I am looking into technical colleges to become an Electrician because I have seen the field is in high demand and I am wanting to shift away from the hypothetical bull shit at the University level into actually learning and doing something hands on. I looked at Anoka Technical College today and none of the instructors were around, so it was difficult to determine an impression of their program. The lab area seemed impressive to me though.

I have a been in the trade for almost twenty years now. Dunwoody or St. Paul tech are the big two schools if you are or have any interest in either of the metro union programs. I have been in and out of the union overall the work is better and it pays better for the most part. Other then the bs that goes with it. I make between 70 and uppers 90s depending on the over time I work. I live in the south metro and have no idea about anoka's program but research your options. I enjoy the work most days.

I am an engineer and work with electrical engineers. If you have the means and can make it through the "hypothetical bull shit at the University level" I'd say do that and you will be better off for it. Every one of the engineers I know is capable of pulling wires and in my industry it's multi million dollar equipment all over the world. They do the startups for the equipment that comprises large electric motors, VFD's, low and medium voltage, PLC programming, zone 1, zone 2.... Your options are much larger with the engineering degree, if you can make it. Oh and better money also. IMO

 
I'm not super crazy book smart. I need to see things in action and do it to learn what is going on. The problems that I have had at the university level is that they seem to assume everyone learns by sitting in a lecture and taking exams without any real world application. It could be that my experience has been different from others, but I feel like I am wasting my time and money at a University. It's difficult to be really into something when you feel like you aren't learning anything.

It's definitely different strokes for different folks. I hated chemistry but easily aced the chemistry lab. The first year or so was considered weed out and then it got better. My senior design project was building a pulling tractor, we designed and machined many of the parts ourselves. I didn't take it but we had an electrical class where one of my classmates made an electronic shifter for his drag car. I think one of the guys a year or so ahead of me got a patent for sound activated goose decoys with flapping wings. An engineer I work with now has a patent for an electronic hand release for Cowboys whom ride bulls.

I don't consider myself that technical but the degree has opened a lot of doors and I'm now in an operations role, I could have just as easily gone into our field service group. You need to do what's right for you but an engineering degree is the path with more options. I'm assuming you were talking engineering, not sure if you said specifically.

When the local electricians quoted me $4500 to put in a $150 service disconnect switch, I think $80k a year must be possible.

if it's any help---my father in law started as an electrician.  his father owned an electrical company---he pointed out a few fuse boxes in marshall that still bore the company name.  he did well, wired a lot of new houses and buildings.  at his father's insistence he attended college and earned an EE degree.  needless to say he looks back on his wiring days fondly, but now retired with a fair amount of money in the bank he doesn't regret his decision

 
I liked it there, but isolation from family and friends kind of did it in. I wasn't able to find work that paid much more than in the cities and when I did it was going to be 7p-7a revolving shift work with barely no weekends off . I could have put up with it if I had a normal schedule and enough money to own a truck and go do outdoorsy things and have a life, but not in the way that it was going.


I've been talking to the University I previously attended today too. Maybe if I just get the damned piece of paper I can sell myself into a real job.

$80k is easily possible, especially if you're union. The company I work for has a buttload of electricians at the Koch plant in Pine Bend. With turnaround and overtime, they are in the $100k range.

Turnaround, for those that don't know is when they plant is shutdown for maintenance, inspections, rebuilding etc. At Koch it's 12 hour shifts for 60ish days in a row.

Wages are usually tied to cost of living, so in the metro area I'm guessing a journeymen electrician is in the upper $40's per hour. Prevailing wage is probably near $90 per hour.