Minnesota Electrician School DCTC

[Eddie_Dingle]

Hello,

I have just completed a Liberal Arts Associate's Degree. What I learned from that two-years of schooling is that I enjoy mathematics and problem solving. From what I understand, electrical construction and maintenance work involves a lot of problem solving. It also is a field where a person can continue to learn new things and gain more skills (as well as increase their paycheck). So, for those reasons, I am interested in continuing my education within the electrical field.

Is an Electrical Construction & Maintenance degree from a community college worth it or should I just go union? I have no electrical or construction experience whatsoever. Are there any employment opportunities for someone that has just graduated a two-year program as listed above with no work experience in the field? In addition to that, how about job opportunities exclusively in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area? The school I am looking at enrolling at is Dakota County Technical College because I live closest to it. That being said, I don't want to take out any more loans if I'm not guaranteed work after graduation.

Does anyone care to share their thoughts on my inquiries?


Thank you for your time.

 

[Eddie_Dingle]

D.C. Electricity Theory and Lab
A.C. Electricity Theory and Lab
National Electrical Code I
Construction Site Safety
Computer Applications for Electricians
Blueprint Reading for Technicians
Analog and Digital Electronics Theory
Analog and Digital Electronics Lab
Construction Skills and Introduction to Wiring Theory
Construction Skills and Introduction to Wiring Lab
Electrical Apparatus Theory
Electrical Appartus Lab
Programmable Logic Controllers Theory
Programmable Logic Controllers Lab
National Electric Code II
Electrical/Electronic Controls and Systems Theory
Electrical/Electronics Controls and Systems Lab
Industrial and Maintenance Wiring Theory and Lab
Commercial Wiring Theory and Lab
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Wiring Theory and Lab
Total Core Credits: 63

General Education Courses

Course Title
Composition I
Math for Electricians
Interpersonal Communication
General Education Elective(s)**
General Education Elective(s)
Total General Education Credits:	18

These are the required courses for the degree. Would an employer hire someone with this degree but without any work experience in the field? Does this look like a good course load?

 

[ActionDave]

If I were going to pay for a class it would be for PLC's. Most of the other stuff can be learned as an apprentice on most any job.

 

[jmargolis79]

I am from the Minneapolis area. I am a union member and can only speak from that prospective. In general most of the community schools have very similar programs. I had two years of schooling before joining the union. This helped when i was going through apprentice classes with the union. I could better understand what i was doing the field and had a easier time with the weekly class work. I think the school was worth every penny.

You probably could find a job without it, but you may struggle for longer time. As for job guarantee, that will never happen. The school I went to claimed 95 % job placement. This was about right, but this is a job in a not always stable environment. So you have the flow with the good and bad times.
Welcome to the industry.

 

[Eddie_Dingle]

Thank you both for the responses.

I guess what I am most concerned about is being able to find a job as an entry-level person with no experience. Are employers in the industry actually hiring people with no experience right now? I would think that they'd go for people that have worked in the field for sometime. I know there are too many variables to properly answer this question but i figure it's worth a shot.

 

[Eddie_Dingle]

Thank you both for the responses.

I guess what I am most concerned about is being able to find a job as an entry-level person with no experience. Are employers in the industry actually hiring people with no experience right now? I would think that they'd go for people that have worked in the field for sometime. I know there are too many variables to properly answer this question but i figure it's worth a shot.

Oops, I see this was already answered.