Vocational Education and Careers

Went to vo tech for auto body and now I am a frame tech at a collision center and I teach auto body class at a high school.

 

Vo tech worked for me. 26 years of bodywork says it all.

 

I am in my first year of teaching High School Auto Body. Our's is a 3 year program, I teach the 2nd & 3rd year students. After 22 years of self- employment it was quite a change. I took welding at a local vo-tech and have never regreted the time spent in vo-tech.
I have a lot of students that will never work in the automotive field, but I try to get through to them that the basic sikills that they are learning transend in to a number of other jobs. Even if they go on to college and never work with their hands they now will have the confidence to at least do small repairs to their own car, or could re-store a car some day.

There is alot of students ,for what ever reason, are not good at book work. But are awesome in the shop, be it body work or welding. I think the greatest thing about High School Shop class is it gives the kids that are just not programmed to go to a 4 year college a choice. We schedule recruiters from Wyo, UTI, NADC, and a couple of local Vo-tech schools to come and talk with the kids, if for nothing more than to show them that there are choices out there. I try to steer them to the local schools because of the cost, but some just want to get away.
I love it when I am working with a student and the light comes on it his or her eyes, they just got it!!!!! I have a couple of students that are die-hard car guys, they live for Autobody class. To most of my students Autobody is the only class that they make a good grade in, and I do not just give anyone a grade they must earn it. I'm trying to work in some hot rod stuff in to the curriculum.

Sorry for the long post. But I think any time a kid can learn it is a good thing.

 

Here is my view from both sides of the fence. I attended Denver Auto and Diesel college in 1975,I graduated the auto tech program. I worked as a mechanic at an Olds dealer for 2 years,it sucked baddd. Flat rate will make ya a poor tired old man fast. The reason? I could not lie on my work orders,I seen too many mechanics fudging the numbers to get more time. But that is another story. Later in my life I had a chance to teach at Ohio Auto Diesel tech. WOW,what an experience that was,I spent 2 years there and grossed 400.00 a week. The cash just was not there.Teaching was a blast for me though,I wish I could do it again in a different environment. I loved teaching carburetion,fuel injection,auto trannys and suspension. At these schools there was very little hands on as there is little time and next to no space for students to take cars apart and leave them apart till the next day. The theory,if presented properly is really the best part,It is good to know how and why things work. I am reminded of the old saying,the mind can only absorb what the ass can endure,11/2 hour to 2 hours of theory is enough a day,ya gotta get hands on dirty to really learn what is going on. Once again,schools for the most part promise you the world and deliver very little actual hands on training. If you want hands on training go join the Air Force. Just my 2 cents and If needed I can go into detail for you,just drop me a line.

 

Here are a couple project that we have in the shop at school.

 

i have a 4 year degree from a state school in design w/ a minor in history. dont use either of those except to fill up space on paper and make the girls smile. i also have 2 years in autobody and 2 years in welding at an other school. i'm working in a welding/ fab shop now loving ever minute of it. not to mention all the shit i have learned from keeping my mouth quiet while the old farts are talking. most the highschools in chicago lost the shop classes due to fire codes and the liberals, so i wasnt lucky enough to hav those like some of the guys i know form more rural areas, i would hav given a nut to hav at least one working power tool at my highschool.

 

I always tell the student to check out the school before jumping into the fire.

 

My 2cents as a fellow high school teacher...Vocational programs are like anything else...they suck someplaces and are great others...I just wish they had the spotlight on them like academic classes do so we could demand more rigor in these situations.

 

I am A high school shop teacher, and I am afraid that I am one of a dying breed. most principals are totally against anything that isnt MATH, ENGLISH or COMPUTERS..


largely because our state "tests" (tests that the IDIOTS my fellow voters put into office developed) (but we dont talk politics here...)

that said.. frankie is 100% correct, at the technical level students only get out of an education what they put in..

So many students think that "participation" = $$



the reality is that active participation SHOULD = opportunity.

 

When I lived in Minnesota,I went to Hennepin County Vo-Tech out in Eden Prairie for Auto Mechanic course. I enjoyed it, not to mention one of our teachers was also a long time drag racer...