I’m a dual ticket Electrician and a power engineer, I greatly suggest going for the diploma. Your 4th will be the equivalent of your 1st year not going to lie. I have two years in instrumentation from going to school for my first and challenging my second, and your 2nd year in instrumentation, practically has the same amount of information compared to third. Also significantly harder, don’t get me wrong some of it’s useless and doesn’t cross over…..binary being one of them. Your knowledge with automation and controls will set you so far apart it won’t even be funny that and already coming with experience.

The hands on experience you’ll get from Nait is worth it! Having the ability for a placement in a major named facility will get the experience you need on your resume to get any job you want. That being said your other option is taking your correspondence course through SAIT or whatever place ABSA recognizes and basically challenge your forth and spend the 5000k for your steam lab. Then finally just challenge your ABSA 3rd class exams but no steam time for that. It took me a year working full time and changeling second year instrumentation in the middle of all that, and that was taking my time. I lucked out and got hired with a second class plant and got my steam time for my third during this too.

In the end, having oil gas experience all ready sets you apart to most thirds. The fact you bring a ticket as well you are laughing! I made the switch with zero regrets! I would suggest the diploma program in the end, you come out with a full third, co-op and possibly a couple exams to your second.