Find Electrician Schools Near Me in Chevy Chase MD 20815

How to Become an Electrician in Chevy Chase Maryland

Chevy Chase MD electrician inspecting circuit panel The initial step to becoming an electrical tradesman or contractor is enrolling in an electrician trade school near Chevy Chase MD. But with so many technical schools to select from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the ideal one? Especially since there are a number of variables to consider. For example, some students will begin by looking for schools that are close to their home. Once they have found several that are within commuting range, they will select the one with the least expensive tuition. Although cost and location are important, they are not the sole factors that must be considered. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and additional qualifiers should influence your final judgment when choosing an electrician school. We will address that checklist in more detail later in this article. But first, let’s talk a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational options that are available.

Electrician Degree, Diploma and Certificate Programs near Chevy Chase MD

Chevy Chase MD electrician re-wiring power outlet There are multiple approaches to get electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Chevy Chase MD. You can select a diploma or certificate program, or earn an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are offered at certain schools, but are not as common as the first three alternatives. In many cases these programs are offered combined with an apprenticeship, which are required by most states to be licensed or if you would like to become certified. Bellow are brief descriptions of the 3 most typical programs offered.

Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Maryland technical and trade schools and require about a year to complete. They provide a good foundation and are aimed towards individuals who would like to enter an apprenticeship more quickly as a journeyman electrician.
Associate Degree Programs take two years to finish and are provided by Maryland community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They offer a more extensive education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to join their apprenticeship program.

As earlier mentioned, Bachelor’s Degrees are available at some Maryland institutions, but are less popular at 4 years than the other briefer programs. Many states require that an apprenticeship of no less than 2 years and more typically 4 years be performed prior to licensing. For that reason, most students are eager to start their paid apprenticeship, particularly if it’s not part of their educational program.

Electrician License and Certification Requirements

Chevy Chase MD electricians working on power lines Electricians in Chevy Chase MD can undertake a multitude of tasks, such as testing, installing and replacing electrical systems, and making sure that the wiring in buildings and homes are up to code standards. After finishing an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are required to become licensed in most municipalities and states. The length of apprenticeship differs by state, but typically about 4 to 5 years of prior experience is needed before taking the licensing examination. The exams typically assess general knowledge and electrical theory, in addition to understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional means for an electrician to distinguish her or himself as a experienced and skilled professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be earned in several specializations, including cable splicing as an example. The certification procedure in most cases involves three levels of competency:

An experience requirement
Passing a written exam
Passing a practical exam

Examples of certifying agencies include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) and also the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s important that the electrician tech school that you pick not only delivers a strong academic foundation, but also helps prepare you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you might need to pass in the future.

Attending Electrician Online Schools in Chevy Chase MD

attending electrician school online in Chevy Chase MD A possibility that you may have considered is enrolling in an electrician online school to earn a degree or a certificate. Even though online schools have become more prevalent as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this situation they are not entirely internet based. Just about all electrician schools require partial attendance on campus to receive practical hands-on training. But since the balance of the classes may be attended online, distance learning might be a more practical alternative for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online degree programs have a lower tuition cost compared to their on campus competitors. Travelling expenses from Chevy Chase MD are also reduced and a portion of the study materials may be accessed on line also. Each of these benefits can make online electrician tech schools more affordable and convenient. And many are fully accredited, which we will deal with in our questions to ask checklist.

Things to Ask Electrician Tech Schools

Chevy Chase MD electrician re-wiring circuit panel Now that you have made a decision to earn a certificate, diploma or degree, you can start to narrow down your school options. Because there are so many electrician trade and vocational schools in the Chevy Chase MD area, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each school must satisfy. The first 2 that we talked about were location and tuition expense. If you have an interest in earning an online degree, then that needs to be an option that your final school offers. And while all three qualifiers may be critical when making your decision, there are other factors that need to be taken into account also. Following is a checklist of those additional qualifiers that you will need to assess prior to choosing an electrical tech school.

Accreditation. Many electrician trade programs have attained either a regional or a national accreditation. They can acquire Institutional Accreditation, which involves the school’s programs as a whole, or Programmatic Accreditation, which pertains to an individual program, for example electrical technology. Verify that the Chevy Chase MD program and school are accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting organization, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In addition to helping guarantee that you obtain a quality education, it may assist in securing financial aid or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Additionally, a number of states require that the electrician training course be accredited in order to be approved for licensing.

High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician schools you are considering what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the percentage or portion of students who enroll in and complete the course. A lower completion rate may signify that students were dissatisfied with the course and dropped out. It may also signify that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have higher job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader directory of graduates, which may produce more contacts for the school to use for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only validate that the school has an excellent reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to assist Chevy Chase MD students secure apprenticeships or jobs.

Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician training programs are taught along with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and technical programs will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical businesses or trade unions. Ask if the schools you are considering have working partnerships with Chevy Chase MD area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a rewarding experience by providing hands-on training, but it also furnishes job opportunities and helps to establish relationships in the local electrician professional community.

Modern Facilities. Confirm that the campus facilities and the tools that you will be instructed on are state-of-the-art and what you will be working with in the field. If you are currently in an internship or an apprenticeship, consult with the electrical specialist you are working under regarding what you should be expecting. If not, ask a local Chevy Chase MD electrical contracting company if they can provide some suggestions. Additionally keep in mind that unless you can move, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Chevy Chase home. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there can be higher tuition charges compared to in-state residents.

Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much individualized instruction as possible, which can be difficult in larger classes. Ask if you can sit in on a couple of the classes so that you can observe how large they are and witness first hand the interaction between teachers and students. Talk with some of the students and get their opinions concerning class sizes and instruction. Finally, talk with some of the teachers and find out what their level of experience is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.

Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the programs you are evaluating are flexible enough to fulfill your needs. If you can only go to classes in the evening or on weekends near Chevy Chase MD, check that the schools you are reviewing offer those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, be sure that the school you select permits part-time enrollment. Also, ask what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, illness or family responsibilities.

Considering Attending an Electrician School near Chevy Chase MD?

Following is a little bit of background information about the Chevy Chase MD area.

Chevy Chase, Maryland

Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place (Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland. Several settlements in the same area of Montgomery County and one neighborhood of Washington, D.C. include "Chevy Chase" in their names. These villages, the town, and the CDP share a common history and together form a larger community colloquially referred to as "Chevy Chase".

Primarily a residential suburb, Chevy Chase adjoins Friendship Heights, a popular shopping district. It includes the National 4-H Youth Conference Center, which hosts the National Science Bowl annually in either late April or early May.[1]

The name "Chevy Chase" is derived from "Cheivy Chace", the name of the land patented to Colonel Joseph Belt from Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore on July 10, 1725. It has historic associations to a 1388 battle between Lord Percy of England and Earl Douglas of Scotland, the subject of the ballad entitled "The Ballad of Chevy Chase". At issue in this "chevauchée" (a French word describing a border raid) were hunting grounds or a "chace" in the Cheviot Hills of Northumberland and Otterburn.[2]

The location could not be found.

Find the Ideal Electrical Trade School near Chevy Chase MD

Choosing the ideal electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most important decision you will make to start your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are a number of things that you will need to evaluate and compare among the schools you are reviewing. It’s a necessity that any electrical training program that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on training. Classes should be small in size and each student should have their own equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world frame of reference, and the course of study should be current and in-line with industry standards. Training programs vary in duration and the type of credential offered, so you will have to ascertain what length of program and degree or certificate will best fulfill your needs. Each training program provides unique options for certification also. Probably The ideal way to research your short list of schools is to visit each campus and talk with the students and faculty. Take the time to monitor a few classes. Tour the campus and facilities. Make certain that you are confident that the training program you choose is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the end result will be a new career as a professional electrician in Chevy Chase MD.