How to Become an Electrician in Mountain View Oklahoma
The initial step to learning to be an electrical tradesman or contractor is locating an electrician trade school near Mountain View OK. But with numerous vocational schools to select from, just how do you undertake making certain that you enroll in the right one? Especially because there are a number of variables to examine. For example, some students will begin by searching for schools that are nearby their home. When they have found several that are within commuting distance, they will choose the one with the lowest tuition. Even though cost and location are significant, they are not the sole factors that need to be examined. Also critical are the reputations of the schools, their accreditation, as well as their job placement and graduation rates. These and other qualifications should help mold your ultimate decision when picking an electrician trade school. We will address that checklist in more detail later in this post. But first, let’s review a little bit about becoming an electrician and the educational options that are accessible.
Electrician Diploma, Certificate and Degree Options near Mountain View OK
There are several options to obtain electrician instruction in a vocational or trade school near Mountain View OK. You may enroll in a diploma or certificate program, or obtain an Associate Degree. Bachelor’s Degrees are available at certain schools, but are not as common as the other three options. Often these programs are made available in conjunction with an apprenticeship, which are mandated by the majority of states to be licensed or if you wish to earn certification. Following are brief descriptions of the three most prevalent programs offered.
- Certificate and Diploma Programs are generally offered by Oklahoma technical and trade schools and require approximately a year to finish. They provide a solid foundation and are aimed towards individuals who wish to join an apprenticeship faster as a journeyman electrician.
- Associate Degree Programs require 2 years to finish and are offered by Oklahoma community colleges, commonly as an Associate Degree in Electrical Technology. They provide a more well-rounded education while supplying the foundation that prepares students to enter into their apprenticeship program.
As previously stated, Bachelor’s Degrees are accessible at certain Oklahoma institutions, but are less preferred at 4 years than the other shorter programs. Most states mandate that an apprenticeship of at least 2 years and in most cases 4 years be carried out before licensing. For that reason, many students are anxious to start their paid apprenticeship, especially if it’s not a component of their academic program.
Electrician Certification and Licensing Prerequisites
Electricians in Mountain View OK can carry out a wide range of duties, including installing, replacing and testing electrical systems, and ensuring that the wiring in houses and buildings are up to code standards. After concluding an apprenticeship, journeyman electricians are mandated to be licensed in the majority of states or municipalities. The period of apprenticeship varies by state, but generally about 4 to 5 years of practical experience is called for in order to take the licensing examination. The exams typically evaluate electrical theory and general knowledge, as well as understanding of the National Electrical Code (NEC). Receiving certification is also an optional method for an electrician to identify her or himself as a skilled and experienced professional. The certifications available vary by state and can be acquired in various specialties, including cable splicing as an example. The certification process in most cases involves three levels of proficiency:
- An experience requirement
- Passing a written exam
- Passing a practical exam
Examples of certifying agencies include the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC) along with the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET). It’s crucial that the electrician tech school that you select not only provides a solid academic foundation, but also helps ready you for passing any certification and licensing exams that you may be required to pass in the future.
Attending Electrician Schools Online in Mountain View OK
An option that you might have contemplated is selecting an online electrician school to earn a certificate or degree. While online training programs have become more popular as a means of attending class without needing to travel, in this case they are not entirely internet based. Virtually all electrician schools require some attendance on campus to obtain practical hands-on training. But since the rest of the classes can be accessed online, distance learning may be a more convenient option for individuals that have minimal time for schooling. And as an added benefit numerous online training programs have a reduced tuition cost compared to their traditional counterparts. Travelling expenses from Mountain View OK are also lessened and a portion of the study materials can be accessed online as well. All of these benefits can make online electrician tech schools more economical and accessible. And many are fully accredited, which we will discuss in our questions to ask checklist.
Topics to Ask Electrician Tech Schools
Now that you have decided to earn a diploma, certificate or degree, you can begin to refine your school options. Because there are so many electrician tech and trade schools in the Mountain View OK area, it’s essential to have a checklist of criteria that each program must satisfy. The first two that we mentioned were location and the cost of tuition. If you are interested in earning an degree online, then that needs to be a feature that your final school offers. And even though all three qualifiers may be important when making your selection, there are other factors that must be considered also. Below is a checklist of those additional qualifications that you will need to assess before selecting an electrical technical school.
Accreditation. Many electrician technical programs have acquired either a regional or a national accreditation. They can earn Institutional Accreditation, which focuses on the school’s programs overall, or Programmatic Accreditation, which relates to an individual program, such as electrical technology. Verify that the Mountain View OK school is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged accrediting agency, which includes the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Along with helping ensure that you receive an excellent education, it may assist in securing financial assistance or student loans, which are frequently not available for non-accredited programs. Also, a number of states require that the electrician training program be accredited in order to qualify for licensing.
High Completion and Placement Rates. Ask the electrician training programs you are reviewing what their completion rates are. The completion rate is the portion or percentage of students who enroll in and finish the program. A lower completion rate might signify that students were unhappy with the course and quit. It may also signify that the teachers were not competent to instruct the students. It’s similarly essential that the schools have high job placement rates. Older and/or more reputable schools may have a broader list of alumni, which may produce more contacts for the school to utilize for their apprenticeship and job placement programs. A high job placement rate can not only affirm that the school has a good reputation within the field, but additionally that it has the network of contacts to help Mountain View OK grads acquire apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeship Programs. A large number of electrician trade programs are taught together with an apprenticeship or an internship program. Those participating vocational and trade schools will help place you in an apprenticeship program within their network of electrical contractors or trade unions. Find out if the schools you are considering have working relationships with Mountain View OK area electricians or electrical specialists. An apprenticeship not only offers a valuable experience by providing hands-on training, but it also supplies job opportunities and helps to form relationships in the area electrician professional community.
Modern Facilities. Make certain that the school facilities and the equipment that you will be instructed on are up-to-date and what you will be working with in the field. If you are presently in an internship or an apprenticeship, talk to the electrical tech you are working under concerning what you should be looking for. If not, ask a local Mountain View OK electrical company if they can give you some tips. Additionally bear in mind that unless you can relocate, the school needs to be within driving distance of your Mountain View residence. Take note that if you decide to enroll in an out-of-state school, besides the added moving costs there might be increased tuition fees compared to in-state residents.
Smaller Classes. It’s desirable that you receive as much one-on-one instruction as possible, which can be difficult in bigger classes. Ask if you can monitor a couple of the classes so that you can see how big they are and witness first hand the interaction between instructors and students. Talk with a few of the students and get their opinions relating to class sizes and instruction. Finally, speak to some of the teachers and find out what their level of expertise is and what degrees or certifications they have earned.
Flexible Scheduling. Confirm that the class schedules for the schools you are evaluating are flexible enough to handle your needs. If you are only able to attend classes at night or on weekends near Mountain View OK, verify that the schools you are looking at provide those choices. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the school you select offers part-time enrollment. Also, find out what the policy is to make-up classes should you miss any due to work, sickness or family issues.
Considering Attending an Electrician School near Mountain View OK?
Following is a little bit of background information about the Mountain View OK area.
Mountain View, Oklahoma
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Rock Island) extended a line from Chickasha to the northern part of the Kiowa, Comanche and Apache Reservation in 1899. It terminated about two miles from an existing tent city called Oakdale, consisting of a store and post office on the former Cheyenne and Arapaho Reservation. The Oakdale post office was renamed Mountain View, honoring the nearby Wichita Mountains, on October 9, 1900.[4]
In 1903, the entire town relocated to a site closer to the railroad. The move was completed in 1904. Nicknaming itself, "the City in the Woods," the town became a point for transshipping Texas cattle on the Rock Island. Cattle were unloaded from trains and allowed to graze on Kiowa, Comanche and Apache Reservation land before resuming their journey to markets. By 1910, the town had a population of 855.[4]
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 795 people, 381 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,775.3 people per square mile (679.5/km²). There were 452 housing units at an average density of 911.9 per square mile (349.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 85.68% White, 0.34% African American, 10.57% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.50% of the population.
Enroll in the Ideal Electrical Trade School near Mountain View OK
Picking the best electrician trade school will undoubtedly be the most critical decision you will make to launch your new career. As we have addressed in this article, there are many factors that you will need to assess and compare between the schools you are looking at. It’s a prerequisite that any electrician training program that you are evaluating includes a good deal of hands-on instruction. Classes need to be smaller in size and every student should have their personal equipment to train with. Classroom education needs to provide a real-world context, and the curriculum should be up-to-date and conform with industry standards. Programs differ in length and the type of credential offered, so you will need to ascertain what length of program and certificate or degree will best serve your needs. Each training program provides different options for certification also. Probably the best approach to research your short list of schools is to check out each campus and talk with the faculty and students. Take the time to monitor some classes. Inspect the campus and facilities. Make sure that you are confident that the training program you pick is the right one for you. With the proper training, effort and commitment, the final result will be a new trade as a professional electrician in Mountain View OK.
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