Five Skilled Trades You Can Learn in Less Than A Year
OKLAHOMA CITY - November 06, 2019
Five Skilled Trades You Can Learn in Less Than A Year
A four-year degree or even a higher level of education is a great choice for many people, but for others who are
ready to start their career after a faster educational option, understanding the options available is an important part of the decision-making process. One area that has several opportunities to jump into a career within a year of education and training is the skilled trades field. Here are five skilled trades careers you can learn in less than one year.
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
With a shortage of licensed heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, this is an industry that not only has an immediate need but is expected to keep growing. After you earn your high school diploma or the equivalent, there are usually two paths you can take to becoming a licensed truck driver.
You can attend a local professional truck driving school or go through a community college that has a driving program. Both options typically last between three and six months. The courses with either of these options will include training on how to drive semi and tractor-trailer trucks in crowded areas and on highways, as well as the federal and state regulations for truck driving.
No matter the path you take, you will need to earn your commercial driver's license (CDL) as trucking companies require this type of license to join their team. The test incudes both a knowledge and physical driving test, similar to how you earn a standard driver's license.
Once you're hired, you can expect several weeks of on-the-job training with an experienced driver in the passenger seat to help you start your new career down the right road.
Dental Assistants
Have you always wanted to have a career where you can help others, have different experiences each day, and continue to grow your skills? Then pursuing education to become a dental assistant could be right for you.
Dental assistants spend most of their day with patients and dentists, preparing the patients for treatments and procedures, processing x-rays, sterilizing dental instruments, and scheduling patient appointments.
Training to become a dental assistant varies by your location, but generally, you must either graduate from a dental assistant program at a technical school or you can learn through on-the-job training with a dental office. Either path takes less than a year and will give you an option worth smiling about.
Medical Records and Health Information Technicians
In many ways, health information technicians are the backbone to a well-run medical office. Their ability to organize, maintain both paper and electronic records, and uphold the confidentiality of patients' records is vital to the success of the medical professionals they work with.
To join this growing field, you'll need a high school diploma or the equivalent, and a certification from a health information technology program, usually available to complete in less than a year. If you took high school courses in health, computer science, and/or biology, you will likely have a better chance to be accepted into programs like these.
Audio and Video Technicians
If you feel at-home around electrical equipment like soundboards or A/V setups in meeting rooms, conference centers, and performance venues, this is the career path for you.
Audio and video technicians are usually responsible for setting up and operating A/V equipment, including microphones, speakers, video screens, and recording equipment. It could be in a meeting space, a concert, sports event, or a news conference. There may even be situations when you would work on setting up custom lighting systems.
To enter this field, you usually need a high school diploma, as well as a post-secondary award or certificate. But, because of the ongoing advances in technology, many audio and video technicians enroll in continuing education courses, so they can stay up-to-date with changes.
Small Engine Mechanics
When something breaks down at home, is your first thought to take it apart and try to figure what's wrong, instead of buying a replacement? Then maybe becoming a small engine mechanic is your calling. From motorcycles to snowmobiles to chain saws, your day as a small engine mechanic may include a lot of different tasks and projects as you fix and do general maintenance on various pieces.
The training for small engine mechanics varies depending on the type of equipment you work on, but generally, you'll need a high school diploma or the equivalent and further education through a vocational or technical school, specifically on small engine repair, auto mechanics, or motorcycle mechanics.
As engines become more complex, especially in boats and motorcycles, many employers will hire you with basic small engine mechanic experience and then provide on-the-job training, so you have the specialized education they require.
Express Employment Professionals places 560,000 job seekers in positions like the ones mentioned above annually. Contact one of our 800 locally-owned Express offices today to learn more about opportunities available with the more than 86,000 client companies we work with each year.
Express also offers a free educational video series on selecting a career path and succeeding in that role. To access this resource visit YouTube and search Job Genius or visit
ExpressPros.com/JobGenius.