I have been in electronics since I joined the Air force reserves in 2008 as an Avionics tech. I've since moved to government contracting with my primary line of work on military MRAP and shipboard communications equipment testing/installing and cable fabrication. I have done some sub assembly work wiring circuit boards and the like and building up 12, 24, 120, and 240v pdus. But most of my experience has been electronic comm units and RF testing. I am currently an Electronics Technician II. I feel like I have plateaued in my line of work and don't really have much more room to move up outside of management at least in my area as I rarely see openings for Tech III's. Now that I'm done with my background I was thinking of going with some certifications. I've narrowed it down to moving into the IT side with something like a network+ and security+. I just dont know if there is much of a calling for an electronics tech with those certifications. My other option I was thinking of was taking the CETa cert or ISCET cert. I feel like I have forgotten almost all the theory and generally the majority of what I learned in Air Force tech school. So i was thinking if I relearned it, might as well take the exam, it may inspire me to or help me to change direction some.
Any tips, knowledge, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

How about a DevOps role? Huge money in that and, while still mostly software, it's a field that concerns with the machine, not its application, which is more suitable for someone who actually knows the machine (like yourself) rather than just the ephemeral part of it (the software).
The devops where I work spend a lot of time actually building up servers. Mostly plug and play but I bet someone who actually knows what a ground is will be highly appreciated.

Another thought: Have you looked into the drones field? Even if most of the manufacturing and design is outsourced to Asia, I am sure there's a lot of customization, field engineering and innovation work everywhere (just smaller companies), where you will fit like a glove.

 

How about a DevOps role? Huge money in that and, while still mostly software, it's a field that concerns with the machine, not its application, which is more suitable for someone who actually knows the machine (like yourself) rather than just the ephemeral part of it (the software).
The devops where I work spend a lot of time actually building up servers. Mostly plug and play but I bet someone who actually knows what a ground is will be highly appreciated.

Another thought: Have you looked into the drones field? Even if most of the manufacturing and design is outsourced to Asia, I am sure there's a lot of customization, field engineering and innovation work everywhere (just smaller companies), where you will fit like a glove.

Thanks for the response. I'm definitely going to look into DevOps more. I did a quick search for positions in my area and it's definitely something I'm interested in.

I've also looked into drone work but in my experience, all require the Security+ certification which i'm working towards but don't have yet.