okay here i am.

i'm 17 yrs old (lotta life left)

going to school for auto tech (head of my class) leader of the groups

picked first by the teachers and the class teacher to go to the competitions for what i do.

I'm knowledgeable in what i do and very dedicated and my heart is all into mechanics.

Well heres my deliema.

I'm torn between what i want to specialize in.

I have two options when the time officially comes.

Teacher is pushing to make descion now so he can prepareme better for my specialization.

I need to choose between the BMW STEP program

or the GM ASEP program

both are highly regarded and have to get choosen to be in.

If choosen by either they pay for schooling and gurantee me a job and buy me thousands in tools.

mostly guranteed to make $80k a year or more just at starting.

but i'm torn on which one to focus on. both are done by nice schools and both are great campuses.


plz help me make a decision

 

And the programs are wxactly what they say they are. u specilize in welll BMW or GM and thats all you do.

 

GM would be easier to work on I would think. You've been working on American cars, but I think it'd cool to work on M5's and other $80k cars.

 

well I would say GM

1.) for the obvious that I am a bit biased...lol

on a serious note, no really I am biased..lol..

First of all, try and confirm getting a job at 80k a year starting out, always check the truth behind this... did one guy get lucky and start out at that, or is that the average income of guys starting out? What kind a shops would you be working in, Location, etc.. Lots of questions. These answers could help you make a decision on which way you may want to go..


Also market..There are more GM vehicles on the road than BMW. How many models do BMW offer vrs GM? I would think in that aspect for GM if one market died such as sedans then you could always work on trucks, SUV's etc...

Just try and weight out all the options. One word of advice I would say is don't just rush to make a decision cause the teacher is pushing you. Don't drag your feet either. Seek as much knowledge as possible. Go talk to people in both fields, ask them what they like and dislike about their work. Tell them your delima and see what they recommend. This all will help you make the choice.

 

I would chose whichever you think employment will be more steady in. If you are guaranteed placement though I guess it doesn't matter. Either one would be cool as I love GM and think it would be cool to work on BMW's. Its totally up to you man.

 

You have had GM cars you intire life I am guessing. Who would you rather support?

 

Btw I am also in auto mechanics and electric is killing me!!!

 

I say choose the one you want, but my gut says the BMW cert would be best. The GM cert would be great, but the BMW would be more tech and advanced systems. Once you've gotten the Bimmer cert done, it probably would not be too difficult to translate that skill/experience into GM/other OEMs.

 

Definitely do BMW.

 

dude.this to me would be a little easy.
i would go gm.
i have reasons. when you achive 80k a year. are you going to:
a. buy a beamer
b. buy a gm product?

to me, and this is my opionion, if i made 80k id be a gm guy. i love chevy. even if i could afford a bmw id own a gm
i would want to know what i was doing inside a gm. but honestly thats just me..
on another note. you have been workin in gm for a long time.. you prolly know alot..
i think i would like to specialize in bmw and work on gm on the side. it sounds perfect to me.. your dad knows gm.. you wanna learn talk to him.. i say BMW FTW
sorry for the what feels like noval!
text me if ya need.

 

That is a very good point.

 

I have to agree with warthog. But before you make any decision..... talk to the schools, talk to people who work in the business for both companies... see what they suggest and find out if there is anything they would have done different.


ALSO.... nothing is guaranteed. They can say they are but no job is a guarantee.

 

I would go GM. Been there done that. Check up on the pay though. I went through all of their training stuff (mine was not ASEP, I can't remember off the top of my head what it was) and walked out of high school with 40K a year job offer to be a diagnostic mechanic, and that was about all the better it was gonna look other than maybe getting into a manager position. It was not a bad offer, but I knew I could do more. So, I just stuck with my original plan and went to Engineering school and now I am looking at a 75K a year job in exchange for going about $50,000 total in debt upon graduation. I should be able to get all my loans paid off in about 3-5 years after graduating provided things don't change too much.

I guess the biggest question you need ask is what do you want to work on? BMW's are very tempermental cars. Lots of electrical gremlins and they are fairly complicated. GM is pretty standard. GM has their issues, but if you are going to be making $80K, I doubt you would really be dealing much with the cars. You would likely be a diagnostic person and just tell someone else how to fix it. You would be more on the people/relations end at a very large dealership for that kind of money a year.

 

i kno u all are saying that becareful about being promised a job but heres the catch.

to get into the program dealerships and the company review ur education file. The only way to get into the class is to get selected for it by the dealers or company. abd with getting accepted you have to sign a contract with the company stating u will work for X amount of years and it goes from there
Most the shops that hire from these programs are not ur ma and pa dealership from down the road or in the town. these shops are the big names ones and do lots of buisness.

Now for the BMW vs GM thing.

I'v leaned towards BMW but still in the back of my head i wanna go with GM cause who doesnt wanna work on the new corvettes or camaros or the big trucks or the cts-v's.

I kno BMW is top on the technology part. but GM is rising fast look at the tech they have now. from there volt to the corvettes and camaros.

The more i think the more i wanna do GM

also here is a link to the class for GM and what needs to be taken

http://www.starkstate.edu/?q=academic-programs/automotive-gm-asep-option

https://www.gmasepbsep.com/index_redirect.asp

 

The bottom link is really helpful in information

 

Sounds like you are figuring it out as you process all the info. Talking it out like this sometimes helps. All the best whatever you choose.

 

+1

 

I say your heading in the right direction, either way. Your young and you can do both. You know your potential and the sky is the limit.

I would learn as much as you can. If your gonna make $80k a year, practice up on your people skills.......you will need it to be successful.
This site helps too.

Good luck Colin.

 

I'd say BMW because it is a specialized market and you'd be more in demand from what I see. Meaning, if you have job security on the plate, how many BMW service centers are there compared to GM? You'd be more wanted and more likely to be held onto by the company. That's what I see at least. It'd be like the choice between being a specialzed salesperson for Bass Pro Shop or Orvis. The people on the floor at Orvis are very small numbers and make a lot more cash than Bass Pro. It's not a product quality thing, but more of a job security thing. Niche market over common market. Both are selling and make good products, but are successful in different ways in differing demographics...Best of luck man.

 

I have heard a lot of good things from the BMW STEP program, but some other things you need to consider is that just because you are certified as a BMW mechanic and work in a nice dealership does not mean you will be working on M5's all day everyday. The reality is that you will RARELY work on them. Your typical work is going to be your lower end stuff. Same with GM. Ya, you will get to work on Corvettes from time to time, but most of your work work will consist of Silverados, Cobalts, Cruzes, Cavaliers, S10's, Suburbans (of all years), mini vans, etc. Also.. dealerships work on flag hours, so there is the POTENTIAL to make 80k, but reality is probably more in the 40k range like Nate said. I know it sucks to hear stuff like that, but its better to hear it before hand than after. I think you would be happy with either, but like has been said before, check out everything first. Do research and see what the average pay for a BMW mechanic is. Dont look at the max you can make, look at the average. There are people out there who get lucky and land a dream job, and thats what these places advertise to draw people in.
And certification is an ongoing process. Just because you are certified when you graduate doenst mean you are set for life. You will have to get re-certified every few years. Even with BMW and GM.
The free or discounted tools is nice. The dealership I worked in after high school - some of those mechanics had over 40k in tools... not counting their tool boxes. So you will have a huge expense in getting all of the tools you need. The tools these programs offer, just help ease the strain.

If you are possibly being considered for either one, then you are obviously doing very well already, so keep it up, and if by chance you dont get chosen, there are other great opportunities like Wyo Tech, and other good tech schools.