anyone here of PCDI? ( http://www.pcdi-homestudy.com/courses/te/?code=9941 ) Any comments or opinions on schools like this?

Anyone know of other schools in Southern California?

Hello, I'm glad to see your interest in this field. It can be a good career. However I don't think you can even come close to gaining the skills needed in the field with a home study course alone. Maybe, if you work as an electrician and use this course to learn the detailed aspects, it could benefit you. IMHO, the best way to learn is by doing.

Having been a greenbean in the field for the last year (on a somewhat accelerated track) I second Eagle's comment. Get out there and get yourself a job, even as a helper...

I totally agree with you, however, my concern is not being able to get a job as an electrician without some sort of documented electrical education or experience.

I do have a good understanding of electricity and the NEC and local codes. I have done alot of work for myself and friends.

I am just not sure how to go about getting a job with no real experience or education. Any ideas?

My ultimate goal is to get my 4+ years in and get a CA contractors license.

Thanks.

Go to www.ibew.org (international brotherhood of electrical workers) and go to the apprentices link.

I believe you have to go to your IBEW local and take a test of basic algebra and reading comprehension before you can start the apprenticeship.

Ah the master scheme, I hear that every day at the supply house and on the job.

A word to the wise, nobody is gonna hire you with Sally Struthers "you to can learn to be an electrician from the comforts of your own home".

The best advise I can give you is get to work in the trade ASAP. Once you have done it in the field a couple of thousand times, those line drawings and tap configurations will make a heck of a lot more sense to you. Find a good company and ask if they need a helper. Start from the ground up and you'll be better off. After you get a couple of years into it, then go to school at a tech school. I thought I knew a bunch more than I did until I went back to school. I ,like most, was clueless.

If a person comes to me and ask for a job I ask them if they REALLY want to be an electrician or are they just wanting a job. If they are serious it will show the first week.

This trade is one where hands-on knowledge is needed before the book knowledge.

As suggested, seek employment with an existing EC [Electrical Contractor].
Start out with your eyes and ears open, do not be afraid to ask questions about anything you work with, then once you get more familiar with the trade by all means PLEASE feel free to study the books!

It will take some time before you can take the exam for your License [Master Electrician], so don't get too far ahead of yourself. After working the trade awhile, you might think twice about jumping into the "Bidding War" aspect and consider other areas [I hope no one got offended by that, I am aiming towards the problems faced with the typical Contractor, which is why I choose to Design / Enjun-ear / Install and Manage upto the point where bidding is passed off to another person].

If you want a field where education is a never ending quest, this is the field for you!
Get into the technical aspects of the field and you will never stop studying, or learning from everyone around you!

<small promotional piece> This site has a huge cache of resources - from free ones to $$$ ones </small promotional piece>

Open eyes, open ears and open mind are the prerequisites for a successful career in this field.
Passing on knowledge to others is part of the curriculum!
Being a responsible installer, co-worker or foreman is another part.
Team work is a major priority.

Always keep this in mind.

Scott S.E.T.

I believe that the Riverside Community Colleges offer night courses in "electricianing".
That way you can work during the day, and school at night.

And the Phrase " USE IT OR LOSE IT" also comes to mind. you can take all the schooling you want but if you don't use it soon and on a daily basis alot of it will be lost. And after going to school at night to get my associates degree i agree with everyone you need the books but actually doing it on the job is the best learning experience. and alot of schools don't teach the things that you really need to know

Actual working experience is best. But really, the book learning helps too. I have worked with too many guys who where good in their specialty but often didn't know why they did things the way they did or in a few cases, didn't even do it the best way. And they were often stuck in the specialty because they didn't have the theorectical knowledge to easily learn new things. The best way, and for the record I'm not a union guy, is to go the IBEW route. They have a good mix of hands on and book learning. But it can be hard getting into the IBEW. So do the books but make it a prioity to go for the hands on. One bit of advice for any apprentice, be the most usefull one you can so that the better journeymans with the most stroke will want you as their helper. Usually, not only will you learn more but guys who are really good don't have to attempt to prove it by treating their helpers like dirt.

Mike

Any schooling is better than none, but the
correspondence type probably won't help much
in landing a job or getting more pay.

The IBEW training is one of the best, but not
easily attained. Many community colleges have
programs. Some contractors will pay your way
if you're working for them. There are several
associations with schooling, NAHB / ABC, any contractor in your area should be able to tell you where to go. You will still have to do the hands on/ OJT.

As for getting started, look in the paper, apply for a helper or apprentice opening, show a good attitude and ask for the job.

Your goal of 4 years and getting your C-10.
You do realize thats 4 years of journey-level
experience to qualify. That 8 years to get there.

More advice: I was an electrician and wanted
to be the owner so I could make the big bucks. I found that in order to make a substantial living, the amount of work it takes will require you not to be an electrician but a business manager. I enjoyed the money but not the position.

In order to be a good business manager you do need to know the trade, however you can hire a RME to qualify your business, if thats what you're after. There are electrical contractors that have never terminated a single wire. They had a customer, which is the essential ingredient to any business and they hired an electrician with a license to qualify the business. That person is suppose to help manage the business.

If you are qualified, you may be able to receive, without charge, Electrical Construction & Maintenance and Electrical Contractor magazines without charge.

I found myself in the exact same position a year ago. How do I get started? Years before I had tried to go through the union but they never had work and wanted me to sign my life away to them and start paying for and going to school - EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD NO WORK. Same thing happened about a year ago when I was looking to get in the field again, like a fool I went to the union, now in a different city at that, and just about the same results. Maybe the union is different in different places, but my two experiences with them left a whole lot to be desired. Don't feel that is the only way to go, it isn't by a long shot. I personally don't see why I should enter into a legally binding contract when I don't need to.

Eventually I went and just started putting in apps from want ads for private companies and within about 6 weeks I actually got several offers. I did have an electronics education (AS degree) which I am sure didn't hurt. I didn't have any electronics work experience though, it just showed I probably can do the math and understand the theory.

I'm just shy of one year in the trade now.
Now my shop is paying for me to go to school through the IEC four-year program. I'm relearning a lot of stuff I already knew but also a ton of new stuff specifically related to electrical work.

My suggestion to anyone with zero experience who wants to get into the field is just go and apply for the jobs. What is it going to hurt. Stop worrying about being qualified. It is an apprenticeship, all you need to be to qualify is willing and able to learn and willing to work hard in a hard job.

If you really want to tip the scales in your favor, try to get some electrical theory in your head. Instead of spending years and years in school (like I did like a fool) or courses just study for a basic level electronics exam like the ISCET associate level exam or the ETA associate level exam. It costs about $50 to take either exam, you just need basic electrical/electronics knowledge, and it will make you stick out on an application. Both ETA and ISCET offer a study guide for their exams. A certificate from ISCET or ETA will probably earn a ton more respect than a "diploma" from some correspondence school and it will cost you less than $100 for the exam and study materials and about 8-12 weeks of studying to pass. An FCC GROL would do the same as well but I haven't been able to find anyone who administers that test in the last 5 years of trying!

Plus, if you can work Ohm's law and read a tape measure you will probably ace any pre-employment math/aptitude tests they give.

I didn't even interview for the job I have and another shop has expressed a strong interest in me. Just having a good knowledge of electrical theory and acing their math test was all I needed. I went in for what I thought was an interview and immediately offered a job instead. The pay does really stink, I took a 2/3 pay-cut to do this but I enjoy the work and the people I work with which I couldn't say about my last job. The pay will get better.

In other words... You probably don't need to do anything but look for an entry-level job but if you want to really stick out then teach yourself basic electrical principals and get some form of industry approved certification. Although electronics and electrical are different industries for the most part, much from one carries over to the other and I don't know of any cheap and easy way to get certified in electrical work so focus on basic electronics certification since it is cheap and readily available. It will get you noticed by a potential employer that you know something about electricity and that it isn't just magic as far as you know that turns the lights on. It will also help you later. My electronics education has certainly helped me this far even though now I am getting it all over again and for free.

Below are links to ISCET and ETA. http://www.iscet.org http://www.eta-sda.com/



[This message has been edited by chuckycheesehead (edited 09-01-2002).]

Chucky,
Your profile does not say where you are, I can probably assist with that GROL thing, but rather than trying to post 200 names gimme a specific location.

Some good answers here. I went through the IBEW apprenticeship, but where I did, you were guaranteed 4 years work when accepted, sorry to hear of your negative experience.

That said, I've been an instructor for the VA apprenticeship council for 19 years. It's a good possibility your State has one. Who regulates your licensure? They probably will also administer your apprentice programs, it may take a few calls to run them down, start with your local building inspectors.

Good luck.

Long shot here — Federal Communications Commission / General Radio Operator's License?

One suggestion — If you can’t break directly into the trade for lack of experience, you might try getting a job at an electrical-wholesaler counter. Learning specific terminology, sizes and features related to electrical materials will partially substitute for not having hands-on construction or maintenance experience. Study the pile of catalogs that are used there. Many manufacturers publish materials that are good for orientation of terminology and ‘how it all fits together.’ Manufacturer’s reps and electricians often come through and they may know of contacts or openings if you pay attention and show interest.

You have to put yourself a notch or three above the competition, and that may be one way to do it.




[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 09-02-2002).]