Electrical/Technical Future

[mkinnes]

Hi folks,
For those who are deeply involved in the design and development of electrical processing/manufacturing applications I have a question.

I currently work as an installer on various manufacturing and equipment control applications. I hold multiple state electrical liscences and love the work I do. My desire is to develop some of the depth of knowledge I have seen so well displayed by many in this forum. I am constantly looking into various trade magazines, manufacturers literature, books and code information. In fact I find myself driven by a desire to learn as much as I can.

As much as I enjoy the physical work of installing and/or troubleshooting various applications I feel that my direction is leading more towards being more of a designer.

For those in a position of knowledge I ask this. Would my experience as an electrician open doors to more design related work? My gut tells me an engineering certificate is much more valuable. Suggestions of what direction to take would be very much appreciated.

 

[weh3]

Absolutely. You will know more about code issues and especially constructibility issues than many engineers with a PE license. If you get a supervisor who is willing to take your experience seriously, then you have found a good thing. As an engineer, I have had designers who are former electricians who can do CAD and I have had CAD experts with no special electrical knowledge or field experience. I would choose the former any day.

E.g., I have many times instructed a contractor on a drawing to essentially go from point A to point B. A former contractor can inform me what kind of details are helpful to expand the instructions a little bit.

William, PE

 

[buzzp]

The hands-on electrical skills will help should you pursue engineering. Most engineers fail miserably when it comes to real world hands-on type work. My first job was as a field engineer, troubleshooting, installation, etc, all helped me and made me very valuable to employers. They seemed to have loved this experience.

You have to be careful about using the word, 'designer'. I have found in the consulting world this means 'drafter' and in the product design world 'designer' is the engineer and the 'drafter' is a 'drafter'.

 

[BobPE]

I would also state the other side to the argument that buzzp presents:


Most non-engineers fail miserably when it comes to real world hands-on type engineering.

The moral to the story, if you want to excel at engineering, the degree is the base of moving forward towards that goal. Your experience will suit you well in the short term, but the knowledge you gain in persuing your degree will help you make it the rest of your life.

just another opinion.

Bob

 

[mkinnes]

Well specifically what I'd be looking to do is I suppose is take what a customer mechanically envisions and turn into its electrical equivalent.

I think of it as circuit design but can see where that may not be a clear description.

As for being able to transition I'm confident it would stretch me but that I'd end up with my feet on the ground. My biggest challenge is how to make that transition without having to take a step backwards.

 

[buzzp]

BobPE, You misread my post. I said his skills would help in pursuing an engineering career. Meaning after he gets educated on electrical engineering (degree) then employers will love him for his previous experience in the field.

As far as which will help in the area your interested in, I would have to say both could be viable. If you take your licenses (electrician I assume) and get a contractors license you would have many doors opened to you as far as available work. Depending on who the contract would be performed for, you may or may not need a PE signature (government contracts do not all require PEs as well as some private contracts) but what is needed is a contractors license. Still, I dont think this is what your after.

An engineering degree would afford you the opportunity to get a PE license (if you want to offer services to the PUBLIC - not necessarily required for business 2 business relationships). This would be a great set of skills to have: you can do the installation work and be the engineer who designed it. I have a friend who just got his PE and he is now pursuing his masters electrician license to be his own show.

 

[BJC]

Kinnes
Some fo the best engineers I know were electricans or such. I have know a couple who were in the Navy. They were in the submarine service and used there GI bill money to get The BSEE. I have known a couple of guys from Europe, one from the UK and one from Germany. Both of them were selected to be electricans in about the 8th grade. Both became PEs here the hard way. Both were very good engineers.

 

[SolderingGunslinger]

In my case, I traveled 200 Miles and passed the examination for the FCC First Class Radiotelephone license the summer of my sixteenth birthday. I worked through High School and College as a transmitter “engineer” for several radio stations. The BSEE came later. I still work in Broadcasting and love it (Especially now that I do it at the University level in Educational TV).

I still enjoy getting my hands dirty at a transmitter site…perhaps even prefer it to being a desk jockey. Some might label me a technician with an engineering degree, but when it comes to RF engineering I have found that we are a dieing breed.

Last semester, I had an EE undergrad approach me and ask if I could teach him about tubes (Valve theory for those on the East side of the Atlantic). It would seem that either the professors believe that their students ought to already know about tubes or that they feel there isn’t any value in teaching about a “Dead Technology”. I haven’t confronted anyone from the School of Engineering on that one (yet). I loaned the lad a book on power tubes published by a power tube rebuilder and an old copy of the ARRL Handbook and said “Do a little reading, then come to me with your questions”.

Several visits later, I received my books (and a brand new hardcover ARRL Handbook) in the inter office mail. I figured either he had all the answers he needed, had changed his major or had gotten some coed in trouble and had to leave school for a paying job. I was wrong on at least two points. He now is a Jr Engineer in our studio shop specializing in (gasp) Computers and IT.

No one seems to be interested in RF any more…I’ll probably be working well into my eighties, which is a good thing. I can’t imagine not going to work. Where else will people actually PAY a person to have so much fun!

I remain,

The Old Soldering Gunslinger

Unistrut, grown-ups Erector Set!