Hey everyone, I just wanted to say that the other day I took the first step towards getting into Heavy Equipment. I filled out an application for a local college that offers one of the best Heavy Equipment courses in my state. It should be sometime in this coming week when I find out if I've been accepted or not. I hope I get accepted, and it's at a community college so I think I have a chance there. I say that because my GPA is 1.9, I pretty much slacked off the majority of high school until the second semester of my senior year (now.) Hopefully they'll give me the benefit of the doubt and accept me, I'm very anxious on hearing. The only parts I'm worried about, if I were to be accepted of course, are like math-related things and understanding engines. The best grade I've ever received in a math class was a "D", and I even failed a few classes. I'm not sure why I don't understand math, but I know ever since elementary I have not been good at it. Then the other thing I'm a bit worried about is understanding engines, I remember taking apart a simple Briggs And Straton 5HP lawnmower engine in 8th grade and I was lost. Anyway, I hope my worries aren't as bad as I think they are. I'm wishing, hoping, and praying I get accepted by the college. That means if all went well, I could be out of school by the time I'm almost 22. Just thought I'd share. P.S. Just a few questions: A man at the college I applied at said HE Operators that work in unions start out at $16+ an hour. He said that non-union ones start out at $12-15. Are those figures pretty accurate? How much do HE operators make a year? I've never heard a figure. If I go to college for their HE course, how much can I expect to make right out of college? I'm not really concerned about the pay in HE, because I'd prefer having a job that's fun , rather than a lame/boring high-paying one like being a pharmacist. But it would be interesting knowing how much I can expect to make my first year out of school, and maybe even 10 years after school, etc.
Why don't you go out right after you graduate and get yourself a job, like in road construction or a smaller local contractor. You will have to start at the bottom as a laborer but if you have the ability you will eventually get moved up. The turnover rate in road construction is fairly high, so just stick it out. I have had a couple of equipment school graduates work for me, and I won't have another one. Way too cocky, thought they knew everything, but they weren't even taught the most most simple, basic things, like saving and stockpiling topsoil whenever possible, how to drive on haul roads so you don't have to constantly maintain them, stuff like that. That comes from experience. And always listen to the older, experienced operators.
I agree with pushcat 100%. Go out find a job and with hard work and determination you will move up. Your a young man so hard work wont kill you.
Best of luck One of the main things to be a good HE operator is common sense with the abilitly to see in ones mine the finished job. School may help but nothing is better than time in the seat of equipment. Be willing to take advice and learn from the guys who have been at it for years. Just my 2 cents worth. Good luck.
I'd suggest that you do try to brush up on your basic math skills though. While there may not be a lot of really complicated calculations that an operator need to make, there are plenty of instances where the operator is responsible for figuring out (from markings on the stakes that the truck drivers run over), how many more feet/inches of cut or fill are needed, or where a slope begins or ends, or sometimes how much more stone to order--basic math stuff, but the kind of things that can make for costly errors if you screw them up and have to do the job twice. Best of luck.
One thing I was told by HE operators is that you are better off staying away from those HE operator courses cause in a lot of cases you will spend a lot of money for the course and get very little seat time on the machinary. For example, I looked into a local course that offers 1.TLB 2.Dozer 3.Loader 4.Excavator , it was about a 6 week training program and the trainee would get around 50hrs of seat time total, all the rest is class room, so IMO you are better off starting with a local company. I know different guys that took the training and could never get a job, while others just went to a company and started with a shovel.
I started as a labourer myself then got on smaller equipment,they trusted me so I was given the chance to run loaders and backhoes now excavators. My advice would be to swing a shovel for a year or so and save your hard earned money,I was always taught a good labourer becomes a good operator since you learn what needs to be done in the hole so you can understand that in the seat. When its your time they'll start you on a skid steer or rock truck and go from there.
Do yourself a favor and get someone to tutor you in math, it can be a fun subject if someone shows how it relates to construction.
Math, math, math.... your going to need it for almost everything. Even as a laborer math is necessary, you need to understand grade for setting the water boxes, ratios for mixing stuff like concrete or 2 cycle gas. You need to be able to read a tape measure, and understand fractions. To learn something, you need to want to learn it, start there. Any teacher that I have had is most willing to accomidate any student with a desire to learn, it doesn't matter how much you know, or how old you are, it matters how much desire you have to learn. In the end your sucess will be determined by how hard you are willing to work for it. I don't know about operator schools, I didn't go to one. I was just hired by a large contractor to run a scraper. I grew up on a farm and grew to miss running the tractors on the farm, so I went into construction. I was straight foreward with the company that I am employed for now during the interveiw process. I told them that while I had operated farm equipment, familiar with a backhoe, and an old dozer, I was in no means a finish grade class operator. He asked if I was willing to be a laborer for awhile. Day two on the job, im in a case 85xt backfilling, by week three i'm setting on a pan being pushed by a big cat. :usa
Ugh, I hear you on the math. I've made it through college math requirements, but calculus and trigonometry seem completely irrevelevant to my future. Stick with the basics and you should be fine, most of the math used in excavation isn't rocket science.
Yes, and when rocket scientists start making holes in the ground, it's sometimes due to faulty math, but I digress...
:notworthy... LOL... great response digger
Is there anyways you can try running equipment before taking the course to make sure you like it???? Some guys do, other gguys think they do and hten cant stand it. Pay is pretty decent around here for GOOD OPERATORS. NOt to sound arrogant or cocky, everyones got to have a start, learn, get the basics under their belt, that all comes w/time, but are you a good operator???????? Have you ever run a mamchine??? What I mean is some guys (and this isnt really necessary anymore because of lazers etc) jsut have a natural talent they can hop in any machine, make model, no matter how worn out and do finish grade w/their eyes. No lazer necessary. Some guys just have a natural talent for this stuff, sure you can learn but it makes it much easier when you have a knack for the stuff. A true operator is priceless.
Ps many colleges have NIGHT CLASSES, called technical math, ie specificaly tape measures, fractions for adding tape measures etc. They are at night, pretty job relatioed no imaginary numbers or time dialation. No matraces etc.
I say as the majority, if you feel this is what you want to do, get a job in the industry. If you have a good attitude, most companies will be willing to teach you as you work, and you will be earning while learning, instead of paying for a little good info and a lot of useless knowledge. I paid for a course, and much to my dismay, found out I knew more about equipment before I took it than most of the students did after the class. I am not saying I was a genious, but that the class was not really effective. That is not saying all of them are bad, but a lot are. I found it hard to get a job by referencing the school. At my current job, we hire from a local school from time to time, and find the "graduates" to be sorely lacking, and usually suited only to a labor job, or perhaps a haul truck as an entry level job. I can take someone off of the street with a good attitude and get as much skill in a week. Best of luck to you. There is a lot of opportunity for a hard worker with a good attitude.