3 Facts About Being a Mobile Crane Operator
1. You Can Become Certified in a Matter of Weeks
The criteria needed to become a mobile crane operator isn’t like going to a four-year program. You can learn the necessary tools and techniques in just a matter of weeks. When you attend West Coast Training, you have the option to enroll in a crane operator–specific course: the Mobile Crane Training 4-Week Course. This course takes place in Woodland, Washington, and prepares students, over the course of four weeks, for a successful career as a mobile crane operator by giving them hands-on training. For this reason alone, many people choose to complete schooling at a heavy machinery school. Students who do so successfully can have a brand-new career in less than one month.
2. They’re Often Certified to Use Other Machines
Though some crane operators are just that, many who attend school choose to extend their training by another four weeks and become certified to use other heavy machinery. This can be done out of sheer interest but is often completed to make them into stronger candidates for potential jobs.
Extending training at West Coast Training is usually done through the 8-week NCCCO Crane Operator/Rigger course. After completing the first four weeks of the mobile crane training, graduates move on to become certified to use machinery such as the hammerhead, luffing-jib, tower cranes, hydraulic boom mobile cranes, and more. Mobile crane operators who are certified to use more machinery are simply more qualified to be on a jobsite and are even more employable.
3. They Usually Have To Travel for Work
Working as a mobile crane operator won’t be like working a typical nine-to-five job. Most mobile crane operators work at construction sites, which are often changing depending on where the work needs to be done. Because of this, you may be required to travel outside of your hometown often to complete work-related tasks. It also means your scenery is going to change often. No staring at the same four walls day in and day out.
Some job sites may be a few miles away; others may take hours to get to. Though you can usually get an idea of how far you’ll be traveling when you apply for the job, being open to travel can make you more desirable to potential employers.
These are just a few of the realities of being a mobile crane operator. If you’re interested in learning more about this career or enrolling in a heavy machinery course, you can contact West Cost Training for more information.