True, but that's the same with everything from truck driving to accounting. Generally, you have to be hired by company recruiters who visit the school. Not sure why they weren't at yours since it was a community college.

I completed a Heavy Equipment Operator course with a community college in Alberta this June. Just want to warn you that here in Calgary it has been impossible to get an operator job based on this certificate. Cost of the course for me for 3 months was $10,000 plus living expenses. I must have sent off about 30 resumes so far, but haven't heard a whisper back.

I have applied for jobs in Calgary, Edmonton, in camps up north and in Saskatchewan. Heard nothing back. I have dropped by construction sites and chatted to the foreman and they have said as far as they are concerned the HEO certificate means nothing without experience.

Right now I am driving a packer for $19 - which I could have done with out taking the course. The foreman on site says he drove the packer for 2 years before starting on heavy equipment.

Just wanted to warn you to make sure that jobs are really there for you when you complete the course - it is a lot of money to spend. Best to talk to the local employers and get a feel for what they are looking for. Here in Calgary the certificate is just not recognised by employers. But got to say that I learnt a lot on the course and it was great to get time on the machines.

I think that you should borrow, keep your saving for later

The reason I post this is to talk about retraining and the costs and benefits available...

This last year, I was making $13.65 as a school bus driver... it was fun, but I figured that I could make a better hourly wage by upgrading my education and skills..

Heavy Equipment Operators should be making in the $30 / hr range, especially in the oil fields.

Making $17 more per hour is a good return on investment IMO....

Even though it will take me a few hundred hours to pay back the investment for the Heavy Equipment operators course , it's still a better investment than if I kept my $5000 in the bank at 2% interest.

One of the places that I talked to that uses Heavy Equipment Operators and 1A drivers is the Operating Engineers 870 local union...
http://www.iuoelocal870.com/

They have call outs to such places as CCRL (Consumers' Co-operative Refineries Limited) in Regina
http://www.ccrl-fcl.ca/current.htm

I am taking a heavy equipment operating course in Kindersley, SK through Great Plains College... it's a four week course.

http://www.greatplainscollege.ca/

OMG... not only is the course going to cost me $5100, but I have to rent accomodations for a month, along with food and gas..

Not only that , I've got to pay for my regular household expenses...

The question is... should I take money out of my savings, or should I borrow the money, and pay it off with future earnings??

The good thing is that there is a ton of work for 1A & Heavy Equipment Operators in Saskatchewan, Alberta right now.

I"m pretty confident that I can pay off $10000 worth of debt in a short period of time... other wise I have to reduce my emergency funds by $10000 which would leave me running on fumes.

Any thoughts?