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Tried skipping the college degree route for a trade, got a rude awakening

I was dead set against going to trade school. Thought I could just learn on the job in construction. 6 months in, a foreman in Phoenix told me I'd hit a wall without certs. Now I'm signing up for night classes at the local community college. Anyone else switch from work experience to formal training?
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3 Comments
flores.emma
Yeah that tracks. I've seen plenty of guys waste years thinking they could skip the classroom part. Better to bite the bullet now than keep hitting walls later.
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wendy_henderson21
Ehh I get what you're saying but I don't think it's always that black and white. Some of the best electricians I've worked with never set foot in a classroom, they just picked it up from old heads on the job over a few years. Classroom time definitely helps with the code book and theory stuff though, don't get me wrong. I just think telling everyone they gotta do it the same way isn't totally fair, especially if someone finds a good mentor willing to teach them hands-on from day one.
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barbara_jenkins66
Mentor quality varies so much it's a gamble without a classroom backup.
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