HP + Electronics = ???

[UncaBuffalo]

Okay, I've been a HP tech for about 20 years...now the unemployment people are paying to re-train me as an electronics technician.  Here are my questions  :


1)  Is there any way I can combine the two fields to take of advantage of the past 20 years of work experience?   

2)  Or should I take the pay cut and start at the bottom of the food chain in electronics?

3)  And how much better is a bachelor's going to be than an associate's?  (I would have to take about 18
     additional credits to make the associate's a bachelor's...not sure whether I should just concentrate on the
     associate's for now and pick up the bachelor's after I'm working again.  Or try to cram the 18 credits into this
     summer and the next couple semesters...)


Thanks for any ideas and advice. 

[RAD-GHOST]

Good for You!

1.  Yep!  Instrument Tech, Video Tech, I&C Tech and the list goes on!

2.  You'll probably start at the bottom in all cases, but wont be there long!!

3.  Any pedigree is better then none, the Faster the Better! 

I would suggest checking out your state's requirements for Low Voltage Electrical Contractor License.  You may be rather surprised at the demand and wind up leaving nuke in the dust!

Hope this helps, RG....

[raymcginnis]

If you are an older white male, add that to your dilemma.  It is a hard decision to make.  I have been trying to make a career shift sideways myself.  I recently got bachelors and masters in IT.  So far, here is what it has done for me: "diddley squat!"  I am experienced in both nuclear and IT now, but getting a job in it is a whole nuther story.  The Human Resources people like young, inexperienced people for some reason.  It may be because they are cheaper and moldable.  You would think that business minded people would realize that experienced people with a degree would be more productive and more creative than a recent young graduate.

I say do it for yourself.  If you want to learn electronics, then do it.  Forget the career path.  Do it because you love it.  I love IT, and I use it not only at work now, but at home, every day.  The degrees don't matter to me, but the knowledge gained from the studies is a part of my life now.  I hope this advice helped you make your decision.

BTW, one of my specialties is nuclear electronics.

[makua13]

Guess what Unca---the Nuke Industry thinks very little of Electronics Techs, and so do the Contract companies.  I have some 40 years now experience as an Electronics Tech, have been VP of Blockbuster (prior to merger) Service Manager for interstate company, and a component level repair person forever.  Still I get very few job offers from our contract company (actually 4 since 1990). A couple of jobs I have managed to get on my own, but the morale of this story is: nuke and electronics will get you only frustration.  Power Plants still think any ole RP can repair and calibrate instruments. 
As far as Associate or Bachelors, it depends on what you wish to do.  In Nuke field Associate is all you need.  In Private sector employers are ore interested in certificates computer and Microsoft.  So start working on certs. like right now.
As a repairman I was pulling down $35/hr in 1989, but same work now pays $25.  If you aren't doing computers you will make no money.  Take some Cisco classes.  There is also an Electronics Tech. certification sponsored by the TV repair industry, very hard to get and again, unimpressive in this industry.
Pick one field or the other, the 2 dont mix well.

[RAD-GHOST]

Hey UB, your not looking to get Rich, are you?

RG

[raymcginnis]

I agree with makua13.  Certs are probably better than degrees with some companies for computer technology.  It depends.  Some companies are looking for degrees and some are looking for certs.

We all have to eat, but we all also have to find our happiness!

I say search for your happiness and the food will come!  If your happiness is electronics for the nuclear industry, then go for it!  If it is computers, then go for that!  Make yourself happy and the rest will come naturally.

If you love it, then you will work hard at gaining new knowledge.  That is a natural fact of the Human condition.

[UncaBuffalo]

Hey RG, Ray, and Makua 


Thanks for the information and thoughts.  Always makes me feel better to bounce ideas off a diverse crowd like this to make sure I'm not missing anything.


RG - Looking to get 'Rich'?  I guess I don't have anything AGAINST the idea...   

Ray - I originally signed up in electronics because that's what the unemployment people would pay for.  Now that I'm taking the classes, I wish I would have got into it earlier...HIGHLY entertaining stuff!

Makua - Thanks for the certs info...that is one area I need to explore more thoroughly.


Thanks again for all the help... 

[alphadude]

Get the BS degree- makes you management material and more $$$ and more blood pressure.  Instrument techs are in demand but its a low demand kept steady by the age of the work force. If you can move into I&C thats a good start, or go to some DOE city and work on detectors-most of those areas always want instrument repair dudes!!

[UncaBuffalo]

Get the BS degree- makes you management material and more $$$ and more blood pressure.  Instrument techs are in demand but its a low demand kept steady by the age of the work force. If you can move into I&C thats a good start, or go to some DOE city and work on detectors-most of those areas always want instrument repair dudes!!

AAACKK!  'Management Material'?!?!?  Guess I'd better stick with the associate's! 

Seriously, I appreciate the thoughts...I had been focusing on commercial, but the DOE thing probably makes a lot of sense.  Thanks. 

[SloGlo]

Okay, I've been a HP tech for about 20 years...now the unemployment people are paying to re-train me as an electronics technician.  Here are my questions  :

not to be nebby, but why is the state paying to retrain as an e.t.?  iffen the training is being offered, i'd take the b.s. in electrical engineering.  gits ya inta tech work, office work, management.  'n iffen the state's paying, well pleez tell me where to sine up!

[alphadude]

yea really, send me to rocket science school too, I'll take some of that high dollar welfare too. suck all you can out of that

[UncaBuffalo]

not to be nebby, but why is the state paying to retrain as an e.t.?  iffen the training is being offered, i'd take the b.s. in electrical engineering.  gits ya inta tech work, office work, management.  'n iffen the state's paying, well pleez tell me where to sine up!

I am doing "Commissioner Approved Training" thru the unemployment office.  They will only approve for vo-tech type programs, so that is why I picked electronics over something like Double-E.

Now that I am in the program, I find I can pay for enough credits on the side to finish up a bachelor's as well.  This would probably NOT be an option for most people, but Boise State University's vo-tech school (Selland College) happens to allow people who are in their associate's program to receive a bachelor's in applied science if they complete a certain number of 'core' and upper division credits.  It is NOT required that these credits be in anything related to the associate's.  In my case, the credits they gave me for being NRRPT (See the "NRRPT Credits" thread for THAT saga) get me so close to a bachelor's that I almost HAVE to grab it.

Hope this helps... 

[UncaBuffalo]

Just a little update, in case anyone is thinking of going a similar route.

I graduated with my bachelor's...had to take a few summer classes and the last year was 20 credits each semester, but well worth it from an entertainment standpoint.  I enjoyed all the 'academic' classes as a nice change/addition to the technical stuff I had to take anyway.  Not sure how much monetary advantage the bachelor's will provide...have decided to focus on non-nuke electronics for now..definitely starting at the bottom of the ladder, but looks like it will be fun.

As far as certs go, I was able to grab my CETa while in school, but need to start chasing the ones that Makua, et al, mentioned...now that I have the time.

Good luck to anyone thinking about college...it's a GREAT time! 

[UncaBuffalo]

Just a little update, in case anyone is thinking of going a similar route.

I graduated with my bachelor's...had to take a few summer classes and the last year was 20 credits each semester, but well worth it from an entertainment standpoint.  I enjoyed all the 'academic' classes as a nice change/addition to the technical stuff I had to take anyway.  Not sure how much monetary advantage the bachelor's will provide...have decided to focus on non-nuke electronics for now..definitely starting at the bottom of the ladder, but looks like it will be fun.

As far as certs go, I was able to grab my CETa while in school, but need to start chasing the ones that Makua, et al, mentioned...now that I have the time.

Good luck to anyone thinking about college...it's a GREAT time! 

Non-nuke ended up being too much of a shock to the system...I was getting lots of job offers, but in the $20/hour range...that seemed low, but have since talked to guys with 20+ years electronics experience that are/were still making that kind of money... 

Yep!  Instrument Tech, Video Tech, I&C Tech and the list goes on!

So, I ended up in I&C...where The Ghost predicted!