Tech School/STEP Program

[94silverssei]

I am giving serious consideration to going to a Tech school.

Have read lots of things. Some people love it and think it was worthwhile, while others seem to hate it and think it's a waste of money.

I work on my own cars and can do pretty much anything. (Not real familiar with all the electronics though).

Have looked at many different programs and it seems BMW is the one with the most info about it.

Also, SEEMS to be the best program. I know I am posting on a BMW forum so will probably get good reviews.

But just wondering which schools are worhtwhile and where would be the best school to go to?

Not really partial to any but I did notice that UTI is affiliated with BMW...

[kellie]

Tech school is whatever you make of it. Personally, it was one of the best experiences of my life and I loved every minute of it. Others coast through it and claim they learned nothing.

There are plenty of good programs out there aside from STEP, and plenty of good automotive schools. Are you wanting to relocate for school, or stay close to home? There are a lot of good community college automotive programs that are less expensive than schools like Wyotech, Lincoln Tech or UTI. I went through a community college program and Wyotech, and I highly recommend both routes. Tour schools, and talk to current students.

Others will have more input.

[94silverssei]

Well, started on a 4-year degree and a college close by (live at home.)
Was actually pre-med.

It's just not working, I don't know if it's just me or what. But I feel like if I moved away and had to live elsewhere it would force me to meet new people and sort of get out in there in the world.


Does a community college offer anything different than a tech school?

From what I have understood the tech school teaches you the same stuff but you get through it faster?

[skippy918]

speed vs cost (i won't mention quality)

it comes down to 1 yr vs 2 yrs
and $30-40k vs $2-5k
(if you take out loans, factor in interest over the life of the loans)


read this thread:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1718630



Not really partial to any but I did notice that UTI is affiliated with BMW...

if you go to bmwstep.com and click on the "partner schools" tab, you will see a number of partner schools not just UTI

Also, just because a CC isn't listed on there doesn't mean they don't recognize the education. The criteria is a NATEF certified CC. As many of the people here that have gone through STEP have gone through various CC's not listed on the site... key thing is NATEF certified.

As always... tour the schools you are interested in with a critical viewpoint... don't be afraid to ask the hard questions.... it's your money and time!

[pat3022]

I graduated from UTI in '08, and like kellie said, it's whatever you make of it.

IMO UTI is not worth the money unless you go through an MSAT program. Look into those. It's paid for by a dealership and some dealerships will reimburse some of what you paid for your tuition as long a you are working there.

But 30k for the basics is not worth it.

If you can pretty much do anything on cars you could spend that year that you would be in UTI, etc.., working, earning some money and gaining experience.