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TPC Training Systems vs 9-12mo Schooling?

DJ Berg

Plastic
Joined
Dec 17, 2017
Location
Titusville, PA
Not sure if this is the place to post this, and if not please move to the correct forum and i appologize in advance.

Life has changed the path I had been on, and now owning a house, moving is not an option. The local job market around me is either machining/factory based or lumber based.

I am a hobby machinist with a a good grasp on mechanics(no where near a master, more of a jack of all trades). So it seems that going into a machine shop type environment is the path to choose.

My question is this as employers, what are your opinions on TPC online training systems vs the standard xyz institute of technology(local trade school).

As I myself would be going for Electro-Mechanical Technology, since i feel that would suit me best, and a few more dollars an hr. Though i would love to get a secondary cert in cnc machining, since the more I know how things work, the easier they are to diagnose. But that would double the debt, and in all reality, a full on electronics cert as well, since the class is very broad, and not very specialized at all.

Now comes the other part debt... 9 months, and $10-20k of debt with the trade school, or $40/mo for online classes, and i pick what i want to learn, but no actual hands on experience. Also it does not seem like you receive any actual certification(still researching this part).

Any and all input is greatly apresheated, and it would be awesome to be able to get certified from home, on my time allowing me to work full time, plus not acquire more freaking debt.

Thanks DJ
 
Machine shop work is "different".. Its more of a trade...

A $10k "certificate" isn't going to get you shit as far as I'm concerned... To me, and
in my experience it just means that I have to spend more time UN-training you and then
RE-training you...

As for being a trade... you pretty much have to start at the bottom... A piece of paper may get
you in 50 cents higher, but its a "learn as you go" type of thing....

As for being a hobby machinist... That could also be a double edge sword.. Some folks could see
that as experience and ambition.. Some could see that as "This F'r is going to steal my tools and take
my business".


Take this for whats its worth.. But if I was trying to break into the machining world as a profitable
career.. I'd take welding classes and get some certs... And then go and try and get hired on at some
smaller machine shops, as a machinist, weather they do welding or not...

A machining certificate is worth NOTHING... A certificate that says you are certified to do BLAH BLAH BLAH
and BLAH BLAH BLAH, is worth SOMETHING... Machine shop owner can now bid welded assembly C, instead of machined
part A and machined part B... Adds capacity...

Welding sucks, I'd rather do eye surgery on myself with a ball point pen than be a professional welder, but
welding on occasion isn't so bad, and I may be wrong, but I think it could open up a lot more opportunities in
the machining world than a "Machining certificate".
 
Just reading various threads it seems the Northern states technical colleges are more 'user-friendly' than here in the South. I asked our tech college if they would consider running a Saturday welding class and they hung up.

Are there any 'night-classes' you could attend and just choose specific subjects? It also depends how quickly you need to change careers.
 
Pennsylvania is a very large state.

If you would pin down your location wee bit more I might
be able to offer some advice.
 
Bob, i agree completly, but i'm looking at work around me, and this seems to be the best option, from what i can see. The machinist side of it is pretty much a back up plan, the main goal would be maintenance. I feel in short a custom job shop, would be great, but i feel those guys are hard to get in with, and ussually family only operated(of which is awesome). So between those two scenarios it would be easier and more profitable to do the metatronics.

As to the welding thing, i agree, i can weld, it will hold, its not gonna be pretty, but me and my xmt304 make do, for the most of what i need done.

Just reading various threads it seems the Northern states technical colleges are more 'user-friendly' than here in the South. I asked our tech college if they would consider running a Saturday welding class and they hung up.

Are there any 'night-classes' you could attend and just choose specific subjects? It also depends how quickly you need to change careers.

No dice on the night school scenario, this is the main draw to the online scenario, amd the money thing has a nice advantage too. It would be almost impossible to do 7:30 to 3:30, then an 8 hr shift of work, if i were 20, sure but now at 37, 8 hrs of sleep is a must, or im junk the next day.
 
I have never heard of a machinist/welder/maintenance getting hired or paid more because of an online certificate.

I would check out you local community college(s). They will usually be less expensive than the private technical schools, and are often set up to handle part-time or evening students.
 
Sorry, Titusville, PA, an hour south of erie, hour east of meadville, buth place of commercial well drilling.

You'll note my location.....I was just down there (in Titusville)
last Sunday.

What's wrong with PMI in Meadville ?

The Meadville vo-tech does tool making, do they offer a night courses ?

St.Mary's/Ridgway has much powder metal shops, maybe the vo-tech
offers courses.
 
If you have a pretty decent set of machine tools(do not mention brand or else the thread may be closed down)have you thought of trying to get work from local factories, bike shops, farms etc.? Years ago I knew a few blokes who made an income skimming commutators. My observation is that your qualifications are irrelevant if you have a business and can do the work. Berg's Engineering charges $50/hr plus materials,does a first-class job, and if he can't he will tell you who can. Mr.Berg has applied for a job - offer him $12/hr.

Read geardoc's thread - pretty inspiring - I wish I had his courage!
 
You'll note my location.....I was just down there (in Titusville)
last Sunday.

What's wrong with PMI in Meadville ?

The Meadville vo-tech does tool making, do they offer a night courses ?

St.Mary's/Ridgway has much powder metal shops, maybe the vo-tech
offers courses.

I see, as to PMI, I toured there and EIT, last week, biggest issue with them is time frame. Life expenses of a family of 4 says full time job, commuting to either school plus work would about kill me, 12 or more years ago, yeah no biggie, now, not so much. Interesting scenario with Meadville vo-tech, not 100% sure if i saw them, i remember seeing Crawford Co. Vo-tech, but it seemed for adult ed night classes, it was machine shop basics 101 only type classes, ill look again to make sure i did not miss something. As of yesterday I was leaning heavily towards PMI, just need to figure out life logistics. Though while looking on indeed, there is a shop in Seagertown looking for a maintenance employee, job requirements minimum on maintenance training from TPC, thus leading me to this thread, seems too easy, or maybe not really valid(how i personally feel about online schools). But the ability to get educated without 2 hrs of driving, ability to work around any work schedule, and price, caught my attention, oh and i really dislike debt, i have aquired plenty
already.
 
Let me see if i can find the link, might have to pm you, tried posting a link in another thread, and the post didnt work, dont think i have that ability yet.
 
LORD Corporation?

Sorry may i also add, i'm from Jamestown, NY originally, I have only been down here going on 3 years. Still learning the ins and outs of the area, and the first 2 years, i was selling and hauling sheds to Rochester and Pittsburgh, so if i was home i was working on my truck or maybe actually spending time with the family.
 
If you have a pretty decent set of machine tools(do not mention brand or else the thread may be closed down)have you thought of trying to get work from local factories, bike shops, farms etc.? Years ago I knew a few blokes who made an income skimming commutators. My observation is that your qualifications are irrelevant if you have a business and can do the work. Berg's Engineering charges $50/hr plus materials,does a first-class job, and if he can't he will tell you who can. Mr.Berg has applied for a job - offer him $12/hr.

Read geardoc's thread - pretty inspiring - I wish I had his courage!

Building my shop as I go, and i am not anywhere near ready imo to start taking jobs, make my own stuff sure, other peoples work i dont feel that comfortable yet, still have alot to learn. Would love to have a master machinist, to work around, watch and learn thier tricks, the internet has been a great teacher, but that does not compare to observing a master. Something i pass along to anyone that will listen to it, watch other people and how they work, even if they only have one thing that is better/ faster/easier than how you do something, add that to your book of tricks.

At the current moment my 2 mentors of machining are an hr away, one is more of an electronics guru, the other's shop is run off a 4cyl diesel, belts and line shafts, while wearing a straw hat.
 
Do your family a favor. Get an apprenticeship for a plumber, electrician, pipefitter, etc (there are many more) talk to a local tradesperson. Make $40 an hour or more with great benefits and retirement and make machining your hobby.
 
LORD Corporation?

Sorry may i also add, i'm from Jamestown, NY originally, I have only been down here going on 3 years. Still learning the ins and outs of the area, and the first 2 years, i was selling and hauling sheds to Rochester and Pittsburgh, so if i was home i was working on my truck or maybe actually spending time with the family.

Yes, I have friends there.

What are your expectations after either training program as to what kind
of job I would be able to get.

What are your expectations of income from these jobs ?
 
Yes, I have friends there.

What are your expectations after either training program as to what kind
of job I would be able to get.

What are your expectations of income from these jobs ?

Expectations after further education, would be to open doors to better paying work(in the area where I live), with the ability of growth in the future, with the least amount of repetition as possible. The way I work best is new challenges constantly, along with the ability to continue to learn from people who know more than I.

As to income, that is a double edged sword, i need enough money to cover general life at the moment, but i do not want to be there for years to come.

Great example, was the last job i had, working in a hardwood flooring factory @$10/hr, 40hrs, combined with my wifes income kept us afloat, when i could do 50-55 hrs a week, we had a bit of extra money to do a few other things, but not much. Now this was with out insurance, add in insurance and for a family of 4, you could kiss off a week of my wages to cover that a month. So at this point i need to find something more, i would sacrifice a bit in that wage range in trade for the ability to learn something i would find useful to me and what am interested in. Or the aspect, of working 40hrs a week and having time to work in my shop, but no money for materials to my projects, or 50+hrs, money, but no time or energy to get out in my shop.

So to the income, the $15/hr range would be a good start, but that seems like it would be a chore with out 3-5 years experiance in most any work field in this area.

Also good examples of with and with out such paper/certificate: meadville cnc machine operator, no experiance needed, $8.75/hr, i would assume this would be a guy litterally putting parts in a predetermined location, tighten holding devise, press start, pull part out, check part with a go/no go, and either put the part in the go box, or call someone to change the setup to fix whatever triggered the no go.

Cambridge Springs, my buddy works at the forge's cnc shop. No peice of paper, no $12.75/hr to start. Two interesting things i noted there, first inline heat treating of a part happened so fast, i'm not sure it did anything other than harden the inside of the part, i am not very versed in heat treating, but it would seem to me that part would need alot more time to be treated than the 10-15sec it was done in, but very neat to see.

Second was some sort of a cnc lathe, as we walked by this specific machine, the operator was picking a birds nest out of it, at least 30 seconds to do so. It would seem to me that they would address said issue, and have the extra 30 seconds per part to add to completed parts vs the operator picking a mess out of the machine.
 








 
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