I wanna get in a diesel program, so I just wanted to know if WyoTech would be a good choice or just enroll at my community college ? Thanks

 

Aim higher please...go to college. Why not become "well-rounded" while you round off some rusty nuts. In college you may find a better major.
Fixing engines, is a respectable career, but leads to lower middle-class existence.
I went to a "tech school" when I was young...I should have went to college and planned my future better.
Last but not least..you get out of life what you personally invest. Only the top of the class, (the very best) get ahead. The rest of us are just worker drones. Good luck!

 

Damn, thats what my dad keeps tellin me. He told me im gonna get the same training (if not more) at a community college than I would at wyotech/uti. I was just kinda curious if anyone here has been to wyotech and would recommend it.

 

ouch 924x2150,.... i went to community college tech program and now i'm an engineer. All i needed was that little 2 year degree to get my foot in the door and I worked my up up from there. Way easier than going to college.

 

I have a friend the went to UTI for automotive and went through the FACT program along with others he got real good training! Unfortunately there is not really any money in it unless you own your own shop and even then it is tough. My friend is now packing finished product in a factory because it pays more than turning a wrench at most dealerships.

 

ididntdoit99, are you saying WyoTech would be a better option? You said "way easier than going to college".

 

With no disrespect to anyone, but not everyone can go to college. If everyone goes to college, and most of them graduate from there, then who is going to work the lower-middle class jobs? I mean, I understand everyone wants to have that huge paycheck and live in that big house with 5 cars, but we still need our mechanics, police, security, or any number of other jobs.

As to the original poster, sorry man, I can't help you out much on where to go for what your looking for.

 

I'm not saying don't do it just tie something else to it like a busness degree to make opening your own shop alot easier. I always wanted to be an automotive mechanic but I just couldn't swing it. I have an interview tomorrow for an injection molding mechanic which is close to my dream and alot more pay . Follow your dream man! If it dosen't work out atleast you can say you did it and you will have that knowledge that can carry over into other things. As for schools Wyotech is very reputable!

 

easier for me anyways.... i wanted to be an engineer, make lots of money ya know... but didn't want to go to school for a long time. So i went out to tech school got a degree in cnc machining and worked my way up.

I said way easier than going to college.. because instead of spending two more years in school spending money.. i was out there learning by expirience and making money. It was probably about the same time total... because i spent two years or so working my way up the ladder... but i guarentee i learned much more working in the shop than i would have in school.

Of couse the fields are different... you have to decide your own path.. just don't listen to anybody that says you'll never be or make anything because you went to a tech school instead of college.

 

Hold the phone.

You mean. . . just because I didn't go to college, that I can't have the big house, a huge paycheck and 5 cars?


Hmmmmmmmmmm. . . Let's see.
I have SOME college. (Not much. No degree. Don't ask!)
In fact, a couple of my friends that continued through college and got degrees, didn't find jobs in their 'specialty' or what their degree was in, at all.
So, being in the right place at the right time, has something to do with this equation, too.

I make GOOD money for being a printer. In a couple of days, I will celebrate my 34th anniversary with my company. (And make CLOSE to $100K per year.)
I have a big house. (3600+ sq. ft.)
I have 4 cars and 1 truck. All paid for.
I own land in Maryland, Virginia and Tennessee. (Well. . .just sold the house and land in TN.)







Sorry, Jimmy Dean, just bustin' your chops!



To the OP. . . listen to your folks.
An education is the KEY to the future. There are more and more jobs that are going 'high tech' and you will need an education in whatever field you want to go into.
There is nothing wrong with being a mechanic, other than having to work in all different environments. Hot. . cold. . . wet.

WyoTech is supposedly one of the better trade schools.

Good luck!

 

I look at it a little differently, but not much.

Everyone CAN go to college but we'd have people with degrees flipping burgers and mopping floors.

There's a reason (and a good one) that college is hard and expensive, and takes a lot of time...

The reason is to keep people without the will and gumption to perservere and put themselves through the toil for X number of years, from becoming doctors and professionals; the people without brains enough to get through it, weed themselves out eventually, hopefully. Thank Mecca for Pre-Med school.

 

The repair of motor vehicles is an honorable profession. It can also be very profitable. For the general line tech, specialization is the best approach, and will probably be required before long, if not already.

Transmission specialists, diesel specialists, automotive electronics technicians are high level jobs. They also allow you to expand into your own business. I know that automotove electronics was wide open not that long ago, and may still be, as I have retired, and don't keep up with it as much. Toyota was paying top dollar for techs. These are not menial, low paying jobs.

I think trades should be taught in high school. Not everyone going to school will go to college, and there should be an opportunity in high school to learn a profession that will at least get them started in the work place.

As with any school, ask for references from ex-students or anyone that does business with the school. Check employers who employ students from the school. This will give you an idea of the schools reputation. jd

 

Just keep in mind that Wyotech costs a small fortune.

In fact, awhile back (before I was gainfully employed) I had graduated from college and wasn't having much luck finding a job, and I considered going into a diesel tech program.

However, I then found out that the 18 month or 2 year programs at most of these tech schools cost more than 4 years of college cost me!

Then I said forget it.

Same thing with ITT Tech, I considered going there for drafting until I found out it was $20K+ for 2 years. Screw that. Went to a local state college instead.

 

I think the key here is not that you CAN'T have that, its just the time involved. Most of my friends went to college and my self included. Some of them are at 100k and they are but 30 years old and have been at their companies for less than 10 years. Ive been working at a company for 3 years, and while i did start high, i was not at 100k. I should be there in less than 5 more years. I will however state that those people that have the big ol house and cars are also very good with managing money. There's alot more to having big stuff than just a fat check. You can make half that and invest it wisely and have more stuff than the ones that make twice that.

Im a huge advocate of a solid 4 year college education. Mostly because i was in teh group of 'not everyone can go to college'...poor grades, poor test scores, and was all bu destined to flunk out. I got several F's in college and while my ending GPA was not stellar, it was the best i could do. I also learned a lot about studying, failing, recovering from failure, etc. The most valuable lesson i learned was that you should always do the absolute best you can, and that hard work does NOT always pay off...at least not immediately. The best part is that even though you arent a stellar student, your 4 year degree at a mediocre GPA will likely be more valuable if you are competing for the same job as the junior college grad with a perfect GPA. I hope i am not flamed for this, as it is not intended to be a slam to anyone, its merely what i see when dealing with interviews...in fact, we will not entertain any resumes that are not from a 4 year college. Thats not true of all industries, but for the Petroleum industry, it 'mostly' is.

College is expensive, and you may have to go into serious debt to accomplish it, but think of it as an investment.

Remember: "An investment in knowledge ALWAYS pays the best interest." -B. Franklin

 

I think a lot of employers could care-less about where you went to school, but are more concerned that you know your stuff (what you studied). I have been told this by more than one employer, whether it was for a "white collar" or "blue collar" job. Even to that extent, a lot of employers give you further training in the way THEY want it done and consider your "formal" training nothing more than an introduction into your career path.

One of the previous posts mentioned there is not much money in it. I have a friend of mine that works for a heavy construction company and he has told me more than once that there is a need for good diesel mechanics. A lot of these jobs are for field service guys and the starting pay is more than I make as a Civil Engineer.

If I were to choose going to a community college vs. wyotech, I would go with what I could afford and was the most convenient.