Jan Lopez knew in high school that working toward a four-year college degree wasn’t of much interest to him, but cars were! When he wasn’t in class or spending time with friends, you could find him in the garage working on cars.

“In high school I started getting into cars and liking cars a lot and I wanted to continue to learn about them,” he shares.

After graduating from Universal Technical Institute (UTI) himself, Jan’s friend noticed his enthusiasm around cars, so he recommended he look into the Automotive Technology Program to help him pursue a career working on vehicles.¹

According to Jan, “When I found out about UTI, I thought it was the best bet in terms of education in the automotive industry.”

So he took the leap and with the support of his friends and family, Jan attended UTI in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

Prior to attending UTI, Jan did most of his auto learning in his own garage as a self-taught technician. Rather than take his car to the shop and have someone else work on it, he was motivated to diagnose and repair his vehicle autonomously. Not only did this help him learn, but it fueled his desire to continue to do so.

UTI was able to expand upon that spark and really ignite his thrill for learning through the extensive auto curriculum. “My favorite part of the automotive technology program was the power and performance classes because personally I really got interested in the tuning and engine building, and how everything works,” he says.

Every program at UTI and its family of schools is taught by subject matter experts who are professionally trained instructors with years of experience in their industry. These individuals are extremely passionate about what they do and enjoy giving their knowledge to the next generation of skilled workers.

“The instructors are really cool guys. They came out from the field so it was easy to relate to them in terms of what goes on in the automotive industry. They also helped with teaching us how it would work when we were in the industry.”¹ Jan is grateful for the mentorship he received from his instructors and their continued interest in his career.

After graduating, Jan landed a job as a technician for Open Road BMW.

“The way I got the opportunity to work in this dealership is actually due to the help of [career services] at UTI,” Jan shares. “After graduating they’d ask what kind of dealerships you would be interested in working for… They did send my resume over to this dealership and that’s how I got the job here.”⁶

Jan has been able to apply the knowledge he gained in his classes at UTI to the work he does daily as a technician in the shop. From inspecting and diagnosing to calibrating and repairing, Jan has to understand the inner workings of both the mechanical and electrical side of these vehicles.

“BMWs are really electrical so having [my classes] introduce me to electrical diagnosis really helped me out and set me up for diagnoses here.”

Many people find it difficult to figure out their next step in life, post-graduation. To those who are curious about a career in auto, Jan would say the decision is easy. “UTI goes over everything from head to toe for working on cars, so if you want to learn about automotive, UTI would definitely help you get a better understanding.”

Regardless of your experience level, UTI can give you the training you need for a career in less than a year!^1,7 Develop your skills even further after you graduate and choose from one of UTI’s manufacturer-specific advanced training (MSAT) programs, where distinguished training is offered for brands like BMW, Honda, Ford, GMC, Porsche¹⁵ and more!¹¹

As far as Jan’s next steps, he’s determined to advance his skills and knowledge within the auto shop. “In a few years I definitely see myself being a master technician. I want to have all of my certifications done, and even after that maybe I can move up to a higher position at a dealership.”⁶

Make the easy decision, choose UTI and let us help you take the first step toward a career! For more details on what’s covered during the Automotive Technical Program, visit the courses page or contact us to learn more.