Ahead Of The Curve

Continuing education is the key for onsite installers to stay competent and competitive in a fast-changing marketplace for wastewater services.

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All of us have heard that “time is money” and how true it is. Education is the same way. The more time you put into pursuing continuing education, the more money you are likely to make. In any career you want to make yourself as highly valued as possible, and continuing education can do that by adding new skills to broaden your offerings to the customer.

The National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association is one of several organizations giving Education Day presentations Feb. 24 at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International in Indianapolis. NOWRA is offering two tracks of seminars at the Indiana Convention Center designed to build industry professionalism.

Today when people purchase an onsite wastewater system, most are surprised at the level of technology and – more important – the cost of the system. Today’s customer is looking for the most qualified contractor available. Knowing how to install all the evolving technologies will position you to handle any installation. More important, you will be able to discuss all the options with the customer.

The customer is looking for choices. They are also looking for someone who knows all the choices, knows how to explain them and is proficient at installing them. When I teach classes in areas where the local permitting authority has mandated continuing education, I often hear grumbling about taking time off and spending the money for the continuing education.

Our industry has evolved so quickly it is leaving many behind. As recently as 40 years ago – one generation – the typical onsite wastewater contractor (or septic system installer as we referred to them in those days) was someone who owned a backhoe and probably purchased it to do something other than onsite wastewater. Installing systems was something to do when you were not busy with other work.

Many contractors are still doing that. They are being left behind. Customers spending thousands of dollars for something they probably did not even budget into their building cost are looking for someone they can feel comfortable will do the job right, represent themselves as a professional and, most of all, feel they got a product that justified the amount of money they never thought they would have to spend. 

How do you become this proficient? The one people talk about? The one your competitors fear? Continuing education. Having the knowledge to do all these things is like having a head start in the race. You need to understand you are not just a backhoe operator; you are an entrepreneur. Some pretty heavy baggage comes with that job description. Some you are already familiar with: long hours, vacations only when it rains, making payroll and not enjoying Friday night as the break from work until Monday morning.

Another aspect that many overlook is acquiring as much knowledge as possible to uphold the title of “entrepreneur.” Any industry that evolves technologically as rapidly as ours must be supported by continuing education. It will be the determining factor of who moves forward and those who are left behind.

We are very lucky there are so many opportunities to acquire this type of education. The National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association is a leader in our industry at supplying continuing education. With a catalog of classes totaling more than 120 hours (check it out at www.nowra.org), NOWRA is equipped to fulfill a wide variety of needs. 



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