Is it worth pursuing an Electrical Engineering Technology degree if I'm not great at math?

The gap between a general laborer and an EET grad is massive, but don't let the 'four-year' apprenticeship timeline scare you off. Most IBEW or non-union programs have you working and earning a paycheck from day one. You aren't sitting in a classroom for four years before you see a dime; you're usually making 40-50% of journeyman scale immediatly, with raises every six months or so. By year two, you'll likely out-earn a general laborer by a wide margin.

Going the EET route is a solid middle ground, but it leads to a very different lifestyle than being on a job site. You'll likely end up in industrial automation, PLC programming, or testing. It’s hands-on in the sense that you’re using multimeters and oscilloscopes, but you aren't exactly 'building' in the same way a commercial sparky does. If you struggle with math, just know that EET still hits **algebra and trigonometry** pretty hard, even if it skips the theoretical calculus that ruins regular engineering students.

If you stay as a general laborer while you're in school, you’re basically trading your physical health for a lower wage. Laboring is a dead end if you have the aptitude to do more. If you want to be a technologist, get into a shop that does control panels or specialized assembly right now. You’ll get relevant expirience that actually looks good on a resume once you have that degree.

One thing to watch out for is that some EET programs are viewed as 'Engineering Lite' by big firms, which can cap your salary ceiling compared to a licensed **profesional Engineer**. However, in the field, a good tech who understands how a relay actually works is worth their weight in gold. Just don't spend four years pushing a broom as a laborer thinking it's helping your career—it's not. Pick the specialized path and start getting those specific hours under your belt as soon as possible.

Congrats on the lightbulb, man. That first click's always a rush. If you're lookin' at EET, definitly check out field service tech roles. You're out in a van, fixin' complex stuff, and it ain't just slinging wire or pushing a broom. It's a sweet spot if you like troubleshooting but don't wanna be stuck in a cubicle all day. Just don't stay a laborer too long—it'll wreck your back way before it fills your wallet. What's the math like in the specific program you're eyeballin'?

If you're going the EET route, you're going to be doing a ton of troubleshooting. Do yourself a favor and pick up a Fluke 87V Industrial Multimeter now. It’s the gold standard for a reason. Using a cheap tester while learning the tech side is just asking for a headache when you're trying to figure out if a circuit is acutally live or if your meter is just junk. It handles the math and the spikes way better than the budget stuff. If you want to stand out in a controls shop, showing up with proffesional gear like Fluke makes you look like you actually take the career seriously.

I did the EET thing while working in a panel shop and it beat the hell out of general labor. You spend all day wiring control cabinets and reading schematics, wich is exactly what they teach in the labs anyway. I was getting paid to practice my schoolwork. If you want to use your hands without trashing your body, find a small industrial controls outfit. You’ll learn how to acutally build systems, not just pull wire trough holes. It made the math in class make sense becuase I was seeing it in the field every day.

That is so awesome about the lightbulb! I'm just starting out too and honestly getting anything to power up feels like magic. Speaking of the hands-on stuff, does anyone know if learning to weld helps at all with the electrical side? I saw some guys on a site last week working on these massive steel conduits and it looked like they were fusing brackets togather. I'm wondering if I shold try to squeeze a welding elective into my schedule or if that's just a totally diferent world.