r/BCIT • u/FRANKWANG0909 • 21d ago

Anyone here completed BCIT 4th Class Power Engineering (online + Power Lab)? How was the job market afterward?

Hi everyone,

I recently enrolled in BCIT’s 4th Class Power Engineering Part A online program and wanted to hear from people who have already gone through the pathway, especially those who completed the Power Lab portion.

I’m coming from a software/engineering background and considering Power Engineering as a long-term career transition. I’m almost 40, so I’m trying to get a realistic understanding of the process and job market before going too far down this road.

A few questions:

  • How competitive is it to get into the BCIT Power Lab after finishing the online courses?
  • Is there usually a long waitlist?
  • After finishing the lab and getting steam time, how difficult was it to find your first job?
  • Are graduates still finding work in BC reasonably well?
  • What kinds of roles did people end up getting? (plant operator, building operator, refrigeration, etc.)
  • Did age matter much for career changers entering the field?

I’d really appreciate honest feedback from people who actually completed the program or are currently working in the industry.

Thanks!

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4

u/users0 21d ago

That's pretty wild you're a software engineer moving to a slowly dying and saturated field.

1

u/Flaky_Purple2140 21d ago

How’s it a dying field?

1

u/FRANKWANG0909 20d ago

Fair enough, that’s why I’m asking.

Software doesn’t feel that stable anymore either with AI automating a lot of dev work, so I’m looking at this more as a long-term backup path, not an immediate jump.

Do you mean it’s mainly saturated for entry-level 4th Class people with no experience, or the whole field is declining in BC?

1

u/Sea-Storm-5719 20d ago

Its not dying just ai is making 1 engineers output equivalent to 50 engineers. Just getting more efficient, so less people needed.

1

u/Neet2155 12d ago

It is NOT dying. Don't spread such nonsense. The program prepares people for the general day-to-day Building Operations which is in demand all over Canada.

1

u/Sea-Storm-5719 20d ago

Power engineering is a guarantee $160k salary job because so little people have the qualifications or experience in it.

1

u/Huge_Series_1122 20d ago

It’s not as competitive as they make it seem, as long as you follow the guidelines BCIT has in the Q/A for the Power Lab you should be good.

I don’t believe there is a waitlist usually they adapt the classroom size to the amount of people who qualify.

I already had a job before finishing the power lab due to connections and my employer actually sent me to get my steam time through the power lab as it was quicker.

I’d say so, it’s obviously not as easy as it was a long time ago. BCIT keeps selling the dream of a 4th class making 150-200k a year but those jobs are up north and very far from the lower mainland. There’s plenty of reasonably well paying jobs in hospitals and food plants and the occasional postings from UBC, Veolia, Kruger and the other 1st class plants within Metro Vancouver.

Most people went to building ops, some chose to go into a different field.

I don’t think age matters that much, as long as you’re someone hard working and willing to learn. Plenty of older guys in their 50s found good jobs.

1

u/FRANKWANG0909 20d ago

Really appreciate your detailed reply.