OT but diesel related

[greasybenz]

Well im working my butt off and having two jobs now im saving up as much money as i can for college.

Now i want to study diesel technology, i would just go to the local UTI in sacramento but they dont offer a degree only a certificate. I want more then that i want a degree.

So my mom and i were doing research and found a diesel technology community college that offers a AAS degree along with a certificate.
Its in st louis, mo.

Any st. louis folk want to give me advice on area's to look for resonably priced but not run-down apartments. As well as any other advice for this school or area.

Here is a link to the school:
http://www.techopportunities.org/diesel.htm

Be SURE to go there and tour the place in person. Sales reps and brochures can make it seem like the best place in the world but only you can decide if it's right for you.

I went to DADC here in denver. http://www.dadc.com/ When I was looking for a place to go, it seemed like the perfect choice. BUT... during my two years there, I quickly realized that it really sucked you know what. They are too interested in getting new students and their money than the actual education. Example, the number of students that started at the same time I did was about 220. Two years later when I finished, the intro class was *480* people. Shortly after I left they changed to an 80/20 lesson plan. 80% notes/classroom time, 20% hands on/lab time.

In the end I would NOT recommend DADC to anyone. In hindsight, I should have gone to wyotech. http://www.wyotech.com/

Do your research, $12,000+ is a big investment.

[whunter]

Check with the real players in the diesel technology field.
Cummins
Navistar
Yanmar America Corporation
Detroit Diesel

Your local heavy truck dealers may have inside information that would help.
Best wishes.



Have a great day.

[raMBow]

Certainly they have programs in California. Yes, check with manufacturers. If you come to Missouri to check out the program you noted in St.Louis, there is also Ozark Technical College with the same AAS as you noted. It is in Springfield, MO. Here is a link: http://www.otc.cc.mo.us/generalinfo/catalog/programs/dsl.htm

I was through the entire campus, (work related) and through the automotive areas, they were very nice. They have a section just for diesels. They are getting vehicles straight from the manufacturer donated to them for their programs etc. Dyno's and a new transmission dyno that certainly caught my attention.

Just a thought

[OMEGAMAN]

What happens after school is over and your out in the working world. Do you go back for additional training or are you on your own. The reason I ask is I served a 4 year apprenticeship and every year when I went back to school my perspective changed alot and really helped me learn and take advantage of the school when I was there.

[Jim Holland]

Greasybenz,

I moved to St. Louis for school almost twelve years ago and haven't left yet. Probably won't. Of course, I didn't come here from Calif.

The St. Louis Community College system has a good reputation and it's a public system, so I would expect you to have less to worry about in terms of having a private, for-profit tech school trying to woo you into it's program.

Have you spent any time in the midwest? How much culture shock can you tolerate? On the positive side, you'll find the St. Louis area damn near free in terms of cost-of-living compared to Calif. St. Louis is a nice town and the community college is a good one. There are plenty of relatively inexpensive places in town to rent an apartment and plenty of things to do when you're not working or studying.

I'm not a tech, but have a friend who is. You could email him through his website, www.oilhammer.com. I bet he'd be happy to give you his opinion about the program and what St. Louis might have to offer.

Good luck.

Jim Holland
St. Louis, MO
'84 300SD

[origamitect]

I am a native St. Louisan, so I am a bit biased. I think it is a great town. It is far more conservative in general than either of the coasts, but there are a fair number of open minded people if you look in the right places. The neighborhood closest to the community college called "Dogtown" is fairly cheap and fairly decent. There are many small 1 storey houses and apartments to rent, and the rent will be dirt cheap compared to California rates. The neighborhood is sandwiched b/t the college and an industrial district - so you'll need to drive further into the city if you like to go anywhere but an irish pub or a greek restaurant. There are alot of young families and students that live there. A little further away is the central west end - alot more pricey, but alot more to do as far as eating and general hang-outs, and a bit more diverse crowd. There are other cheap places in South City, which is generally south of highway 44 and East of Kingshighway, but many of the neighborhoods are sort of "block by block" as far as how nice and/or safe and/or expensive they are. If you are expecting to spend CA rates, you can probably afford a cool loft downtown in the Washington Avenue area. A very trendy area with alot of clubs, restaurants, and about as "big city" as St. Louis gets. Its about a 20 min drive from there to the community college. I would advise against renting anything north of Delmar Ave without checking it out first. North St. Louis has a bad rap for being fairly unsafe, but once again its block by block. Let me know if you need any other info.

[greasybenz]

thanks for all the info guys! i may actually just take a road trip with my benz to Missouri and of course drive on free veggie oil the whole way

I will check out the place itself and i would also like to check out the Ozarks college raMBow recommended. Wont say for sure where im going to go but at least driving there looking at the college and the apartments aswell as the area, will give me an idea of what ill have to get used to compared to San Francisco.

[greasybenz]

old topic but planning that road trip.

i will be visitng both schools. the one in springfeild and the other in st. louis.
Also while im in springfeild ill be visiting the greasel oh excuse me "golden fuel systems" facility

a friend of mine says he has family down in st. louis and explained a route that would get me to st. louis from here in 2 days. With my driving it will probably be 3-4 days.

Are there any greasers in st louis or springfeild that might lend me some veggie oil? otherwise its plain ol' diesel for the benzo.

[Jim B.]

Just a note of encouragement Ruben,

You have picked a REAL good career to take up,

I took a course in Immigration Law in San Francisco - back in 1976, and the Professor said, for Immigration preferences, to be let into the Country, there were two trades where there was a DIRE shortage of people in the USA, and they were

1. Diesel Mechanic

2. French Pastry Chef


Just thought you would enjoy knowing that

Have a great trip to St Louis!!

Best,
Jim

[Maroon 300D]

I just went to St. Louis for the first time earlier this year. I have to agree with the previous poster who said you'll be pleasantly surprised at how cheap everything is. Overall I liked St. Louis quite a bit and can think of many worse places to live.

In choosing a career it seems the most important factor is your interest level in it. If you do something strictly for the money or prestige you won't be happy. Based on your posts I think a career in diesel machinery could be a very good fit for you! Follow your dreams.

Good luck!

If you are visiting to Springfield, Ill. and like thai food, there are a couple of great restaurants, like nowhere else I've been. Feel free to email for specifics. I lived there from '96-'99.
I am far from a success story but just can't repress my opinion on the subject of degree vs. certificate. I believe the main difference is the amount of coursework unrelated to diesel technology. Stuff like intercultural studies,
sociology, english literature, etc. It just depends on what you want to get out of it. If you find these subjects interesting, not just something you have to take, then it sounds like a good plan. If you are looking to have diesel technology knowledge exclusively then careful research needs to be done as far as what will you learn by getting a A.A. vs. a certificate. If that isn't real clear, then take the time to find out by making contact with the human resources department of several places you would like to work at and ask them how much the A.A. will matter instead of a certificate with regards to getting hired, starting salary and so on. Do not assume it will mean more in the real world simply because it involves more coursework. Again, I'm not a success story, but it really sucks paying for and getting through bs classes and having to pay the loans off with hard work, and not being able to apply anything the school thought it was important to learn. Just my $.02

[Diesel Giant]

I use to work for Cummins in Atlanta and I would recommend calling the big diesel makers/branches and ask the personel dept what they look for in a candidate.

Since you will be working for them, find out what exactly they look for. Also I started there with only a good mechanical aptitude and NO diesel experience.

[Red Pike]

If you're interested in a 4 year degree, look into one of the Maritime Colleges--in your case, California Maritime. I believe it is in Vallejo, CA. As a resident, you will get relatively cheap tuition rates. Your major would be Marine Engineering, or some such similar title (I went to SUNY Maritime College in New York, double major in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering). You will learn about all kinds of diesels, although the emphasis is on large medium and slow speed marine propulsion diesels, there is also some training on diesel generators. You would spend your summers at sea, either on the school's training ship or on a commercial ship as a cadet. Upon graduation, you would also have a USCG license as a Third Assistant Engineer--any horsepower; steam, motor (diesel), and gas turbine.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this.