Any advice would be appreciated, I am enrolled in UTI for November. I was happy with the decision and like the school. But, there is a new automotive technician school in my hometown(Michigan Institute of Technology). The curriculum is the same, they have ASE Master instructors, and it only costs 12,000 compared to pretty much 30,000 at uti.

For future employment and resumes, am I better off at UTI which has a big name but is out of state, or staying home?

Thanks

It's the same question as "Should I attend a small local college and save my money or go to a big name school like William & Mary or Duke University?"

I've found through my experience that attending the larger named schools does not make you better at your job but will most likely give you more connections. The lack of connections can be overcome by the build up of the right resume.

If you decide to save money and go to the local school, I'd suggest doing the following.
-Get a large notebook
-Break it down into multiple sections i.e. transcripts, course projects, personal projects etc.
-Include pictures of all your work from start to finish
-Keep stat sheets i.e. dyno tests of motor before and after rebuild
-Fuel efficiencies of motor
-Emissions testing
-Fabrication work etc...
-anything else that you discover along the way.

Transcripts say much but not everything. A portfolio of your work to accompany the transcript will say much, much more! Also work on your verbal and written communication skills. During the summer, attend a local community college for a few public speaking courses along with entry level English classes will be HUGE! It may not be impressive to a machine shop owner on paper, but in practice it will get you very far. "Give me some one who knows how to communicate with people because 80% of success in life is working with people and 20% is what you know." - Andrew Carnege.

Thank, You. I am going to save some money and stay here.
I may need to change my screen name to MIITMAN.

Thanks Again

Any time. I do financial planning by trade etc as well as a trainer/interviewer for my firm. Let me know if I can help in any way.