Are any of these any good? Are there some to stay away from? I haven't a clue where to start, so perhaps any of you that have gone down this road could spare a little advice.
I have used Red Vector. It is OK, nothing special. You can go through them pretty fast and even though they say this is a timed course, if you end early they still give you the CEUs. You can test out of the courses if you already know the topic. It all depends if you actually want to learn something or just get your ticket punched.
Sparky, There are many thorough courses in your list. The reason I like Mike Holt is that I feel that I have been required to learn the material. If you want a quick, just for the credit course, but a minimum of learning, his courses are not the right choice. Like many other instructors, Mike has more code knowledge than most electricians, because he works with the code on a daily basis. I cannot remember in all the years of reading EC&M magazine that he has had an incorrect answer to a code question. Good luck in your search!
I had a question with Red Vector and it took the course author over a week to actually get back to me (I got some "we are looking into it" messages right away) but it was really pointing out a problem with the course, not a quest for knowledge.
I find I can get answers faster online in these BBs. The IAEI BB is really good if you want the sense of what my Florida AHJs are thinking. After all, what the code says is really what the AHJ says it says.
after some consideration and research, i chose Mike Holtz
i needed the 'New Hampsire' addendum course, in conjucntion with the code update course, and it seemed that they were the most accomodating
they also 'electronically submit' the course completion certificate, which i guess many states are requiring now
no more snail mailing them......?
Anyways, Mike puts on a neat little course. I did the whole thing every morning for about an hour. It's rather convienent to be able to log on/off anytime duty calls
and the course actually goes right on up through Chap 9, tables !
i mean, how many updates do we attend where all of us argue so much , the instructor never really makes it past Chap 3, save for cursory 'sunday afternoon shut up & listen' quickies?
plus, one can simply stop at any time in the on line course, and take as much time as one wishes to mull over any given update issue
the only critique i would forward is the quizzes have this function where one gets a 'second shot' at wrong questions
so it's relatively easy for one to achieve a perfect score
anywho, & overall, being a newbie at this, i'm impressed
Well, my first online seminar experience was for the 2002 code. I got a flyer in the mail from the NFPA for the code course, which included approved CEU credits required for license renewal here The flyer said the course was $140.00, so I sent in my check, took the online seminar and then got a call about a week later telling me that there was a misprint on the flyer and that the course was actually $440.00. I said that there was no way the course was worth $440.00 and I never would of taken it at that price.
So I basically wasted my time and $140.00 taking that online seminar, didn’t get the CEU’s, and ended up having to take the seminar again at a local facility anyway, for $149.00, but at least that included coffee and donuts. It’s one thing to get burned, but getting burned by the NFPA? That’s like getting burned by your own mother.
