Not current but a former student. Went to Wyotech in Laramie WY for "Collision Repair/Refinishing, what a joke! I am very glad to have gone on a scholarship and really feel for the friends I made that had to pay their huge student loans back for such a scam. To any young fabo members or parents, seriously look into it, its not worth the money. Most local community colleges offer nearly the same programs for MUCH less $$ with smaller class sizes and just as qualified/ often better instructors. While I did learn a bit, the school is a "for profit" and much more interested in pushing as many students through as possible than actually teaching a trade. Corinthian, the parent company is acutally under federal investigation for fraudulant claims of post education employment rates and are shutting down/selling off nearly all the campuses.
The best any school can prepare you for is the basics. You never really learn the trade until you get knee deep into it.
I've seen a lot of kids go through the local CC who come out thinking their **** don't stink for having gone through the program. Once they hit the shops, though, they're in for a rude awakening. Guys with years - decades - of experience take care of that attitude quickly.
The last shop I worked for one of the owners was a college educated guy. His diagnostics amounted to pulling the code and throwing parts at it and then wondering why everything came back. You can't tell me his instructor didn't teach him proper test out. Or maybe his instructor didn't. When he did do proper test out it would take him days to figure out the problem and even then, he was at such a loss for suggestions he'd turn to the internet for suggestions and then throw more parts at it. In a flat rate shop he'd lose his *** because he didn't do proper test out, yet he acted like he was the greatest technician history had ever seen.
Take for instance, an ABS issue on a Focus. Wheel speed sensor codes for both fronts. Replace the wheel speed sensors. (First clue should have been neither were reading.) Don't check to see if you have a pulse, just replace 'em. Then he reads on the internet the Focus has communication issues so next comes a module. Still no reading. Then he reads on the internet of guys putting in bearings backwards. Seems like the previous owner had non-ABS bearings put in.
All of this could have taken care of in ten minutes with a DMM instead of days of putting parts in.
But then again, this is the same kid who would bypass the relay on an AC system to get the clutch running and then fill the system with refrigerant. Don't pull a vacuum, don't put more oil the system, just blame the manufacturer for shipping you bad AC pumps.
Sorry for the rant, a little off topic, I know, but the downside for this kid was that what the college taught him was gospel and no real world experience working in the shops to actually learn how to do things.
