Get Wired: The BICSI TECH INSTC INSTF Breakdown

From copper to fiber , standards to innovation , this is the show that keeps you plugged into success . So grab your tools , turn up the volume and let's talk cabling .

Yes , congratulations from Papa Bear . And Papa Bear said he passed his test . Yes , congratulations , papa Bear . Yes , yes , I love starting off shows like that . It is the best way to start off a show . Period , period . I can't think of a better way to start off the show . Thank you for that great news , papa Bear .

So let's start off with the acronym challenge . The acronym challenge . Let's pick one . We'll grab my ICT field guides back here , we'll flip to the acronym session and we'll come up with an acronym and let's see if somebody can guess what this acronym means . Let me find one real quick . I had this problem last time . Here we go , here we go .

Hold on , I've got to put on my glasses so I can read this stupid thing . Okay , so today's acronym is MAC , m-a-c , m-a-c , mac . What does that mean ? Tell me in the comments , straight from the ICT Field Practice Guide , mac . I'll give you guys a few seconds to answer that . Daryl Harris is in the house . Peter has joined the house .

Let me see , turn my chat box there . There we go , okay , so nobody has guessed it . So Mac , m-a-c , short for Moves , ads and Changes Moves , ads and Changes found in the ICT Field Practice Guidelines Absolutely . What are you drinking ? Daryl ? Got it , but you're slow typing . Were you typing like this , daryl , one finger at a time ?

Yeah , also , hey , what are you drinking ? What are you drinking ? Chuck is drinking tea . Yeah , regular iced tea today . How boring is that ? Regular iced tea . Okay , tell me in the comments what are you drinking ? What are you drinking ? Water with lime ? Papa Bear's drinking . Where's Shotzi at ? Shotzi must be running late tonight .

Yes , so I got a unique show for you . Remember last ? Remember last , not last week , was it the week before I did the top 15 questions ? Top 15 questions for about the RCD credential . I remember during that show I said hey , let me know if you want me to do one on the Bixie field credentials installer , copper installer , fiber technician .

Guess what tonight's show is about . If you said the field credentials , you are right . You are right . So I have 15 questions that I have been stacking up all for a while and I'm going to go ahead and knock them out . Oops , I'm on the wrong document there , charles .

Jeez , you would think that I would have this thing all set up and ready to rock and roll , but no , guess what Chuck was doing right before the show TikToking . Yep , tiktok is the . It's super addictive , super addictive . So question number one this comes from TechGuru87 . Techguru87 . And their question is why should I get a Bixie installer credential ?

Why should I get a Bixie installer credential ? And that is a great question . And it's a great question . There are lots of credentials out that you can get and I'm going to do future shows on the other ones , like the FOA credentials . I'm going to do one on who is it ? Light Brigade has some credentialing , so I'm going to do some shows on them too .

But Bixie is the globally recognized credential right now that almost everybody George Humphries in the house everybody understands and recognizes , because it's going to demonstrate that you not only follow codes , you follow standards and the best practices .

Like the field guides I showed you just there a minute ago , they make sure that you , specifically , are more competitive against other technicians . It's going to make sure that you can increase your earning potential and prove that you meet those industry standards .

Now there are many employers out there that are going to require , or maybe prefer , that you have a Bixby credential installer because it ensures quality and consistency . And there are some out there that don't .

But the ones that don't , do you really want to work for them Because maybe their installation practices aren't up as good as yours , right , maybe they're not up as good as yours . Here we go . The chat box is now finally active . Click on chat and do , do , do , do , do , do , do , do . I will get this thing working . Yet One way , shape form or another .

All right , so there's question number two . Question number two I got 15 , so I better hurry up here . Question number two , and this one is actually from Ops Manager Chris . Ops Manager Chris . Ops Manager Chris . And he asked me Chuck , I'm an operations manager and I want to have 10 students . 10 students get their Bixie credential . I keep the foreign T&E .

For those of you who don't know what T&E is , that's travel and expenses . That means flights , hotel per diem , transportation like rental cars or shuttle buses , stuff like that . He can't afford to send T&E to send 10 people to Tampa from Oregon . Is there another option available ?

I think probably one of the best options is consider on-site training by Bixie . Consider on-site training by Bixie .

Now , on-site training by Bixie is going to cost a little more than if somebody in Tampa sent 10 people to class , because the on-site training is going to encompass the travel expenses for one person to go there to teach their class instead of 10 people coming to Tampa . And that travel cost for 10 people . That can add up pretty fast , pretty stinking fast .

I actually did a quick analysis on that , real quick . Let me see if I can't find that . I can't find it . So anyways , I did a quick analysis on it . I went to the old chat GPT , good old AI , and I said , hey , how much would it cost to send 10 technicians from Portland , oregon , to Tampa , florida , for a week-long class ?

What would all the travel and expenses be ? And good old chat GPT kicked it out . It reminded me of the old AP , you know , like the news things , where they had the dot matrix printer and it was going beep , beep , beep , beep , beep , beep and then the information came out and you ripped it off . I should do that .

I should do one of those here in the office . Anyways , it said that the travel and expenses of course it could vary based on , you know , when they leave and some other stuff , but on average $700 to $1,200 per person more on top of the cost of the class , right ?

So the good news about that is it's going to be cheaper than sending 10 people and you got a Bixie certified trainer training delivery special . It's coming to your office , to your office , right ?

Plus , you got , you know , if you send a technician or 10 technicians to a class , a week-long class in Big St Tampa , well they're going to have to travel on Sunday to get there for a Monday morning class and then travel back home on Saturday .

Those two additional days that they're going to be away from their families , that's two additional days that you've got to pay them , probably overtime , probably overtime . So you're going to save that as well .

You're going to save that as well and , like I said , so you can have a training delivery specialist come to your office to do your training at your location . And why is that important ?

Because the students are going to be comfortable and familiar with their surroundings , so they're going to be in their own training room or their own conference room , you know in the training world because I've been a trainer for a long time now , coming up on 13 or 14 years .

Well , technically , I've been training people since day one Well , not day one , but a long , long time and I've learned from teaching classes that there's a distinct life cycle that's consistent across every single class . Let's say , even class is broken up into four sections . The first section , right . Nobody's talking to each other , nobody knows each other .

They kind of look at each other and are afraid to say something . By the second session , they're kind of starting to talk a little bit . By the third session , they're talking a little more . By fourth session , you would have swore they were all buddies from 20 years ago , right , 20 years ago . These guys are already familiar with their surroundings .

They're already familiar with the other people , right ? So that way they can start off asking good questions on hour one of day one , hour one of day one , instead of waiting to the end of the first day to start getting up the nerve to ask the instructor stuff .

That's also going to help your 10 technicians that you're going to send to this class , because each night they get to go home and sleep in their own beds , they get to spend time with their families . You don't disrupt their personal lives for a week .

You never know what's going on in somebody's personal life , right , they might be , their wife might be sick and they might have me taking care of the kids , or you know , they might have other things going on . They might have a farm yeah right , they might have a farm and you'd be disrupting that . If I got sent out of town for a week .

If I didn't have my wife , I'd have to hire a farm sitter , and farm sitters aren't cheap , right ? Also , I'd have to hire a farm sitter , and farm sitters aren't cheap , right . Also , if you , if you schedule onsite training with Bixie , have that training delivery specialist come out there , you get some flexible scheduling . You can .

You can do the training around your company's workload and that way it's done . So that way you have less operational downtime and the beautiful thing is you get the same high-quality training that you would in Tampa in your own office .

So , like I said , it's a great option for somebody sending eight or more people to have a training delivery specialist come out to your office and have them do the training . Oh , I forgot to mention this . You also will get to do the class with your own tools , with the tools that you're familiar with and work with day in and day out . So that's it's .

It's a great win-win-win .

So if you really want to consider , want to consider um doing on-site training from bixie , contact my good buddy , nelson nelson colan , he's on . He's on LinkedIn , look him up or , if you need , send me a message and I'll put you in touch with him . He can help schedule all that stuff for you .

Question number two what is the difference between installer C , installer F and tech ? This was asked by Fiber Ninja . Fiber Ninja , he wants me to break them down . Installer C means Installer 2 , copper . That particular person has taken a class and examination based on copper structure cabling . That's going to include installation , termination and certification .

I shouldn't say certification , testing or verification , certification or verification and certification . Or I shouldn't say certification , testing or verification , certification or verification . The installer F is an installer 2 , but it specializes in fiber optic cabling . That's going to be fiber optic splicing , termination and testing . The tech the certification that I have .

That's the highest level of the three and that's going to cover both copper and fiber , plus project coordination , troubleshooting and leadership skills . Okay , so that's the difference between those three certifications . Question number four how hard is the BICSI exam ? This comes from CablingProMike on Twitter , right , and he says I'm not good at written tests .

How tough are the BICSI installation exams ? I'm not going to lie to you , brother , it's just like the RCD exam . It is not easy . It is not easy . The exam is going to test your real-world skills . The hands-on , the practical portion of it is where you're going to actually demonstrate how to pull cable , terminate cable , test cable .

The written part is covered by a multiple- , multiple choice exam based on the Bixie . It's a manual , information Transport Systems Installation Methods Manual . So you better read it , you better practice it . And hey , I got a Bixie Tech Study Group Facebook group .

So if you want to go there and get some tips there too , you can always go there and get some tips . Question number five this comes from Low Volt , josh , and he asked me can I take the Big C installer C exam if I'm new to the industry ? So that kind of all depends .

For the installer copper installer , fiber you're probably going to want to have six months of experience or training from an approved program . For the tech you're going to need at least two years of experience plus training . So you can't just go . There's actually another certification below that .

It used to be the old Bixie Apprentice certification , but I don't know what it's called anymore . Somebody's asking a TikTok Is a Bixie certification worth it ? Well , let me . That was from JJGG , jjgg , jjgg . When I got my Bixie credentials , my salary went up , boom , by 30% , 30% . So , yes , it is worth it . Question from Cable Guy Troy .

He says if I start today , how soon can I expect to get my Bixie certification ? Well , everybody's journey is different . Everybody's journey is different . Everybody's journey is different . Some people , they can buckle down , read through the ITSA manual and then just go there and take the test and bam be done , literally in a matter of a month or less .

But if you're like most people , if you're like me , if you're like me , all right , you're going to need time to read through that . It's a manual , to study , that it's a man , because that's what the written exam is based on . And then , when you're ready , then you need to go take the hands on .

And I highly suggest the best way to pass the hands on is to take a Bixie class . Ok , you can do it without it , but I've seen a lot of people fail the hands on just because they didn't take the Bixie class .

So if you're studying independently , you can expect it to take a few months to get prepared for that , because you're not just going to jump right in because a lot of people think oh I'm smart , I've been doing this for six years . You've been doing it wrong for six years .

Yeah , exactly so you've got to do it the way that the best practice manuals say to do it . This comes from FiberTechQueen on Instagram . She says I work in Canada but I'm thinking about moving to the US . Will my Bixi certification be valid there ? Yes , yes , it's recognized worldwide . You know Canada , us and over 100 other countries .

It's recognized worldwide Canada , us and over 100 other countries . So , yes , if you get your RCD , your Bixi Tech , your Bixi Installer Copper , installer Fiber in any other country , and you came to the US and you get a job , yes , your credential is still valid .

Great question , question number eight what's the price for the Bixi Installer Copper and Installer Fiber exams ? This comes from ICTInstaller24 on Twitter . So the average cost kind of depends on whether you're a Bixie member or not , but you can expect to pay about $335 . Well , you also have to go buy the book . You've got to do the exams .

So there's a lot of things that kind of go into that , but it's going to be a significant investment . Maybe ask your employer to help you cover that . Maybe just saying Question number nine what happens if I fail the exam ? Don't fail it , don't fail the exam .

Now , most people like you and me will probably fail that first time around because we've been taught wrong . Oh , by the way , by this question comes from Danny Cables on Facebook . He says he's worried about failing . So here's the thing If you fail , you can take the test again .

You've got to wait 30 days and then you can take the test again After three failed attempts . Then you've got to wait 90 days . That sounds kind of familiar , almost like the RCD exam . Right ? You got to wait 90 days . That sounds kind of familiar , almost like the RCD exam , right ? Question number 10 , is the BICC certification required for government jobs ?

This comes from Secure Comms Tech and my buddy Dave on TikTok will tell you . While it's not required , it is certainly going to help you , right ? Absolutely going to help you , because many government agencies they may require Bixie-certified personnel , especially for structured cabling and fiber optic installs .

They might require that in the scope of work to the contractor , but it's usually a percentage so you don't always need it , but it gives you a hand up . It gives you a hand up . It gives you a hand up . Question number 11 . This comes from Veteran Sparky . I wonder if that means he's an electrician . Veteran Sparky says I'm a veteran .

Can I use the GI Bill to pay for my BICC certification ? Yes , you can . We learned this on the RCDD one . The GI Bill can reimburse exams . I think it's up to $2,000 . The GI bill can reimburse exams . I think it's up to two grand . Check with your VA for eligibility so they do have that option for you .

Question number 12 do I need to renew my Bixby certification ? This comes from Wirepoolertom on Twitter and the answer to that is yes , you do . Every three years . You got to . You got to pay the application fee to continue your thing . You also got to get continuing education credits through either some type of industry training or industry training as well .

There's lots of great resources out there . Most manufacturers will give you that , most K1 Station Mainland Magazine . Like I told you , they have two webinars a month . Bixie just put out a thing . I think it was last week , maybe maybe the week before they're doing a one hour webinar for free .

Of course it's probably filled up by now , but on door locks , so that was kind of cool . I signed up for it but I forgot to finish that application . Question number 13, . What study materials should I use ? This comes from Smart Cabling on Facebook . Again , I told you the ITSA manual , information Transport Systems Installation Methods Manual .

I want to say it's about 800 pages . It's not as thick as the RCD one , the TDMM for the RCD , but yeah , you want to make sure that you read through that . Now there'll be references in there to codes and standards and stuff like that . But focus on that . It's a manual . Question number 14 . This comes from Telecom Tech .

Dave , is the Bixie exam available remotely ? Yeah , it is . Well , the written portion is . I'm not sure about the hands-on portion . The hands-on portion , you got to go to a authorized Bixie testing facility . You can look them up . You can go on the Bixie website . You can find the list . It's done by state .

You can put in your state and find the ones near you . There's going to be a fee for that , but the written exam is done through Pearson VUE , pearson VUE , so you go there and you schedule it . You go there , take the test and it'll tell you right away if you passed or didn't pass . So there you go . Question number 15 .

How does Bixi compare to other low voltage certifications ? Again , it's one of the oldest , one of the most well-known in the industry and it's recognized by a lot . It's focused specifically on structured cabling .

It's not going to be the certification you want if you're trying to do , you know , like setting up servers or stuff like that , but if you're doing it's not what you want to do , if you're doing electrical , but if you're doing low voltage , pulling voice and data , category-ratedling , single mode , multi-mode , fiber , it's a great certification to get , great one and

it is , as I said before , it is recognized worldwide . Question number 15 , no 16 . This comes from ITS Installer on Twitter . A lot of people on Twitter asking questions Chuck , how do I sign up to go take the test ?

Well , it's simple Just go to the Bixie website , go to bixieorg , forward , slash credentialing and you'll find all the stuff that you need to go there to do that . So lots of great information there . Again , those are the 15 most common questions . I've just been storing them for a while , like I do sometimes .

Let's see Do we have any questions in the chat box . Chat box . Let me see how do I open up the chat box . It just does not seem to open up . There it goes . So let me see Jason RCD here . Tiktok band my company . You need to read these . Also bring back the ESS . I agree with the ESS , the Electronic Safety and Security Credential .

They did have that credential for a while . I took one of the classes on that . I didn't take the test , but I took a class on it . It's a shame that TikTok has banned your company . Do you think we'll ever get the ESS certification back one day ? I really should have gotten that one . I don't know the answer to that one .

I don't know if they have any plans on doing that or not . To be honest with you , I know that it's no longer out there , but I don't know if they're going to bring back the ESS . I just don't . I just don't . There's plenty of other credentials that you can get along the way . Let's check for any questions in the TikTok feed that I might have missed .

Hold on , I've got to put on my old man glasses here so I can read Old man glasses . So let me see Any questions in here . Daryl's in the house Move . That changes . He's got that . Don't see any questions already asked . Is the big c certification worth ? I already answered that one .

Nope , no additional questions in the tiktok feed and let me check the live stream chat one more time . All righty , so I don't see any questions there . Queen is in the house . Queen is drinking water . Water , good job , queen . Oh , hey , I also got my my zevia soda , my zevia soda there . So I hope you guys enjoyed that show .

Let me know if there's another show you want to do , another show you want to do ? Um , let me do this . This is gonna be for the thumbnail . Yeah , you need to get your big c technician . Yes , you need to get it . Absolutely , that's for the thumbnail .

All right , everybody , stay tuned because on future shows I'm going to do top 15 questions for the FOA certification .

I have Light Brigade scheduled to come on and talk about their new certification program , their new certificate that you can get , and if there's any other ones that you want me to look into , make sure that you let me know so I can look it up and do a show on it .

Until next time , keep those cables clean , your standards high and your future bright . Let's Talk Cabling , empowering the industry , one connection at a time .