Hi, my name is Trent. I have been a user on here for a while now. I was wondering, I am looking to become a Certified Diesel Technician. I am driving down this weekend to check out Lincoln Tech College in Indianapolis, Indiana. Never owned a diesel, but I have worked on many. I love doing preventive maintenance on diesels. This is my passion, and I would like to continue it. I am natef certified from a tech school, but It is little knowledge compared to what I need to know. So, I figure on doing the 12 months of college to become certified, and be an employee that knows exactly what he is doing because I love to work on these vehicles. What do you guys think I should do? I currently am done with high school, and I live in Michigan. It is about a 6 hour drive to get to Indianapolis.

 

Look Im gonna toss up some info.
fisrt off stay far away from lincon,wyotech, and all the other forprofit bs schools. all these schools do is lie and tell you how great a job wrenching is, Im here to tell you otherwise. dont get me wrong I love what I do and I could not do it if I didnt.But it sucks long days 6days a week. when its -10 below outside its cold as fu*k in the shop. when 118 outside its 124 in side. the pay plains suck and few do well most dont. you will be luck to make 30k/year for better then the fisrt 5 years.
Now if you want the best possible path to follow do some looking in to FORD ASSIT training. its both ford and dealer sponsered and its the best program to get factory training and factory certifed and a degree at the lowist possible cost. You will be in a shop with real tech doing real work durring some weeks for hands on and in the classroom others. this will get in the industry with the strongist backround you can have.
Please feel free to send me a pm or leave a message of you want more info. Iv been doing this 17 years now.

 

what do you guys think? I want to open up the picture so that there are quite a few places I can work servicing vehicles. How hard would it be for me to get my CDL as well? I would like to open up job opportunities. A lot of the companies want you to have a CDL so you can move, and test drive the trucks. They would rather not hire you without one.

 

I agree with cheezit, the best bet is to get in with a dealer and be factory trained! Those schools give a lot of information in a short amount of time but no real world experience. You wont learn how to really troubleshoot engines in a classroom but out in a shop, working with an experienced tech on actual customer engines. I thought about going to UTI since they have marine tech training. Thank God the dealer I worked at allowed me to be factory trained, but almost all the stuff i know i learned from working with an expert in the shop and working hands-on on customer engines every day! Been wrenchin for almost 8 years and I love it. Pays not the greatest when your young but as you gain experience you have better earning potential.

Good luck with whatever you do!

 

Accually I check out lincoln and I love it, because I am in the shop, hands on learning things. Its great.

 

Yes, they have hands on training, and thats the most important thing. When I said "shop" i meant a dealer or a service shop that is working on customer vehicles, and not just bugged engines that have been taken apart dozens of times at the school. In an actual repair facility, you will see a lot more variary of problems and learn how to properly diagnose them. If you can get a job at and actual repair facility AND go to Lincoln tech or anywhere else that would be the best scenerio in my opinion. Instead of just being in the school for a year or so and just being sent out into the world!

 

Personally,I would not pay the $ to go to lincoln,wyo,etc.
I have never attened those schools,but have worked with a few of the graduates.Realizing my experience having been with a very small percentage of the grads,I was not impressed.

If you think you want to pursue this field,I would suggest getting on somewhere as a mech.trainee,apprentice,helper etc..(whatever they are called nowadays)and get some real world experience.

Nothing wrong with getting an education at a school but I think that real world settings would give a better insight to the job.

Save your tuition money (as you will need that for tools)and living expenses while you are starting out.Plan on having a very expensive tool account for the first 5 years and then a continuous yet smaller account FOREVER!
My buddies were buying new trucks,houses,toys etc...while I was enjoying significant tool bills.

I might also suggest specializing.
As the saying goes-you don't become a master by doing 4000 things,you become a master by doing 10 things 4000 times.
Just my .02.
Good luck on your decision !!

 

As a guy who is a certified diesel tech, and did go through a tech school, i'd say stay far away from tech schools. The thing is...you go through a tech school, and after you're out you just get a entry-level position at some shop....which you could of done without going to tech school.

If i were you, go around to shops, and try to get a job changing oil. Once you get a job, ask a lot of questions, be real friendly to the other guys in the shop, and you'll learn tons more than you will at tech school.

I'd agree that tech schools really are a joke. I remember i spent like 3 months disassembling engines at school(as if some employer is going to trust a kid right out of tech school to work on a $40,000 engine), and yet on my first day on at an actual job, i was sort of a laughing stock because i didnt know how to adjust a clutch, which is about the most basic job a diesel tech can do.

The tech school i went to, our "Hands on" stuff was working on 20 year old trucks that had been taken apart and put back together 300 times before i got to it. I remember on my first job, i was shocked that the tires and hub didnt just fall off when i removed the spindle nut.

I'd also advise against getting into the wrenching career in the first place too. It aint like the old days when any old dummy can do it. If you got the brains to be a good tech, then you'd be much better off going to college and getting a real job (i'm almost 30 and back in college btw).

 

i agree with cheezit. look into the assit program, i klnow an instructor from baltimore, md. and have spoken with him many times. they have the best program,i belive, for the money.

i am factory trained, never seen the factory.lol