schooling

i was wanting to go to school to learn all there is to know about auto installations, and i would like to become MECP certified, my questions is where can i get information about going to schools for this profession??

Trent

The VERY BEST you can do is hands on learning.. what we do day in and day out is not taught in ANY school.. I have had people in my shop come in from those school and they are a joke.. I usually tell them to forget everything that they learned and I will teach you.. you give them something like a caddie where a 99-4012 will not work or an older one where a 99-2001 fits, but you have to make it work.. and they just panic.. get to a shop, be an apprentice (otherwise, known as my bitch! LOL) do the crap work, running wires, underhood work for alarms, single amp installs, and it will all come to you faster than any school can teach you.  You will learn the basics there, in the real world of installing car stereo/alarms, nothing is the same.. you can work on the same TYPE of car for a week straight and not do the same thing to each one. I started out YEARS ago with my first car.. 82 Camaro put in a Sanyo Cassette deck, Sound Creation 200 EQ, Concord 100 watt amp on 2 8's ported in rear hatch, and of course, the Jenson Tri-ax 6x9 (those where the sh*t back then!)  and was hooked from then on.. my mom and dad hated it.. I was wasting my money.. Soon I was doing all my friends cars in the back yard.. then decided I could make a little beer money while in collage.. sort of did a little word of mouth work, then one to mobile one in New Orleans in the late 80's..

Point being, find a shop, talk to the install manager, ge tto know him, offer to help him run some wires, ask if he needs any help around the shop (tax season is coming up, they will need some help, it's like christmas all over again!) May be working for minimun for a little while, but stick with it... You don't get great overnight.. Just take in EVERYTHING!

I'll go with Snoman, school sucks - the only true way to learn is by doing hands on. I started out working for Best Buy install, 2 days into the job they put me on opening bymyself and i had a huge remote start schedualed. Let me tell ya, I learned how to do a remote start in a hurry. Now I can do them without even thinking about it.

very true

ya know when I first posted that long ass message about the schools, I figured I would be slammed hard about it.. since that remark 'take everything you learned in the school and forget it' was in there..   Unreal....

Give me a newbie that wants to learn what I know anyday..not someone from Installer Institute that wants to tell me 'why don't you do it this way, moron.... "

Hey guys,

I know the basics about installing amps, subs, decks, caps... well you get the point, but my question is, is installing an alarm system with remote start and keyless entry too much different from all of those? I was also think about taking a class, but reading your guys's feelings on them, they seem to suck. It is funny hearing you guys rip on Best Buy and Circuit City. I work at Best Buy currently, but in the moble electronics section, not as an installer. I know a lot about the products I sell, and even able to install them. The only thing that is confusing to me is an alarm installs, because the directions that come with them suck, and the installers at Best Buy REALLY Suck. They f**k more cars up than I can imagine. I had also thought about getting the MECP book. Would that help at all you think?

-Team Xtreme

Best thing is to learn to probe wires. Find the wires that you would need. Last would be trial and error. But take your time doing this. As you progress the faster you will be at it and the experience you will have from it. Plus you have this wonderful site full of information and helpful members that can guide and help you through problems that you may incounter.

the thing about the schools and the mecp book are that they are very vague on what they teach you ...they usually teach the theory behind the install process and some general stuff that might help 1 out of 10 times..... the reason that the hands on is better, is that it teaches you as you go with real world situations. the classes and books can't possibly go into all the what if's that happen in real life or they would be way to long!!!

if you wanna learn the basics and theory behind a lot of stuff they (schools and books like mecp) can help you out .....just keep in mind that they aren't the bible, and there are better and faster ways to do things....i agree with the hands on part is the best way to learn, as long as you have a knowledgable and willing vetren installer to teach you .....if you get so hack that doesn't wanna teach you, or who hasn't been doing it for that long teach you , you might learn bad habits right off the bat.....

the thing you have to remember is that there is always something to learn....there is always someone out there that knows more, or gets the same results diong a custom job faster .....you can always learn new things.....you can keep notes on what you learn so you can remember the stuff you might need in the months down the road.......i'm not saying walk around with a notebokk strapped to your ass, i'm just saying if you do some thing for the first time , like an alarm, or build a glassed box , or work on a brand new car that just came out , take a few notes on the processes used to do it, it will only make it easier the 2nd time around.....and time is money...especially if you are a comissioned installer.........thats just my 2 cents