apprenticeship

[Josh014]

i am currently in college and i want to go into electrical engineering but im not quite sure how to go about it since my current school does not offer degrees in engineering. i was told i should look for a place to get an apprenticeship in electrical engineering and go to school a few days a week to get certified.

what is the best way to go about this?

 

[dreamsville]

Josh,
This site is mainly an Electricial trade forum. Many of our members are Engineers though, and they contribute valuable technical information relating to the Electrical trade.

But don't get confused between and Electrician and an Electrical Engineer :smile: . Two different occupations. It's typical to work as an apprentice to be an Electrician. Not typically though for Electrical Engineering.

If you want to be an Electrician check with your local IBEW office or contact some local Electrical contractors and express and interest in becoming an Electrician. If you want to be an Electrical Engineer you need to find a college/University that offers a degree in Electrical Engineering :smile:.

 

[ramsy]

If you find out let me know.

Colleges aren't required to prove any market demand for curriculum.
Most students are clueless about choosing majors.
Most tradesmen are clueless how they got their.
Unless born that way, most people get wealthy by accident.

 

[steved]

You need to get to get a BSEE degree from a properly accredited engineering school. This will take at least four years of full-time study. The curriculum will be fairly difficult and involve a good deal of mathematics. It may be possible to do your first two years of school at a community college, which may be much less expensive, and then transfer to a four-year institution to complete your degree. If you want to do this, be sure to check with the school's advisors to be certain the community college courses meet the four-year school's requirements. You should be aware that many Engineering departments have their own admissions requirements in addition to those of the college or university of which they are a part. Some schools offer an Engineering Technology degree which requires less math than an engineering degree, but may not qualify you to become a P.E.

Once you've got the BSEE, it takes another four years (typically) of work experience, and some examinations, to become a registered Professional Engineer.

 

[foqnc]

Hi Josh, glad you joined and posted, hopefully you will get better answers than I gave.


Hi guys, I know Josh and was talking to his family yesterday. I advised him to post here, due to the variety of experience on here.
Basically, I served an apprenticeship in England with a Industrial company. I am not sure if there are any in the States.
As we all know, to those outside of this field, an electrician is an electrician. But we in the trade know this spans from wiring residential, to Factory Maintenance to Designing Building layouts. Josh is trying to figure out which route he would like to take and what is his options.

Maybe if you guys could give definations/schooling/scope of work, for the below list of titles within the Electrical Field

Electrical Engineer.
Electrical Technician
Electrician with Masters License
Electrician with Journeyman's License

Thanks in for any input

 

[DanZ]

It may be possible to do your first two years of school at a community college, which may be much less expensive, and then transfer to a four-year institution to complete your degree. If you want to do this, be sure to check with the school's advisors to be certain the community college courses meet the four-year school's requirements. You should be aware that many Engineering departments have their own admissions requirements in addition to those of the college or university of which they are a part. Some schools offer an Engineering Technology degree which requires less math than an engineering degree, but may not qualify you to become a P.E.

Once you've got the BSEE, it takes another four years (typically) of work experience, and some examinations, to become a registered Professional Engineer.

Be very careful if you try to go to a tech school! Most Accredited (4 year) Engineering and Architecture programs require your core courses to be taken through a school with a matching accreditation. So, you may be able to squeeze some Gen Ed (English, Math) courses out of a Tech School, but don't count on anything else!

In Ohio, it is possible to have a Engineering Technology (2 year) degree and still become a P.E. It takes 8 or 10 extra years of in the field experience, which must start after you receive the degree.

As far as what to choose, good luck!

An Engineer does the design and spec work that a Journeyman or Master electrician installs, with the help of an Apprentice. If you really like math, and are good at complex formulas, Engineering may be the route to go. If you like to work with your hands, and trouble shoot things, Journeyman or Master may be the way to go. If you just want to show up and get bossed around, you may want to be an Apprentice, or "Electrical Technician".

If you know someone (close to you!) who is an Electrician or Engineer, ask if you can shadow them for a day or two.

Good luck!

-Dan

 

[charlie b]

Maybe if you guys could give definitions, schooling, scope of work, for the below list of titles within the Electrical Field. . . .

I would suggest a visit to your local public library. Ask for the Reference Desk. These people are experts in knowing where to find information. They can find anything you want to know about careers, schools, licenses, and salary ranges.