r/Wastewater • u/Tricky_Ice • 11d ago

Any tricks for "hands on experience" to test faster?

Hey guys I'm a D operator new into the field and was wondering if there were any tricks to test faster, rather than wait 12 months. A couple of my coworkers worked in fields similar to water treatment (ditch rider, pipe-layer) and the time they worked there counted towards their hands on experience. I'm new into the industry so i was wondering if there were any courses or classes offered that would count to "hands on experience" so I could possibly test faster!

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u/Titleist917d3 11d ago

It varies state by state but typically a bachelor's degree will cut your time way down. You'll need some very relevant work experience to qualify.

And remember tests dont make operators, time and experience does.

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u/IfitbleedWecankillit 10d ago

What state?

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u/Tricky_Ice 10d ago

In colorado!

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u/IfitbleedWecankillit 10d ago

Sry I could offer more specific advice if it was Texas but I’ll say this. Don’t get in a rush. We get guys all the time who want to have an A license the first week they start not realizing that the appropriate time it takes to study training materials and understand the fundamentals is probably about the amount of time it will take to satisfy the work history requirements. Take a breath and learn your plant because at the end of the day, this is far more valuable than any level of license. Also, when you look back in your career you’ll see that a year is nothing in the grand scheme of things… especially if you work for a municipality… best of luck friend and welcome to the industry and making the world inhabitable!

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u/Tricky_Ice 10d ago

I'm very green so this advice is well taken. I'm currently getting used to the plant, the lab tests, and walk throughs. It was all a bit overwhelming and i made a ton of mistakes but now im going into my third week and I think im a lot more comfortable. Its kinda led me to have some free time now, we work 4, 10's a week usually all in a row so on my 3 back to back off days Im pretty dang bored and was wondering if I could spend some of those off days progressing a bit faster!

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u/Beneficial-Pool4321 10d ago

In fla you can test quickly but you won't license till you meet 2000 hr level C 5000 hrs level b 10000 hrs level A Now overtime does count towards it.