which college to choose

[Halon]

Out of high school I couldn't tell you what a resistor was. I went to school for electronics basically, and next thing you know i was working on million dollar radars, eventually got me working on Nuclear Fuel Handling Equipment, and now I'm an engineer designing the controls for them.

That's what schools for, it's OK if you don't know anything about it yet. They teach you enough so you can get out in the industry and start doing it, and you'll just keep learning the more hands on you get.

Do what you want, but automotive seems like a pretty saturated field with limited opportunity unless you want to do something like open your own shop. Which at that point, mechanic schooling will become less important than say business schooling.

I personally really like Dunwoody. You can get a 2yr tech degree. Then eventually if you want a 4yr degree, you can get one is say "applied business management" which is just another 2yrs stacked on top of the 2yr you already have. It's a private school though so it's $$$$.

[dsmDolney]

God damn now my mind is going everywere on what to do i can see why not to go into automotive industry because youll get sick of it like said above. I just dont know what else to do that seems fun and hands on i cant sit at a desk all day screw that

[JET]

Lots of possibilities, field service repair, construction, etc. I know field service for the electric companies make good money. Have to freeze your ass off in the winter though. You just need to find a field that isn't saturated and has a good future if you want to make decent money.

[Goat Blower]

Then you really want a tech degree. Find something less common that you'd like, you'll have to do some digging.

[dsmDolney]

What do you guys think of technical drafting sounds like it would be kinda fun work for a performance shop and make shit for them lol

[Halon]

Drafting is a good career. We have a lot of them here. But it's counter-intuitive to how you just said you don't want to sit at a desk. From what I've seen, it's pretty much a desk job. Taking engineers designs and drawing them up in various auto-cad type of programs. But that is kind of cool. It's like building stuff, but rather than with your hands, you're building it on a computer making a computer model of it. You'll end up proficient in the autocad programs, which will let you have fun on the side getting to use those skills to draw up car stuff like flanges, manifolds, etc.

If you want actual hands on type of stuff though, I'd get into a technician type of course. Something like Electronics Technician, Robotics Technician, etc. They are very hands on and that degree can apply to so many different things. You can work here building fuel handling cranes, electrical cabinets, gear boxes, traveling to do field service support and installations. You can work at production plants as a maintenance guy on the assembly lines. Comcast installing cable lines, Verizon working on cell towers. A technician type job is very hands on, of course it'll require some desk time to do paper work but just about every job has that. I just always hear stories about people that have automotive tech degrees that end up changing oil at Midas and it takes a long time to get into a real position.

If you went into say the Dunwoody Robotics program, it's 100% placement. When you graduate, you will very likely end up with multiple job options, probably none of them offering less than $40k starting salary. You come work here as a Field Service tech, that'll be your base pay but with all the travel involved you will make almost double that and gain tons of experience. That's pretty good money for a new-grad if you ask me.

And again, I think 3D printing is going to become a big industry. Dunwoody has a program for that as well.


Don't let us change your mind though, choosing a school and a career path is a very personal decision. If automotive is what is really calling your name, don't let any of us stop you. It could lead to working at your dream job working on Jeff Gordon's race team or some shit, who knows. Chances are it won't, but you never know unless you try. Like Jet said, I keep cars as my hobby. After working on other peoples shit boxes all day will probably not leave you with much motivation to work on your own. I'm a hands on type of person too so I went into a profession where I'm still hands on and get to build stuff, without ruining my hobby by making it my job.

[dsmDolney]

Yea thats what im thinking now about automotive stuff that it will get old and boring. And yea tech drafting is alot of sitting but it sounds like it could be fun but who knows i just couldnt sit on my ass all day. Ill have to look into that robotics tech its sounds like it would be pretty cool acually.

[TkrPerformance]

I would not go to uti. Have a few buddy's that went and said it was a over priced joke.
Also I have been a auto tech for a lot of years then the last 6 years I have been doing heavy diesel. My back and knees are shot already and I am 34. I have been looking for other jobs not working on cars or big diesel. All the years have made me not want to work on my own cars it just burned me out.

[Halon]

I'm using Dunwoody as an example here a lot because that's where I'm going so it's the school I know. There's tons of other options like Henn Tech, Anoka Tech, etc. But here's some options at Dunwoody that I think would be good tech degrees.

Anything IT, computers, internet, smart devices, everything has some sort of software to it now.
http://www.dunwoody.edu/computer/web-programming/

HVAC, work on construction or design, residential or commercial, etc.
http://www.dunwoody.edu/construction/heating-air-conditioning-systems-design/

Welding. Real welding, not building intercooler piping, talking structural/industrial professional welders. They make decent money
http://www.dunwoody.edu/manufacturing/welding-metal-fabrication/

Machining
http://www.dunwoody.edu/manufacturing/machine-tool-technology/

Robotics. Every business is looking towards automation now to increase efficiency and reduce cost.
http://www.dunwoody.edu/manufacturing/automated-systems-robotics/

Electronics. Applicable to tons of different types of jobs.
http://www.dunwoody.edu/manufacturing/electronics-technology/

Design Drafter:
http://www.dunwoody.edu/manufacturing/engineering-drafting-design/


Out in the skilled labor workforce, you'll also see a lot of "mechanics". Not auto mechanics, but just mechanics in general. Here for example we build cranes. So we have guys in the shop who are electrical techs (they do all the wiring and stuff like that), and we have mechanical techs who assemble the structure, do all the alignments, etc. So if you really like mechanical type stuff, that would be an option where you're still building mechanical things but not on greasy cold cars in the middle of winter. A lot of those guys don't have any degree, so having pretty much any sort of manufacturing related degree would put you ahead if you want to go that route, even an auto mechanic type of degree I'm sure would look good for those kinds of jobs as they're just looking for a mechanically minded person in general.

[Fejery4491]

I went to UTI. I agree its extremely overpriced, though I'm not unhappy with my education. I figure you get what you're willing to put into it. I could probably have spent half what I spent there to get a simular education locally and if I could go back I'd probably do just that. If you enjoy working on cars and want to continue working on your projects I would encourage you to do something else. Like mentioned above, you'll get burned out. I wish now would've gone into mechatroics or something like that (not that I'm too old or tied down to go back to school, just too stubborn)