Get Wired: The BICSI TECH INSTC INSTF Breakdown

Understanding BICSI certifications is key to advancing in low-voltage cabling. We share insights on why these credentials matter and how they can impact your career. 

- Discuss the significance of BICSI credentials in the industry 
- Examine if it's worth getting certified and how it affects salary 
- Explain on-site training benefits for companies 
- Break down different BICSI certification levels and their purposes 
- Offer insights on studying and preparation for exam success 
- Explore the common fears and concerns around certification processes 

If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share it with your crew. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction: Welcome to Let's Talk Cabling
• 11:46 Host Introduction: Meet Chuck Bowser
• 30:00 The Acronym Challenge: What Does MAC Mean?
• 55:00 Importance of Bixie Credentials
• 3:00:00 Training Options and On
• 7:40:00 Summary and Next Steps

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to let's Talk Cabling, the award-winning podcast where knowledge is power and the low-voltage industry connects. Hosted by Chuck Bowser, rcdd. We're here to empower installers, designers and industry pros with the tips, stories and best practices you need to stay ahead. 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.

Speaker 2: 0:36

Wednesday night, 6 pm, eastern Standard Time. You know that can only mean one thing Live after hours with Chuck Bowser, your favorite RCDD, your favorite, and I love the way this show started. This show started. I fired up TikTok first and one of the first comments that I got was from Papa Bear, and Papa Bear said he passed his test. 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.

Speaker 2: 1:22

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.

Speaker 2: 2:26

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.

Speaker 2: 2:58

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.

Speaker 2: 4:08

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.

Speaker 2: 4:28

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.

Speaker 2: 5:42

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.

Speaker 2: 6:00

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.

Speaker 2: 7:15

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.

Speaker 2: 7:57

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.

Speaker 2: 9:39

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.

Speaker 2: 10:28

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.

Speaker 2: 10:58

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.

Speaker 2: 12:04

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.

Speaker 2: 13:03

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.

Speaker 2: 13:55

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.

Speaker 2: 14:22

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.

Speaker 2: 14:59

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.

Speaker 2: 15:58

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.

Speaker 2: 16:29

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.

Speaker 2: 17:01

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?

Speaker 2: 17:40

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.

Speaker 2: 18:18

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.

Speaker 2: 18:41

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.

Speaker 2: 19:34

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.

Speaker 2: 20:05

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.

Speaker 2: 20:45

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.

Speaker 2: 21:28

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.

Speaker 2: 21:54

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.

Speaker 2: 22:06

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.

Speaker 2: 22:26

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.

Speaker 2: 22:56

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.

Speaker 2: 23:40

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.

Speaker 1: 24:22

So until next time remember everybody, knowledge is power and the low voltage industry connects. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share it with your crew. Got questions or ideas for the show? Chuck wants to hear from you. Stay connected, stay informed and always aim for excellence. 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.