diesel/automotive school
#1
#3
I'm currently in NADC (Nashville auto diesel college) which was bought by Lincoln educational services. We still get the NADC name till August then they start changing the contracts to Lincoln.
Instructors know their stuff and teach you a lot of things that the book don't tell you. It was a great place but now were seeing a lot of the Lincoln coming out now and honestly it isn't good. They're cutting out workbooks and not replacing them with new, therefore we just wing it in the shop for the most part. There is prolly 40% shop per class with some classes being up to 75% shop, so you get a lot of hands on.
I am gonna be paying around 25K in the end for it all. Plus housing which is $450 a month out of pocket for me, some get it in their loans.
Over all I'm happy with what I've learned so far. Could've been better, but that's the case most everywhere.
Would I go here again now that it's Lincoln? I highly doubt it...
Also, Nashville crime rate is rediculous!!
Oh yea, on the did it pay off.... I'll let you know September 13th
Instructors know their stuff and teach you a lot of things that the book don't tell you. It was a great place but now were seeing a lot of the Lincoln coming out now and honestly it isn't good. They're cutting out workbooks and not replacing them with new, therefore we just wing it in the shop for the most part. There is prolly 40% shop per class with some classes being up to 75% shop, so you get a lot of hands on.
I am gonna be paying around 25K in the end for it all. Plus housing which is $450 a month out of pocket for me, some get it in their loans.
Over all I'm happy with what I've learned so far. Could've been better, but that's the case most everywhere.
Would I go here again now that it's Lincoln? I highly doubt it...
Also, Nashville crime rate is rediculous!!
Oh yea, on the did it pay off.... I'll let you know September 13th
Last edited by Cummins97; 06-18-2011 at 12:14 AM.
#4
#5
#6
I haven't been to any of those schools, but there are two instructors at my school who used to work at Lincoln, and my instructor who went for a job there but didn't like the way they did things. Here's what I understand about Lincoln, and from what I gather Wyotech is the same...
Firstly, it's really freakin' expensive. Those schools don't make their money by teaching people, they make their money, (and a lot of it) by FINANCING the people they teach. Not only are the fees high, they will charge you interest etc etc just like a bank. And God help you if you miss a payment.
Secondly, they are backed by industry. That means that in the lab/shop, there are 20 or so brand new engines from, say International, (they may not be, I'm just using that as an example) on stands. Never been run or nothing, straight out of the box. You will go through that engine, strip it down, build it up again, every nut and bolt, and do it from the factory service manual. No grease, no dirt... in other words, nothing like real life. And, you only work on that OEM's engine, no one else's. Which is great if you want to work for the International dealership.
Thirdly, I kind of touched on it already. You will not learn any tricks of the trade, unless your teacher knows his/her stuff. You won't work on real world type problems, or trouble shoot, diagnose and fix anything that isn't covered by the FSM.
Fourth, I have a friend who'se buddy is just finishing up with Lincoln's car program. $35k, and no ASE's. Apparently they do ALL their ASE testing once they've finished the course. I don't know about you, but that's a lot of tests to take all at once. And ASE doesn't test you on one make or model of engine or whatever. I've got 4 ASE's, (should've been 5 but I couldn't afford the 5th one) and I've just finished the course I did in heavy truck and diesel engines. We didn't wait 'til the end, we did whatever tests we were ready for, while the subject matter was still fresh in our minds.
I did my course at a community college. I know a lot of folks look down on them, but to me it's WAY better value for money. $5k as opposed to $35k? Even if you get paid $2 an hour less, (you won't) you will still pay back a loan if you have to get one MUCH faster. To me, the instructors at community colleges are more passionate about teaching and providing the 'community' with quality workers, rather than just churning out students.
My wife, who has a Masters degree, did some of her classes at a CC for that very reason. Why pay 3 times the class-hour rate and get no one-on-one instruction when you can get a better education, because the teachers actually care whether you pass or not, a lot cheaper? And you end up with the same result or better.
I'm sure there are people who have had bad experiences at both types of school. Your best bet is to go and see for yourself what each can do for you, not what you can do for them. A good friend of mine was recently given the hard sell by a private college, and he was basically brainwashed into becoming a psychiatrist, for an exhorbatent fee, even though he has no interest or background in it. They didn't care if he passed or not, they just wanted his money. Beware the hard sell!!!
Good luck with whatever you do dude. There's work available for diesel mechanics and it's only going to get better.
---AutoMerged DoublePost---
That's a shame, 'cause I've heard that school is/was awesome!
Firstly, it's really freakin' expensive. Those schools don't make their money by teaching people, they make their money, (and a lot of it) by FINANCING the people they teach. Not only are the fees high, they will charge you interest etc etc just like a bank. And God help you if you miss a payment.
Secondly, they are backed by industry. That means that in the lab/shop, there are 20 or so brand new engines from, say International, (they may not be, I'm just using that as an example) on stands. Never been run or nothing, straight out of the box. You will go through that engine, strip it down, build it up again, every nut and bolt, and do it from the factory service manual. No grease, no dirt... in other words, nothing like real life. And, you only work on that OEM's engine, no one else's. Which is great if you want to work for the International dealership.
Thirdly, I kind of touched on it already. You will not learn any tricks of the trade, unless your teacher knows his/her stuff. You won't work on real world type problems, or trouble shoot, diagnose and fix anything that isn't covered by the FSM.
Fourth, I have a friend who'se buddy is just finishing up with Lincoln's car program. $35k, and no ASE's. Apparently they do ALL their ASE testing once they've finished the course. I don't know about you, but that's a lot of tests to take all at once. And ASE doesn't test you on one make or model of engine or whatever. I've got 4 ASE's, (should've been 5 but I couldn't afford the 5th one) and I've just finished the course I did in heavy truck and diesel engines. We didn't wait 'til the end, we did whatever tests we were ready for, while the subject matter was still fresh in our minds.
I did my course at a community college. I know a lot of folks look down on them, but to me it's WAY better value for money. $5k as opposed to $35k? Even if you get paid $2 an hour less, (you won't) you will still pay back a loan if you have to get one MUCH faster. To me, the instructors at community colleges are more passionate about teaching and providing the 'community' with quality workers, rather than just churning out students.
My wife, who has a Masters degree, did some of her classes at a CC for that very reason. Why pay 3 times the class-hour rate and get no one-on-one instruction when you can get a better education, because the teachers actually care whether you pass or not, a lot cheaper? And you end up with the same result or better.
I'm sure there are people who have had bad experiences at both types of school. Your best bet is to go and see for yourself what each can do for you, not what you can do for them. A good friend of mine was recently given the hard sell by a private college, and he was basically brainwashed into becoming a psychiatrist, for an exhorbatent fee, even though he has no interest or background in it. They didn't care if he passed or not, they just wanted his money. Beware the hard sell!!!
Good luck with whatever you do dude. There's work available for diesel mechanics and it's only going to get better.
---AutoMerged DoublePost---
I'm currently in NADC (Nashville auto diesel college) which was bought by Lincoln educational services. We still get the NADC name till August then they start changing the contracts to Lincoln.
Instructors know their stuff and teach you a lot of things that the book don't tell you. It was a great place but now were seeing a lot of the Lincoln coming out now and honestly it isn't good.
Instructors know their stuff and teach you a lot of things that the book don't tell you. It was a great place but now were seeing a lot of the Lincoln coming out now and honestly it isn't good.
Last edited by KD93; 06-18-2011 at 01:58 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
#7