{"id":558,"date":"2022-03-16T02:38:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T02:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/?p=558"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:49:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T10:49:58","slug":"after-certification-completion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/after-certification-completion\/","title":{"rendered":"I got my certification….Now what?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I Got My Certificate\u2026Now What?<\/h1>

To start this off: CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! You put in the work and successfully got your certificate. Not everyone can say that they actually put in the work and successfully completed something they were setting out for. It\u2019s truly impressive. But now you\u2019re likely dealing with the same thing that just about everyone does after completing a big goal: Now what?<\/p>

This is a super common question that runs through people\u2019s minds when they get a new certificate. It likely comes from the intense focus on a singular goal for so long that you don\u2019t plan for what\u2019s next.<\/p>

It\u2019s quite common for people to put in the work for their NCATT (Aircraft Electronics Technician) AET<\/strong>, General Radio Operator License (GROL)<\/strong>, or Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) License<\/strong>, but they don\u2019t know how to get a job in the field. A lot of people put the work in without the next steps planned.<\/p>

\ud83c\udf93 Register for AET, GROL, or A&P Certifications<\/a>
\ud83d\udcbc Search Aviation Jobs Now<\/a><\/p>

So, here are three simple steps to help you figure out what\u2019s next because nobody likes to be stuck.<\/p>

Tailor Your Resume<\/h2>

That\u2019s right. The first thing you have to do after working your ass off to get your aviation certification<\/strong> is to get right back into working on a computer to make your resume perfect.<\/p>

Here\u2019s the thing though, you don\u2019t go to a tailor to make your clothes exist. Most likely, you bought an ill-fitting suit and then took it to a tailor so they made the clothing fit you correctly to look like freaking James Bond at your friend\u2019s wedding. What you do for your resume is start out by making a general resume.<\/p>

There are literally millions of templates online if you just Google it, or Yahoo! search it\u2026or Bing it, if you\u2019re so inclined. Microsoft Word and Google Docs both offer free templates without any downloads needed. There\u2019s also Canva which lets you get really technical before downloading your resume as a PDF or JPNG.<\/p>

Doing this will make you look like you have your shit together, which employers tend to like. It helps you get a job, but it also helps you to make more money at said job.<\/p>

But remember, we\u2019re tailoring this resume. Instead of just making a generic resume, you have to make it with your desired position in mind. Talk about your aviation maintenance technician training<\/strong>, give examples of successful projects you\u2019ve completed, and highlight certifications like your NCATT AET<\/strong>, FCC GROL<\/strong>, or FAA A&P license<\/strong>. Make yourself desirable\u2026without posting a naked selfie. Nobody wants to see that.<\/p>

Network\u2026a lot<\/h2>

It\u2019s not often that you talk to a person about their career and they say, \u201cYeah I just started applying to things that sounded cool and I got this job.\u201d<\/p>

Instances like that truly hit near zero when you get into aviation maintenance careers<\/strong>. It\u2019s such a specialized field that requires a myriad of aviation certifications<\/strong> and cross-checking that it\u2019s impossible to get a job in the field without having the correct resume and knowing the right people.<\/p>

This probably should have started when you were in the process of getting your certificate, but hindsight is 20-20. It\u2019s too late to focus on what you should have done. Just pass on this idea to the next generation as they come up.<\/p>

Here\u2019s the key to networking in aviation: go hang out at airports.<\/p>

I\u2019m absolutely not telling you to saddle up your pony and ride off to the Dallas\/Fort Worth International Airport. I\u2019m giving real advice here. What you should do is open the fancy little interwebs tool on just about every computer in the world (including the pocket computer you call a cell phone) and search: \u201cairports in (insert city name here).\u201d<\/p>

This will bring up at least one small airport if not multiple general aviation airports<\/strong>. Then you start heading out there and hanging out with the people there. Get to know the pilots because they are the ones that will need your services. Get to know the airport owners and charter airlines<\/strong> that operate there. Lastly, get to know the aircraft mechanics<\/strong> because they are the ones that will hire you to work for\/with them.<\/p>

Then if you meet someone serendipitously, then you can talk about aviation. Aviation is such a unique field that everyone knows someone in aviation, but they don\u2019t do it themselves. If you go about it like that, then they will likely volunteer the contact information and give you an in to get a new job.<\/p>

\ud83c\udf10 Search Local Job Listings on the Sprott Aviation Jobs Board<\/a><\/p>

Continue Learning<\/h2>

There\u2019s a saying for pilots that your pilot\u2019s license is really just a license to learn.<\/p>

This really should go for ALL fields, but it\u2019s most relevant in aviation because the aviation technology<\/strong> is constantly improving. Especially when looking at experimental aircraft<\/strong> and avionics systems<\/strong>. One of the best things about books is that if you ever want to learn anything, there is a book on the topic. This belief now extends to YouTube, podcasts, and documentaries in this day and age.<\/p>

If you continue your education, which doesn\u2019t have to be formal, then it will make you better at what you got your certification in. When you\u2019re better at your trade, you\u2019re more likely to be hired.<\/p>

Some jobs are based on seniority, such as being an airline pilot; however, there are others where the quality of work is most rewarded. That\u2019s the case for any sort of aircraft maintenance technician<\/strong>.<\/p>

If you continue learning, both formally and informally, then you will be able to pad your resume, which I already said makes you more hireable. If you are running your own shop, it makes you smarter and better versed in solving issues.<\/p>

Think about it like this: if your car isn\u2019t working and there are two mechanics in town, are you going to take it to the crappy mechanic or the good one?<\/p>

Adding to this, if you want your car to run for as long as possible, you will pay a little more to go to a better mechanic with a proven record. If you continue learning, you will be that mechanic.<\/p>

\ud83d\udcd6 Explore Additional Aviation Certifications & Endorsements<\/a>
\ud83d\udca1 Register for FOE or RCS Endorsements<\/a><\/p>

So, get your shit together with an aesthetically pleasing resume. Then start talking to as many people as possible to let them know you work in aviation because you never know where that will lead. Last, continue learning and growing in your field to be the best, charge the most, and grow your career.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I Got My Certificate\u2026Now What? To start this off: CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! You put in the work and successfully got your certificate. Not everyone can say that they actually put in the work and successfully completed something they were setting out for. It\u2019s truly impressive. But now you\u2019re likely dealing with the same thing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":796,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-written","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10783,"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions\/10783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sprottlearning.com\/air\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}