Allen Klueckman's Smooth Transition From Marine to BMW Tech

Growing up, Allen Klueckman was always into cars. Where some peoples’ childhood memories are of Little League games and playing with the neighborhood kids, Allen remembers the time he spent with his dad. His dad shared his passion for cars and taught him everything he knew about how they worked.

And his father wasn't the only one who had a love for cars, but his grandfather would take him to the racetrack where they would speed around the course in BMWs. His appreciation for these sporty and powerful cars came at a very early age. Allen's childhood was an early form of auto mechanic training.

As he moved forward in life, even when he joined the Marines, he never lost his love for autos and all things BMW. At the end of his service in the Marines, a chance to go to UTI opened up, and he jumped at this opportunity. Allen got into the BMW STEP program and moved forward into his post-military life.

“If you’re considering going into UTI after the military, you can’t go wrong. There’s so much hands-on knowledge that the instructors have.”¹

This wasn’t a decision that he had to overthink. He knew that he wanted to get back to working with cars and enrolling at UTI was the logical next step. And UTI helped him in making the change from military life to student life a smooth one.

“Going to UTI from the military was an easy transition for me. The classes and their organization was great, and they have veteran representatives that are there to answer any questions you may have.”²⁰

And from UTI he kept pushing forward with his interests and ambitions, which brought him to where he is now as a technician at Sewell BMW near Dallas, Texas. He still sees opportunities for growing and moving forward in his career. He’d like to earn his Level 1 Master BMW certification. His aspirations also include teaching which is inspired by the teachers he interacted with at UTI. He wants to help students in the same way that his instructors helped him.

“I’d love to teach younger technicians about the trade and helping them with their careers.”

Becoming a BMW technician is the dream of many. And for Allen, he’s aware of the responsibility and esteem that comes with being one. But at the core of his role are the customers whose cars he works on. He takes satisfaction in knowing that he is taking care of their automotive problems.

“Knowing that I’m a BMW tech, it’s a good feeling, I really wanted to find something more prestigious. These are expensive, high performance vehicles, and it’s nice to work on these, knowing that I’m making the customers happy.” 

A regular day for him includes going through the repair orders at the very beginning. These range from standard services like an oil change or to larger, more involved job like swapping an engine that has failed and needs to be replaced. His job is a balance of more involved projects and those that are more routine.

Allen, like many who find themselves with the question of what to do after a career in the military, didn’t hesitate to enroll at UTI. He says his decision was easy. Whether you’ve worked on cars all your life, or if you have zero experience, if you want to work with your hands, UTI's auto technician schools can help you develop the skills you need to embark on a new career.1

Like Allen, if you’re interested in working with a specific brand, UTI offers a number of opportunities to enroll in an MSAT program. BMW still offers an MSAT program, though it has undergone some changes since being known as the STEP program when Allen was enrolled.

The program is being reintroduced as the BMW FastTrack program starting in early 2022. The BMW FastTrack program is a 12-week MSAT course, a bit shorter than the 16-week STEP program. The MSAT still offers students a number of benefits, however, including the opportunity to earn BMW factory credentials.

Not every choice leads to a career as a BMW technician, but it’s up to you to decide which direction you want to go. To learn more about the BMW FastTrack program and what’s covered during the courses, visit the program page here or contact us.