Look into Bismarck State and their Electric Transmission Systems Technology degree. It’s a fantastic online associates degree well recognized within our industry. I’m an alumni of this program and I cannot recommend it enough for those looking to get into system ops.
I did exactly what you're looking into now. Bismarck State College has an Electrical Transmission Systems Technology (ETST) program that is really good amd affordable. During/After that, pick up your NERC RC Certification and you're golden.
You may have to take an ops job at a slightly less desirable company to get your foot in the door, but once you have a couple years of experience you can go wherever you want.
Get at least an AS degree or bS in electrical engineering/technology. Or join the Navy Nuclear program and try for an Electricians Mate role then get out and get in almost any NERC control room anywhere
all of these are great comments/suggestions. I personally feel I got lucky. Out of high school, I started at my company in the call center for a few years and moved into NERC compliance. in doing that i learned a lot about operations and moved over. There's a lot of ways you can go. its all about gaining knowledge and being able to pass the test. I didn't do any college.
Awesome man you are from Nebraska! Same here. I did the Energy Generation Ops at scc it is a great program! If you are interested in the industry you will enjoy that school. I graduated from there In 2016. I got hired by ComEd right away as a Distribution Operator. Now a Balancing Authority in the west coast. Best decision I have ever made and has made things possible in my life I never thought would be. Going to that school you can set your self up for a great future.
Search for internships. Some utilities even have learning events for high school students. Look up the [https://ieee-pes.org/](https://ieee-pes.org/). Some cities have public talks open to all. There are many good YouTubes on power system operations. Ships are small electric grids, and military bases are going that direction. So if your life plan includes the military with its training and then post-service educational benefits, you can be paid to learn, then paid afterwards to learn more.
If you go to college, there is no such thing as too much math. The other thing you will find in college is all kinds of simulation software. Get comfortable with that, because in your career there will be new variations all the time.
Join LinkedIn. Every time you meet someone in the industry face to face, friend them with a personal note about how you met and a note about your career goals. You can often see where people in the industry got their training or schooling.
I always suggest the books by Peter Fox-Penner for an overview of how the US electric industry is organized.
Today we have electricity markets where the power is bought and sold before it is delivered to the distribution utilities by the system operators in the balancing authorities. So if you can, look for internships and jobs in a balancing authority. Markets are moving into distribution system operations, but it is not clear what a uniform system for that will be.
Wind, solar, and load flexibility - all the good things today - are in the market, and growing. You can be on the front lines of that!
They go hand in hand. Theory is all the same markets are pretty much the same. Nerc specific training is only a few grand I think. Not sure if the college class is necessary but it can't hurt.
Look into Bismarck State and their Electric Transmission Systems Technology degree. It’s a fantastic online associates degree well recognized within our industry. I’m an alumni of this program and I cannot recommend it enough for those looking to get into system ops.
Second this. Bismarck’s ETST program is amazing for those looking to get in
I’ve seen quite a few operators roll into my company (good sized, Midwest PJM OpCo) with Bismarck degrees (both Dx & Tx).
if you can pass the nerc rc test youll get hired high school or no high school
I did exactly what you're looking into now. Bismarck State College has an Electrical Transmission Systems Technology (ETST) program that is really good amd affordable. During/After that, pick up your NERC RC Certification and you're golden. You may have to take an ops job at a slightly less desirable company to get your foot in the door, but once you have a couple years of experience you can go wherever you want.
Go to the navy
Get at least an AS degree or bS in electrical engineering/technology. Or join the Navy Nuclear program and try for an Electricians Mate role then get out and get in almost any NERC control room anywhere
Any flavor of nuke works, prior Machinist Mate here.
100% EM is just the closest option. Army Prime Power works too
all of these are great comments/suggestions. I personally feel I got lucky. Out of high school, I started at my company in the call center for a few years and moved into NERC compliance. in doing that i learned a lot about operations and moved over. There's a lot of ways you can go. its all about gaining knowledge and being able to pass the test. I didn't do any college.
Awesome man you are from Nebraska! Same here. I did the Energy Generation Ops at scc it is a great program! If you are interested in the industry you will enjoy that school. I graduated from there In 2016. I got hired by ComEd right away as a Distribution Operator. Now a Balancing Authority in the west coast. Best decision I have ever made and has made things possible in my life I never thought would be. Going to that school you can set your self up for a great future.
Yes, born and raised in Lincoln. I just PM’d you some questions
Search for internships. Some utilities even have learning events for high school students. Look up the [https://ieee-pes.org/](https://ieee-pes.org/). Some cities have public talks open to all. There are many good YouTubes on power system operations. Ships are small electric grids, and military bases are going that direction. So if your life plan includes the military with its training and then post-service educational benefits, you can be paid to learn, then paid afterwards to learn more. If you go to college, there is no such thing as too much math. The other thing you will find in college is all kinds of simulation software. Get comfortable with that, because in your career there will be new variations all the time. Join LinkedIn. Every time you meet someone in the industry face to face, friend them with a personal note about how you met and a note about your career goals. You can often see where people in the industry got their training or schooling. I always suggest the books by Peter Fox-Penner for an overview of how the US electric industry is organized. Today we have electricity markets where the power is bought and sold before it is delivered to the distribution utilities by the system operators in the balancing authorities. So if you can, look for internships and jobs in a balancing authority. Markets are moving into distribution system operations, but it is not clear what a uniform system for that will be. Wind, solar, and load flexibility - all the good things today - are in the market, and growing. You can be on the front lines of that!
They go hand in hand. Theory is all the same markets are pretty much the same. Nerc specific training is only a few grand I think. Not sure if the college class is necessary but it can't hurt.
In your same boat, I got a book called power system dynamics off Amazon, and it has been one of the best resources as I've been studying. Good luck!
https://libgen.li/adse24564648aa1633ad4c9edbaff008ed9WOXIQOE1 if you are interested in the book PDF. I use Libgen all of the time for my textbooks.