Certified

Well I am proud to say as of Saturday I am officially Nicet level II certified. I actually decided about 2 years ago that I would get my Nicet certification around this time to make myself more employable in the field. It feels good to follow through with a plan successfully. Originally I just planned to take the level I with just my knowledge I obtained in the field as a 2nd year apprentice. When I went to sign up for classes Rich gave me a little different prospective and talked me into taking the level one class. The first day my teacher opened my eyes a little wider explaining to us that to really be taken serious we would be better off obtaining our level II certification. So after 12 sessions of vigorous training and a little procrastination I finally got my application together. I tell you what I'm glad Rich talked me into taking the class because the Level I exam was no joke. It was actually heavy in code and level of involvement definitely took me by surprise. After the test I was relieved that I passed but I thought to myself if this what the level I is like I'm scared to see what level II consist of. I set my test up so that they were a day apart so that I could take the first test and have time to take in the layout of the exam and prepare myself for the level II. Well when the day finally came I was presently surprised. The level II in my opinion was actually easier than the first exam. It felt like there were a lot more questions based on my previous field knowledge and finished the test with plenty of time to spare. Once I finished and was handed my results I was still a little nervous to see the outcome, so I took a deep breath slowly opened up the folded paper and moon walked my way out the test center in joy. So thank you Rich for your advice and thank you Sal for teaching and preparation. Now on to the next.

First Night Class Down

So a few weeks ago I finish my first night course which was fire alarm. I actually learned more than I thought I would and now I'm trying to focus myself towards taking the test to get my Nicet certification. I'm going for the level 2 which might be a big part in making sure I stay employed. It feels like the hardest part of taking this test is getting my application finished to actually sign up for it. I'm hoping I can kick myself into gear before I start forgetting some the precious knowledge I picked up over the past few months. I'm just beginning my power quality night class and I'm hoping I can learn just as much.

In other news I think I've fully adapted to my new company. The last job I was on I think my foremen appreciated and recognized my work so he sent me to another foreman that needed a good apprentice. The new foreman I was sent to delegates me a lot more responsibility and puts a lot of trust into me which is real good at this phase of the game being that I'm getting closer and closer to big boy status. It feels like the jobs I get are always mind numbing tight places but he seems to be happy with the way I've been handling everything. The other day we actually had a little challenge going. He asked me how long it would take me finish the room I was working on and I paused for a sec and told him I could probably have it done by break time. After looking at me like said something crazy he told me he doubted I could have it done by the end of the day. Me being the person I am that only motivated me to make him eat his words. I actually ended up going about 30 minutes past my deadline but he was impressed nonetheless. Things like that make the day go by for me. So I'm building confidence and feeling pretty optimistic about my future especially since I have about another year and a half to develop and sharpen my skills.