Blue View – Getting My CEUs

As an electrical engineer, I spent most of my working life in the electronics industry. I used to know lots about microprocessors and making whiz-bang little boxes that measured things and collected data, then did something useful with the information. What I knew about AC electrical circuitry, however, was what I learned in the couple of required power classes in school decades ago or along the way on the boat and in the various houses we've lived in.

Similar to one of my designs - Courtesy of K3RRR

About six years ago, I thought it might be fun to actually become a licensed electrician. I'd have to do some studying and probably pass a test, but learning new things at my age couldn’t be bad - and just think about all those scintillating BV blogs I could write on topics like “how far from the kitchen sink does an outlet have to be before a GFCI is no longer required?”.

So I looked into it, and found that each state has its own requirements - and that their requirements varied widely. In most states, a newcomer started out as an apprentice, then after a few years experience and passing the appropriate tests, the journeyman level could be attained. After a few more years experience and another test, one could reach the master electrician level. Some states gave credit for having an electrical engineering degree. Colorado, for example, allowed anyone with a BSEE to become a master electrician after a year's experience in the trade and successfully passing a test. Nevada, our current state of residence, had the most liberal requirements of any state I know of, however. All that was required in the Silver State was to pass the standardized Master's Electrician Test, pay my fees, and voilà, I could become a licensed master electrician! How hard could it be to pass a test on my favorite subject?

The exam covered the contents of the 1258 page book entitled the NFPA 70: National Electrical Code Handbook. The book covers all the basics like terminology, wiring, materials, grounding and protection, which take up the first 470 pages. Then it talks about motors, transformers and air conditioning for another 100 pages or so. A good part of the book is devoted to different environments, like hazardous locations, healthcare facilities and marinas and boatyards. Not much is missed – want to know how far from a power line the carnival can put their Ferris wheel? What the load demand factor for stage lighting in a motion picture studio is? It's all there, and was a lot to learn.

There were a number of study guides and practice exams available. I took one of the practice exams, just to see how I'd do and where my weak areas were. I failed miserably. I was scratching my head over questions like “A 25-hp, 230-V, 3-phase motor is to be supplied from a branch circuit that has 2/0 AWG THW copper conductors which have an ampacity of 175 amperes. Determine the correct size for the tap conductors.” Huh? This was going to be harder than I thought.

I spent weeks studying. Some days I worried that I might set the alarms off from all the smoke seeping out of my overworked brain cells. Eventually, when I was able to pass the practice exams, I scheduled the official exam. It was much more difficult than I expected. I used the entire three hours that were allowed and I was definitely sweating the outcome... but I did manage to pass, and became a licensed master electrician in Nevada.

That was in 2017. Since then, I’ve used my new-found knowledge quite a bit – mostly to help out friends and family. My brother has a handyman business that keeps him busy in his retirement, and when he has an electrical job, I help out when I’m around.

I have to renew my license every three years. This involves updating my photo, paying a $90 fee, and taking 30 hours of continuing education units (CEUs). The CEUs must be coursework provided by specific providers, and can be either online or in-person classes. The cost for these ranges from about $200 for the least expensive online course to $2000 for an in-person class at a sunny, beach-side resort. I suspect that taking a tax -deductible class in a nice warm place might sound attractive to a full-time Minnesota electrician in the dead of winter, but I don’t generate enough income to need much in the way of tax deductions – nor do I want a resort vacation during our Las Vegas winters, so I opted for the less expensive, online classes.

Eight hours of the required thirty hours of coursework must cover changes in the electrical code, and four hours must cover electrical safety. The remaining hours can be electives, as long as they relate to the electrical code or safety. I chose to take sixteen hours on code changes, the required four hours on electrical safety, plus a four hour class on wiring methods, and another four hour class on smart home technology and connected living in today’s digital world.

You can never be too safe when testing an outlet

The electrical safety class is always worth a refresher – I tend to get complacent. Much of the code change class was dry and unexciting: “Paragraph 800.35.123.b has been reworded and combined with Paragraph 300.567.890.c to avoid confusion with Paragraph 500.66.987.j”… but much of the course was actually interesting. With the advent of electric cars and the need for home charging of those EVs, whole sections have been added or updated to address the proper methods for wiring them. Ditto the increase in solar and other alternative energy sources, as well as all the associated electronics like inverters and dc-to-dc converters.

Most interesting to me, however, was the course on connectivity. I continue to be amazed at all the new smart devices that have become available and the many apps that are able to communicate with and control those smart devices. I’ll talk about some of the cool things a total nerd like me can now automate around the house in a future blog.

My biggest issue with the courses is that the software keeps track of my “seat time”. If I’m working on an eight-hour course, I have to make sure that the time I’m sitting there, reading and clicking away, is at least eight hours. If I finish each of the units, pass the unit exams, then pass the final exam in six hours, I have to go back and revisit enough units to make up the two hours of seat time. I can’t start a unit, then go eat dinner, either – the software keeps track of my activity, and if I don’t click on something every few minutes, it’s smart enough to stop the clock.

So, is it worth all the time, effort and money to keep my license? My answer now, in 2023, is absolutely! The money isn’t an issue - I have no problem generating enough income to at least cover the cost of the classes and the renewal fee; for the most part, I enjoy the classes and staying current on the code (except for that darn seat time requirement); it took a lot of work and study to pass the initial test six years ago - I’d hate to let it all go; and I really enjoy the work. You never know what infirmities another three years will bring, but for now, I plan to continue sitting here, clicking away at my CEUs until I’ve finished my penance – err, seat time.

Yay! Finally complete

See you next week...