Kwtrucks
joliet,#2Consumer Comment
Tue, October 16, 2012
Me: I went to lincoln Tech in 1985. I worked full time job and paid cash. Spent many early morning sleeping in car in the lot before class( not allowed to miss). I went in without having so much as changed oil or owned tools. I went because I got ripped off on a car repair.
I was offered a Job thru them at Ryder as a fuel Island worker for $11.50/hr
After 1 year I found a Letter a Caterpillar Dealer sent to a mechanic offering him an apprenticeship in the garbage because he didnt want it. I took the paperwork to the Cat dealer and told them this guy wasnt interested but I was. I got the job and took a cut in pay to $6.00/hr because the promised to send me to certification schools.
After 15 years there I had become a leadman, worked on Walter Payton, Chuck Norris, Scotty Pippins Yacht, Michal Jordans generator and had every possible certification Caterpillar offered.
I decided I need more experience other than just Cat engines , so I went to a dealership to work for two years and got certified in to many things to name.
I then decided I needed to expand into fleet aspects and other areas. I went to work for a fleet for 8 years and got experience in PM service schedules and the remaing aspects of trucks such as trailers and tires
Doing this wasn't hard..THERE ARE AN INFINITE NUMBER OF JOBS IN DIESEL AND TRUCK REPAIR!
I now am a Fleet Maintenance Manager for one of the largest companies in the world pullin in a six-figure salary because of my experience and proven work history along with the choices I made to learn outside the initial schooling. ( I cover the midwest states) and I get resumes everyday.
Yes, going to a technical school is a plus as it shows me an area of interest that this person has and is looking to make a career out of it and not looking for a job till he decides what he wants to do in life. However, the school that they attended does not play a role into my choice..any school bears the same weight when hiring an employee.
Sometimes I am looking for a journeyman or near journeyman and I cant hire someone fresh out of school as the responsibilities are to great to trust with an inexperienced person. If I am hiring a journeyman , the school he attended before he became a journeyman is 100% irrelevant..I could care less.
Wherever you end up working will train you certify you in what they need.
Remember that you will have to buy tools and that will be $50,000-$100,000 during your career so adding a student loan of $25k to that seems pointless. Go to a local community college and spend $5k and buy 20k worth of tools. Go work in a parts store or quick lube while in school.
Where you go to school does not make a bit of difference of where you end up in your career !
payne176
lancaster,#3Consumer Comment
Mon, October 08, 2012
you obviously were not a student there... i was... i graduated in 09 from the long beach campus... i was happy too until i went to my local college to obtain an AA and they told me that wyo tech is NOT and accredited school and my units were NOT transferrable... i also applied to edison (electrical company) upon calling to check the status of my app, the manager also informed me that wyo tech was NOT an accredited school and that my certificate was not acceptable... time warner cable also said the same thing... then when IBEW, which is a MAJOR company, said it i just stopped looking... there was NO reason to look anymore i didn't have an certificate of anything... what i had was the most EXPENSIVE piece of PAPER I've ever seen in my life and $9000.00 depth, that i never saw a PENNY of, to sally mae who CONSTANTLY calls my phone and hangs up in my face because i like to talk about the weather hahaha... i wish i could sue wyo tech i KNOW their has to be some kind of laws or loop holes against what they're doing and when i find it i AM going to sue... and i want to sue sally mae for supporting wyo techs SCAM... they have to know that school is no good based on the simple fact that MOST of their student dont pay them back
boom
United States of America#4Consumer Comment
Fri, June 08, 2012
Hello I am a current Wyotech student 2011-2012 and I am in my last 2 weeks of schooling automotive and chassis fab. I have a pepboys maybe 30 minutes from my mom's house in one of the best part of the city that has called me twice not including the regional manager who called me to ask me to come look at their company. I also have a friend here that is getting job offers from carmax with low 70s and bad attendance so draw your own conclusions does it look good on a resume And besides that with what I have learned from the 2 classes I am building a custom 26 ford coupe from the ground up with nothing but the body,and my only automotive experience was an transmission r&r. Its not even the original style frame it's going from ladder to perimeter frame I have designed and am nearly done building it is straighter than today's factory frames. The classroom is top notch but housing and some of the management's Stuff is terrible. So hopefully you can all understand that when I read this saying how little someone learned from Wyotech I can only think of three possibilities 1they made some great big changes since this was posted 2 you didn't pay attention 3 you were very unlucky because my 3 roommates and all my friends here have learned a lot take from this what you will I'm just giving my experience here
wyotekker
United States of America#5Consumer Comment
Mon, April 18, 2011
The guy who said you can get a degree was correct. Wyotech has a relationship with University of Phoenix. If you take tASM program, you can get those credits rolled over to go towards a
degree at the University of Phoenix. I am currently enrolled, and didn't initially enroll in ASM. But I spoke with an academic advisor at UOP and it is true they do accept the certificate. So I'm thinking of adding ASM on if I can afford to stay longer.
So yes, you can roll it into a Bachelors Degree. Some may say that UOP is crap, but I worked with
someone in the past who had a degree from them at Boeing and she had a great position there.
PS. Wyotech is a great school, I'm working hard and am happy with my decision. I spent a lot of time in community college spinning my wheels. I'm happy, I really believe the harder I work the more I'll get from this experience. They do try to do a lot to set you up to be successful. I plan on taking advantage of every single thing I can while I'm here. I'm in Diesel/Auto and I love it a lot. Its hrd because I'm a girl and there aren't a ton of us here. But the other guys are cool and they respect me a great deal.
The only drawback is that I was told that I should be prepared to relocate to find a great paying salary. I'm from Washington state and the Diesel work there isn't as great as in other parts of the US. I appreciate my recruiter telling me that, I was told that before I even enrolled. So I don't get all these "lies" taht are being told.
I'm glad I chose Wyotech and I feel bad for those who regret their decision.
Silky
Hinesville,#6Consumer Comment
Fri, June 04, 2010
Right, you may not need anything to open shop or work independently but I tell you what, if you aint some official mechanic then you best not touch my car because the difference is, if I find something wrong with my car after you did some service on it, does not matter if I didn't pay you, you can be for sure that I'm going to sue you and ruin your hopes and dreams of ever having a career in the automotive field. So it's really not that simple.
From your post you sound like a kid who wouldn't be able to succeed no matter what school he went too.
Silky
Hinesville,#7Consumer Comment
Fri, June 04, 2010
First I'd like to state that I'm sorry that you had such a horrible experience at wyotech and not just to you but to all these people who are griping and complaining on here. Since I have served in the Army for 7 years now, I can clearly understand and relate to why the locals of Blairsville probably don't like the wyotech students. Since a lot of those students come from other parts of the country to attend the school and a lot of them are probably bored and immature or something, not all but a lot of them, and so if the students themselves do not care for the local people and have any courtesy and decency, then because of their rashness and the trouble they cause, it's no wonder why the locals would hate wyotech students. Same thing with other areas, when privates get out of basic training and get to their first duty station, a lot of them are out of the house and on their own for the very first time and are in a place they have never been before so all they are looking to do in their off time is party.There is nothing wrong with wanting to do that unless you allow it to ge tout of hand. And a lot of these new privates being fresh out of high school and on their own for the very first time, they allow themselves to go buck wild and crazy and looking for trouble. Unfortunately they don't take into consideration many other factors.
As for career services, I can't speak from experience about that but I can say that wyotech offers jobs accross the nation and they are not limited to jobs postings only within the same town or city. They even have a website you can go to where they post jobs openings across the nation. You just have to be willing to go there and not limit yourself to Blairsville and your hometown. I have found one employer that will specifically hire graduates from wyo tech and that is the Pep Boys. Surely you have heard of them before,.....
I spoke to a senior master certified technician who is currently working at a Nissan dealership. I asked him literaly if he had to automotive graduates apply at the same time, one from a community college and the other from wyo tech, which would he hire? His answer was simple, he'd chose the wyotech grad because of the better program and since at wyotech you have hands on testing compared to only papers testing at local colleges. He was not a wyotech graduate himself but he knew very well exactly what the wyotech school was.
I know someone I met through a friend. This person will be graduating from Blairsville this month and I will be getting facts from him. He himself has stated that unfortunately, there are a lot of young students there at Blairsville who seem to want nothing much more than to have a good time and if one has that kind of attitude( not suggesting that you had) one will definately not be able to be successful .
eric_james
Borrego Springs,#8Consumer Comment
Wed, May 19, 2010
I attended WyoTech in 2003, yes I am a green shirt alumni.
I attended the collision repair, refinishing with management degree program. As many others have said I was promised job security, and one on one training.
I received neither. I was placed in groups, where instructors barely come in and check on your progress let alone help you. And the only job related position I've had in the field since graduation was being a detailer, at a mom and pop body shop.
In the ASM program, they teach you about a program called Mitchel On Demand, which I've only seen once in the field, working as parts counter person at a dealership. Where I was not allowed to perform any work on the vehicles, just make sure the parts came in. The management program is a joke, and so is the rest of the school.
I have had an employer actually say, when referring to my degree, if they run out of toilet paper in the restroom, can they use my degree to save a little money!!!
In conclusion, the paper is useless, the school is useless, and the credits are useless, because Wyotech is a nationally accredited school, not regional, so no University or business school will allow credits to be transferred. I've tried ITT Tech, University of Pheonix, nothing!
Thanks WyoTech for the broken promises, lack of education, and the pure waste of 2 years of my life!
oh...and by the way, I went to school with Jesse, from TNT. and she knew what she knows now, before attending WyoTech, so DO NOT allow them to use her as an example! she will probably tell anyone, that the school is a joke!
cozart
augusta,#9General Comment
Sun, February 07, 2010
i agree. I would not recommend anyone go to wyotech. I went to the one in Blairesville and it was horrible. My collision class had over 60 students in it and half of them acted like 5 year olds. The teachers there didn't show any motivation to teach either. Everything the recruiter told me was a lie and i mean everything. I've been working in a paint and body shop for 3 1/2 months now and i've learned more there in a month than i learned my 9 months at wyotech. I read this thing before i went and didn't believe it. Now i'm wishing i would have.
RENDER
United States of America#10General Comment
Sat, February 06, 2010
Every kid in elementary school know that for profit schools such as: University of Phoenix, Western Career, Heald, WyoTech, Culinary Arts, Argosy University etc are not worth the paper they are printed on.
CustomCooled
Massachusetts,#11Consumer Comment
Fri, November 06, 2009
I have been doing autobody for 3 years now and wanted to get out of tear down and replace shops and move into custom stuff and paint work. I couldn't find any schools in my area and thought it would be worth the investment to go to Wyotech. I couldn't find any information on their website about costs and length of courses. Called the number and they assigned me a recruiter. I have been playing phone tag with him for about 2 weeks and then I finally found some usable information from this website. Now I can see why they don't have a normal application process. These recruiters are meant to be salesmen and don't want you to know the way things really are until it is too late and your stuck in the program. This is discouraging to read since I really want to be successful in this business, but can't seem to find a good shop willing to take someone with little experience.
JC
USA#12
Thu, September 10, 2009
I went to wyotechs blairsville campus from 06-07.
When i first talked with the recruiter he told me how it was a great area with plenty to do and the towns people loved to wyotech students. He also mentioned how they had excellenct job placemtn oppertunities. Me living in connecticut, I myself could not visit the campus because of work. So my friend who ended up attending their diesel program visited and said it was ok.
As far as a great area, there is litterally no entertainment. There is only a few deallerships, fast food restaurantes, a super walmart, beer destributor, and sex shops. I am being completely honest when i say that is the only stuff there. Yes you are close to pittsburgh, but it is a 45 minute drive to get there and unless you save up money of take out extra student loans you would probably not have enough money to do much there. Now if you take out student loans for living expenses make sure the money goes directly to you. If you school controls your loans then you will recieve a MAXIMUM of 750 a month for all your living expense needs. That is it.
Next is the people. "the towns people love wyotech students", that could not be more of a lie. The towns people hate wyotech students, not exsactly the townspeoples fault. The students would go 80mph threw neighborhoods, or try and drift turns. I have even seen students having arranged fights in front of buisnesses over stupid disagreements. In fact you can look up old newspaper stories online about some of these students. One of the stories is of a wyotech student chasing down another in their car and after the car being chased flipped over at a nearby bridge that he was dragged out of his car. Then they tried to throw him over the bridge. Another story is of a student who was in my own class. He was at his appartment with some friends. Another student came by and tried to throw a brick at his nextdoor neighbors window. So we went and grabbed a gun and killed one of the students with the brick. These are only 2 stories. At the school i have never seen such a large collection of aragent, self centered, immature, and straight up stupid people in my life. If i could compare their attitudes to something, it would be prison inmates
Now to explain the wyotech staff. First off the career services is a complete waste of time and money. During your stay at wyotech they will force you to fill out this resume packet and they will actually hold a 2 hour class on how to do it correctly. Should you have knowledge on building a resume, yes. But they make you build your resume through this like cut and paste format of ideas that they want rather than you creating your own. As far as the career fairs, they are a complete waste of time. Unless you are a diesel student or want to be employed in the blairsville area. Which i assure you, you do not want to be. In reality, there is no job placement worth persuing through them. Career services also has this whole deal how you can call them any time to update your resume, but once you get through all the hassle of answering all their questions, submitting forms, editing. It is better to just do it your self. Now as far as anyone else handling paperwork, be prepared to have to resubmit forms because they are either lost or filed incorrectly. As far as instructors themselfs, I would say they are good. Just like in any school you will have thoughs teachers you disagree with, but as a whole they are pretty well knowledged individuals.
Now for their spending. Wyotech will cost you about 25k as was stated earlier. In my oppinion the curriculem is very good for theory, but they do not teach you any useful diagnosis skills you need in the field And diagnosis is about 90% of what you need to be a good mechanic. Is it worth 25k? I say no. i would price it somewhere around 15k. I am sure wyotech could manage to market it at 15k as long as they stop waisting large amounts of money on unneeded items. For instance, during the tranmission class they brought in an actual transmission that had cut away views on it. Which is a great hands on tool to see how it works but they payed 3 thousand dollars for this when the could have taken it out of one of the donated cars they are about to scrap and have a student cut open the view holes for credit hours. That is just 1 exsample. In total i would estimate about 50 or 60 of these hands on tools in the school. Many i would guess are a lot more expensive. Especially the fully running engines that are not in vehicles.
Now for life after wyotech. I left school and could only find 1 job in my area. The wyotech diplom did not amount to anything. Almost ever automotive place you go to could not really car about a diploma, the care about work experience. So after your hard work at school expect to recieve around 10 to 13 an hour. So currently i have 2 years work experience, my diploma, and i am an ASE Certified master mechanic. Yet I am still having a hard time finding a decent job. the highest pay i can find is about 16 an hour. Now this may be only my area. I dont know.
Recomendations: If you are seriously thinking about going into the automotive field i would suggest you to talk to local shops in your area and ask them what exsactly they are looking for in there mechanics and what would be their estimated pay range for a reacent graduate of a tech school. I would also look at how many job opportunities are in your desired area. I would highly suggest visiting the campus before you go to any school. I would also suggest sitting in on at least 1 class. Shop and normal class if you can. Get your living expense loans yourself and manage them yourself. You have to show a lot of responsibility with them and mangage them wisely! Never believe a think a recruiter says unless you see it personally. Always think about the future as well. As you heard earlier, another guy decided to get a degree and become a teacher. I myself am planning on going back to school. This career is very hard work and not very rewarded at all. If you do go into this career I would highly suggest a backup plan.
All this is written by an attendy of Wyotech Blairsville. I was one of the first eagle techs, a tutor, mentor, had outstanding attendence, and graduated at the top of my class with a 96 GPA. Currently an ASE Certified Master mechanic with 2 year work experience in an independent shop and soon to be in a dealership.
testofmight
USA#13
Tue, August 25, 2009
Ok...so I haven't checked this site nor cared to since it looks like February when I made my original comment. I WISH I was getting paid, especially since I'm still paying off a student loan and my parents are paying off their portion of my Wyotech loan.
Did I say that my Wyotech diploma was counted as credit toward my bachelors? No. I merely said it helped me on my way. What it did count toward is a year of professional experience and thus, I was allowed to enter the Vocational Teacher Preperation Program. Before you can join the BA in Vocational Education program at my current school, you need to prove that you either have an AAS/AAO in your chosen field or enough time in the professional world. I had 3 years in the field, plus my diploma from Wyotech. The dean of the department said that usually they want to see 5 years of experience, but since I did have 71 credit hours and a grade report from Wyotech, proving that I got all A's, they would let it go. I didn't get any transfer credit, but they let me in and I will be finished this coming May.
Once again, all I can say is that a Wyotech Education is what you make of it. Yes it is more expensive than many programs that actually reward you an AAS, but for me, it was worth it. I'm sorry that others feel differently. I currently TA at a local high school level training program and I honestly tell my kids where they can go from here, be it a community college, Wyotech, UTI...I don't care. Go to Wyotech or do not, but don't accuse me of being some sort of paid lackey...
Joe
Orland,#14Consumer Comment
Sun, February 15, 2009
The previous post is COMPLETE bunk. A Wyotech degree DOES NOT apply to a Bachelors degree from ANY university. I challange the previous poster to tell us what college transferred wyotech credits towards a REAL degree. I also would like to know where these so called 'job offers' came from. So apparently the dozen guys I knew there who didn't get jobs in the industry within 6 months of graduation were all losers? C'mon now... What is it with the paid image-savers on here? Anyone who is thinking of going to any Wyotech, I advise to find a talk to a real wyotech victim, er, I mean student or former student. If you are going to post lies, at least do your homework beforehand. Go tour the campus, and talk to guys in the parking lot after class, or talk to guys around town that go to Wyotech. This school is a fraud. Pure For-Profit organization.
Testofmight
North Syracuse,#15Consumer Comment
Tue, February 10, 2009
As a former Wyotech student, I felt the need to defend my school. I attended Wyotech in Blairsville, PA from October 2004 until June 2005. I was in the "evening" session which ran from about 4PM until approximately 1:30AM, Monday through Friday. It was amazing. The facilities are top notch and I learned a great deal. Yes, I got a creepy vibe from my recruiter who came to my home 6 months before I attended, but let me tell you, once there, the instructors were knowledgeable, strict, and if you put the work into the class, you SUCCEEDED! I followed the attendance policy by never missing a day...let alone a minute (one minute late equals a tardy and counts against your grade) and kept my appearance neat. I graduated at the top of my class and was able to secure a great job when I got back to my home state/town. I actually applied to 12 different dealerships and got responses and job offers from 11! Having Wyotech on my resume meant all the difference in the world to my prospective employers. Today, I've worked my way up to management and am now in the process of becoming an Automotive Teacher (in the high school/secondary age group). Wyotech counted a lot toward my bachelors degree as well. As for the Blairsville area, being close to Pittsburgh was awesome and the living was cheap! My girlfriend, now wife, accompanied me to PA, so we chose to live off campus about 25 miles away. We found a nice 1 bedroom house with a two car garage. It really became home to us. I made friendships there too that have lasted these 5 years. My one buddy, also a hard worker, is now a manager/developer for a company that produces dynomat and other car items...he works with Nascar and other top companies. Others I know went on to work with Mercedes or chose to find dealership jobs in their home towns. One man I met was actually a retired defense contractor who came to Wyotech just for fun! He loved it and we all had a good time. The point is, Wyotech is NOT a ripoff if you are willing work hard and you truly love cars. There are some guys at my dealership who also graduated form Wyotech but have gone no where. You can tell that these are the guys who screwed around, smoked, and came late to class. They'd probably tell you that Wyotech was a ripoff too. It's all in what you put into it. I'm actually teaching some of the same lessons that I saved from Wyotech to my high school students now and those who are interested in cars, I heartily urge to at least take a look at Wyotech, the Blairsville, PA campus at least. I am actually contemplating returning for a few months to take the street rod class just for fun and to add to my skill set.
Joe
Orland,#16Consumer Comment
Thu, February 05, 2009
You better take another look there teacher... If you honestly think this then you are doing a disservice to your students. Look past the PR BS and get real. Talk to someone who went thru the program, dont just hype up on the wine and dine the school puts out for you. You are a either a Wyotech pumper or completely have the wool pulled over your eyes. My guess would be the former.
Jon
Wahoo,#17Consumer Comment
Mon, February 02, 2009
I am a high school instructor, and I was invited with a colleague to come to Wyotech's Laramie campus. They paid for the entire trip, and were extremely gracious hosts. This individual in my opinion had one of several problems. Either he could not make it to class on time, couldn't stay clean cut and professional, or just couldn't keep up with the coursework. If he could handle those things, he would have a degree and be making good money right now. Here is my rebuttal to that post. 1. Their facilities are top notch. They furnish Snap On tools for their students and offer an amazing 55% of retail discount for those who wish to buy their own tools. They use state of the art technology to teach what is out their for students. They also maintain equipment that is currently in shops so they can learn the different types of equipment they will see in the real world. They are vastly better than the average local tech school. They are expanding their campus locations and have a new facility being built on the west side of town that holds half of their courses and will eventually be the location for all of their classes. Their housing is apartment style, is very affordable and much nicer than dorms. For $250-400/month, students can live across the parking lot from half of the courses (West campus) and five minutes away from the rest (North campus). They are planning on eventually having all housing located on the same campus as their classes when West campus is expanded. There are no one room apartments. 2. Their teachers are great. Every instructor I met and got to observe were professional, competent and had great things to say about the school and the students they work with every day. In order to be a teacher, they have to have experience in the real world doing what they are teaching. Most of them have 10+ years in the field prior to working at Wyotech. They all made sure to let us know if there was anything they could do to help us with our high school programs, to let them know. They are first rate instructors and their labs showed it. There are no junkyard cars. The cars they use are 1996 and up, and they only purchase models that are 2000 and up. The cars look brand new because they teach students to take care of them like they are their own. Go there and see what their students produce. You will be amazed. 3. They teach more than just their subject matter. They teach professionalism, punctuality, appearance, accountability, and they teach kids to be productive adults that are employable in the real world. They are a presidential award winning for over 14,000 hours of community service. Less than 3% of all colleges in America get this award. How can the town hate the students when they performed over 14,000 hours of community service the last two years! 4. They take care of their students outside of class. They have lifetime career services available to students. They help kids who are homesick or are having financial troubles. When students aren't in class, they have tons of offerings for them from ski-snow board trips, trips to professional sports games, intramurals, and many other things too numerous to mention. With Denver, Fort Collins, Skiiing, hunting, off roading, and nearly every other type of entertainment within an easy drive, they have tons to offer any young person. They flat out care about a student's well being. 5. They are industry based. They have advisory meetings year round that take input from the industry in order to keep their curriculum up to date. They are NATEF certified and they write all their own curriculum. They publish their own material in book form, and it is not based in the 60's, its based on what is out there right now. Their curriculum is first rate. 6. They rolled out the red carpet for me and many other teachers from around the country last weekend and I was thoroughly impressed with the college. I have nothing bad to say about Wyotech. Yes they are pricey, but you are out and making money after 9 months! At the age of 19 or 20 you can make more money than most people who graduate with 4 year degrees! You can contact them and get the facts and figures yourself if you don't believe me.
Tbillion
ALAMEDA,#18Consumer Comment
Wed, January 28, 2009
I have been in rolled in Wyotech for 4 phases now, and for those who dont understand the Wyotech ideology that is 24 weeks. I attend on the regular basis @ the Fremont campus. Our campus is clean orderly and a real pleasure to learn at. However I think its a crying shame when someone has one bad experience and try's to ruin the name of a good establishment. I am taking the AT1 and AT2 programs which will allow me to be a automotive mechanic. I have learned alot and I knew a good bit. UNFORTUANATELY there are people who go to this school with golden dreams of grandeur and when they get there they realize that its a school and all the flashy bells and whistles are for after you graduate. In engines we worked on a set of fairly new Dodge Neon engines. All the pieces were there and the teachers made us put in new piston rings and other consumables that maybe didnt need to be done. There are four man teams on a tool box. this school makes every effort to make you work on a team. That is a good thing it builds a lot of team skills that all of these young people don't have. Overall my experience at wyotech is a 180 degree flip from what this person has stated. And lastly, I DIDNT want to goto wyotech, I have a Masters in computer science. I went because my cousin needed a ride every day and i didnt wanna drive to fremont 2x a day. I enjoy it , does that tell you anything?
Tbillion
ALAMEDA,#19Consumer Comment
Wed, January 28, 2009
I have been in rolled in Wyotech for 4 phases now, and for those who dont understand the Wyotech ideology that is 24 weeks. I attend on the regular basis @ the Fremont campus. Our campus is clean orderly and a real pleasure to learn at. However I think its a crying shame when someone has one bad experience and try's to ruin the name of a good establishment. I am taking the AT1 and AT2 programs which will allow me to be a automotive mechanic. I have learned alot and I knew a good bit. UNFORTUANATELY there are people who go to this school with golden dreams of grandeur and when they get there they realize that its a school and all the flashy bells and whistles are for after you graduate. In engines we worked on a set of fairly new Dodge Neon engines. All the pieces were there and the teachers made us put in new piston rings and other consumables that maybe didnt need to be done. There are four man teams on a tool box. this school makes every effort to make you work on a team. That is a good thing it builds a lot of team skills that all of these young people don't have. Overall my experience at wyotech is a 180 degree flip from what this person has stated. And lastly, I DIDNT want to goto wyotech, I have a Masters in computer science. I went because my cousin needed a ride every day and i didnt wanna drive to fremont 2x a day. I enjoy it , does that tell you anything?
Tbillion
ALAMEDA,#20Consumer Comment
Wed, January 28, 2009
I have been in rolled in Wyotech for 4 phases now, and for those who dont understand the Wyotech ideology that is 24 weeks. I attend on the regular basis @ the Fremont campus. Our campus is clean orderly and a real pleasure to learn at. However I think its a crying shame when someone has one bad experience and try's to ruin the name of a good establishment. I am taking the AT1 and AT2 programs which will allow me to be a automotive mechanic. I have learned alot and I knew a good bit. UNFORTUANATELY there are people who go to this school with golden dreams of grandeur and when they get there they realize that its a school and all the flashy bells and whistles are for after you graduate. In engines we worked on a set of fairly new Dodge Neon engines. All the pieces were there and the teachers made us put in new piston rings and other consumables that maybe didnt need to be done. There are four man teams on a tool box. this school makes every effort to make you work on a team. That is a good thing it builds a lot of team skills that all of these young people don't have. Overall my experience at wyotech is a 180 degree flip from what this person has stated. And lastly, I DIDNT want to goto wyotech, I have a Masters in computer science. I went because my cousin needed a ride every day and i didnt wanna drive to fremont 2x a day. I enjoy it , does that tell you anything?
Tbillion
ALAMEDA,#21Consumer Comment
Wed, January 28, 2009
I have been in rolled in Wyotech for 4 phases now, and for those who dont understand the Wyotech ideology that is 24 weeks. I attend on the regular basis @ the Fremont campus. Our campus is clean orderly and a real pleasure to learn at. However I think its a crying shame when someone has one bad experience and try's to ruin the name of a good establishment. I am taking the AT1 and AT2 programs which will allow me to be a automotive mechanic. I have learned alot and I knew a good bit. UNFORTUANATELY there are people who go to this school with golden dreams of grandeur and when they get there they realize that its a school and all the flashy bells and whistles are for after you graduate. In engines we worked on a set of fairly new Dodge Neon engines. All the pieces were there and the teachers made us put in new piston rings and other consumables that maybe didnt need to be done. There are four man teams on a tool box. this school makes every effort to make you work on a team. That is a good thing it builds a lot of team skills that all of these young people don't have. Overall my experience at wyotech is a 180 degree flip from what this person has stated. And lastly, I DIDNT want to goto wyotech, I have a Masters in computer science. I went because my cousin needed a ride every day and i didnt wanna drive to fremont 2x a day. I enjoy it , does that tell you anything?
Petey
Indianapolis,#22Consumer Comment
Wed, December 17, 2008
...and ended up going to UNOH instead. I can't say too much about how the instructors were or how they do their tuition reimbursement, but UNOH's facilities and equipment are top notch compared to Wyotech. Not to mention it is a campus with both business and technical colleges, athletics, and co-ed. Wyotech just seemed like all dudes everywhere. I know you should be there to learn but you also have to experience the college life.
Petey
Indianapolis,#23Consumer Comment
Wed, December 17, 2008
...and ended up going to UNOH instead. I can't say too much about how the instructors were or how they do their tuition reimbursement, but UNOH's facilities and equipment are top notch compared to Wyotech. Not to mention it is a campus with both business and technical colleges, athletics, and co-ed. Wyotech just seemed like all dudes everywhere. I know you should be there to learn but you also have to experience the college life.
Petey
Indianapolis,#24Consumer Comment
Wed, December 17, 2008
...and ended up going to UNOH instead. I can't say too much about how the instructors were or how they do their tuition reimbursement, but UNOH's facilities and equipment are top notch compared to Wyotech. Not to mention it is a campus with both business and technical colleges, athletics, and co-ed. Wyotech just seemed like all dudes everywhere. I know you should be there to learn but you also have to experience the college life.
Icefireblue
Laramie,#25Consumer Comment
Fri, April 11, 2008
I am currently a student at the Laramie WyoTech campus. I agree and disagree with many of the opinions about the school. Unfortunately the overall attitude of the school is based primarily on money, the laramie campus rakes in around, if not substantialy more than $100 million per year. But this is more so once Corrinthian Colleges took over. During my time in the Collision/Refinishing program i was lucky enough to have instructors with 25+ years experience in the field, however the curriculum CCI (Corrinthian Colleges Inc.) put in place had more than a few flaws. The North Campus in Laramie is definately sub-par as far as equipment and faclities mainly due to the fact that that part of the school is the original campus since 1966 and they are planning on closing that part and moving everything to the West Campus in West Laramie. Nearly all of the people who complain about the school always bring up the condition of comp cars and equipment. I totally agree with what is said. In my time ive spent here so far i have noticed that basically all of the reasons for the state of these things is because of students. Wyotech needs some kind of addmittance process that will better keep out the immature and incompetent people who ruin it for everyone. Instead of their "You pay, youre in" policy. Another thing i have noticed is that a lot of people complain about pointless and seemingly impossible tests, quizzez and competencies. I have finished every phase so far with a 90%+ GPA and nearly 2 weeks of free time to work on my own projects in class. It really comes down to your own will to get things done and pay attention in class to pass tests so you can understand things better. The housing side of the school i think is actually pretty good. Though expensive, they are nice apartments. I live in a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 roommates and have no problems at all. The only downside to campus housing is the many rediculous rules they have. Such as, requiring a permit to wash your car in the lot, not allowing any kind of car parts inside at all, fines for not having the place nearly spotless, the beds (cheap, small and uncomfortable...twin extra long? good luck finding sheets), and the fact that you arent allowed to have guests of the opposite sex over (this isnt 6th grade summer camp). As for the instructors. I have had great instructors in my classes so far who were very knowlegable of the trade motivated. I am now in Chassis Fabrication and High Performance Engines and i now have the best instructors so far. In refinishing, i went in having never even picked up a paint gun, and within the 3 months i was in that class, i learned how to lay down a perfect paint job. Nearly the same goes for collison, i had never done bodywork of any kind, and by the end of the class i was able to repair the whole side of a car without a single ounce of body filler. The administrative department is where the school hits its all time low. I recently found out the hard way that my living expence checks were to be cut by one hundred dollars for the remaining time i was here, at the time it was 4 months, all because one of my loans ended up being 190 dollars short, therefore for some reason they needed 400 to cover it. I went in to find out why and instead of getting answers, I was treated like I was just entering 6th grade. The only thing I was told was that I needed to lean how to budget myself and that they couldnt give me money they didnt have. At an anual income of $100+ million, im sure they can spare $190. The president of WyoTech drives a Ferarri. So thats where my money goes. Another one, the coordinator of the Collison/Refinishing program has absolutely NO knowledge of that industry that i know of. He wanted to take points from me for not following his blatently flawed directions, that is untill i told him i was going to the director of education, and my lawyer. Over all, I am happy with the education i have recieve and am yet to recieve in the next 2 months. The only downfall to the school, wich compounds to other things, is CCI's obsession with making as much money as possible. But on the other hand, with what i learned here, if I apply myself, I plan on easily paying off every cent of my loans within 1 or 2 years. I wouldn't tell anyone not to come here or that its a great school, it has its major flaws that need to be corrected, but i learned a whole hell of a lot here. Its really what you make of it when it comes down to it.
Kd
Sacramento,#26Consumer Comment
Fri, April 04, 2008
First off, I'd like to make it clear that this is solely based off my PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, so I'm not taking any sides. I have to wonder though: How can you judge all of Wyotech off of a bad experience at one campus?? As far as the representatives go, I couldn't agree with you more. They tell you lies upon lies about what you can supposedly do at these campuses and what these classes supposedly teach, and THAT is definitely BS. I'm a current student at the Wyotech West Sacramento Campus though, and I can't possibly say that I regret my decision to come here. Honestly, I see it like life: You have to take the good with the bad. Sure you get those immature kids who think they're still in high school and just don't give a d**n, but then you also have the more mature students who want to be here and actually learn something. I've spoken with numerous students who came to this campus from other Wyotech campuses-- Fremont, Laramie, Pennsylvania, and even a couple who transferred here from UTI. They had some of the same complaints that everyone else does: Laramie-- on-campus housing is a nightmare, the climate is horrible. Fremont-- their entire shop area is half the size of only one of ours; students are allowed to have long hair and wear piercings in Fremont (as well as UTI), but not at Sacramento. And all campuses are extremely horrible with their upkeep of equipment as far as parts missing and cars not running. (As far as the equipment, I must admit I was furious when I was told to teardown and rebuild an engine and came to find that most of the parts were either missing or just shoved in the oil pan. But I also had to keep in mind that there are at least 150 students every 6 weeks working on only a handful of engines with only one week in between phases where they aren't touched. What can you do?) Yet we stuck it out with Wyotech, transferred or did whatever we needed to do to better our situation, and majority of us now work respectable jobs in the industry we trained for, making decent money (myself not included because I'm still attending). Teachers: I've had good teachers and down right ridiculous ones. Most of them had questionable teaching methods but still gave out good information. One or two of them were down right horrible and couldn't care less whether or not you were there. The handful of instructors that I have no complaints about were absolutely awesome. I learned more information taking their class than most people currently working in the industry know. And yes, I do have friends and family members who are self-taught and have been working in the industry their entire lives. They agree that I have a more a extensive knowledge and understanding coming from a school rather than just work experience alone. Financing: Yeah, I put myself at least 30k in the hole with student loans. I had debts prior to coming here, still continue to have those debts, and can STILL say that even though Wyotech created my biggest debt, I believe that in the long run the knowledge will outweight it's expense. For as long as I wanted to be here, their financial aid department made sure I had the funding to do so. As far as employment goes. . . I haven't applied anywhere yet, but still managed to have offers from BMW and Mercedes just from talking with them at the Career Fairs. Plain and simple: there's good things and bad things about everything in life, but don't bad mouth something when you don't know every aspect of it.
Gramps
Casper,#27Consumer Comment
Fri, February 29, 2008
First allow me to congratulate you on being an Eagle tech. While I was attending there was no such program, however I did graduate #1 in each of my classes so I believe that would have made me an Eagle tech. While I do agree with your opinions on reading the contract and checking the climate, I take offense with your statements of "but I have seen quite a few people who have the same attitude as the ones writing this article" and "However, I think you should be more upset with yourselves for not putting in the extra effort required to be an Eagle Tech, or that extra 5 minutes of reading to pass that test. If you apply yourself, you will get what you put in.". The very act of your assuming that I have posted on this board due to my laziness simply shows a serious lack of understanding and maturity on your part. The purpose of these reports are to help make potential students aware of many downfalls the administration of the Laramie campus suffers from, not as a P.R. tool for wyotech. I hope if you have already graduated you have found employment suitable for you. I am currently employed as a lead failure analysis technician with one on the largest Caterpillar dealerships in the U.S. There are wonderful jobs out there for those of us that apply ourselves, however I bet you discovered that the Eagle tech designation was not even enough to buy you a cup of coffee without having to put a few dollars with it.
Called
Mossville,#28Consumer Comment
Sun, February 10, 2008
I attended this joke for 2 weeks and left cause the lack of knowledge and immaturity of the students. I graduated from my local college and recieved a associates degree instead of a phony paper from wyotech.
Joe
Orland,#29Author of original report
Sun, February 03, 2008
Just curious Mjmorrill, Are you actually an employee, or did you get some extra credit for writing that PR statement? Carlos
Mjmorrill
Huntington Beach,#30Consumer Suggestion
Fri, January 18, 2008
To start, I am a current student @ Wyotech, Long Beach, CA. I have been there for almost two months, and I am an Eagle Tech. Now, I think that the things that have been said about this school are not entirely true. Some of them are, but most are easily fixable by actually applying yourself. Granted, some things in the article need to be addressed by the school (Missing parts, instructor negligence, etc.), but I have seen quite a few people who have the same attitude as the ones writing this article. I went in to this school with a wide knowledge of basic Mechanic skill. I went in knowing how to do rebuilds, R&I, R&R, and even in some cases O/H. The main reason I went in is to further my knowledge, and beef up my resume a little bit. I will agree that the recruiters are very pushy to get you to sign the contract. But there are some things you should look in to before you EVER sign something. If you simply would have asked them for a statistical record of the past 5 years of employment upon graduation, they would have given it to you. I asked for it, and I asked questions. When you go into something such as this where you have to invest tens of thousands of dollars, you should not go off of someone's word who might not even be there tomorrow. If I had to put that much money towards something, I would investigate a little first. And they tell you up front that if you quit within 5 days, you get your tuition back in full. You even have to sign a paper. They even give you a copy of the paper. There is no reason you should complain. And as far as your auto shop in high school being more modern? Did they have an infrared laser alignment rack? Or a dyno? Or even a few brake lathes? What about a transmission dyno? If they did, let me know. I will send my kids there. As for the climate, are you serious? You didn't think to look up the climate first BEFORE moving? And even in that case, if you don't like the climate, there are seven other locations for you to choose. And financial aid is going to be horrible, if you make it. You left. That is why they pulled your grants and charged you for the full amount. If you leave before the courses are done, the government is going to take their money back. They are not going to pay for something or a portion of something just because your feelings got hurt that a recruiter lied to you and you did not get the amount of stuff you wanted. I know that you are supposed to be able to trust recruiters, but ask anyone. Recruiters are paid liars. Legally, they don't have to tell you that the 100% employment after graduation is in one city in Alabama, with only one person who graduated and got hired at his dad's shop. (That was an example, people) They are just entitled to be able to say 100% employment. It is true, technically. Let me explain something to you guys. This is life. You are old enough now to be able to make your own decisions. I am sorry you didn't have all the great experiences that you thought you were going to get. And I am sorry you didn't read your contract before signing it. And I am also sorry that you spray painted over graffitti and thought that it was ok because "I was going with what I have always believed". However, I think you should be more upset with yourselves for not putting in the extra effort required to be an Eagle Tech, or that extra 5 minutes of reading to pass that test. If you apply yourself, you will get what you put in. The bottom line is that if you want to get what you pay for, you have to try. Lead by example, follow directions, and listen to, don't just hear, the instructor. They are there to help.
Dickq
Bakersfield,#31Consumer Comment
Thu, December 06, 2007
i know exactly what your talking about. i feel like i was blatantly lied to about this school. i go to the campus in west sac and d**n man. the education is sub par at best. the instructors have no motivation to teach the class. he cant even get a grip on the students there long enough to teach us anything. i spend most of my time waiting for him to control the class ( which he never does) and i have had the inspection done almost every day. it takes about 1 and a half hours to do it. yeah wow i learned a lot just now about fixing cars. then they make you feel stupid when you have a question about something you don't understand. i have been trying to be an eagle tech and they said lead by example. well some one thought they were being funny and decided to graffiti most of the bathroom stalls. there were things written about me and some of my friends. well the school wasn't doing anything about it. so i decided fine lead by example. i went down to home depot and bought a can of spray paint and covered it up. it was the most vile racist and vulgar writing i have ever seen. i was so deeply offended by what was written that i just refused to go in there anymore. and the school would do nothing about it. now people are saying that I'm going to be expelled for doing that and that I'm gonna be in so much trouble if they find out i did that. i know i have nothing to worry about because i was following what i believed to be right. and i was raised not to sell out my beliefs. if i do get expelled for covering up that horrible mess i would like to file a law suit against them. i haven't heard anything about it yet so I'm still kinda nervous about it. but i agree with you this school isn't anything they say it is. but UTI also isn't anything special so i would just suggest go to the local college because you will get a better education and spend almost nothing for it. -Rich Bakersfield, Ca
Gramps
Casper,#32Consumer Comment
Sun, October 21, 2007
I also graduated from the Diesel/ASM course in Laramie, WY. I agree with everything said. As an older student who took this course in order to have a piece of paper to prove I knew what I was doing, I was appalled. On numerous occasions I had to correct the Instructors on what the proper way to assemble a transmission or run an overhead on a Cummins ISX engine. My thanks was being sent to see the coordinator and having points taken off of my grade, I guess having more current knowledge than the instructors is a crime at wyotech. Not that you can actually learn anything rebuilding equipment that has been "tekkerized" to the point that it is almost unrecognizable. Lets get the word out so others aren't screwed over, like we were.
Glen
Middleton,#33Consumer Suggestion
Tue, December 05, 2006
Wyotech is a big scam and I agree with you. I would love to see a class action lawsuit against all of them. if you agree lets get a lawyer and blow the lid off these scams get everyone you know to right into this page