[drew2128]

I know this topic has been beat to death, but!

My current employer thinks its a waste that I am going to school? He says you will learn it all in the field, however, he never sits down and explains things to me. The school I am going to only costs 3500 for a 1 1/2 year program.

I am only an installer and a grunt at that! Is he trying to keep me down or?

1. Did you learn a lot in school that you wouldn't have learned in the field quickly?

2. Do you think tech school is a waste?

3. Does it help you get a job with a company easier down the road?

4.What is your opinion?


:grin2: Thanks

 

[dandyme]

tech schools should teach the fundamentals.

ojt will expand the fundamentals

 

[jeep6275]

oh my gosh... where do i start.

i went to tech school 16 yrs ago. every year i attend approximately 40 hours of classes. whether its factory training or combustion analysis, hydronics/pumps classes, tab.... and on and on.
the bottom line is this trade is endless. you will never know it all. though with some hard work you will know alot.

my employer almost seems amused that i go to classes (no one else does)

i would say your boss is annoyed that you are not always available due to your time at school?! it sounds like he needs a grunt/laborer not a trained tech..
i would continue school, and keep looking for a job.

jeep

 

[Six]

If the school is legitimate then its not a waste but this vocation relies heavily on "on the job training" and experience.

If its what you need to get your foot in the door as a tech then I guess its time and money well spent.

I've worked with several people out of tech schools only to find they were incapable of doing service calls solo until that had some practical experience.

 

[drew2128]

If the school is legitimate then its not a waste but this vocation relies heavily on "on the job training" and experience.

If its what you need to get your foot in the door as a tech then I guess its time and money well spent.

I've worked with several people out of tech schools only to find they were incapable of doing service calls solo until that had some practical experience.

I guess the only good thing is that I am learning as I go to school.

I watch them do service, so I might have a clue after school is done, hopefully.

 

[MJG]

The school part really teaches you the fundamentals, things like electrical properties, Ohm's Law, resistances, parallel/series circuits & things of that nature so that you can apply these things in the field. I learned a lot going to trade school but I learned a whole lot more going out into the field! I do think that the school is worth it, provided they are legitimate.

 

[ncboston]

I agree with all of the above. Another plus would be you getting a degree from the program (if that's the kind of program you're in). Eventually you'll get tired of humoing compressors and crawling under houses, having a college degree opens many doors.

 

[Gcanno]

I would carefully check out the trade school especially the qualifications of the instructors, the equipment they have to train with, and what they are going to teach you. I would also talk to some of the students that are close to ending the program and ask them what they thought. asking them should be done without the schools knowledge in the parking lot after school. Most schools don't- mind free country after all.

If you don't like what you hear you shouldn't be considering this school and maybe check out another one.I know you didn't ask for advice on the school but whats the point in going if your not going to get what you want out of it

At the end of the day the decisions come back to You and and where YOU want to go with this trade. Will your employer let you apprentice with a Tech on the days you weren't working for a reduced wage.

Consider that 3,500 can pay for a lot of Tools, some good books, videos and training software While apprenticing, which can reinforce what you're learning in the field. So now instead of paying money you will have to pay back your getting payed along with getting tools you would have to get anyways,and probably most important of all in my opinion is the field experience you gain and which employers look at above training and education (in my opinion)

I attended a trade school am currently a duct monkey and looking to be a tech. In all the jobs i have searched for none has asked me where i went to school.

 

[Tech Rob]

I started out doing only commercial HVAC sheet metal installations. Went through 4 years of apprenticeship for service work while doing sheet metal work. The formal education helped me speak intelligently to my first employer when interviewing for a job in service. I did not have experience, but I did have the foundation of basic knowledge I got from school. I wouldn't have gotten a chance without it. Only a few years later, I'm moving up the ranks, working for a manufacturer and making 4x what I started out at, with a long way to go before I reach the top.

I'm not claiming that I have it all figured out, but you tell me if an education in this trade is worth it???

 

[BillDuffy]

$3,500.00 is not bad, I work with guys going to trade schools here in NY and they are paying $24,000.00, I would recommend electrical classes, learn how to read schematics and how electric controls work. 75% of your problems are electrical and most of the other problems are maintenance related, loose belts, clogged drains, dirty filters, dirty coils. I would not recommend trade school if it cost $20,000.00. You learn more in the field, on the job training.

 

[Juan Madera]

You have a good place in life. A job in the field and a shot at a trade school while you are working. School should give you the essential fundamentals and a grasp of HOW it is supposed to work. OJT allows you to see it in action in the field. Highly recommend the schooling IF it has a good rep in the local trade community. At $3500 it is exceedingly cheap. Is it a Community College? I know the school I work at charges 13k. Don't recommend a correspondence course. You need the person to person in this trade. Best wishes! Excellent trade for a lifetime of personal satisfaction and growth.

 

[hvacker]

If your going to stay a grunt and installer then probably you don't need tech school. If you have an eye on the future and it includes a technical vocation then you absolutely need school. It doesn't matter even what a future job might be, a lot of learning transfers to other trades. School also teaches how to find what you need to know. Any technical field deals with the ability to find information.
While your at it many other classes will help you in whatever field your in. A class in logic, for instance is a great troubleshooting tool.
Your boss might be in an older age where trades were much less technical and much could be learned just by doing. Guess what, not any more. Just an example look at mod con boiler piping these days.