Colorado Technical University

Would you suggest a BMW advanced training for a career in the Automotive Technician field?

I'm 24 and I've been doing industrial construction my whole life but the industry is taking a hard hit from the economy. I've always loved cars and I'm very good with my hands and technology. I've read that Automotive Technicians(especially ones trained specifically for one brand) are in demand big time plus I'm tired of moving from country town to country town for 6 months to a year just to work on power plants 60-84 hours a week to clear $80,000 a year. I was wondering if anybody in this industry could tell me the truth about the demand for specially trained Automotive Technicians and If it would be worth me going through one of these special programs(preferably BMW).

Public Comments

1. $60000. per year was easy on a 40 hour week until the economy went down the drain the second half of last year (2008). And right now BMW dealers are reeling from a loss of business amounting to approximately 35%, which translates to 35% less income potential for technicians. Most car owners just take advantage of warranty freebies and either forsake other items or take the car for servicing/repair outside. On top of that, BMW reduced the value of one flag hour by about 25%. So effectively if you take out 1/4 out of the remaining 65% (65-16=49%) a technician now only makes 50% of what they had been making before. A BMW technician now works harder for less pay just like many Americans in their jobs. So to cut a long sob-story short, it may not be the best time to go for a BMW career. But who knows if things would improve in a short while?
2. As a matter of fact, BMW technicians are doing well right now. With the economy the way it is people are not buying new BMW's and are repairing their older ones. You should go to your local dealer and talk to the service manager about the BMW STEP program. It is a BMW factory training program and the dealer can sponsor you through it. All you will have to pay for is cost of living expenses. More than like likely you wil have to travel for the schooling.