[farmer man]

I'm a student at a tech school now but things are going too slow for me, I feel like I'm wasting my time in school. I'm thinking about going to a apprentice program. My Question is; what type of education would an employer perfer, a person that just graduated from tech school or a person that when threw an apprentice program.
Please give me some feed back, thanks

 

[air of honesty]

Depends on where you live, what's available, and what area and level you want to work at.

My experience has been that the only reason we hire tech school grads is that they have exibited a desire to learn and be in this industry. Then we retrain them...

Exceptions abound, but few in Texas. TSTI being a notable exception.

I'm in a decidedly non-union area, so questions of apprenticeship are probably best left to others. I can say that I learned OTJ, and believe wholeheartedly in it. All the classes came after 6 months of field work. They meant something then.

Good luck to you. Listen to the smart ones, take the rest with a grain of salt. See my tag...

 

[pulaskihvacr]

Having been a factory rep, an employer and now an instructor I can say that some schools do not really attempt to put out a good product. Having said that, following someone around that has 30 years worth of the wrong kind of experience isn't going to make you a good tech either. Make sure that the school you are in uses both clasroom and extensive "hands on" training, on real equipment..not simulators. They should also have arrangements with contractors to provide "internships" that allow you to receive practical field experience while you are attending school.

 

[NormChris]

Unless the school you are currently attending is pretty bad I suggest you stay for the entire program. Contractors do not like quitters. That is unless you transfer to another better school and complete that program. I see you are in Minnesota. Consider Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis or Hennipin County Tech.

Norm

 

[tinman]

stick it out

The ideal situation would be schooling with a part time job. This would give you the principles and the job would help bring it all together. The schooling is very important.

I would prefer to hire a new guy with schooling. It shows me that he was willing to make an investment in a career.

[Edited by tinman on 09-14-2004 at 08:10 PM]

 

[NormChris]

"There is no substitute for for experience and experience is no substitute for study"

Norm

 

[air of honesty]

Excellent quote, NormChris. Love the spirit of it.

 

[NormChris]

Excellent quote, NormChris. Love the spirit of it.

That Sir is my own quote and is in my new book. I have lived by that quote and it has served me well.

Norm

 

[tinman]

tell me a bit about your book.

 

[NormChris]

tell me a bit about your book.

Go here:

http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?threadid=57497

 

[mjr]

Do it all. What you have to understand that it is not the certificate that will land you a job. I'm not aiming this at you, but a lot of unexperienced people comming out of tech schools think the certificate is the means. That this way of learning is more valuable than that way, that this test isn't required but this one is... I went to tech school first. Then I learned a little on the job. Then I went through an apprenticeship program. I learned even more on the job. I took a few college courses. I sign up for every one night evening class in the area I can. And I still learn on the job. My boss, he still takes classes too, and he's been doing this for 25 years.

How you start doesn't really matter. What matters is that you never quit.

 

[icefan]

ok farmer man here is what you do.

find out where the union in your area is that deals with the trade that you want.

this way you are getting paid while you learn.

by the time you become a journeyman, then you can decide where to go with it.

just make sure not to confuse the sheetmetal union with an airconditioning union because they are not the same.
while the sheetmetal union does install commercial airconditioning and some residential it is not a service oriented union.