The world of operating heavy equipment has become very high tech and demands professionals to be trained to how to operate this machinery with precision and safety. As a crane operator of 25 years I have watched an aging work force approach retirement and wonder who will replace them. While there are younger operators in the work force the demand for new operators is not being met by new qualified operators. The amount of work and new construction projects is on the rise. With that in mind, finding crane operators in particular to work in these high profile areas that can safely operate cranes needs to be increased dramatically. My recommendation as both a crane operator and having been a crane operator supervisor is to look up and attend the right crane operating course. There is a wide array of basic fundamentals that need to be learned before one can safely be allowed to operate a crane in a highly populated work place like a high rise construction project. Thirty five years ago we all just started on construction jobs and then learned as opportunity came available to us. Today the demand is just too high to rely on this process to supply the demand of operators needed for today's crane operation market. From my perspective operating a crane is not that difficult but does require skills to help one realize the safety needs involved. When looking for the right school or course to attend to get that needed training so you can get some experience is the key. There is simply too much liability to allow people to train on many large construction jobs, and having attended training coarse limits liability and can get you a chance to get experience. The key in crane operation is getting experience because once you have that you are then in high demand and can make choices about who and where you want to work at this point.

When looking for the right place to get that rigging courses there are some key elements to consider. The reputation and credibility of the institution you are going to get the training from is paramount to being able to using that training to get you the experience you need. Making sure that the company offering the training is accredited and that job site employers know of them would be a great place to start. Many sites will not just accept any training and require a certain degree of accreditation in order to accept the training as valid to consider you getting crane operating experience. If you're already employed, but would like the chance to operate cranes, talk to your supervisor or the crane operator supervisor and in many cases you can get the cost of the course reimbursed.

There is a need for a good understanding of mathematics and basic physics to be able to handle all the crane operating demands. Today however if you can operate and table chart with a calculator you can safely make the calculations needed. This is all covered in the quality crane operator courses that you will be enrolling in.

The thing I like best about operating a crane is that the work is almost always varied and not boring. Each day you would most likely be working on different phases of the construction project, and the variation in construction projects you'll be working on will be quite diversified. Crane operators are among the highest paid operators in most work forces and have a lot of prestige to it.

In today's limp job market there are still high demand jobs out there that are very satisfying and operation a crane is one of theses jobs. If you need to change careers or just invest in the one your in, finding the right crane operation course or institution can be a very good career move for job stability.

When you pick a course look for one that starts with the vital information right away and that can get you through it in 3 to 6 weeks. This should be enough to get you a good foundation for finding experience operating a crane. Beside construction there are a lot of areas of work that use cranes, shipping and port work is one of these areas, as is mining, forestry, and railways. A good school should have a credible relationship with these industries. The more complex cranes you want to operate the slightly longer your training will take and you should plan accordingly.

Crane operation has been a rewarding career for me and I have been able to provide a good living for my family as well as have a good way of life.