Is wyotech a good electrical school or where is there a good one at - Electrician Talk - Professional Electrical Contractors Forum

nhsgilpen2009 · 02-15-2010, 07:01 PM

I am looking for a school to go to. Doesnt matter where in the US I dont want to go to the local community college or union i cant get in and have to wait. I want to go somewhere that has a great resume. I graduate in a couple months with a associates degree in Industrial Management. I was looking online myself and only good school I could find is Wyotech. Anyone know anything about this school? Anyone know other schools I can look into?

Thanks,
Jesse Ryan Gilpen

LawnGuyLandSparky · 02-15-2010, 07:13 PM

So you'll go anywhere where "CLASSES START TOMORROW!!! Sign up today!!!"

Would you be interested in a bridge?

oldschool · 02-15-2010, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LawnGuyLandSparky

So you'll go anywhere where "CLASSES START TOMORROW!!! Sign up today!!!"

Would you be interested in a bridge?

is that what he said?

he is looking for a place with a good resume

brian john · 02-15-2010, 07:22 PM

With your existing background what is/are your future goals?

bdeots · 02-15-2010, 07:32 PM

If your in W.V. there is a wyotech by you. Dont know a whole lot about them but school is school. Dont let anyone else tell you different. A masters license is a masters license. after you get it you can do 90% more than others can.

Don't spend alot on school, let someone else pay for it.
With your associates get a job in maintenance and let them pay for and your tools.

nhsgilpen2009 · 02-15-2010, 07:35 PM

Well I want to sort of get out of my area and either work for the government or in the "green" industry I am currently a shop supervisor for a company about to go bankrupt. I am a pretty smart fellow and I know what the scams of the start tommorow schools are. I know there are a lot of these votech trade schools for automobiles that have a good resume. My future goal is to be a electrical Inspector or foreman somewhere but want the proper education and training like I said i been to many of the community and techs and if my resume is up against another one of those the other guy might win if I go to a school with a good backbone nationally recognized I am sure win and will have more proper training and education than the other guy. I did have my apprenticeship liscense for a year. Growing up my father was a master electrician but did not have to go through all the training and process as we do today in the State of WV about 20 years ago almost anyone could go in and take the journemans test. But growing up my I would go help my dad and do the basics run the wires in the house, run the electric and telephone and put on covers to finish up. When i had my apprenticeship liscense I would do changeouts wiring old fuse panels into breaker panels and help put in new services.

nhsgilpen2009 · 02-15-2010, 07:36 PM

I would/should get financial aid yes i checked the wyotech in PA and it is all automotive I just didn't know if anyone knows if its a good place to learn or know of anyother places to go to .

LawnGuyLandSparky · 02-15-2010, 07:55 PM

OK I'm gonna give it to you straight... Mr. "I did some residential switch & base with my dad, have a 2-year degree so now I wanna be foreman..."

You're gonna fall flat on your face when reality hits you. Work on some multi-million dollar jobs for banks and investment firms, power plants or something, ANYTHING substantial before you set your sights on the top rung of the ladder. For now, I'll just call you HAYSTACK.

brian john · 02-15-2010, 07:59 PM

I have said this before, I think paying for this education is of little to no help, though it might get you into an apprenticeship.

From a learning stand point I just have not been impressed with the men that went to these schools. YOU NEED REAL world hands on.

nhsgilpen2009 · 02-15-2010, 08:02 PM

lol i didnt say I wanted to start straight out as a foreman you have to work your way up anywhere in a job . Electrical Code is changing every year and people are learning new stuff everyday so I dont need preeching about reality. That is why I want to go to a school to get a good resume and good training Mr Sparky Than after I get liscensed get a good job with a good company and learn and work my way up. Go ahead and call me haystack but i will be the one to pinch you and make you notice me .

Admins if he makes another mark could you please ignore him on my posts because he is just spamming it when I am just asking some general knowledge from the other knowledgable electricians on here and not just one person trying to bring everyone down because he might be laid off or has nothing better to do than to be online everyday and have a total of over 2,000 posts which only has about 100 posts about general knowledge.

Thank you,

nhsgilpen2009 · 02-15-2010, 08:02 PM

ok thank you Brian John for your input

LawnGuyLandSparky · 02-15-2010, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brian john

I have said this before, I think paying for this education is of little to no help, though it might get you into an apprenticeship.

From a learning stand point I just have not been impressed with the men that went to these schools. YOU NEED REAL world hands on.

Ever notice... it's never electricians or unions or contractors offering these "educations" but it's "business" and "technical schools?"

I think I have the solution to PeterD's dilemma...

nhsgilpen2009 · 02-15-2010, 08:10 PM

but dont most technical schools hire ex contractors? In most states a tech school most have a current liscensed electrician teaching these courses or classes to get certified is that not true?

LawnGuyLandSparky · 02-15-2010, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhsgilpen2009

lol i didnt say I wanted to start straight out as a foreman you have to work your way up anywhere in a job . Electrical Code is changing every year

No, every 3 years

and people are learning new stuff everyday so I dont need preeching about reality. That is why I want to go to a school to get a good resume and good training Mr Sparky Than after I get liscensed get a good job with a good company and learn and work my way up. Go ahead and call me haystack but i will be the one to pinch you and make you notice me .

Ahhhh.... youth.

Admins if he makes another mark could you please ignore him on my posts because he is just spamming it when I am just asking some general knowledge from the other knowledgable electricians on here and not just one person trying to bring everyone down because he might be laid off or has nothing better to do than to be online everyday and have a total of over 2,000 posts which only has about 100 posts about general knowledge.

Thank you,

None of my knowledge is general, it's all very specific. Here's the deal... the REAL deal - ANY of those PRIVATE companies calling themselves "schools" or "institutions" who are in reality affiliated with nothing and no one are... worthless. Their ads on TV and on matchbooks don't mean a thing. You do not enter a trade from some technical institute conveniently located on the corner of...

You're speaking of businesses that sell, basically, hope. Nothing more. Don't fall for their sale tactic, they're not colleges and they're accredited by noone, other than themselves.

LawnGuyLandSparky · 02-15-2010, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhsgilpen2009

but dont most technical schools hire ex contractors?

Hardly.

In most states a tech school most have a current liscensed electrician teaching these courses or classes to get certified is that not true?

Not true.

sparky970 · 02-15-2010, 08:19 PM

Perry Tech in Washington State is a very good technical school. They have an excellent reputation. http://www.perrytech.edu/.

Lone Crapshooter · 02-15-2010, 09:36 PM

Some of the specialty schools can be very expensive and a lot of the credits are do not transfer to traditional schools. It is a bit late in the school year to be looking to enroll. Sometimes you can find a 12 month adult program that you can start at anytime that would be on the county votech level not at the junior college level. Depending on your experience you may have a lot of catching up to do.
Another thing you may want to look at is do not limit yourself to pure electrical classes . Look in to a industrial or mine maintenance class that you learn electrical maintenance as well as hydraulics, industrial mechanics and maybe some basic welding skills.
It seems that people with odd skill sets seem to be in high demand Also try to pick up some process instrumentation as well as computer skills.
LC
Listen Think Solve

active1 · 02-16-2010, 12:49 AM

As a person that went to Wyoming Tech (WTI) give some help. Let me start by saying many things have changed since I have been there over 20 years ago. When I went there they only had a automotive & diesel truck trade classes in Laramie Wyoming. Classes repeated every 3 months so you could start your training any quarter. The class length was 6 months for automotive, diesel, or collision. If you wanted an associate degree you took another 3 months of management classes which included business writing and accounting. It was a 9 month fast track deal if your goal was to get an associates degree.

WTI is a lot different then your typical community college. I have attended both and will point out the differences:

Community college- Your classes are an hour or two a few days a week. You take one class and then another class the subjects are repeated because there was not enough coordination on subject matter. The average student lives at home, sleeps in late, has a worthless part time job, is unprepared, and is not there to learn.

WTI- The classes are 8 hours plus lunch & 2 breaks just like a work day. Very few work a job as it is not recommended. Some weekends are taken with community service work not forced but pushed on you. The subject matter is not repeated between instructors and well planed. The students have to meet many standards daily such as proper work boots, correct shirt buttoned to the top, freshly shaved, no hair touching the color, etc. If you get in a physical fight your done. If your found steeling even outside of school they keep the money and your going home. Most of the students drove 1,000-2,000 miles across the country to go there. I believe that makes them more apt to get something out of the place.

In the end some may not realize it but all the extra rules about how you look, emphasis on keeping things clean, showing up every day on time prepared and ready to work a day really makes for a ideal professional worker.

In the automotive industry WTI is recognized for creating professionals with the basic background and regarded by many as being the best automotive training school in the country.

Did WTI teach you everything, no way. But no school can. They teach the basic skills, the theory, the math, how to find information in a book, basic tool usage, etc. They had shop time in some large shops but it seemed like a lot of classroom.

As said the college credits don't transfer well to many schools. As in you have a 2 year degree but if you want a 4 year degree you need to go somewhere else for 4 years. It has to do with who accredits the school and if the classes are based around a skill rather than general education. The same thing can happen at many community colleges.

As for automotive I can say I knew more out of the school then many that have been working for a few years. I learned much faster as I went and could better understand what was going on. I would myself and others I seen that went to a school and worked for 2-3 years were better than some guys working for 10 years with no schooling. Maybe it wasn't just the schooling. Maybe the ones that got the education were more motivated to keep learning. Where as the ones that avoided school avoid learning new things.

In the end WTI for me was a lot of hard work, in the end I was exhausted. It seemed like a lame town which has only got worse but we had fun. I paid on the loan maybe $75 a month for what seemed like 8 years. I got my foot in the door starting out because of it. A few jobs I look at now unrelated I can qualify because I have a 2 year degree. I would do it again. No wait.. I would go to medical school and be a Dr if I had a 2nd chance.

active1 · 02-16-2010, 01:20 AM

As far as going to a construction trade school it may not be the best time or career choice the way things are going. Look at all the job listing ads. Find what is in demand, what interests you, and what pays well. It is my belief that in many areas electrician wages are sliding down. When I started I could get a job with a telephone interview. Or show up to a company with work cloths an tools ready to work. Not like that now. Sending out tons of resumes & waiting in line if you get an interview. Around here I sometimes ask how many applicants for an electricians job and they say 200.

The 2 most common places I hear people lean electrical work is in the union apprenticeship and non-union ABC (Associate Contractors Builders) apprenticeship. I believe both are free but you need an employer to sponcer you.

When I was in business at times I would get a lot of resumes. I would sometimes see people attended a college teaching electrical. But then it was a bit sad to see they didn't get a job related to electrical work but were still trying after a year ore more.

Honestly I don't believe many employers would hire an apprentice just because he went to WTI. Maybe all things equal it will put you ahead. But in the electrical trade WTI is not known or respected. The HR would not know if the school if just handing out paper or teaching. Some don't understand that you can learn 2 years worth of classes in a short time if you do it 40+ hours per week. Some have learned on the job and think schooling is a joke or not needed. Others may have went thru a long (up to 5 years) apprenticeship and feel WTI does not match up. Sometimes you may be thought of as book smart but unskilled on the job.

In 6 or 9 months in the classroom I think you could teach some people a lot of skills, code, and theory. Things they could lean in class that many of the experienced guys should know but don't. Maybe on the job site they would still not be up to speed and have some pipe bending to work on.

JayH · 02-16-2010, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdeots

If your in W.V. there is a wyotech by you. Dont know a whole lot about them but school is school. Dont let anyone else tell you different. A masters license is a masters license. after you get it you can do 90% more than others can.

Don't spend alot on school, let someone else pay for it.
With your associates get a job in maintenance and let them pay for and your tools.

Well for being the bdeots, you've sure got a lot to learn.

School is not school. Many projects require the apprentices to be in an approved apprenticeship.

In my area Wyotech is not on that list and any apprentice attending classes there would be prohibited from working on the majority of projects I am involved regardless of their union affiliation.