BSC Instrumentation and Control Technology graduate Tate Beckler ('20) completed his first year of the program while still in high school.
ELECTRONICS CERTIFICATE OPENS QUICK CAREER PATHS By Kamryn Hellman
Tate Beckler’s path to becoming an electrical control technician at American Crystal Sugar started in high school, when he took an electronics course offered through the Bismarck Public School (BPS) Career Academy. “Most of my friends were interested and signed up, so I followed the group,” Beckler remembers. “I actually had very little interest at first.” But when his instructor mentioned that taking electronics for three years in high school would allow him to skip a full year of college at Bismarck State College, his interest was piqued. “That sounded like a really great opportunity for me.” BSC and BPS offer students the opportunity to earn up to 28 college credits while still in high school. Completing these electronics courses and applying them towards an Instrumentation & Control (I&C) Technology degree or an Electronics/Telecommunications Technology degree can save students thousands of dollars and allow them to spend less time in college before entering the workforce. In high school electronics classes, students learn electronics theory and apply their knowledge in labs, where they analyze, build, design and troubleshoot basic circuits. By their third year, students are able to install and program computer networks, home theater systems, security systems and microprocessors, working on projects both on and off campus. “High school students use the same labs and equipment as our students do at BSC,” says Mike Holman, BSC associate professor of electronics. “They are familiar with the procedures when they make the transition to college.”
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Beckler finished all three years of electronics courses in high school and graduated with half his college degree already complete. He was
