I would just like to say that I have been attending Bellingham Technical College for almost 2 years now (I graduate in 11 weeks!), and I have nothing bad to say about this place, or the people that work here! Sure, there may be some things that could be changed a little here and there, but the most important factor, that being the education you will receive in the end, IS UN-COMPARABLE! The Culinary program is in the TOP TEN in the NATION! (They have the awards to prove it) Welding: taught by an Artistic Guru! Nursing: Superb! Automotive Programs: Excellent! And, the man in charge of the Instrumentation Program, Tony, is proclaimed as a "Genius" in his field (and Electronics in general), and is referenced on blogs World-wide! And, the Electronics Program that is taught here.....well, let me tell you my story.
I found this little "Best Kept Secret" of a school after life kind of "pulled the rug out from under me" (work injury), and I could no longer do what I enjoyed and was paying the bills. I was in Puyallup at the time, and searched a lot of schools for something that would interest me, I was capable of doing long-term, and something that I could afford. Through a "friend of a friend" who had graduated from here, I learned about "a quiet little school in Bellingham, with such great programs!" I looked into it, and was blown-away by what they offer here! I could go on, but there is just too much to talk about.
I chose Electronic Engineering Technician as my program, and I am so glad that I did!! My two main instructors Sam and Peter both have a lifetime of incredible Electronics experience working for some of the Pioneers in the computer and technology industry. The hands on experience you receive here is something that I'm sure will be hard to beat. I don't just learn circuits, I design and build "Real Life Application" projects! They teach you how to "Code" micro-controllers, but not just one type, 3 different types in all, 2 of which, are current Industry Standard. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, the little "chip" in your phone, the "brain" in your car, the device that enables you to make a robot pick your order at Amazon, and enables a company like Tesla to make self-driving cars possible. Yeh, they teach that! In fact, my Capstone Project is to build a solar-powered, electric car that is self-charging, and possibly self-driving, if time permits. Right now, I'm in the middle of soldering solar cells, working with fuel cells, programming micro-controllers for wireless communication, building digital-to-analog encoder-decoder circuits for fiber-optic data transmission, and will be starting Robotics in about two weeks. BRING IT!
Do I love this place? YES! Are the Instructors "Top Notch"? No, I would say that they are ONE STEP ABOVE THAT! Seriously! I feel like I just learned 4 or 5 years worth of Electronics Engineering at M.I.T. , but I only had to pay for two years here at BTC! BTW, I think this school is very affordable, especially compared to a 4-year college. Everything I'm learning is relevant to securing a great paying job after two years, and nothing else.
From the time you see Brijean's welcoming smile to greet you in the Admission's office, to the knowledge and friendships you will take with you when you graduate, you won't be disappointed!
Just a note to Emily (the girl that had a bad experience here)- I'm sorry things did not go well for you! I heard something about what went on, and I think that it was more of a Union dispute and not a representation of the people here. I wish you could give it another try!
Be well,
John read more