program and have had similar successes.

Only downer was having a car stolen (recovered 2 months later with only the stereo missing) and having mysterious creeps try their door **** in broad daylight - multiple times. Was enough to convince a couple of country bumpkins they wanted out of the big city............

 

I live in Iowa so I will probally go to the campus in Glendale Heights, Illinois. I have seen there ad on speed channel many times and it looks like a hell of a school. Those snap-on tools you get after graduation sure sound nice!

 

I went to the Phoenix campus. It was ok, I did the full Auto/Diesel/Industrial run. Running the cars on the dyno was kinda fun, it was the only time we got to actually drive a school vehicle. If you went to auto tech in high school, and stayed awake more than 30% of the time, the auto program will be redundant for you. It does look good on a resume though, plus you have the Jaguar, BMW, Ford, Mercedes, and Porche programs to try for. I got into the Jag class, but got screwed out of it by my moron roommates. But that's another story.

 

How long did it take to complete the courses?

 

I went to UTI at the Glendale Heights campus, and I got a damn good education for the money I spent there. You will too, but only if you want to do so. Pick a good crowd to hang out with. It will no doubt be a small crowd, but that is good. Most of the phases (classes) involve group work. You don’t want to get stuck with three other rejects because it is no fun to do all the work and then share the credit. Most of the guys who had high school auto shop experience struggled the most. They didn’t want to learn how to do things the correct ways. The auto courses will not be redundant, I’ll guarantee that. There is no way that a high school shop can teach you anything but basic mechanical and electrical systems. High school shops don’t have $8,000 engine analyzers, 5-gas machines, A/C recyclers, or Snap-On scanners/o-scopes.

Things you should know about the manufacturer programs:

-BMW and Mercedes have been doing these programs for over 5 years. Many of the “good” locations have been filled up. That means you will might end up in a town that you might not like. This happened to one of my buddies.

-Volvo is still in need for techs. This is one of your best bets for money. Another one of my friends went through the program, and he had his choice of almost any Volvo dealership he wanted to go to.

-Porsche has a class every 6 months and only 12 people are let in. It is located in Atlanta, Georgia. I was runner up to get in. Which means out of the 1000 people who interviewed to get in, I was 13. I’m not trying to brag; I just want to show you how competitive it is to get into.

- Jaguar is located in Orlando, Florida. After I missed Porsche I was leaning on entering this program. In the end I decided not to go and I recommended one of my buddies. Unfortunately (for me anyway), he made close to $80,000 in his first year out in the field. I will never make that in my first year as a mechanical engineer (what I’m currently studying to become). I think it is great that he is doing so well, but the thought of missing out on all of that money makes me sick. The last time I talked to him, he just got back from a one week (or was it two week?) factory training class to work on Aston Martin’s.

UTI grades you on attendance, tardiness, appearance, lab work, class work, respect/attitude, and there are more but I can’t remember now. Basically, you get full points in all categories, and you are “downgraded” whenever you make a mistake. If you fail any of categories you have to retake the class. UTI instated a new policy when I graduated. You are only allowed to retake 2 classes by means of failure. Of course, if you pass the class you can retake it as many times as you want. I had perfect attendance, and I highly suggest that you do the same. This will be your ticket to a great job. No employer will higher someone who is constantly late or missing days. Also, get a job in the automotive field while your at UTI. I suspect this is the reason that I didn’t make it into Porsche’s program. I worked with my dad because he paid me more than I could make at a gas station. It wasn’t until I was in talks with the Porsche representative that I realized how important it was to change oil and tires while at UTI. Also, keep all of your books that you take notes in. Note taking is simple because you just fill in some blank spots on the page. It sounds stupid, but it really does work. The notes are strongly formatted to ASE tests. Every time I take my ASE tests I’m the first one done, and it is simply because UTI tests are mini versions of the real thing. Although I can’t say I’m ASE certified, I have passed all of the tests except for brakes and under car. UTI counts for a full year of experience towards the ASE requirement of two full years in the auto service industry. I started college as soon as I was done with UTI, but you could be an ASE master certified tech one year after graduation.

 

As for Hot Rod U. I don’t know what to say really. UTI commercials have brain washed people to death. The program is 3 classes ( 9 weeks long). In the first class, you build a completely stock Chevy 350 v8. You will definitely solidify your engine building skills. The first class has a lot of good information, but you really don’t use any of it in the program. You run the motor in the second class. If it blows up, you fail and start over in the first class. If the motor runs, you add different parts (ie: intakes, carbs, headers, cam). If you do well adding basic parts, you can try some real power adders. There is one nitrous kit, one supercharger, and two sets of heads. You must be very efficient in order to play with these toys. Most of the time you will be looking for bolts so you can make the proper changes, or removing/reinstalling your engine. There are not enough t-buckets for the morning and night classes. So you rotate which groups will take out their engines at the end of class. No big deal really, but it is a pain in the ***. The third class involves late 80s/early 90s mustangs and cameros. Once again, you start with basic mods (ie: throttle bodies, cat backs, K&N). If you do all of that you may get to play with nitrous, or a supercharged car (both supercharged cars were down when I went through the class). The whole program really shows you how worthless most mods are. I also learned how weak 5.0 mustangs are compared to LT-1 cameros (stock vs. stock). Sorry ford boys, but it is true. I still have the dyno report that you turn in at the end of the class. I will post it if any one wants. I know this is quite a novel, but you can print it out and read it when you use the “facilities.” Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I am the very definition of an insomniac, so I have tons of free time at night. My grammar and punctuation are not so terrific late at night; however, sorry.

-edit, I broke it into two messages because it looked ridiculous as one.

 

Yeah cool you can hop up that 5.0 pretty easy with some money. My high school auto tech class is worthless we just drink pop and bs. I'm taking the 2nd edition of the class this coming year. I want to know about how much it cost. I feel that I don't know crap compared other guys that have been working in shops before they go to UTI but hell I can learn. I'm going to be a senior and I need to talk to my areas admissions dude. I think he will come to my auto techs class again this year.

 

Cost? I have no idea. I do know that it is only getting more expensive. I took auto/diesel/industrial and I paid a little over $15,000. I signed up right after I graduated from high school, June 2000. By the time my classes started in September (a new class starts every 3 weeks), the price had already increased once. My buddy signed up a few months before I graduated from UTI ( about November '01) and he paid close to what I paid; however, he only took auto. I would suggest calling the school and setting up a tour. Set up a tour during the third week of classes; you will get to see more of the hands on aspect of the training. Also, be wary of what the recruiters say. They are SALESMEN. They get paid based on how many people they can sign up, and will tell you what ever you want to hear. Hot Rod U is their meal ticket. Don't listen to stories of 500 horsepower t-buckets. It has happened, but it is the exception rather than the rule. Bottom line, after grants and other free monies, I have a loan for $7,000 to repay.