UTI, go or no go?

[IISAINTS]

I have been on the fence sometime about UTI and their auto program of if it would be worth while to go or should I just save my money. I realize this is a little off topic, but I'm really looking for more feedback on the school. I have been getting a lot of mixed reviews, from both employers and students, some good, some bad. I hear from some employers that UTI students are less than satisfactory, and some recognize UTI. Some students say it was worth it, others say don't go.

What I'm looking for is some feedback from more people. How they feel about it, what they know, ect.
I really need some feed back on determining if 40k is worth spending for the school or not. Any feedback, comments or opinions are greatly appreciated!

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[mpower]

i felt it was a waste of money for what you get,and i hear its about double what i paid back in 2000 as well .
its great if you just want the automotive theory, but in the end i didnt want to be just a mechanic.
they are just there for the money and they pump out substandard students on a daily basis. half my class should have never graduated and the other half i still wouldn't let them touch my vehicle.
and yes there are employers that cringe at a resume with UTI on it. as usual the bad apples ruin it for the good ones
i say if you just want to be a mechanic and need more knowledge of automotive systems , or wanting to take advantage of their factory programs its not half bad.
if your interested in fabrication , customizing , ect id say look somewhere else

also , if your looking at getting into a factory tech program after the main classes at uti , i would recommend getting a dealership to sponsor you if you want to work local to you.

[ProFORMANCE]

I know two young men who went through formal automotive training.

One went to Wyotech for a year or two and learned how to weld, fabricate and build race cars and street-rods. He found employment with Steve Saleen shortly after graduating.

The other young man found a local Ford dealer to sponsor him through a formal Ford Specific / Ford Accredited educational program. This program taught him everything he needed to know to work on any aspect of Ford vehicles. Not sure how many years he spent in the program, but now he is a full-time service technician at the same Ford dealer who sponsored him. If you are good, you can make big dollars flagging hours at a dealer.

[ztubs]

Hey there I went to UTI, the theory is great if you're not looking to use it to find a job.. You know the warning pictures on the lifts, with the person scratching their heads "Don't use if you don't know how to operate" yeah well I got a job at a shady shop in Vegas after graduation and they had put the name of a UTI grad on that picture... That basically describes 85% of the kids that come out of UTI.

But that training is great if you really store it and understand it... I can do anything with a car from a model T to a 2013, learning about alignment, suspensions in theory is a great base to use in the offroad world, if and only if you grasp the concepts. Then again my brain is built for mechanical\structural engineering. Im 21, 19 when I started UTI with 0 automotive knowledge.

wyotec is for specifics UTI is for overall theory, and they have a specific way of training... You don't get to build a performance engine the first day. You start with basic engines then after that you go to a basic class like undercar, brakes, basic electrical, ect. I didn't get anything fun till 9months in. It's all how you take the information provided. I don't regret it. I even went to Avondale campus for the degree (absolutely pointless regardless what anyone says.) Employers see UTI as a negative, in 75% of the cases. I stopped adding it to my resume, I just say I have formal theory and practical training from professional technicians and have done enough sidework while training to beable to complete anytask givin. UTI or Not you'll still start out as a lube tech untill they see you're not afraid of getting dirty and doing what needs to be done.. Plus most employers think only about efficiency not how much you might know.

[BigBoyBlue]

I know three people who went through uti.
One now owns his own AMG Mercedes shop. Benzworks. After a few years at penske Mercedes.
One now works for Rusnak Porsche. he is tatted head to toe and is a Porsche fanatic with a Porsche on his neck
One now works at a refinery in Carson/Torrance as a diesel mechanic working 4-10 hour days.

Its all what you make of it and put into it.
All were top of the class and put all they had into it.

[ztubs]

I know three people who went through uti.
One now owns his own AMG Mercedes shop. Benzworks. After a few years at penske Mercedes.
One now works for Rusnak Porsche. he is tatted head to toe and is a Porsche fanatic with a Porsche on his neck
One now works at a refinery in Carson/Torrance as a diesel mechanic working 4-10 hour days.

Its all what you make of it and put into it.
All were top of the class and put all they had into it.

By the sound of it, they paid upwards of 60k (well at the time when I enrolled) for the full package + they got into some of the highend manufacture classes... I payed 45k for basic automotive. :| But you're 100% right.

[BigBoyBlue]

The amg guy didnt do the benz program at uti, but was lucky to get a job at penske, then become a master tech there, then leave and start his own deal.
The porsche guy, applied to the program twice, and got in his second try. flew to atlanta for 6 months to learn.
the diesel guy got into the program in arizona.

not sure what the all paid, but i know it was pricey.

my question is, why would someone pay that much, and not put all they have into it.
you have to love it to be successfull. its not just a job.

[ztubs]

In my opinion, alot of people go there thinking that they're gonna build performance engines, learn to drift, ect. They don't realize that its a dealership training institute (period) If you're on these forums I would say wyotec or the fabschool.

[Ol' Curmudgeon]

I've known more who have volunteered to help a race team and became part of the industry than UTI grads that paid happily for their education.

[wyoming4x4]

if your skills are limited at this moment and you want more! need to put yourself in a environment to challenge yourself and opportunity to excell. some young people like to wait around for opportunity to happen and some are out their trying to make it happen. I'm a graduate of school of automotive machinist and was the best thing to happen to me in engines. put myself in a environment to soak up everything i could. I'm a motor head/mechanic/machinist type person. its not a job its a way of life. just the way my head works. i did this school 20 yrs ago. i now work on big industrial natural gas engines. some well over 8000 cubic in. I do hot rods for fun now and enjoy it. i would like to do fab school for off road racing and learn some setups for dezert trucks. your asking questions and getting a plan together to do something and now its time for you make your dreams come true. Good luck and kick some azz and learn all you can. I did volunteer with several of my motor head buddies in the early days and learn from every experience with ford chevy and dodge engines. mud raced to dirt track now messing with dezert racing. never had a place close by to race and now in wyoming the opportunity has presented itself time to get busy. good luck young man and push on.