With colleges becoming more and more expensive, there’s been a big shift in individuals instead attending trade schools. The general wisdom behind this move includes not being strapped with thousands of dollars of debt from a traditional four-year university. Additionally, trade schools normally offer a quicker and more definitive path towards a desired career. This is preferred compared to the average four-year graduate who may float in the abyss while trying to find some sort of job.
In 2021, there are a number of fun and interesting electrical training programs made available. Each can be completed in their own unique way — in addition to the plethora of different options that are made available. This piece will break it all down for those interested parties.
Determine Your Field
If one is interested in wanting to work within the electrician field, it’s depend upon the individual to figure out which exact path they want to take. This will then determine the schooling required — as well as the potential internship road. The plan is rather straightforward: Some electricians opt to work inside of buildings on their power systems. Others work outside on power lines and other sorts of grids.
Once figuring out that step, electrician hopefuls must become certified in order to work with licensed electricians. Only then can an apprenticeship be completed. Of course, various testing checkpoints occur along the way. It’ll likely take years for an electrician to ‘graduate’ from the apprenticeship program.
From there, most states require a minimum of 4,000 working hours in order to become a licensed electrician. Once the licensure exam is passed, the electrician can then specify as to which type of sector they’d want to work in. Some electricians work on commercial or residential projects. Others work in an automotive capacity, or even on the maintenance of larger projects (such as amusement park rides, sporting stadiums, or large venues).
Where to Find Courses?
The courses to start this entire process can be found online. Some of them –due to the pandemic — will be offered from a digital/remote standpoint (such as TPC). TPC for instance has virtual instructor-led online training.
This classroom-esque environment offers live Q&A, as well as participation in exercises and communication with the professors. There are different seminars based upon interests (Maintenance, Electrical Code, Troubleshooting, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, Generators and Emergency Power, etc.).
Other Options
The Stratford Career Institute also offers distance learning courses from its online website. Other than that, other quality options include SCIT (Southern California Institute of Technology), Udemy, Northwest Iowa Community College, Ivy Tech Community College, and Santiago Canyon College (among other places).
With a simple search engine inquiry, the prospective student should be able to find the best fit — from both a financial and practicality standpoint. Not only are there many schools available for electrician training, but most have a ratings system. Potential students can normally read reviews from past students who’ve participated in these programs. This can better help the decision-making process.
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