Which path for an Electronics Technician degree/diploma?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Gonzo543, Jan 2, 2017.

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  1. Gonzo543

    Gonzo543 New Member

    George Brown College https://www.etcourse.com/advanced_ETD_at_GBC.html

    or

    Cleveland Institute of Electronics

    Electronics Technology with Digital and Microprocessor Lab course

    My goals / background:

    I've been an industrial maintenance mechanic for a little over 10 years now and have been constantly learning on the job from seasoned mechanics, electricians, and programmers (basic ladder logic). Well I recently got offered and accepted a job as an electronics technician based on my work experience and expertise on some of the equipment that the new employer has. I feel lucky as this is a great opportunity for me to continue to grow my career and wanted to use the new employer's educational assistance program to take some classes and earn myself a degree or diploma.

    Basically my question is, Which of the two programs listed above would any of you guys recommend? I've been doing research the last few weeks and these two seem to be the best fit that I could find.

    Any pros or cons between the two? Is one better to have if I was trying to get into a specific field? Is one more appealing for employers than the other?

    Thanks in advance.

    -Vince
     
  2. Gonzo543

    Gonzo543 New Member

    *These are the only two online schools that really fit my requirements. (cost, core classes, and the ability to turn them into more.)
     
  3. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    CIE lost its DEAC accreditation so your ability to turn that training into more should be limited.

    I'm not sure about the George Brown accreditation but the program seems to be transferable to some regular colleges.

    Grantham University (www.grantham.edu) is DEAC accredited, if you haven't yet looked at that.

    If you're not familiar with accreditation then it would pay to bone up on that.
     
  4. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Grantham can be a good choice because their Engineering Technology degree is ABET accredited.

    I also heard good things about an on line school in Canada called

    George Brown College

    https://www.etcourse.com/cost.html

    you can transfer into one of George Brown College's University partners and complete a B.Sc. Degree as well.
    They also offer ETA - Electronics Technician Association certification I think.

    Check them out.
     
  5. Gonzo543

    Gonzo543 New Member

    Thanks you guys, I appreciate it
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  7. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    CIE has a Broadcast Engineering Diploma.

    It is recognized by Society of Broadcast Engineers for registration as Certified Broadcast Technologist.

    Something to think about.

    And yes Pen Foster as Kizmet mentioned.
     
  8. lawrenceq

    lawrenceq Member

  9. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Why not ask your new employer for recommendations since they have a educational assistance program. Many such programs have strings attached; for example my former company only paid for RA degree courses.

    You might also look at technology degrees offered by EC and TESU:
    Excelsior College | Technology
    School of Applied Science and Technology | Thomas Edison State University

    Also note the IRS offers benefits for on-going education.
     
  10. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    If you want the George Brown College course included in a degree, several RA schools in the US are part of a consortium that teaches the same Electronics Course as George Brown College does in Canada. Some members are :

    Allegany College of Maryland
    Allen County Community College
    Anne Arundel Community College
    Brooklyn College
    Edison College
    Hocking College
    Horry-Georgetown Technical College
    MiraCosta College
    Mount Wachusett Community College
    Valencia Community College.

    I know that some members of the consortium, e.g. Valencia, have rolled this particular course into an Associate Degree in Electronics program, adding their own gen-ed courses etc. as necessary. We had a thread on Valencia's offering a couple of years back - can't find it now. Don't know which, if any, of the degree programs are available by distance. Might be worth checking, if the degree is your preferred qualification.

    Here's a page on the course itself and its origin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics_Technician_distance_education_program

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 9, 2017
  11. JonM

    JonM New Member

    4 years has passed since my final term and while I had some stress driven complaints as well as a couple lessons that I was angry over, I'm very happy with what I learned through CIE and have compared it to major engineering programs at regionally accredited schools.
    It's on the exact same level and in some ways superior, however, you must now face that it is a state accredited diploma taking the potential of your documentation an even more ambiguous direction than it's previous national accreditation.

    Now for several things to take into account.
    1. Do you want to get licensed?
    8 years of employment under an engineer in most states allows you to take the engineer's license test without even having a degree.

    2. Do you want to work in electronics or large scale, electrical power structures?
    If your preference is electronics, any engineer will tell you the license is pointless.

    3. Where do you live?
    ABET accreditation and licensing is in many countries of no value. When an engineer comes here from another nation, assuming their degree is regionally accredited there's a test they can take to qualify for wavering ABET accreditation.

    There's actually a handful of workarounds for ABET accreditation and if you can do 8 years on the job, you can qualify to take the licensing exam. In many cases you're looking at about 10 years before you can take the P.E. test anyway so do the math. Furthermore you can always pursue it in a state that has broader allowances for qualifying for the test, get licensed in that state because it will crossover to any state you currently or choose to live in.

    Personally after the nightmare I went through with a mainstream, top ranking university a year ago you could not pay me to go back to an on campus education. Our community college much closer by is superior in every way but, I was duped by the name on the school and suffered tremendously right down to their math being an experimental college common core system.

    Now down to the nitty gritty.
    President Trump is working on dissolving the department of education.
    This should also dissolve all of these absurd accreditation councils that if you dig deep, answer to no one, only issue accreditation once a year and are funded by donations. It doesn't get more corrupt than that and this is not just the federalization of our schools but the ultimate in corruption due to these accreditation councils being private organizations that are not under oath, licensed, bonded you name it. I've actually gone as far as to get the documents necessary to form an accreditation council and it's jaw dropping when you see how corrupt it is.
    If he does what he claims, and DeVos is a very good indicator that he will, our schools will ultimately end up state accredited which CIE currently is.
    State boards of accreditation are tax funded, government agencies that are regulated by laws and have liabilities.

    Even if CIE doesn't obtain accreditation this July, as I've been waiting for them to do so for 3 years, it may no longer matter very soon. Aside from all that I cam to realize I don't really care about the documents as much as I do getting the education and plant to enroll with them again around the end of summer regardless of how they are accredited and approved.
    My primary goal is to be self employed in the first place and with my business model and manufacturing resources, I only need the education.
     
  12. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    OK, so that's a new way to think about it. Jon thinks CIE is a good choice because soon Donald Trump is going to mess up the higher education system sooo badly that you won't be able to tell the good schools from the bad ones anymore. So, what the hell, might as well go to a bad one.
     
  13. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I've always liked CIE. Still do. I've known people who did well with their courses - and, of course, degrees from their World College, too. I was sorry to see them have to relinquish their National Accreditation and cease the degree programs. That said, I'd like to make some observations and ask a question or two about the previous post.

    No, it isn't. For several reasons.

    (1) A diploma is never accredited. The school that issues it may/may not be accredited. But the school itself -- never. No way.
    (2) States are not accreditors. Some states may have a system for approval of unaccredited schools. Others don't. But State Accreditation - no such thing. State-level exception (possibly) - NYBOR.
    (3) From CIE Wiki: "Cleveland Institute of Electronics is approved (emphasis mine - J) by the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools to offer post secondary programs of electronics technology, computer technology and electronic engineering technology. Registration Certificate 70-11-0002H."

    (4) I'm sure they would be, if they existed. The Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools mentioned above approves schools. It is a bona-fide regulatory agency, but not an accreditor. CIE is approved (not accredited) to offer post-secondary programs. (I don't see where it's approved to grant any degrees, though.) The only Accreditation mention I could find on the CIE site was the school's BBB Accreditation. That's not academic in nature.

    (5) What's this about CIE possibly being accredited next July? NA? RA? Which agency? I can't find any info... Your July date might be taken to indicate CIE was re-applying to DEAC - but I couldn't confirm that. That is, CIE is not on the List of Applicants. So - to which Accreditor have they applied, then?

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 9, 2017
  14. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    OOPS! Sorry. Should read "But the diploma itself --never. No way."

    J.
     
  15. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Society of Broadcast Engineers

    CIE is one of the certified schools by Society of Broadcast Engineers,

    The Diploma in Broadcast Engineering enables one to be registered with SBE as a
    Certified Broadcast Technologist.

    Students who complete the program with a grade B or better, who apply for certification, are awarded the classification SBE Certified Broadcast Technologist (CBT) upon receipt of verification from faculty.

    This could lead to interesting career in broadcast , TV, Radio station and Networking careers.
     
  16. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes - people have done well with CIE courses - and this is one of their long-time mainstays. It seems that CIE went with the flow, when many schools were entering the degree field. That worked out for a while, but then --- it didn't. DEAC listed several major issues in the Show Cause Order that preceded the end, when CIE went from National accreditation to zero accreditation. Yes, zero. As I pointed out previously, State approval is not Accreditation. Now the degree programs are gone. I think they're gone for keeps.

    Why? Well, as far as NA re-accreditation goes, I'll believe it if and when I see it. My 2 cents - I don't think it's even remotely in the cards. If the "holy degree industry" backfired on them once, why would they even want back in? They had a proven formula for success before all that. Best to build and play on their strengths, as I see it.

    J.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 11, 2017
  17. JonM

    JonM New Member

    Obama screwed up higher education by further empowering the deep state and accreditation councils that face no penalties under law civil or criminal.
    He also fined me almost a thousand dollars after severe tears to both rotator cuffs, rejecting my application for Obozocare and then tried selling me an insurance policy for $230 a month.

    The DOE is a corrupt bureaucracy that runs on bribes.
    Before you insult someone make sure you're not the moron, which you are, so you can get away with it?
    You're WAY out of your depth and I'll wreck you if you're stupid enough to comeback and debate me. I've read more legislation both state and federal as well as court transcripts relative to such than you have posts on this forum.

    The DOE is one of the worst things to ever happen to the education system and regardless of constitutional law it has found it's way into the public education system at the grade school level.
    You posted utter rubbish about a subject you are patently ignorant on while blindly, and brainlessly, attacking me with your self glorified ignorance social justice warrior style.
     
  18. JonM

    JonM New Member

    1. Diplomas are absolutely from accredited schools.
    Your reply was pompous and boldly ignorant.

    2. State departments, such as the Ohio Department of Education, is yet another bureaucracy and as a patent fact, an accreditor.

    3. About Us - General Information
    It's a state government agency.

    The condescending arrogance and sheer pompous, ignorant and all around delusional attitude from some of you believing you are making a fool of me is disgusting. What a vile, despicable and shameful way to behave as if it's not all tucked in as a nasty insult without being blatantly nasty.
    Well maybe to someone who it's not directed at it isn't but it's very obviously intended to be nasty to me and the ironic part is you're 100% wrong.

    You're splitting hairs regarding the word accreditation, however, it's not relevant because we are not talking about the federal government we are talking about state. In that, you pseudo intellectual, it's not a legal term so you simply being arrogant and egotistical trying to get your beta male jollies off by degrading me.

    Furthermore while the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools is patently an agency of the Ohio state government, the Better Business Bureau is not a division of government and their stamp of approval is irrelevant.

    You guys are just some very arrogant and outright inherently stupid people mouthing off on subjects you are quite clearly patently ignorant on!
    As I stated, the OSBCC IS tax payer funded and it IS regulated by state legislation written specifically to govern them and the legislation is written with major penalties!

    Good grief there really is no forum on the internet safe from nasty, arrogant liars that just want to bash people as a means of getting off.
     
  19. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    OK . . . . . . best of luck in all your endeavors.
     
  20. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!


    Electronics is a topic I am definitely interested in! Did anything change in the last three years, are there other recommendations?


    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     

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