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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2
T
tleser Offline OP
Junior Member
I'll be graduating Purdue this Dec. with a bachelors in EET (well, changed to ECET this sem) and for a couple years now I've been real thinkin about starting my own renewable energy business doing sales, design, and installs, the full load. For the past 2 years since I've started thinking about it, I've read a lot of books, and done a bit more research on RE just because I found it interesting. Now that I'm approaching graduation, I'm looking into more of what I will need to be a business in the energy field and I'm not coming up with much help in google searches except for this excellent site! [Linked Image]

Now I take it I will need to have an electricians license to install systems into houses. How is this possible? The basic info I've been able to find is that you need to be an apprentice electrician before you're a journeyman, and journeyman to master I take it. But the requirements for an apprentice license are that you have 5 years experience? At least for Muncie which is the only IN town I could find requirements for about the license. How would this be possible than for me to accomplish this goal if I would not be able to obtain an electricians license? I supposed I COULD hire one for the installs, but that would be a big chunk of change outta the biz that me and a partner could, and would want to, just do ourselves. Or Do I have it all wrong here? The only thing the Lafayette, IN site mentions is some b.s. that EE majors are handed a license (see it doesn't say what kind either, such as the apprentice,journey, masters?) upon receiving their bachelors. EET's are the ones that apply all the theory they learn, EE's don't apply jack so why would they be handed a license where you actually have to apply?! (hehe, no offense to any other EE's out there).

One of my fellow EET students also works as an electrician with his dad out in the county near Crawfordsville and he said they're not required to have licenses there. I asked him what was necessary and he said he thought it was just passing the exam. I was looking at some books on amazon to study the code and the exam, but for now there doesn't seem to be any reason for that if 5 years experience is a requirement to get a license. And is an electrical contractors license something completely different and that's what I should be looking for? Man I am just very confused and frustrated about this and I hope someone can read this this long mess of a post and help me out! [Linked Image] Well tahnks in advance,

Tom

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3
L
Junior Member
Indiana leaves it up to the counties and cities if they want to require an electrician license , in southern IN. only 1 county around me requires license , I think the require a 4 year apprenticeship or 4 years work experince, collage might count for part of that , you might try www.ptiexpo.com , they do the testing around here

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 914
E
Member
tleser,

Before you jump into your own business with both feet, I suggest you actually work in the field for a while. It would be very hard to even begin to estimate jobs without hands on experience. I'm not trying to dissuade you from persuing your dream, but you might want to try it first.

I also started my own business straight out of college. I had about 5 years experience in the electrical field, but decided I wanted to go into remodeling with some electrical service. I struggled for 5 years as I learned and worked at the same time. After 5 years of just getting by I decided to get my electricians license and concentrate my efforts on electrical service and subcontracting. Since then things have been much better having gone back to my roots and building on my experience. I wished I had spent those first 5 years working for another contractor learning the management side of the business that I learned the hard way. My business degree helped, but real life is much diferent.

Good Luck.

Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2
T
tleser Offline OP
Junior Member
Hi Lane and Eagle, thanks for the replies.

Eagle, no dissuation on your part. That was sorta plan b anyways, but what exactly did you mean by working in the field? I have no desire to solely work doing wiring. My concentration is actually embedded microcontrollers and networking. I've thought about getting a job after graduating and maybe workin on this as a hobby until I can make enough of my own capital to supply all of my business needs. Still that leads back to my dilemma of the licensing that would be required to install the RE system into the existing building's wiring.

I had a plan C too which was to go to grad school. The problem with that is that I'm pretty much burnt out of school now and I'm not sure if I could handle another 2 years. Hell I'm not even sure what classes I would have to take considering that to get the MS Tech you sit down with your major prof. AFTER you're accepted in and construct a plan of study based on a concentration you'd like to do. I like to know what I would be doing beforehand, so I know whether or not it'd be something I'd want to do. That would still give me a couple extra years to do this stuff on the side and just get the extra experience. In the end it seems like I'd still be stuck with the issue of licensing. [Linked Image]

I do appreciate your replies though. Thanks,

Tom


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