So I would like to start tech school soon for auto tech and im debating going to something like wyotech or UTI or just my local tech school chipola community college. Does anyone have any info or opinions? Has anyone attended any of these schools? I know the major schools are more efficient and well recognized and give a lot of hands on training but im wondering if all the hype is really worth it. My local college would be 20 minutes from but i would have to move to attend a major school as im in North Florida. Im looking to be able to fix up and restore old trucks. If I was to get a certificate in auto repair and collision refinishing would that give me a good foundation to start with as far as learning how to rebuild and restore old vehichles? depending on how it goes I may want to make a career out of it.

Just curious what yall's thoughts might be on the subject

 

Here' my two cents having stood in front of a number of classes as an instructor and having been a student for more years than is likely healthy. Except when comparing extremes, it is the student and not the program that makes the different. The primary role of education is teaching folks how to "think". In tech schools, you learn how to do a good many things, but in the end, once you are in the real world, it is you applying what you have learned. No matter what program you enter, you are the essential ingredient!

Schooling isn't the end. It is just the beginning and the best continue to learn long after they are out of formal schooling.

Best of luck,

Steve

 

Have you done any automotive training in high school? That can make a huge difference in college choices.

 

I can't aswer your question, but maybe you can find out a little more from other sources.

1. Do the schools talk about job placement after graduation? Some schools keep records and will tell you the percentage that get placed in their field.

2. Do you have any prospective employers in mind? Might be useful to ask them generally if UTI or the like make any difference to them. Send a nice polite letter, and maybe include a stamped return envelope.

Also, you should be able to take a tour of your local shool, and see what the facilities are like. Be a good deal if you could sit in on a class to get an idea of how it goes.

Good Luck,

hj

 

When I was 18, I graduated from Northeast Iowa Community College with a diploma in Diesel Mechanics. My GPA was 3.68 (top of my class of 15 students). I paid my own expenses by working 2nd shift at Ertl Toy Factory. After filling out over 20 job applications, I finally landed a job interview with one of the area truck shops. At the end of the interview, I was politely told that I needed 3-5 years experience before they would consider offering me a position....after several weeks of trying to find a job, I walked into the recruiter's office and did a 10yr hitch in the Army as a wrench turner.

4 months before I got out of the Army I sent out 8 resumes to various truck shops. I had 7 call-backs and a job within 24hrs.

My point is EXPERIENCE makes all the difference. If your local tech school has modern equipment, knowledgeable staff, and employment assistance, I would seriously consider attending there. Depending on the schedule, you may be able to pick up some part time work at one of the shops in your area while going to school. Some tech schools have a learning partnership with the local shops. You go to school full time and work for a sponsoring shop part time.

Talk to the Service Managers at the places you would like to work at. If they are good guys,(most of them are) they should be able to give you some pointers about starting a new career.

Best of luck.

 

As a graduate of UTI many moons ago, I can say that it is good. It does depend on the student, but can also depend on the instructor. I know their policy is to only hire people who have worked in the field and have experience. That doesn't always guarantee they can teach it though. Anyway, at the time I went, they did not offer body work, although they do now. Do not go into the program thinking you will know everything and be able to walk in to a high end job, as you are given the basics, you learn the rest on the job. That means any employer that does hire you will have to be willing to continue to train you, which of course puts you at a disadvantage. They do have job placement assistance. The main assistance is for near the campus, however, they will help even out away from the school, you just have to tell them who you wish to contact.

Local community colleges are a good source as well, and might get you a bit more personal assistance, although the class sizes weren't that big at UTI. It might help on the cost side though.

 

I think you really raise some excellent points. Instructors come in many flavors. I ran into a good number who talked a good show, but in reality their field experience was really lacking. I also ran into a good many who were pretty fair in the field, but thought teaching consisted of reading from a book.

I found it is a heck of a transition from the classroom to the real world. I saw a great many folks whose learning stopped the day they left class and they can't handle more than the basics to this day. Employers do not fall all over you for going to school. They pay you for what you can do and not everyone seems to grasp that concept.

There is some excellent research out there looking at how much difference it makes where one goes to college including the prestigious Ivy League schools and what they found was by the second year out of class the difference between schools simply washes out. While it made a difference in getting a first job, if they didn't deliver Harvard grads did not better than anyone else and by the end of the year they were gone. I always thought that made sense as it is the way the world works. You can train a motivated person to do almost anything. Try training an unmotivated person and it's an entirely different thing.

Steve

 

Be very cautious about private colleges and trade schools that get you into student loans. DONT DO IT!

If you can find a community college with a coop program with one of the automakers, thats a big plus. Toyota has such programs and job placement at a dealership is almost 100%.

 

Sorta, I was homeschooled but i used to help my Dad work on cars a lot until i was about 14 and i used to do a fair amount of maintenance work on my old ford and stepdads dodge Dakota and 72 ford that we had for a brief spell (beast it was, 390 with a comp cam overbored .30 4 barrel Holley and headers, f250 camper special with sliding bumper) so I kinda cut my teeth on points distributors and Carbs, but I would like to learn all the new computerized stuff and get more hands on experience with stuff, for example I've never rebuilt an engine by myself before. Im not sure that I would make a career out of it, it would at least be a hobby. Mud racing is big here so i wanna be able to keep my mud trucks in tip top shape and maybe restore or at least partially restore a few in my life to avoid them goin to the crusher as long as possible. Sorry that was long winded but yeah, those are my goals.

 

My local college does have a pretty good reputation for turning out good students and the work with shops and dealerships in north florida and south bama and georgia for job placement. They have a really good setup with Ford. If i was to do it a s a job i would definetly expect to start small, probably at the local lube shop or somethin and then work my way up.

 

Depending on what homeschooling setup was used, you may have a hard time getting into many schools. If you followed a standard curriculum, and if you did your SATs, then most any school would be an option. If you were in a more open program, then you may need to look into schools like Universal Tech and others who offer automotive only courses. I was homeschooled for a number of years, but went back to public school for my junior and senior year where I did two years of auto tech. I also went to Universal Tech in Phoenix, and thanks to some of the competitions in high school (not to mention excellent grades) I got a sizeable scholarship.
My main reason for choosing that school was the lack of traditional college courses. I am good at math generally, but I hate doing anything beyond basic math, plus I really didn't see a need for all those extra college courses as a mechanic. Not to mention that while other students were spending two full years to get all those courses, I was getting the same degree in 16months. They also let you double up on classes, it makes for a 14hour day, but two classes at once will cut three weeks at a shot off your stay.

 

You will be well served to tear through a motor or two, as well as a trans or so. Pick up a core motor and tear it apart just to see how it is together. I went in knowing more than many knew coming out because I had done some of it, even if I didn't really know what I was doing for sure. You will find that you have plenty of ah ha moments if you have seen it before.

 

Fortunately i am a florida resident and thier state laws are pretty cool. basically any school has to give me the same shot as anyone else depending on the scores on my entrance exams. Sat's are irrelevant in Florida.

I must say..I hate math... sucks that i have to know it though for fabrication and such

 

I was thinkin about that...I know how an engine works and all...i been thinkin of gettin a blown motor and trans just for this reason

 

Thank you all so much! yall have given me a lot to think about.