| You've probably heard the horror stories about | | | | Unfortunately, when they do embark upon |
| students who chose the wrong colleges. These | | | | careers in these technical industries, they have no |
| students embark upon expensive training | | | | useful job skills to speak of - just a piece of |
| programs, many of which offer little career | | | | paper stating that they graduated from the |
| preparation. They then graduate to find a career | | | | school. |
| market that cannot use them in any significant | | | | A good technical training school or career college |
| way. What a waste of time and money! | | | | is recognized by employers in the fields the school |
| This same scenario can occur at any HVAC | | | | teaches to: air conditioning, HVAC, electrical work, |
| school; in a refrigeration training program; in an | | | | mechanics, and so on. When you are participating |
| electrician school or apprenticeship program, or at | | | | in an admissions interview, ask the school |
| any other type of technical college. Students | | | | representatives if you can see a list of places |
| should only enroll in schools that teach skills | | | | that hire the school's graduates. This should give |
| relevant to the immediate needs of the job | | | | you an idea of what you can expect, career-wise, |
| market, where they can make the transition from | | | | after finishing your training program. |
| school to a refrigeration, electrician, plumbing, or | | | | You should also see what kinds of jobs each |
| refrigeration career without needing to pick up | | | | training school can prepare you for. This will give |
| additional skills. | | | | you good insight into how versatile the curriculum |
| There are many technical schools from which to | | | | is and how far the school can take you in a |
| choose, however - it can be hard to determine | | | | technical field. Ask if the school has a career |
| which ones are schools of quality, and which are | | | | counseling department and whether or not the |
| not. Technical schools offer a huge variety of | | | | school is dedicated to assisting with job placement. |
| different programs, from electronics to HVAC to | | | | There's no doubt about it - the 21st century job |
| plumbing to sheet metal work to refrigeration and | | | | market is tough. If a potential school can help you |
| cooling technologies. They all have different | | | | to secure a job, so much the better. |
| admissions requirements and different approaches | | | | 3. Find out how invested the school is in you as a |
| to teaching class material. Their instructors have | | | | student and as an individual. |
| varying qualifications and levels of direct career | | | | Many schools treat their students as numbers and |
| experience in their fields of teaching, as well. (For | | | | not as individuals. These are the types of HVAC, |
| example, some HVAC instructors have worked | | | | refrigeration, electrical technologies, and plumbing |
| HVAC careers for ten years before they taught; | | | | schools that usher students through the system |
| other HVAC instructors only have classroom and | | | | without allowing them to ask questions or explore |
| book experience.) And, some schools accept | | | | their options. If you find it difficult to obtain basic |
| financial aid packages, while others place education | | | | information about a technical training program - |
| financing directly in students' hands. | | | | such as cost, number of credits necessary to |
| So, what should you look for when pursuing an | | | | graduate, and job placement rates - then this |
| electrical, plumbing, refrigeration, HVAC, or other | | | | school is not one you'd want to attend. |
| type of training program? | | | | Look for a school that encourages you to come |
| 1. Determine whether the school teaches you | | | | in for individualized information sessions. Find |
| skills above and beyond what you might learn on | | | | schools that encourage students to participate in |
| the job. | | | | private education planning sessions and one-on-one |
| Some technical training programs are redundant: | | | | career counseling. Unlike four-year schools, size |
| They teach you skills you will absorb on the job - | | | | does matter. Smaller technical schools are usually |
| but when attending a school, you'll obviously have | | | | more specialized. They are less likely to be |
| to pay for them. You should always look for | | | | factories that take student money and try to get |
| schools that provide a combination of theory and | | | | them to pass through the programs as quickly as |
| practice. For example, when choosing a school at | | | | possible. Some of these schools are family-owned. |
| which to study electrical wiring or electronics, don't | | | | The best schools have instructors who are |
| pick the place that only teaches you how to wire | | | | available to talk with students outside of class |
| buildings or fix radios. Pick the place that teaches | | | | time, and administrators who are present in the |
| you concepts as well: how electrical wiring and | | | | building every day - these schools can boast of |
| circuitry works; how electrical appliances or wiring | | | | faculty and staff who actually know their |
| can be tested for voltage, amperage, and | | | | students. |
| resistance, and how basic power sources work. | | | | You are also better off at a school that accepts |
| The best technical training schools provide a | | | | student aid than a school only accepting students |
| combination of lecture-based classes and lab- or | | | | who are able to pay out of pocket. Many |
| shop-based classes. A good, job-focused | | | | students cannot afford the entirety of their tuition |
| curriculum for any given school will also include | | | | in one payment, and a good school enables |
| special hands-on projects, and will teach safety | | | | students to choose the financing plan that is right |
| concepts and standards based upon current laws | | | | for them. |
| and regulatory code. | | | | The best way to determine whether or not a |
| 2. Make sure that the schools you're interested in | | | | technical school is for you is to visit it, and ask as |
| have good job placement rates and a strong | | | | many questions as you can think of. If you get an |
| industry reputation. | | | | odd feeling that information is being deliberately |
| Many HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing, and electrical | | | | hidden or your questions are being ignored, move |
| schools are nothing more than diploma mills. | | | | on. There are good technical training schools - |
| Students spend exorbitant amounts of money on | | | | don't let the bad ones dissuade you from your |
| an education that is lacking in quality. | | | | dreams. |