Technical Schools
Choosing between attending university, college, or technical school may be a simple choice for some; however, for others, it can be a daunting decision filled with uncertainty and confusion. Most will consider the financial cost and time commitment. More importantly, an element that is generally ignored because it can be harder to measure is whether the quality of education or the level of it will be sufficient for what we want to achieve in our lives. It is disregarded because it is harder to measure and because of this we do not address it appropriately.
In this blog and the following ones, I will discuss fundamentals to consider in determining the better path to follow concerning technical schools, colleges, and universities. I will embark on my experiences, including my education and working at the University of Calgary. Also, I will incorporate what my guests have shared with me in my podcast regarding this issue from their experiences.
First, a university education consists of an average of 40 courses in total. Most people will take 4 – 5 courses per semester doing two semesters per year which will take up to 4 to 5 years to complete an undergraduate degree. A college or technical diploma and or certificate from an institute with programs that are two years in length will take up to 20 courses. They are half, and a 1-year program will be even less. Therefore, the time commitment is proportional to the level of education. This then leads to the question, is the depth of education appropriate for what we want to achieve in our careers?
In all it is important to remember that there is no right or wrong it is more about finding the right fit. In this particular blog, I will address technical schools more specifically. The topics that I will cover are: the pros and cons of a two-year engineering program, the specifics of a two-year program, apprenticeships and how they work, and continuing education which is sometimes overlooked yet is a great way to experiment. The blog will end with final thoughts in the conclusion.
Pros and Cons of a Two-Year Engineering Program
Consider technical engineering programs (software, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering to list a few) compared to a university undergraduate degree engineering program. Why would someone go one way and not the other? What are the similarities and differences? Which route is better? My interview with Scott Muchowski https://www.thecareerguy.ca/episodes/a-life-change-finance-to-civil-engineering-and-loving-it explains that he was doing a career change later in life. So, a two-year year program in civil engineering technology was more appealing because of the shorter duration.
He does admit that his career as a civil engineering technologist will plateau. He does a lot of similar work as someone with an undergrad degree in the same field from a university. There is overlap as he describes. Where it starts to differentiate is the level of responsibility. Someone with a university degree will be able to sign off on projects where he cannot with his current education.
In the interview, we did talk about how more experience in the industry might compensate for lesser education and it can to a point, but a person with a degree in this type of field (civil engineering) will reach a higher level. So, in Scott’s case, if he wants to advance and have signing authority he will have to go back and attend university to complete an undergraduate in civil engineering.
Specifics of a two-year program
Another element that may be worth considering is technical diplomas are specific as Chris Wilson explains in his interview with me https://www.thecareerguy.ca/episodes/time-out-regrouping-and-moving-forward. When he took his aircraft maintenance engineering program at B.C.I Tech. The program he took was focused on maintaining and repairing helicopters. At the beginning of the program as with so many that are similar, a person will cover the basics that perhaps can be transferred to other areas or industries. A good example of this is basic mechanical skills and electrical skills. Yet, within weeks a student will be fully immersed in the training of the selected subject in Chris’s case helicopter maintenance. As he suggests it is worth doing the research on the programs and what they entail. But more importantly, understanding what our motives are and if they are in alignment with the objectives of a program.
Also, in some programs, the student needs to fulfill a practicum. For example, in Chris’s case, there is a regulatory board overseeing the aviation industry, Transport Canada. They require a person to put in X number of hours in which they have to be able to perform certain tasks that the employer signs off on. In doing so the person will challenge and pass an exam which will carry them to the next level. The subsequent level requires more complex assignments following the same procedure as described regarding signing off and exams. For Chris, this process went on for three years before he was completely certified. So, there is more to it than just going to school. A person is being trained to work in a specific industry, which is furnished by work experience as explained in this example.
In addition, it may appear on the surface that it is the quicker route to take. To some extent, it can be as in Chris’s case, he was working after 18 months in school. But he was still not fully qualified as stated above. It was like an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships
Ron Salahub had a similar path but was a bit different as he explains https://www.thecareerguy.ca/episodes/mechanic-mechanics-and-more-mechanics. To obtain his journeyman accreditation as both an automotive and heavy-duty mechanic it is a combination of work experience and schooling. For him, his apprenticeship was a four-year endeavor where he worked 10 months out of the year and attended school for two months. In completing his school for the year, he would take an exam. Passing the exam would put him on the next level of his apprenticeship. As in Chris’s case, his responsibilities increased with more involved work, as did his salary.
Because he was a mechanic and he had a strong mechanical ability (of course he did, as a mechanic, this would be a pre-requisite) he did work in other industries that required some of the same basic skills. So, it is possible to take the specific skill set and be able to apply it to other areas. However, it is important to consider that this has challenges. More importantly, it does take an open mind and sometimes maybe some luck to find an employer that will take a chance on a person with some different skills. I am a good example of this as well and I will explain it in the next section of this blog.
Continuing Education Testing the Waters.
In high school, I took a lot of automotive classes. I liked cars. For me, it was a combination of not liking school but liking cars that led me to consider being a mechanic which would be a good, safe, and practical choice. One thing though, I did like the idea of being a mechanic. Going back to Ron, unlike him, I lacked the raw talent and I was not very mechanically inclined.
I explored other options one of which was electronics. I liked music and with my interest in stereos and other music gear such as amps, etc. I thought maybe by pursuing electronics I could get a job in a music store, stereo shop, or ideally a recording studio. This was all good except for one issue I was more interested in the result. In essence, I was doing this as a means to an end. I knew nothing about electronics and what it entails. Know something about the topic. And for me at least I knew something about mechanics, so I enrolled and completed a certificate program as a heavy-duty mechanic at a technical school in Calgary called S.A.I.T.
It was a 9-month long program which is why I pursued it and in doing so I did well because I applied myself. Unfortunately, deep down inside I did not want a career in this field. I was lucky because I knew this which led me to broaden my job search. This is how I came across an opportunity at the University of Calgary as a lab assistant in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. The job ad stated that the candidate needs to have basic mechanical skills (I am talking very basic) which I had. I applied and I made this into a career going in a completely different direction, which is another blog.
The point is for me it was a short-duration program of less than one year. I did learn a lot about being a heavy-duty mechanic. Also, I developed good study habits which helped me later in my life as I progressed my learning. Above all, it built my confidence as I started something and completed the program. Sometimes we just need to do something and complete it to give us a boost. Above all and more importantly, it was something that I knew and worked with that.
It is important to keep in mind that there is no right or wrong but we must understand what we are getting ourselves into in pursuing any endeavor. For me, the risk was lower as the mechanic program I was in was less than a year. A two-year program is twice more of the commitment therefore we may want to be more certain. Going on to a university degree which is even more of a commitment our level of certainty has to be even more. If unsure, continuing education is another avenue that is overlooked and may be worth considering.
Continuing education, online courses such as Udemy, YouTube, books and the list can go on is a great way to explore our interests with no agenda. Picking something and doing it because we have a desire to know more about the topic is a good way to figure ourselves out. We may surprise ourselves by what we like or not. In addition, the more we dabble in other areas the more proficient we become as learners. Learning something new and completely different helps our brain get active. It is exercising our brain which is a muscle. In addition, we start to pick up patterns that enable us to learn more effectively. This is how a university education is different.
Conclusion
A university education is four years double to a two-year diploma. A person will take more classes, especially theory. They will also take electives or options. In doing so a graduate from university is more of a learned person. Their knowledge can be more in-depth of a major while having learned about other areas as well, this is where we pick up on other patterns as I mentioned above. I will address this and other issues regarding the pros and cons of university education in my next blog. Thanks for reading this and I hope that this blog helped.