Retraining to be an Electrician 16

[LaplacianPyramid]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice about moving away from a career in engineering and to a profession with more demand for new workers.

I graduated with a master's degree in electrical engineering last year and have been unable to find an electrical engineering job after nearly six months of searching. I've applied for jobs all over the U.S. with small companies, large companies, and the government. Most of the open jobs I've found either require or strongly prefer several years of experience. There just doesn't seem to be much out there for newly minted engineers, and with unemployment the way it is, I think there are too many experienced engineers looking for a job for me to have a shot.

With my engineering career prospects so bleak, I'm considering going back to school to become an electrician. Job openings for electricians seem to be abundant, and I think becoming an electrician should be a quick and easy transition with my background in electrical engineering. I know I won't make as much money as an electrician, but it's better than spending the next year unsuccessfully looking for an engineering job while waiting tables.

Has anyone else here transitioned away from engineering to a new career? If so, were you happy with your decision? Did the transition go as well as you hoped?

Thanks!

 

[ctopher]

You can see it as having hands-on experience.
Once the job market picks up, you will have a degree and electrician experience. I see nothing wrong with it.
I moved from engineering to IT at a major company. I hated it, but learned a lot in the computer side of engineering.
I am now back into engineering, and I have done some IT work here.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[GTstartup]

Depending on where you are located, you may actually make more money. I would do it if I had to - go for it, you might actually be able to parlay it into your own business.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Between engineering jobs, I have worked as a maintenance mechanic, motorcycle mechanic, and gas station cashier.

One thing I loved about all those jobs is that they don't come home in your belly.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[1337gamer]

I quit college after my first semmaster studying Electrical Enginering. I enrolled at a technical school after that and became an Eletrician less then 2 years later. I had 2 job offers before i even finished school. I have 3 friends who are engineers and i make more money then any of them. Engineering is a dying profession in america. Its hard work not many americans are intersted in and engineering is something that can be done just as well in india or china as hear. You can not do the work Electricians do here from india or china. We never have to worry about our jobs being outsoursed, we will always be in demand. American engineers are going away just like vcr repairmen. Becoming an Electrician mite be the best decesion you will ever make.

 

[tygerdawg]

Engineering is a dying profession in america.

Respectfully disagree. Perhaps trending negative in a lot of industries at the moment, and certainly not the glamour days of the past, but 'engineering' is trained problem solving and the need for that will never go away. I don't think it is a profession that will make one a Zillionaire, but will provide a means to a comfortable living.

Seems a terrible waste of money, time, and effort to throw away an MSEE. If you are utterly convinced that no job exists for you at the moment (shocking...are you sure you're not setting your expectations too high?), then what better time to pursue this electrician thing if you have the means to do so? Would be excellent choice. Do it forever? Probably not...at some point down the road you may not have the desire to go out and work 16 hours on site in the cold / wet / noisy / hot / dirty / smoky / dusty / dangerous work environment that being a Journeyman/Master Electrician requires.

I was given advice once to always have a skill available that would allow you to put food on the table no matter what the economic situation was. At one point I considered enrolling in a Millwright Apprentice program or studying Diesel Mechanics. I wound up acquiring drafting/designer/CAD skills and robot/PLC programmer skills. ALWAYS have been able to find work in slack times. Get rich doing it? No, but is a temporary situation and always pays enough to pay the rent etc. with no problems.



TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Virtuoso Robotics Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[TheTick]

What timing! I have a friend the same age as me who is a master electrician. He told me how much he makes last night. Just a little less than I make, plus better benefits, overtime, and he never had student loans.

 

[Twoballcane]

I had a friend who was part of a trade and he was part of(or “persuaded”) to be part of a union. The pay and work was ok, however, his biggest frustration was that his career was defined by the union. He could not move up or do any other work due to that senior union members had first dibbs. And, like being in any company, your progression in the trade will depend who you know and who you please. In an engineering/office environment it would be more professional on how we handle our progression, but in a trade you better have good hands on skills and big pair of soft balls to bond with other tradesmen. Tradesmen are a hearty bunch and their culture is very different from an engineering culture.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[ctopher]

That is a minus, working for a union.

TygerDawg,
I agree, a star.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[MiketheEngineer]

There are many "specialized" electricians out there that make a ton of money. I speak of those who do robotics, controls, PLCs, high tech security, large motors/generators, etc. Some of those guys almost name their prices!! If they are really that good!!

 

[IceNine]

Yeah, why would you want to be part of a union, having collective bargaining power to improve your working conditions?

 

[moon161]

Some of the sharpest engineers I know have worked as trades; mechanic, electrician, camera repair. If anyone looks down at you for working with your hands, you won't have to and won't want to work w/ them.

The day I got my present job (drafting) I turned down work as a census crew trainer and an interview w/ a sheetmetal workers local- short term drafting looked better, long term, they quoted $30/hr as journeyman after 5 years of school, 2nites /week. I had applied for plumber's apprentice as well, ever see what they get for 20 minutes w/ a snake and not biting their nails?

I worked for a friend, electrician a couple times. Good, mentally engaging work (but new stuff always is for me)holes in ceilings, walls, studs & joists, be prepared to work with dirt, dust, nastiness. Chasing wires, romex, conduit, stuffing boxes. A week of it made my back better, go figure. Carpenter jokes funny as hell but unrepeatable here. Some long days, but generally a schedule that would turn many engineers green.

I met a few electricians in solar panel class, I liked them. Go for it.

 

[oldfieldguy]

You might try what I consider to be the mid-point between electrician and engineer, the electrical testing business.

Companies in the electrical testing field often hire new engineers out of school. The scope of work is very much "hands-on" although not quite the same as that of construction electrician.

In the testing business, you delve much deeper into the more technical aspects of electrical power application.

Most of the companies who hire engineers have some path towards advancement, and even if not, you'll be in the middle of a lot of facilities who may be prospective employers.

Over the years I worked in that business, I saw a lot of young engineers come and go, and many of them are working for our former clients as staff engineers.

Jumping off point in the USA to find those companies is the NETA website.

old field guy

 

[HornTootinEE]

I have been a power engineer for 4 years now, and at my current pay scale and the standard "progression" for engineers where I work, I will need to work another 3 yrs to be where a journeyman electrician is getting paid right now, based on an hourly rate. So thats 5 yrs of school, 7 yrs as an engineer, and then to catch up to the tradesmen? I say if you like working with your hands, do it now, or do the testing route as said in a previous post

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Just a "for instance"

About 15 - 20 years ago - I was making about 45k as an engineer - not bad back then.

Decided to a take a PLC course (way out of my area of structural engineering) at the local community college. Great class.

Met an electrcian that was making about the same as me but with OT, etc, etc he made way more than double what I was making. Of course he was union at the local Chrysler plant - which they are now tearing down. But you get my point.

 

[Twoballcane]

Just some info:
Electrician

http://www.bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos206.pdf

Electrical Engineer

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm#earnings

After reading this it seems you may be doing your EE degrees an injustice. Back in 2008, for electricians, medium made about $63K. For EE’s in 2008, medium made $82K. By these numbers, it seems staying on the EE track and finding ways to make yourself marketable thru networking, EIT, IEEE…etc. You have to remember that all Senior Engineers started where you are now. Preparation will cross opportunity sooner or later and you will find that first engineering job.


Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[bridgebuster]

In NYC the current rate for Local 3 electricians is $49/hour + $40.40/hour in supplemental benefits. A first year apprentice earns $11/hour + $9.12/hour in benefits. The apprenticeship program is 5 years.

Of course in NYC, there's an excess of electricians; it's been that way for 20 years. The only get about 6 to 8 months of work per year.

 

[HVACJACK]

Your not the only one out there with some self doubt, I can attest to the fact.

PLC's are always a hot commodity. I remember when I worked as an intern in facilities-- some of the purchase orders I had to cut.

We brought in a PLC guy to do some work $200 an hour + expenses.. you don't get a repair job every week but when you do they are nice. Same goes for servo motors and controls.. we had a dinosaur russian vertical turret lathe- servo drive went out and there was a $60,000 bill to repair.. I think in that particular case Siemens did the work but if you can find out what manufacturing companies have on their floor- and you know how to fix it- I would send to the local guy first every time.


You can get in on federal contracting also if you start your own company- that could be 4-5 years down the line and a pretty good option IMO.

 

[LaplacianPyramid]

"Your not the only one out there with some self doubt, I can attest to the fact."

It's been a true "emperor has no clothes" wake-up call for me. I felt really good about what I was doing throughout college. Even with the job market the way it is, I had no doubt I would be employable when I graduated. It turns out I was just a big schmuck all along. Engineering degrees are the new liberal arts degrees.

My fancy diploma doesn't mean a thing. I hear nothing back from 95% of the jobs I apply for. Most of the time when I do hear back it's in the form of a rejection message. I've managed to get one interview months ago, and they never even bothered to let me now what their decision was. The only interest in me is from insurance companies that want me to sell their products on commission.

I know part of it is my fault. I didn't even try to get into an Ivy League school, or at least a well-respected engineering school. I didn't think there would be enough substantive difference in the quality of the education to justify the higher tuition. I'm still not sure if the quality of the education is really better, but I don't hear about many unemployed MIT graduates.

Anyone here want to buy some insurance? ;-)

 

[bridgebuster]

"I hear nothing back from 95% of the jobs I apply for. Most of the time when I do hear back it's in the form of a rejection message."

Most employers, except for the ones with deep pockets are like that, but, did you ever stop to think that maybe it's you?

About 20 years ago I hired a trainee ( contract requirement for a DOT project); the man I hired was an ex-con. At the time I didn't know he did seven years for drug dealing (one good year of dealing was worth more than five times what I was making). If I had known it wouldn't have mattered. I liked his attitude and his personality.