Hello, my son and I are heading up to Cleveland next week to tour the Ohio Technical College's Power Sports Institute campus (PSI). They have an American V-Twin program that is a 1 1/2 year program. It covers all american v-twin engines, drive trains, etc. From what I understand, it even covers custom paint, welding, design, dyne tuning, etc. so that you get a good feel also for custom bike works. There is even the opportunity to build a bike from the ground up for one of the final classes. It is a Harley Authorized Program, where as I believe MMI is a Harley Certified Program, (I'm sure that all comes down to how much money you are willing to pay for the title).

My questions is, if anyone has been to either PSI or MMI and what are your thoughts on the school that you attended, or, if you know someone who has come out of these schools.

We want to get the best bang for the money and know that when he comes out we didn't pay out a bunch of money for him to learn how to change oil.

Also, if you are a Service Manager, work in a shop, own a shop, have a race team, etc., would you prefer one over the other when considering hiring someone?

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

You might want to call around to some shops and dealerships and pick their brains a little. I know MMI brags how they are "it" but I don't know. Possibly might have to take more classes if you want to work at a dealer if you go the other route.

 

It's not so much your schooling/training, but the demand for your skills. Last I heard, there are so many qualified mechanics and so few positions, it's not even worth going to school for. Don't know if that's true or not, but I've heard that from multiple sources over the years.

 

I'm currently enrolled in MMI (Phoenix), about to return from a medical leave of absence. Before my wreck, I'd only been there 8 weeks, but learned a ton. I chose it because when I was looking at job listings in the field, they tended to ask for MMI grads (sometimes it was "MMI or equivalent," but even then, that's the benchmark). I can't say how it compares to other schools, because I haven't been to them, but I'm enjoying it.

Before I went, I also went to local service departments and indy shops; almost all the guys I talked to said they went to MMI. Some regretted it and wished they'd chosen something different, some loved it (one guy said if he went back in time, he'd do things exactly the way he had the first time around), some were indifferent. What I've noticed is the people who regret it either don't like working on bikes as much as they thought, or expected to get paid an unrealistic amount for an entry-level tech.

I'm expecting to get out, find a job on the bottom rung of the ladder at a dealer, and start out doing oil and tire changes for a relatively low wage while I get experience. I can't know for sure how it'll go, of course, but the people I've talked to who've been there say they're satisfied with it, you just have to be willing to put in the time after you get out.

The other thing to consider is, the courses at MMI are sponsored by the relevant manufacturers, which is a mixed blessing. It means they're well-supplied for the things that Harley, Honda, BMW, etc. want taught. But the things that would cost them sales, mainly aftermarket parts, then have to be excluded.

Taking only Harley at MMI is 66 weeks if you include the early-model Harley course - which I'd recommend because that's the class where they teach how to actually repair things, not just replace them with new parts. It sounds like you're looking for input from people who already have professional experience in that field, so I'm sorry if this doesn't help much. Any questions you think of that I might be able to answer, ask away.

 

Why not talk to the local indy shops about an apprenticeship?

 

Agreed !

The tendency for young people to attempt launching a career at schools and universities, without reference to industry demand for the skills attained, has resulted in the greatest waste of human capitol imaginable. Ask the millions of kids degreed in psychology or computer science who are working for near minimum wage, (if they're lucky).

Bingo ! Get a year or more of related entry level work experience with a positive written reference. Then go for training. Your CV will look much better than the 000's of others out there with nothing on them but training school and multiple stints at various burger joints. You will appear focused. You will appear committed. You will appear to have developed practical skills that your new employer can put to use day 1.

 

Any kid with a degree in Computer Science who is making minimum wage isn't trying very hard to do any better in life. The idea that you are likely to do better going to a trade school or an apprenticeship is ludicrous. There is tremendous demand for kids with Computer Science degrees, and I can assure you the jobs pay far above minimum wage.

As for psychology or other liberal arts degrees, my sister has an Art History degree. She is a database engineer at a large bank. She would not have that job without a university degree, and again, I can assure you it pays well above minimum wage.

It isn't about luck. It's about hard work.

The schools producing too many of those with the same skills are the for-profit schools like MMI and DeVry. If the school is advertising on TV, you are being sold something and you should look very carefully.

 

Yes, yours are indeed the common misconceptions. The fact remains that since the 80's, white collar jobs are no longer necessarily the high paying jobs and blue collar jobs are no longer commonly the low paying ones. Also, regardless of what degree/diploma you earn, entry level talent is simply a salable commodity governed by the rules of supply and demand. The demand for "keyboard" talent is high but the supply of such talent, at the entry level, is consistently much higher.

Happy to hear your sister scored a bank job with her liberal arts degree. As an ex banker myself, I'm aware of how lucrative data entry jobs at a bank are. I hope your sister and her 11 co-workers spend that dime wisely.

 

I graduated in 1994, not in the 1980s. I am now one of those who hires those with degrees, so I am fairly familiar with who is being hired and for how much in the industry. The entry level CS position is high 5 figures today. It is a very lucrative profession, and is even more so today than it was in the 1980's or 1990's. There is incredibly high demand for CS engineers.

My sister is not doing data entry. She is an Oracle Database engineer working in the IT department. Your insult shows your ignorance of what is actually going on in the world. That is the only explanation I can come up with for your condescension.

 

Word.