marvintle

Thank you all! Great advices! I'm a rookie when it comes to HI knowledge. For better words... i'm like one sperm cell. Not much but i'm very dedicated to becoming a HI. i'm 26 yrs old and my goal is to get the certifications/licenses needed by the time i'm 27. Remember... it only take 1 sperm cell to succeed... The 2-week cours with ITA sounds great. However, the nearest campus is in Oceanside,CA. Being a student, i have no money to commute 8 hours plus motel cost. I can probably dig up $1200 for the online course. Does anyone recommend the online course? Excuse my lack of knowlege but is the online course the same as correspondence course(s)? I believe i'm pass the point of deciding whether or not this is the right profession. I know it is. My next step is to get the education and training required to succeed in this field. I'll probably stick with the Halo guy... I'm gonna listen to all you senior HI. Tell me where to start all i'm there. I know that i've been advised to go to the local meetings. The next CREIA meeting is March 16 and i can't wait. However i know that after the meeting my starting point would be the same... buy a course and hit the books, learn and pass the test. The next step after would be to get some field experience. Perhaps after i get my certificate/licenses, i would find myself an experienced HI to ride along. And yes i am willing to wash anyones truck. Maybe i should carry a sign that says " Will work for HI experience." Has anyone here ever been extremely anxious to do or accompplish something? That's how i feel right now.... but maybe that's just the guy with the pitch folk calling... I know patients and hard work is the key. You've all been very informative and helpful. Thank you so much.

Thank you guys for such great advices!! I am committed and will attend to these meetings. I'm currently taking online courses for my MBA. I've always been successful to in school but really never knew what i wanted to do when i graduate. Now i do. I want to be a HI. So according to all the advices i've got so far, i'm having seconds thoughts on taking the online course w/ Allied. However Allied's complete packet is just about $700 compare to thousands. http://homeinspectioncourse.com/aboutTheCourse.html Can i buy this packet, study my A _ _ off and get the certification. Then take the NHIE. Then go join the CREIA or ASHI. Hoever i know that i would need hands on training and therefore i will attend to the CREIA or AII meetings here in Sacramento,CA. (Thanks for the news Jim, DLRAmbo, Douglas, Ron, and fellow HI.) I guess my question is... can i do self study with different books and go take the NHIE (or other examinations) on my own? Or do i have to enroll to a specific school/institute/vocational training and get "their" certification? Can any one here sponsor me? (is there such a thing? probably not) i know i have to be patient and determined for this profession. It feels good to finally know what i want to do. Thank you all for such great support and i'm proud to be a new member of this forum =).

i really want to be a home inspector but dont know where to begin. ive did some research on the different types of associations/foundations and dont know which is best: CREIA, AII, ASHI, HIF, NAHI?? Does it really boil down to the NHIE - National home Inspection Examination. There's no campus here in Sacramento, CA so i was thinking of taking an online course at Allied Home Inspection school. It seemed as though Allied is much cheaper than ITA or other schools. Does anyone know if Allied is a good choice? Allied is nationnaly accredited by Distant education and training council or DETC. Does that mean anything? And after i get the Certificate of Completion by Allied, do i have to take another test (NHIE)or join ASHI? I'm not sure if Allied is a good choice. ITA school looks very nice but they have so many courses and much more expensive than Allied. Can anyone help me get started in this field. Remember i do not know much so please respond with a " Getting started in HI for dummies " sort of approach. Thanks