Tag: trade school

  • Career Profile: Electrician

    Career Profile: Electrician

    A career as an electrician provides a fair amount of job security whether you are self-employed or hired within a company. Electricians are required across the board, from domestic to commercial settings. Due to the dangerous nature of the work involved, electricians must be highly qualified and trained. If a career as an electrician appeals to you, read on to find out what steps you will need to take to become qualified as an electrician.

    Education
    In order to become an electrician you first need to get qualified, which requires you to enroll in an apprentice program. In order to apply for an apprenticeship program you will most likely be expected to possess a high school diploma or equivalent. Apprenticeship programs will provide classroom instruction as well as on-the-job training. Expect the apprenticeship to last a duration of 4 years, with approximately 144 hours of classroom based instruction and 2,000 hours of on-the-job training. Classroom instruction will consist of learning about electrical theory, mathematics, electrical code requirements, blueprint reading, and safety practices. Some specialized training may be received, such as working with elevators and fire alarm systems. As for on-the-job training, expect to work under the supervision of an experienced electrician who will set your tasks and guide you until you can master the tasks given on your own.

    Graduating
    Once you have graduated there are a variety of routes you can go down. Many electricians choose to work for construction firms, service companies or utility companies. Most graduates will be involved in some kind of maintenance work, where they will be expected to primarily maintain and upgrade existing electrical systems. If you enter into the construction field, you will be part of a team responsible for installing new wiring systems within new buildings. Alternatively you can go down the self-employed route, but that would require a lot of self-promoting and an understanding of registering your self-employed status for tax purposes. You would also need to pass a licensing exam in order to obtain a trading license. Check with your local authority about what is required to set yourself up, if you are interested in becoming a self-employed electrician.

    Earning potential
    Electricians are expected to command very good base wages. However, much of this depends on the company you work for and the perks they offer. If you are self-employed you will set your own hourly rate or job rate, but keep in mind that you will need to factor in promotional costs, transport costs and parts costs.

    Advancement
    Once experienced, electricians can advance to positions such as a supervisory roles. Within the construction field they can become employed as construction superintendents or project managers.

    If this sounds like a career that would suit you, check online via your local job center or career center in order to inquire about local apprenticeship programs. Find out what apprenticeship opportunities there are with local electrical contractors and local electricians. In order to become qualified you will need to study in the apprentice role for 4 years, so make sure this is the right career choice for you before becoming committing.

  • Financial Benefits of Going to Trade School

    Financial Benefits of Going to Trade School

    These days, student debt is big news. Television programs and newspaper reports often feature the stories of university graduates, tens of thousands of dollars in debt, being forced to take low-paying jobs because there is no work in their fields. If you are close to graduating from high school, you might be worried about how you can ever manage the pressures of such a difficult situation. Have you ever considered trade school as an option? Going to a trade school rather than university or college can be a good decision for both personal and financial reasons.

    Making the decision to attend trade school depends very much on your interests and career goals. If you want to become an engineer, lawyer, or doctor, university is your only option. If you want to work in many other fields, such as technical writing, a community college is a good place to become qualified. However, earning official qualifications at a trade school might be best if you want to become an electrician, pipefitter, or hairstylist. Certification through a trade program will give you the practical skills you need to become qualified for the job you want.

    Going to trade school is a good way of getting into a stable, high-paying career quickly. Graduates of colleges or trade schools are more likely than university graduates to find work in their chosen field soon after graduation. Trade programs are generally only a few months long, and then the graduates can usually find work almost immediately. People who graduate from a trade school are likely to become successful in their chosen careers quite quickly.

    One of the main benefits of trade school is its practical focus. In a university engineering program, for example, students might learn about the theory behind why pulleys make it easier to lift heavy objects. In trade school, students would learn how to build and use pulleys. The background information on why things work is important for people in the planning and theoretical branches of the job. For day-to-day work, however, practical knowledge is often more useful. Graduates from universities and colleges often have little practical experience when they graduate, but trade school graduates come out ready to work.

    Going to trade school also has an advantage over going straight from school into a job. In trade school, people learn the job in a logical, step-by-step manner while also having the chance to apply what they have learned on the job. In many countries in Europe and elsewhere, graduates of trade schools receive higher wages than people who have no particular qualifications. The financial benefits can be worth the initial expense.

    Are you interested in getting into a high-paying, stable job after you finish high school? Consider trade school as an option for your future.