UTI automotive training

[bigchevyc30]

well today io went and did a tour of the local UTI tec with nascar training in it and im thinking of doing it this spring it covers every thing for vehicles and im thinking of foing the ford fact they supply to work on the broken fords we always see. its a 51 week course for regular automotive training and then another course for the ford part. this place looks to be good to me and im wanting to know if anyone else has went to a uti college. when i graduate the will help me get the best place to work at and i can get either a toolset from snapon or $1000 credit for a shop. if i do go through and graduate im thinking of the tool set so i have them for when i start work. they have great instructors by what i saw. all their instructors are ast certified for more than 5 years in the area they are teaching in and have plenty of benifits for being with the college. every third saturday they allow you to bring your own vehicle in to work on and you get free refresher courses after you graduate in case something new comes out and i need to learn it. i dont have to pay for books or tools as they are all supplied with the lab fee. since im just starting out in life i think this would benefit me for the future as having the ford fact (ford, Accelrated, credential, training) on my resume would give me more look over than others with out it. Also after a year of working after i could take the exam for the AST certification exam to get certified. do you guys think this would be worth it since i love working on vehicles and learning about how the items of the vehicle work like when i changed the brakes and rotor on my dually

[VileZambonie]

I think you mean ASE certified. Where do you live? UTI is better than Lincoln Tech. Porter and Chester Institute and Wyotech have the best Automotive training programs. I have heard good things about New England Tech as well but I'll wait for you to respond before I go into detail about some of the things you mentioned.

[bigchevyc30]

the one i will be going to is in mooresville, NC it like 7 miles from my house so i would be able to drive my dually there to work on the undercarriage and brakes as they have you work on your own vehicles which i think is the perfect time to replace brake lines that are as old as the truck i think

[VileZambonie]

The add ons are a lousy sales gimmick to get students to enroll. The NASCAR training BS and Ford training will not help you command anything over entry level wages so don't believe in that sales pitch. All career schools will provide placement assistance. This typically means they'll help you with your resume, soft skills, and assist you in securing an interview. Most people going to school don’t know what the purpose of a resume is.  It's to help you get an interview and that's it. When you get to the interview it's your job to sell yourself. UTI likes to boast about false salary statistics which pisses me off. I've heard them telling high school students that they can make over $100,000 a year right out of school. The refresher course line is BS, go back there and ask how many students are currently there taking refresher courses and ask to speak to them. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing just advising you not to believe everything that comes out of the admission rep's mouth. They're sales people. If you are going to make a career in the Auto Industry you need to go to school so you are already making the right decision, you just don’t need the whoopla they’re trying to rope you in with. It's an awesome field to become an expert in as you can make a really good living at it. You will only get out of the program what you put in so be prepared to be focused, professional, and have perfect attendance. The first question out of any employer’s mouth will not be how are his grades, it will be how was his attendance. Learn the basics but spend as much extra time as you can learning electrical, driveability and diagnostics. Do you know if they're a NATEF program there? There's good and bad in NATEF. The bad is as it’s a mock up program which means student A takes wheel off and does his NATEF task. Student B Takes same wheel off car when student A is done etc. It’s not a real world situation which unfortunately doesn’t teach people how to deal with seized components, broken fasteners, rust, etc. It goes beyond that but I’m not trying to write a book for you. As far as the tool set, that is another thing I don’t like. I believe you should get your tools up front but I understand where they are coming from. Student drops out or never pays their tuition they walk with free tools essentially. Snap On has a good student tool program which makes most of the tool essentials available to you at 48% off list price. Focus on any additional certifications you can attain while in school as well. Bottom line, go to school because you want it, forget the flashy sales pitches, don’t buy into any false glory and put your everything into it. Good luck with your decision.

[big bear]

i agree to the fullest with vile... also,  if you want to do this man, get it done !! , absorb that info, jump in and learn all u can.  take a intrest in the topics vile mentioned.  u can never know too much. i wish u the best man. hope this works out for you.

[bigchevyc30]

yeah i really dont care about the whole flash i just want to learn all i can about vehicles and hopefully make a good career. ever since i started working on my truck a year ago i have wanted to learn all i can about how the vehicles work in total. yeah they say they have these great perks after college but i was already knowing that they were probly not that great. i do know having more credentials have me a better chance at getting hired than if i didnt have them. i dont know much about how they do the whole car thing but i do know they said its normally like 3 people per vehicle to work on.

[VileZambonie]

That's another negative. In the field YOU will be the one working independantly on every car. Three to a car means one guy is working and two are watching.

[Irish_Alley]

vile its nice to have a tool punk lol. but my bud went to Tulsa welding school, forget how much it was but they also had a job assistance program. which included a list of local job that hired welders and it was your job to find out which ones you could even apply for then you had to get the job needless to say my bud then came back to de and worked at the same place he was working at the same welding shop he worked at before now granted they did teach him some things like pipe welding and couple more odd welding jobs, now he has his own welding shop behind his house but he still works at a welding shop for that guaranteed job

[bigchevyc30]

also vie if they are actually watching it more i can ask about how to get a part off you know two heads are better than one sometimes. plus i actually like doing the work i when i did the engine install at the high school auto tech building i didnt have any help except for when we were putting the motor actually in the truck and the teacher came and made the students help get it in right

[VileZambonie]

Students shouldn't be teaching students. They're not experts so I'd be alittle concerned. What's their student to instructor ratio in the shop?

[bigchevyc30]

if im right it 1 teacher to every 5 students

[zieg85]

I was enrolled in Wyoming Tech to start fall of 1981 but backed out.  Sure missed out on a changing career path.  Still worked in a couple of shops doing just about everything but soon found out that turning a wrench for a living was tough work, at least the shops I worked at.  It was easy to work 10-12 hour days 6 days a week.  Money was good for a 19-20 year old but I had no life and it took the fun out of it.  I really enjoy it as a hobby and with Vile's willingness to help I have only had to send a car to someone else twice because I didn't have the specialty tools to do the job.  I feel I missed out on a great experience however what I am doing now I really enjoy.  Good luck with your studies.  Good mechanics are hard to find especially those that diagnose electrical.  If it were me I would hone in and become an expert in that field. 

[Irish_Alley]

its only debt 

[1980c10]

My older brother attended UTI and graduated with a lot of debt. In his opinion he could have went to school more locally saved a ton of money and been in the same place where he is now. If your funding this yourself maybe consider other options that will allow you to become ase certified. After all, the real learning will begin when you start working in the field. Also consider the area the school is in as far as living expenses go. I not at all saying not to go to UTI but know all of your options before making this decision. Talk to reps from lincoln, wyotech and your local tech schools. Ultimately your education proves to your next employer that you have the ability to learn and have a knowledge base in a given field, you and they will fill in the gaps and improve your ability and turn you into a professional.

[bigchevyc30]

well the UTI campus is 7 miles from my house and any other schools are out of state which i cant really move out of as of cost. my parents are helping me to continue my education.