UTI power and performance program

[2_fast_240]

Ive been thinking about going to uti here recently and wanted to get the opinions of some people that went there. Ive seached on here and it seems a lot of people think it sucks. The general consensus seems to be if you have any knowledge of cars its not worth it. Im thinkin this might just apply to the engine repair program. Is there anyone who has gone for the power and performance program, cause thats what I would be interested in. Id like to get a better idea of what they teach you. Do they teach much about turbocharging, tuning, etc. or is it mostly the mechanical side of things.

[theicecreamdan]

my advice, go to school for something more school-like. wrenching isn't all that great.

[2_fast_240]

Im at Virginia Tech as we speak and hate it (well the classes anyway). Ive done a pretty good amount of wrenching and like it 10 times more.

[ALTRNTV]

I think what he's trying to say is that wrenching is fun, but when you work on your own or friend's cars. When you start to work on other people's cars everyday, as your career, it gets a little boring.

[YoungRookie]

I have an interveiw in like half an hour with their rep from my area (PA) The power and performance program is not a program in its self. Its part of the cirriculum of the auto tech class. I was looking at either this school or wyo-tech. I also would like to hear some different opinions before i make a final desicion.

[rico05]

I know of several people who have done it, and all work for dealerships or at general mechanics shops. UTI is not necessarily an in at a shop. Now, I have a buddy in the Mercedes-Benz program, and he already has a job lined up. $60k/yr sounds nice...

[LB.Motoring]

work is work, play is play. when you mix work and play, all goes wrong.

Work to make money for your hobbies.

If work is your hobby, it is nolonger your hobby, its work.

I would just find something you enjoy, has a decent demand and wage, and go for it, and keep your hobbys on the side to brighten your days and keep you looking forward to something..

GL kid.

-R

[Wykydtron]

I would really hate to graduate UTI, come back home and land a 9-5 at some dealership or ratty garage... If I did, I'd convince all the local nissan guys to come by and hang, work on cars on off hours.

[theicecreamdan]

The thing I have noticed about technicians, is that when the money is good its really good. and when the money isn't good, its bad.

Its not stable enough for me to make a career out of it. I know people that have graduated UTI and are stuck making $8/hr because the industry wants experienced people. I got in at a diesel fuel injection service shop because I knew somebody that knew somebody. Business had been doing good for this shop for a while now, and as soon as I started it got really slow down there. So now I went from a full-time decent job to a good job where I'm lucky if I work 2 full days in a week.

Bottom line, don't buy into the hype that any sort of technician is in some sort of huge demand, because we aren't. Look around in your area and find out if there will actually be any money in this field for you. To me UTI is expensive schooling for a mediocre career, there might be shops nearby that will hire you as a lube tech or something, get a job there and go through programs at a community college. Its a lot cheaper and you can get an education that will open you up to more oppurtunities than a trade school. UTI is a lot of money to invest into a career path that is so uni-directional.

[2_fast_240]

Soooo, can anyone tell me exactly what all they teach you there. Thats the main thing I wanna find out. The website doesnt really do a good job of explaining what all they teach you.

[S13Eye]

I graduated from UTI in March of 2005. 4.0GPA, 15min from perfect attendance, countless awards - model student. Now i'm a realtor. Don't mix something you enjoy with work, it will hurt both.

Cars are basically my life. Its what i think about during every other minute of my life. I thought it would be a good idea to use this to my benefit by going to UTI and getting a legit job working on some high end vehicles. Unfortunately while at UTI, i quickly realized that cars are what keeps me balanced. Its what i use to counter the effects of work. By involving cars with work, you remove an important stress outlet.

[ALTRNTV]

Originally Posted by S13Eye

Its what i use to counter the effects of work. By involving cars with work, you remove an important stress outlet.

Bingo. Give this man a hand.

[VROOOM]

i have known a few people who have gone to UTI and are now doing very good. one was building heads for the mooneyes drag car and another is a mechanic for a nascar team. oh yeah and one guy was working at porsche(did not pass a random drug test)

also i work for the largest ready mix concrete company on the west coast and we are always hiring diesel mechanics(we have over 1000 mixers, rock and sand trucks and trailers, and powder trains). we cant get as many as we need. so im sure there are jobs if you look.

[ka30det]

I dropped out of UTI in Rancho Cucamonga, trust me, your not missing much, nothing a CC class or even autoshop wont teach you, how do i know, because i took that before UTI. The instructors are horrible, none of them are actuall teachers, but retired techs. So you ask them a question, and you get "Well your never going to see that in the field so dont worry about it." You really are just paying for the the certificate.

NOT to mention some of the bullshit that goes on there. One day, a cop tried to pull a student over, and he darted into the parkin lot just as class was getting out, so a gang of students started hasseling and throwing shit at the cops. Well, they took off, and after the Day classes ended, there were cops at every exit, poping hoods, giving fix-its, and even impounded like 6 cars i think it was.

You also cant just take the Power and performance class, its part of the core program which consists of: Basic Engine, Basic Electronics, Undercar, Brakes, Advanced Electronics, Manual Trans, Auto Trans, Fuel and emissions 1-2-and-3, Drivability, smog shit, THEN power and performance, then another electricall, then last but not least Service Writing and shop managment bullshit.

Overall it was a waste of time and money...

[theicecreamdan]

yeah... community college auto classes are better for you. An associates degree will take you further than ASE's

[S13Eye]

Your experience may vary. ka30det - your description sounds nothing like the UTI i went to. It was a very professional environment with good teachers. The reason why the teachers were great was because they were retired techs, so they would teach the required material, and at the same time share their field experience. Every day was a competition because if you screwed up, there would be another person to take your potential job when you graduate.

You have a slim chance of scoring a job with a high end manufacturer if you recieve your education outside of UTI or LT. Car manufacturers work with those schools to develop a curriculum, so this way the students are well prepared to continue into manufacturers' programs.

I don't need to explain how cops are. Just search through Zilvia. A few weeks back i was lied to by a cop and recieved a ticket for speeding, even though i was cruising at the posted speed limit. You think its because i was speeding? F**K NO! I'm young and drive a modified car. Thats just how cops are, so live with it. You went to a school exclusively for people like us. Its an all-you-can-eat buffet for cops. Cops by our UTI campus were on us like stink on s**t every single day. They even had an unmarked Mustang and picked races with UTI students. I commuted in a Volvo and drove like a granny so i wouldn't get picked on. The whole story about students throwing things at a police officer doesn't add up. UTI campuses are monitored by cameras. I can't see how anyone would be stupid enough to risk expulsion, and arrest.

It looks like the problem was with your attitude not your school. You learn if you want to. If you approach education with a negative attitude and try to blame everything around you, you won't learn anything. Its just another excuse to be lazy.

[ka30det]

^ I used to think the world of UTI, untill i went there. I mean shit, im still paying off 30k worth of student loans because of it, i didnt sign up for that shit to be lazy, i wanted to learn, but like i said, they didnt offer anything i havent seen before. Maybe im being a little harsh, the electronics classes were preaty informative, but as far as Power and performance, and hot rod U, its a joke. I mean if you want to be a dealership Tech, busting your ass for flat-rate, by allmeans, go to UTI. But i went for just the knowledge, hopeing that i could some-how apply that to my own prodjects. But I only learned one thing there, that i didnt want to work on other peoples cars. I mean, even when you graduate UTI, you dont leave with much credentials, just the Diploma. You still have to work in the field for another year to get your ASE (school counts as 1). The only thing they have going for them are the Manufacture programs, and if thats what your into haha go for it. If you're looking just to get some education, and not tryin to make a career out of it, just go to CC.

[S13Eye]

Thats very true. If you are not looking for carreer, go to a CC. UTI gives you a shot at a well paying job at a nice dealership. The idea of UTI is to give you a base to build on. It teaches you the basics, and the manufacturers further mold you into a technician.

[BOROSUN]

im a honor roll graduate at wyotech. now, im working for big o tires as a tire tech. cool eh,not! its basically what others have said. at wyotech though, i had great teachers.

[BoNyG515]

I go to a pretty good program (skyline college) in my local community college, and work at a pretty damn good shop working on all types of cars and do every kind of work except a/c, body, and smog. ive been wrenching since I was about 10, and at the time I realized how fun it is, but only on my cars. after working everyday, experiencing headaches and not knowing what the f*** is wrong with some cars is starting to get to me. its always fun to wrench and be proud of what you created, but turning it into a career is way different. the real auto world and industry is crazy. automotive techs are probably the most "dishonest" trade where customers will always think you are scamming them. people dont realize that they pay us because they either dont have the ability to work on their cars, dont have the tools, dont know at all, or are too damn lazy. right now cars are my life, 40 hrs of work, mon-thu school for cars, and I work on cars at home. you should probably get a job at a shop as like a lube tech but still be exposed to other mechanical work and see how things are. then u can see if you want to make it your career or not...haha sorry I seem to be rambling too much but this is just my personal opinion and two cents

[TibDrifter]

grad from wyo tech as the top of the class #1, it took a while to find an job after wards, my sprits were fallen down thinking how much techs are in demand and big dollar. so i got my smog licence, now its good pay at at private shop but work is like wow,,, i dont do much smog i feel more like the r&r guy but i do most of the diagnosis, i have been here for 4month and dont feel any improvements. BMW offered me the step program, but now i am thinking of an more school-like and forget about being automotive tech... dont get me wrong i love cars... its just that i dont like working on other people problems... i am finding out that tunning cars is for the rich... you need a lot of more to play around with an fully tuned car, af ratio, turbo, fuel, dyno runs, blowing up engine and rebuild from your mistakes; all of that take a lot of money and time.so if tunning is what you want to get into work a little harder and get your self an higher level of education and make some real money so you can spent and have fun.live your life one day at a time and never stop learning. get as much knolage as you can.. i feel like an robat fixing car day in and day out and i dont learn much from that so i am staring to go to collage at night after work. its crazy what you can learn Good luck to you

[BOROSUN]

hello, fellow wyotech student when did you graduate? I also recieved the BMW-step program but Shurburn turned me down because of my driving record and lacking of experience. ooh well, i never wanted to go anyways. my wife just told me to try it. hah

hmm, thinking and i reget it now. i should have taken smog also. maybe ill going back to take my smog at skyline. i need to keep using what i learned or im going to loose it, which i am forgetting a lot of stuff already. ive been also thinking going to a automotive design school.