Rookie

[JimBruce42]

Hello all. I just signed up ... well a week ago and am just now getting around to this. A little about myself, I'm 23 and in May I will be graduating from Penn. College of Technology as a heavy equipment operator. Then a month later I'll be working for Allen A. Myers, INC., a company of American Infrastructure. I'm still green when it comes to operating most machines, but I think I've proven myself to be a very fast learner.

In my spare time I'm either collecting contruction models, or snapping pictures of jobsites.

regards,
Jim

PS: I have a capital I in my screenname, how can I lower case it?

[Steve Frazier]

Welcome to HeavyEquipmentForums.com!!:drinkup

Have a look around and join in anywhere you like. I took care of your username.

[JimBruce42]

Thanks Steve... enjoying your site so far. Trying to contribute where I can. :drinkup

[NateV]

Penn. College of Technology as a heavy equipment operator.


How is that school?

I am only a jr in high school, and just sent away for information on that school yesterday.

Thanks
Nate

[Cat420]

I was poking around their website and found the course listings for the program. I wish I would have known about that 4 years ago :crying (I graduate this May, B.S. Business Adminstration & Philosophy Interdisciplinary Studies)

http://www.pct.edu/catalog/majors/hy.shtml Sounds like a great program

[JimBruce42]

To answer the questions... it is a great program, it used to be both operation and technican, but they have since seperated the two into seperate programs. You may be only a junior, but I'd recommend applying now anyways if it's what you want. Last I heard there was already a waiting list for Fall 2006 to get into the program. So, if you want in when you graduate high school, I would highly recommend trying to asap. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. I'm in my last semester, and almost out. If you're close, on April 1st (a Saturday) we have a sort of open house thing as a college, and the Service and Operators Club does an equipment rodeo.

[Dozerboy]

No offence Jim
I think they’re a joke. It’s nice to have something on paper and you almost get the basics, but that’s it. There was a school in WI and I knew a few guys that went there for $10K and ~3 months IIRC. And they couldn't even have been considered green. I think I taught those guys more yelling at them and having the watch me some for 2 weeks than they learned in school. It's hard to get guys to teach you stuff though, it's like there scared of losing there jobs. I would rather teach guys it just one less thing for me to worry about.


Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a jerk and more power to ya for going to school.

[JimBruce42]

Dozerboy,

While I agree that by no means am I an expert or even novice operator. We only get 450 hours of seat time, it gives me enough to get my ears wet sort of speak. I had next to no experience outside of the school and without it I honestly do not think I would have the chance to work for as great a company as I'm going to. And since they hire a lot of Penn College grads, they know what we do and don't know and will further train me once I'm working. They know what I've learned because them, and several other companies are responsible for writing out what they want in the people they are hiring from the school.

No hard feelings, I agree that I'll learn a lot more in the real work than I ever could at school, but without it I'd probably be lucky to ever operate.

[CascadeScaper]

Any operation school is NEVER going to be able to teach you everything there is to know. All they can do is teach you what you need to know to survive and the rest is up to you. If you expect the world out of an education, you will be sadly disappointed. I'm in business school right now and what's hilarious is that I paid $100 for a textbook my teacher doesn't even use. He says the textbook will teach you basic principles and tactics, but management can only be learned through experience. Equipment operation, along with many other trades, can only be learned through experience.

[Dozerboy]

You have a point Jim
I had to fight to stay in the seat. And I grew up farming and building residential houses even the house of the owner of the first utility company I worked for. What worked for me was not taking any ****. Once I was confident in my ability to lay pipe and check grade. I told them to keep me in the seat, I was told to be patient. I told them I would quit, they put me in the seat more but not enough IMO. I talked to them one last time, and I left shortly after. My next job I was expected to stay in the seat and look busy if I had nothing to do. I was lucky I was never told to hit the road, all of the companies I've work for have like me a lot. However they weren’t giving me what I wanted, so it was time to move on even out of state. I suggest you get a Class A CDL, and ask to stay late on your own time to get some seat time in. Those where the only smart things I did.