well im nearin' the end of my second term at the local community college(lane) and im findin' that ive learned about as much as i can with the hands on portion because of funding for the program and the tech we have. so ive been lookin' at going possibly to a technical school or community college with a better program. what are your guys thoughts about different schools? peferably on the west coast. ive looked a lot at wyo tech but dont know if its worth the dough and livin' in wyoming for at least 9 months. and do you guys find that its needed to get a good start in the business to actually go to school for it? open to any thoughts...
I would say any sort of a tech or vocational school would be a better option than another community college. It would help a lot to be some where that specialized in exactly what you do... I am sure that you could find several in the west coast area although I don't know of any personally. As far as WYO Tech goes, you get what you pay for... Good luck with everything, I hope you find something that suits you well. Erin
I don't know much about it, but there is also a Wyotech in Fremont California wich is not too far from the S.F. bay area.
there is a couple wyo techs in california. but i do believe that they are all auto tech, diesel, and airplanes...
at least one of them teaches autobody cause a guy here on the HAMB was teachin at one the last i knew. i forget which one. his HAMB name was DollaBill. he may have changed it but i have'nt see him around in a while. there is UTI (i think thats the name) in Pheonix Arizona. a kid know is going there and likes it alot. i would think a good specialized education would help in getting a job but is not completely necesary. it is gonna depend on your experience and skil level mostly. we are lucky here in Lansing Michigan to have Paul Beck teaching at the local community college on the weekends. he has been building hot rods since the 60s and he KNOWS his stuff. he is one of the most amazing sheetmetal/bodymen you could ever meet. he literaly turns trash into treasure and has a rather large collection of 32 Fords as well as buildings full of kickass engines, bodies and parts. i've personaly learned alot from being in his weekend classes. 90% of the students bring in their hot rods to work on and it is alot of fun to be there with all those hot rods being worked on at once. i do wish i had taken classes at Wyo Tech when i was younger and had less responsibilities. just for the experience of it.
I am about to start at lake washington tech up here in seattle. Ive heard some really good things from my friends that are in the program and other programs. There also is renton tech near seattle. Seattle isnt that far from ya.
I wouldn't say you can't get into the biz without school, but it's pretty tuff, and you'll advance slow. If you want to do modern collision work, you need pretty extensive technical knowlege. Don't write off community college. Just do some home work. Tour the school. Ask questions. P.M. me if you want to see ours. It's a two year program, and a bargin compaired to the private schools. We are also offering a summer rod and resto class if you want to go that direction with your career.
i went to a trade school for 2 years. they placed me in a body shop right away after graduation. the school teaches you the basics and fundamentals of metal working. once your set free you pick it up quick. you will learn more working at an actual shop. you will start off as a helper but just make sure to ask a lot of questions. also watch people as they work. pick up a few good habits from each body guy you meet. then turn each trick into your own style. i have been doing body work now for 10+ yrs. i have never regreted chooseing this career. i'm I-Car certified. good luck.
Schools are very important. stay in them and presure that paper you worked hard for. I started body work in high school and then community college. That was necc for the paper. My education came from real world exp. When you start at a shop you will basicaly be paid less that mim. because you need tools. Start as a helper and pay your dues for 3-4 years(important) You need to be picky where you start at. You want to start at a very reputable shop. High end shops are good. The most important thing is to stick with it. I have and I enjoy doing body work. I guess you can say that next to my family it is my passion. Body work is a very fast changing field and you will need to stay on top of you education such as ICAR and ASE. I have done very well and been blessed in this field and I wish you the same. Good luck
I don't mean to jack this thread, but since it's on the topic I decided I might as well ask some questions. I love building cars and have been working on them for the past few years. I am getting my first project this saturday, a '56 desoto four door. I want to learn as much as I can about building hotrods, but I want to learn the old skool stuff. Im not into the new style of building, so I guess I want to learn the "traditional" form of hotrodding and fabricating. It doesn't matter to me if I ever get into the business or if I just learn to build for myself. I graduate high school in June and was waondering what would be the best thing for me to do. I was thinking about trying to get an apprenticeship with someone. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks everyone.
once you learn how to do body work the right way. it doesn't matter what you work on, the technique is the same. it can be a 49 merc or a honda civic. its all the same. new technology is being picked up by the hot rod industry. for you not to take advantage of it is a dumb move. use the Panel bonding glues, fillers and use the rust protective measures. saves you time and the work will come out good. as long as you learn it the right way. just add your style to it.
Thats true for auto body, but I want to learn everything, what about for those fields? I.E. frames and suspension, motors, fabricating? I want to learn how they did it back in the beginning. Would it be good for me to go to school and learn how its done today as well?
if you can pull a frame after an accident. you can build a frame to be safe. inorder to build a car you have to be able to take them apart first. that will teach you where everything goes. also remember the last part out is the first part you put back. its all the same. if you can weld, and measure you can do it. as long as you have common sence. that will carry you a long way too. check out my website. look at the Dodge truck i did. i can use the same technique for just about any car or truck.
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