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The original was posted on /r/electricians by /u/Corvidollar on 2023-08-31 00:08:42+00:00.

I’m a 23 F sick and tired of working sales and retail, and have done my research to figure out if picking up a trade job is a good idea. I came to the conclusion that I would enjoy electrical the most, especially considering that it ties a lot into my general interests and what I would eventually like to go back to school to study (engineering).

However, I am debating how to step into this field and was considering which path of certification to take. The option that I’m leaning on the most is getting certified through National Technical Institute, mainly due to life changes that will be happening to me and the timeframe I would like to start working and so on.

Option two was to go through my local community college and get certified through them, though the length of time I would spend there would be longer and I would most likely have to quit my job because it’s all in person, which means I would have to apply for their financial aid programs and go through that hassle in order to go to school and still be able to pay my bills.

Option three is going through the local union and working as an apprentice through them and starting at pay below what I make right now (which given the cost of living expenses where I’m at, it just wouldn’t quite work for me).

That’s why I’m leaning towards taking the course through NTI, but before i saddle myself with more debt, I wanted to ask if it would even be worth it and hear it directly from the people already working in the field. All replies are appreciated.