If you have Spike Tv, watch it on saturdays, they always have commericials for a place called Wyotech, they have a website, something like www.wyotech.com I heard they are about the best there is.

 

Wyotech is a good choice for an automotive,diesel,and auto-body school,but there are other equal and sometimes higher-approved schools out there.There is one in Nashville about 200 miles away from me that is equally or maybe even more accredited than Wyotech.It's all in what you want.

For example,my cousin recently graduated from Wyotech.He took the automotive course.He said that it was a good school,but the classes were overcrowded and you really had to pay attention to get anything out of it.But,that's the way it is with all of them.Whether you go to Wyotech,or some other Automotive College,you'll learn what you need to know to get out there and make some big bucks in this high-demanding industry.

I admire your decision for a possible career change also .

Nightrain

 

for a general mechanics course are they all about the same??

 

Basically.That's what I was saying.There's hardly any difference from school-to-school.I think that a basic tuition from Wyotech or a similar school would set you back ~$12,000-$20,000.That's a good chunk of cash,but you'll be making 2,to 3 times that per year .

Nightrain

 

You can't just walk on to a job right out of school and expect to be a technician. No matter how many schools you go to.

On the job training is the best way to learn. Most shops have a program to send you to tech schools. Good Luck.

Troy:thumbup:



69 ss rs full custom camaro 98 ISCA grandchampion
69 ss rs bb camaro wifes driver
66 Elcamino 350/all dz parts,ac,windows,loaded,my driver
69 ss chevelle bb conv.fresh frame off
26 T sedan street rod

 

True that,but most schools offer "in-shop training" which would count somewhat for part of your "on-job training" experience.Schools such as Wyotech and Nashville Auto-Diesel College for example,have "in-shop training".Part of the school day you're in the classroom,the other half,you're in the shop.Don't get me wrong though.."On-job training" is still VERY important!!

Good luck!

Nightrain

 

you really had to pay attention to get anything out of it.

I thought thats the way it was with any school.

Kevin

 

Finish the fourth year Dubz, get your degree and then think about changing careers. Red River College has a great mechanics course, their Heavy Duty/Indusrial Mechanic course is very well known across the country also.

Why the change of heart?

 

Please listen to 4 jaw. You have come too far to quit. Have been a mechanic for over 25 yrs. Have swmashed , burned or strained every part of my body one time or anoter. Also don't forget summer heat or winter cold. Never missed any meals and have people calling all the time about side work but there has to be a better way. I'm too old , too dumb and to poor to start over now. Good luck witch ever you choose.

 

you don't really need a school...You just need to pass the tests.
My buddy worked and learned in a small shop. He put in 5 or 6 years until he learned enough to pass all the tests...He could, perhaps, have done it earlier. He had no mechanic schooling at all. And, he is the fine fellow working at a large Ford dealership in Maryland I speak of often, He makes around 65,000-70,000 a year working 45 hour weeks.

 

As an engineer you could start at 70K per year, believe me the world needs more mechanically inclined engineers. I have seen to many that couldn't change their own spark plugs. Sciences are tied right in with Engineering and changing majors is not that big a deal. You just might meet some great guys just like yourself that hop up cars and build their own stuff. Forget the mechanical technologist direction, you do all the work and get half the pay.

Take it from a guy who should have listened to his own advice. It's much better to wear a white shirt than a blue denim one.

Of course if you are interested in wearing a green scrubs uniform...send me a PM.

 

I thought thats the way it was with any school.

Kevin

I know that,but what I meant was that he said the classes were so crowded that you had to really pay attention and keep your ears open or you wouldn't hear or understand what they were saying.I'm just going by what he said.According to him,they had some overcrowding problems.

Nightrain

 

Finish the fourth year Dubz, get your degree and then think about changing careers. Red River College has a great mechanics course, their Heavy Duty/Indusrial Mechanic course is very well known across the country also.

Why the change of heart?

I'm taking a 3 year degree, allready in my fourth year since i spread out my courses. Compupter Science Major, Physics minor. I just have a passion for cars that I used to have for computers when i was younger, and the computer field is getting smaller and smaller since alot of younger people got into it not that long ago, and none will really be retireing for another 30-40 years

Cars are my passion, they are what makes me get up in the morning and what i think about when i fall asleep. I have oil and gas in my blood, and I don't think i could ever be as happy working with computers as i could covered in oil and grease working on a car.

I was thinking about a taking automotive engineering but i don't know that i would be able to get by the calculus to get that kind of degree.

I'll look into red river after this year (i may still finish my degree if i pass all my courses this term)

 

I would finish what you have already started. A mechanic is not that glamorous of a job. Not to discount anyone who does it for a living, but there is so much more to life, and let's just say that the internal combustion engine is not exactly cutting edge technology. If I were in your shoes, and knowing what I know now, I would stick in college, get that degree and rub shoulders with the sharpest people I could find. You become a product of your environment eventually, so control your environment while you can. Once you have a wife and children, you are limited with your choices, but while you are a free man, examine the world as much as possible.

 

I have oil and gas in my blood,

Sounds like you may have a blown head gasket!

 

If I had to credit any one class to making me understand cars the way I do, I'd say take a class in physics. Pay attention wtih Newton's Laws and Thermodynamics. It's all relative and it will all make sense from inside the engine, through the forces of gears in the transmission, and friction at the wheels. Applying all this to the car takes a skill you can't learn in a classroom though, so stay in the field. That's my problem, little experience.


MoocH

 

...Compupter Science Major, Physics minor....

 

no **** brodda's finish that science degree, it's one of the few where you can actually make some real ducats with a B.A. if it's any kind of bio science or chemistry go to pharmacy grad school and start at a lousey 100,000 US!

 

I have the same problem. I am now taking a tech class about computers in a seperate school than my High School. I love computers but also realized the small chance of doing something fun for good money. Then I got into cars as do a lot of teen guys, then got into mustangs, then bought one! My 65 has got me reading everything I can about cars and I am thinking about switching to an Automotive tech class. I think there are a lot more possibilities in the auto field, things that would be more fun and less cubical office work :smash:

 

I have the same problem. I am now taking a tech class about computers in a seperate school than my High School. I love computers but also realized the small chance of doing something fun for good money. Then I got into cars as do a lot of teen guys, then got into mustangs, then bought one! My 65 has got me reading everything I can about cars and I am thinking about switching to an Automotive tech class. I think there are a lot more possibilities in the auto field, things that would be more fun and less cubical office work :smash:

well try and decide before you spend 3 years of tuition at university like i did. The job market in computers isn't as good as when i got into university but i guess that's what happens when you hire a bunch of 25 year old people, they won't be retiring or swiching from thier well paying jobs unless they really hate it.

And also think if you'll enjoy working on someone elses car on a schedual, cause it's alot different than toying with your own car. I'm debating if i'd like it as much as sitting in a cubical or something similar....plus it would proably take the fun out of working on cars as a hobby.

My mothers cousins both had fun toying with cars when they were younger then they went to a mechanics course and opened a garage. One still has the passion for cars, you can tell when you talk to him about car stuff, and the other broke loose and got into a different line of work (fed up with it I think)

 

To Degree or not to degree

I agree with 4 Jaw. Complete your Science degree, then look at something else. Your earned degree's can never be taken away. Being a mechanic requires that you have good health all your working years. As time goes by, I speak from experience, you may or may not continue to be in good physical health. As long as your brain works you can always go back to your Science Degree for a non-physical type of job. Getting your Science Degree first is good insurance for the future.
There are several good acredited technical schools in every state that can get you pointed in the right direction. After attending a one or two year technical program you will have a good "basic" knowledge. Getting beyond the "basic" stage requires hands-on experience combined with additional specific training such as OEM technical training, or after market supplier training.
I started out as a diesel and heavy equipment mechanic, then went back for my teaching degree to teach diesel mechanics. If you like the automotive industry, you should be able to transfer many of your Science Degree credits towards a teaching degree.

 

Do your last year of school but work into design and engineering like a Chip Foose you can work on design, create, or anything from there. Oh yea Chip has a contract with GM for consept cars and is the genral manager at Hot Rods by Boydes and hes not 40 yet.

 

changing careers???

I love the information that Dubz is getting. However, with the salaries that are being tossed around, I must have chosen the wrong field. I have a BA, 2 MA's, a Ed. Specialist, and a Doctorate, and after 25 years of teaching in only make 51K. It pays to be a teacher!! Son, get your degree, work at it while you pursue other avenues. I know that you will make the right choice. Good luck in what ever you do. From one muscle car fan to another.......t
Pro Street 65' Chevelle

 

Schools-Automotive

There are many fine Technical colleges. The two most well known are probably UTI (Universal technical Institute) and WYO Tech (Wyoming Technical Institute) both have schools all across the states. Both offer ASE training and a chance to take the tests. To be master certified you must have at least two years experience and pass the eight areas of ASE, such as brakes, suspenison etc...

 

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Sorry this took so long
-Croz