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Anyone go to school there? How long ago? Did you graduate? Do you feel it was worth it? Where is the best place to live near there for an ~20 yr old guy? Thoughts on renting an apartment near there vs renting a room close by using Craigslist?
my family has been in the motorcycle business for 35 years and i would avoid a career as a motorcycle technition at all costs. diesel mechanics, or even auto mechanics would be a better profession. most motorcycle shops are mom and pop operations and most jobs you'll find reflect that by having little to no benefits, no job security, power mongering owners/managers, poor working conditions, and worst of all, nepotism. the service side of the business exists solely to support the sales department, with demanding salesman doing thier best to disrupt your daily schedule planning. outside that, service departments are seen by the owners as more of a liability than an asset, mechanics get hurt, tools are expensive, and service departments eat up valuable square footage. all this usually reflects in the way you are treated as an employee. in the best case a shop owner will enjoy having a service dept that breaks even every month, but for the most part, given a choice, owners would gladly have nothing to do with a service dept that does anything more than assemble bikes from the crate for the sales floor, prep them for delivery, and do warranty work. a motorcycle technition is pretty low on the food chain at most dealerships, and there's always some high school kid wanting to take your place for minimum wage.
mmi will certainly be a huge help to your friend getting a job at a dealership, and if this is the career path he wishes to take, i would recommend it. it won't make any difference in what he earns as a mechanic, he'll make the same as a guy with no certificate that has some talent and skill, but it will open some doors. most mechanics work on a flat-rate, piece-work. or commission based type of pay plan. this makes speed important, and this is another area the school can help out. personally i don't think the cost of the school justifies the pay he can expect upon securing a job, coupled with the limited employment opportunities. keep in mind the motorcycle business in every city can be clannish, a major falling out with one dealership, or a major blunder on one job can mean forced relocation to continue in the career. everybody knows everybody in the motorcycle business and word gets around in these situations.
I appreciate your perspective on the industry as I know absolutely nothing about it and am just trying to help a friend out with their son's decision . I do see that the school has automotive and probably diesel training also (in different cities/states). Maybe he will consider those . I'll pass along what you've said.
Best wishes !
Quote:
Originally Posted by wuds
my family has been in the motorcycle business for 35 years and i would avoid a career as a motorcycle technition at all costs. diesel mechanics, or even auto mechanics would be a better profession. most motorcycle shops are mom and pop operations and most jobs you'll find reflect that by having little to no benefits, no job security, power mongering owners/managers, poor working conditions, and worst of all, nepotism. the service side of the business exists solely to support the sales department, with demanding salesman doing thier best to disrupt your daily schedule planning. outside that, service departments are seen by the owners as more of a liability than an asset, mechanics get hurt, tools are expensive, and service departments eat up valuable square footage. all this usually reflects in the way you are treated as an employee. in the best case a shop owner will enjoy having a service dept that breaks even every month, but for the most part, given a choice, owners would gladly have nothing to do with a service dept that does anything more than assemble bikes from the crate for the sales floor, prep them for delivery, and do warranty work. a motorcycle technition is pretty low on the food chain at most dealerships, and there's always some high school kid wanting to take your place for minimum wage.
mmi will certainly be a huge help to your friend getting a job at a dealership, and if this is the career path he wishes to take, i would recommend it. it won't make any difference in what he earns as a mechanic, he'll make the same as a guy with no certificate that has some talent and skill, but it will open some doors. most mechanics work on a flat-rate, piece-work. or commission based type of pay plan. this makes speed important, and this is another area the school can help out. personally i don't think the cost of the school justifies the pay he can expect upon securing a job, coupled with the limited employment opportunities. keep in mind the motorcycle business in every city can be clannish, a major falling out with one dealership, or a major blunder on one job can mean forced relocation to continue in the career. everybody knows everybody in the motorcycle business and word gets around in these situations.
check out the programs at Gateway CC. Nothing wrong with making a profit, but the for profit schools do it by saddling young people with tons of government backed, student loans.
Not sure where that person is from with the doom and gloom, but it sure doesnt sound like Phoenix. MMI is a great school and you will get a job after graduation. It is also very expensive. You didnt say where your friend is from and where they want to work after they graduate. If they want to stay in Phoenix, local shops hire in Phoenix hire all the time, but remember, because the school is here and they have a stream of qualified graduates to choose from, the pay isnt the best.
The other poster also must not work in a dealership either as the service department is a HUGE profit center. Mom and Pop shops are few and far between and that must be there perspective. The largest motorcycle retailer in the USA is based right here in Phoenix. RideNow powersports has dealerships in many states and I can tell you that the Service department is a huge part of there business. Have your friend drop by the Service department at RideNow Peoria some time and you will see what I mean. Ask for Tony Hibbets and let a seasoned professional explain the service side of the business to him. If your friend wants to take his skills to a factory race team, the sky is the limit as most race team mechanics come from MMI. You graduate, go to work for a big name dealer ie. RideNow or Berts Mega mall over in West Covina outside LA and work you rear end off. Make contacts with the OEM reps that show up every week or so an be visible. With a certificate from MMI and around 2 years hard work and networking, he could be traveling the country with a national racing team or if he wants to move to Socal, work for the OEM themselves.
Just for perspective, I have worked in the motorcycle industry for the past 20 years. Started at a dealership when in High School. After graduating from College, I went to work for GE Finance handling the motorcycle floorplan portfolio. A little networking and I was hired by one of the Japanese motorcycle companies as a District Manager on the East Coast. I now work for another Powersports manufacturer as a Sales Director and have the luxury of working out of a home office. I make good money and have an excellent schedule. I have helped many guys from dealerships get jobs with race teams and/or come work for a manufacturer. One thing I always hear when I work events or meet people is "I would love to have your job". Everyone thinks its impossible to do what you want for a living, but all you have to do is try.
MMI is a great start for a good future if you want to work hard and push yourself to be the best.
i don't really care for the label "gloom and doom", my only attempt was to paint an as honest opinion as possible based on my experience of the motorcycle technition career. i will also say that i disagree with most of your post, but opinions are opinions, experiences for one person may not be the same as for another, i appreciate your chiming in, and i'm leaving it at that.
to clarify my experience, you are correct that i no longer work in the business. the vast majority of my 23 years experience was at my father's japanese brand dealership. other brands formerly or currently offered are ktm, husqvarna, husaberg, can-am, polaris, aprilia, and maico. i've also worked for at one time or another a honda dealership, a parts and accessories store, and a harley dealer.
i've worked every area of the business, from cleaning the toilets to writing payroll checks and everything you can imagine in between. i grew up in and around the motorcycle business/ industry and have been around it my entire adult life.
i'm familiar with ge finance and what they do. i'm familiar with oem district managers and oem sales directors and what they do. those are good jobs, personally i'd love to have one myself. but they are nowhere near day-to-day running an actual dealership.
i come to this forum because my wife and i are planning to move to phoenix in the near future, never dreamed i'd be talking bikes. but when we get to phoenix i'd like to invite you to lunch and we can talk "shop". i think i would enjoy that.
Nah, just kidding. I appreciate both of you taking the time to give me your unique perspectives on the Motorcycle industry. I would hate to see this young man waste his time and money at this school if he won't be able to get a job after. His father went to diesel school and then taught there for awhile, but for some reason left that field probably 20 yrs ago.
Hmmmmm ??? Maybe I can tell my friends' son to get together with you two if he decides to go to school there to find out more about the industry ! Currently he's one state over , or I'd tell him to take you to lunch this week .
lol, sorry! it never occurred to me it might look like networking til you mentioned it. i guess i'm removed enough from the business now it never even crossed my mind. i have a whole other career now in a completely unrelated field.
it's a shame, i planned to spend my whole life in the motorcycle business but, you know, the whole "working with family" thing got in a big way. it was the hardest day, no, two years of my life when i left that job. i walked away from not just a job, but a lifestyle, and virtually every friend i had. i couldn't get a job in the same city, nobody wants to hire their competitor's son, a potential spy, so i had to do something different. fortunately i landed a good paying job at a gm assembly plant here in town, made enough money and had good enough benefits to allow me to put my crushed past behind me.
and btw, both myself and apexin are in agreement that he will almost certainly get a job with mmi credentials. it is a fine school, well respected in the business. i just don't think the cost justifies the income potential, apexin seems to concurr here as well.
As with all the for-profit schools, especially in the Phoenix area, I think they have flooded the market and depressed wages for a lot of vocations such as graphic design and motorcycle mechanics.
As with all the for-profit schools, especially in the Phoenix area, I think they have flooded the market and depressed wages for a lot of vocations such as graphic design and motorcycle mechanics.
Yes, in Phoenix that is true, but at least there are dealerships hiring.
The beauty of Phoenix is that there are top notch dealerships here to work for and those are the places to make a name for yourself. Just like aspiring actors wait tables in Hollywood, Phoenix is a great steppingstone into the motorcycle industry. The sky is the limit here as all the motorcycle companies are very in tune with this market. Its watched very closely and when someone does a good job, it gets noticed. When the big wigs at the factory want to visit dealers to see whats happening on the front line, they come here, Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago. Wuds, I would invite you to visit one of the RideNow dealerships in the Phoenix metro. There are 5 of them. They also own 2 Harley shops here. You will see a different way of running a "bike shop". Also, dont forget, my whole start in this industry was at a dealership so I know what they can and cannot be like. Also, as a DM, you handle many different dealers in several states and they are all doing the same thing. Selling bikes, quads and the like. In that position it becomes very clear what works and what doesnt. I would also add that many of my co-workers came from motorcycle dealerships. One of my best friends right here with me now is the son of a dealership owner. Dad got older and son wanted a new challenge. You guys make some of the best OEM reps out there. You just have to be flexible and willing to move around awhile until you get what you want. In fact, Yamaha (not where I work) was hiring for the Southern California territory recently. Expensive place to live, but a way in the door nonetheless.
BTW - My boss, the head of marketing for my company, attended MMI right here in Phoenix in the late 80s. He then went to work for a dealer in Maine and became a part owner a few years later. After doing that and making a good living, he came to work for our company 10 years ago and is now a very high ranking executive that has a very good perspective on the industry.
MMI is expensive, but has a good name and you are very marketable after graduation.
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Thanks for taking the time to respond Wuds!
. I'll pass along what you've said.
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Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!
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, or I'd tell him to take you to lunch this week 
