Another point - some people enjoy the classroom learning exp.
I just don’t see the cost effectiveness of a traditional classroom education. In all areas of education online is the direction. Schools are buying and or requiring computers for all. It is a new world.
Remember traditional classroom education is big $$. The teachers union is one of the largest left alive. The text book business is alive and well. And people with $$ don’t want to see some one get to the top of the food chain with out paying their dooos
----- You have got to do 1000000 inspection before you are any good -----
---------Have you payed your doooos???------------
One year at the local level I did a online class on basic electrical theory to the community college of (2) cities and I have to tell you this. They learned more in those classes than my local LIVE class did simply because of less interuptions, less stories that took us off track ( my fault…lol ) and so on and to be honest with you I met some of the students weeks after and I was surprised how much they retained.
I think and this is my opinion…online courses can be a great asset to some and some people just need live environments to learn…everyone is different but I can say this…in my opinion proctored means nothing to me…and I have been through MANY proctored exams…
Look…you either know the info or you dont…if you cheat in a non-proctored exam…you will most likely have to use a BOOK anyway and finding things will slow you down…eat up time and cause you to stress and probably do worse so in the case of the national home inspectors exam…if you can’t pass that off general memory then really consider if you learned anything at all regardless of online or live training…that test is BASIC info only.
Anyway…just wanted to give my (2) cents on the online training because I have been on the GIVING end of it…and those kids were awesome and learned alot…of course their is a bad seed in every class but hey…in high school that seed was me anyway…thehehehe
Nice stuff Dude! Can I buy you a beer at the convention? Anyway, were the online classes you presented visual, and with audio, or were they just as Instructor led, and text, etc.?
I am pushing around an idea where I would answer questions on the phone that would be transmitted.
I am not too sure of how this could happen, but would be willing to give it a try. I have a better handle on actual “code speak” than I do with the test on these pages.
I am sure we know why! :roll: Ain’t that right Todd? :roll:
I only have personal experience with the inspectors in a 4 state radius and as a rule the ones that took a home correspondence course or online HI course versus an on-site class generally have ended up being a poor group of home inspectors - not all but most of them, with way less overall knowledge than the other guys OR with technical knowledge up the rear but no practical knowledge. In my own personal experience, those that were too busy in their personal lives to go to school for 1-2 weeks to enter a new profession seldom had the drive to be really good at this.
Unfortunately, the thread that I started has erroded to a point that an VERY important (original point) has been lost. I was and am talking about Distance Learning AND (did you get the “AND”) field experience. In my case, I took the Distance Learning class AND I immediately started working with an EXPERIENCED and grandfathered Home Inspector for hands-on experience. Besides, my background includes drafting; architecture; building my own 3000 sq ft home INCLUDING electrical/plumbing/heating, etc…none was contracted out;subing to build other homes and additions. I do my own home repairs and am often called by others to do their repairs. So, I hardly doubt that I am unfit to become a good inspector. I suspect that many others have similar stories. Just because a handful of students from distance learning have failed to become good inspectors, does not classify all. Have you taken a poll on the amount of college students who become nothing; bad doctors, etc.? I have met and had to work with these unfortunate souls and it ain’t pretty. College (“the classroom” experience) generally equals PARTY, unfortunately. Now those “classroom” doctors, I wouldn’t trust to administer on my worst enemy. Many are unfit for most occupations and become burdens instead of assets. So, there are reasons for both sides of the educational “fence”. Next time, take a poll on the “flunky” inspectors in a wider area than just 4 states who have taken classroom courses…I’ll bet that you find just as many of those as the “flunky” distance learning inspectors.
You know, I am getting pretty SICK of your continual ONE-SIDED view on the reason people take distance learning classes. I got that “piece of paper called a diploma” and that makes me the best doctor in the world. I took the “classroom experience” and now I am the best home inspector in the world! Give me a break! It is NOT that people are too busy to take time out of their personal lives, it just is that these people, myself included, are living in the 21st century and do not have our heads stuck in a time warp from years ago.
You’re missing something OR I’m not being clear enough.
In my experience (not someone elses experience), here is what I’ve found in my area (not your area - my area). Yes I’ve taken both online and home study courses myself and am fully aware of the pluses and minuses.
Dan I also worked afull-time job have 2 kids and a wife that works so it would also be hard to get away for 2 weeks and pay for a hotel. I for one do not like to leave my wife holding the bag. I bet you were single at the time with no responsibilities or I could be wrong. But since you are against on-line training. Please fill us in on your status at the time you took the class.
I started doing home inspections part-time (at night and on weekends) in 1978 while working as a project manager for a 5,000 house-a-year home builder. In late 1983 the real estate market in Texas started to crash and my wife got a job offer to move to Missouri as a Quality Control Person for a Hospital. We moved and I decided to go into HI’s full-time.
Although I had been raised in a foundation/street building/heavy equipment family; had gone to college to be a Mechanical Engineer (HVAC Major); had worked as Factory Service Rep for both an Appliance & HVAC Manufacturer for 4 yrs; AND as a Project Manager for a Residential Builder for 5 yrs, AND
by that time I had done HI’s part-time for 4-5 years - - *I realized that if doing Home Inspections *was going to be my full-time career and profession,I didn’t wanta be 2nd rate (I’d already seen my fair share of those type). So I called all over the country and found only 2 places to get Home Inspection Training. One was run by Russ Burgess in Dallas (that one has changed hands and names several times since then and is now the ITA/Kaplan place in Dallas - nothing like it was in 1984), and the 2nd school was in the Washington, DC area and run by John Cox (ASHI’s John Cox Award is Dedicated to John) and Speed Williams (both of whom are now deceased).
There really was no comparison between the 2, and I** flew to DC for their week long class** which was held at a Holiday Inn in Silver Springs, MD. My wife, son and Rottweilers stayed home. After the week long class, I** stayed in the DC area for another week and rode with 3 local home inspectors**.