Advice needed

Thread Starter

Mrantoine

Joined May 17, 2017
6
Hello my name is Dontrail, I'm a 33 year old student taking up electronic and computer engineering technology course. I'm in my 2nd year at this moment. I stay upstate New York. I'm on here looking for any advice or help with the path in becoming a electronic engineered. I love technology and seeing how things work and its circuitry and the creative ideas and new tech that is invented every year. That's something I want to be a part of. I have some concerns that I will finish school but will have no company to go to. I'm not sure if their is much work in that field up here but I'm also not sure where to look. I wanted to do some research into seeing if it was possible to get on job training while still in school as well. Is their anyone who can give some advice?
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
Are you in a degree program? The engineering department ought to have contacts and placement services that can be helpful. Use the free resources that are available to you while you can.
 

Thread Starter

Mrantoine

Joined May 17, 2017
6
My education is being done online at a school that is in a different state. With my job it's hard to go to day or night school so this was my alternative way to learn. I have reach out to my career services but they haven't help out much yet. I just figured I would see if there were any advice that could be giving on here. I wanted to make sure the degree program I'm in is also the first step as well.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
With my job it's hard to go to day or night school so this was my alternative way to learn.
It's hard to go to school - a good one - even if you have no job and spend all waking hours devoted to it. You are competing against other smart people that will also spend every moment learning and working. I think you need to contemplate what your goals and desires are, and plot a strategy to get there. Do this in conjunction with people that have actually done it and know the realities. I do not. But without knowing more, I think it will be virtually impossible to reach your goals by taking online courses in your limited spare time. I'm not trying to discourage you at all, just suggesting that you seek advice and counsel from experts. I know that's why you've come here, but the folks here do not so far know much about you, your skills, your goals, what resources are available to you, and so on.
 

Thread Starter

Mrantoine

Joined May 17, 2017
6
I guess I understand. I knew to this whole forum thing. If it's more information about myself needed then here it is. As in said before I'm 33 years old. I work as a HVAC tech with a schedule that has a start time but no finish time, we work the calls till they are done. I'm a father of 4. My goal is to get out of the HVAC field and get into the electronic engineering field. I want to be a part of the next generation of customer electronics, robotics, gaming console or part of the next computer design, if that gives you some idea of the field I'm trying to get into. I do have some background with electronics and computers, I have always been the guy everyone called on when they couldn't understand their new electronics. Now I'm not sure what you mean about available resources. My online school has a career services department but it's not like going in to speak to someone face to face, so when I reach out to then I have to wait for an response email. I don't know anyone else in the field our who can help guide me, but I am willing to listen and learn if I did. Through my job, which consist of me going to several different residents home to work on their heating and air conditioning I do keep my eyes and ears open for someone who might be in the field or know something about it, because I'm not afraid to speak up and ask them if they have any advice to give. Is their anything else I can tell that can help me through this forum? Oh and thank you for your time and responses. I do appreciate whatever advice you are able to give no matter big or small.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
My goal is to get out of the HVAC field and get into the electronic engineering field. I want to be a part of the next generation of customer electronics, robotics, gaming console or part of the next computer design, if that gives you some idea of the field I'm trying to get into.
Even a B.S. degree in EE does not guarantee you will immediately be doing actual engineering in these areas. It would be more likely to get a job supervising a lightbulb assembly line or some such thing. (Not really lightbulbs, but you get my point.) To actually get a design job, you will need a more advanced degree and/or demonstrate high skills and performance on your job.

Again, this is not to discourage you. If it takes 8 years, well, those 8 years will pass whether your pursue this goal or not. It's just that so many young graduates expect great, high paying, state-of-the-art jobs and that is just not reality. At your age you probably know this.

You're doing fine for the forum. Others with more experience in the EE field will come along soon with their seasoned advice.
 

Thread Starter

Mrantoine

Joined May 17, 2017
6
Well, these are the outline of my degree. So far the ones in red (hopefully your able to see) are ones that I have already done so far. the one in blue is what I'm doing now. Weyneh I know your intentions are not to discourage me and believe me when I say, I will still continue on and finish this degree, but it does some like I'm almost wasting my time due to my age and the rise of much younger and full of life students, who are coming out of college looking for the same kind of job.



Title: Credits:
GU100 Student Success 1
CT212 Digital Electronics (Lab included) 4
CS192 Programming Essentials 3
CS263 Programming in C 4
EN361 Technical Writing 3
ET105 Fundamental Properties of DC Circuits and Lab 4
ET115 Fundamental Properties of AC Circuits and Lab 4
ET212 Electronics I and Lab 4
PH220 Physics I 4
GENERAL EDUCATION: 30
Course: Title: Credits:
CO101 Introduction to Public Speaking 3
CS105 Introduction to Computer Applications 3
EN101 English Composition I 3
ET100 Engineering and Ethics 3
GP210 American Government I 3

GU299 General Education Capstone 3
GS102 Introduction to Life Science 3
HU260 Strategies for Decision Making 3
MA105 College Algebra 3

MA141 Precalculus 3
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,979
Is this the entire program, or just the first two years?

Are you getting an Associates, or pursuing a Bachelors?
 

Thread Starter

Mrantoine

Joined May 17, 2017
6
This is their Associate's degree program. It's their "Computer and Electronics Engineering Technology" Associates degree, which is supposed to run 2 years. I was planning on going for my Bachelors but I wanted to see how these first 2 years go. Oh, there are a few classes probably missing which are the electives.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,979
This is their Associate's degree program. It's their "Computer and Electronics Engineering Technology" Associates degree, which is supposed to run 2 years. I was planning on going for my Bachelors but I wanted to see how these first 2 years go. Oh, there are a few classes probably missing which are the electives.
This seems awfully light, particularly if the goal is to parlay it as the first half of a four-year degree. For instance, in the first two years of a typical four-year EE program you will have completed three semesters of Calculus plus Differential Equations. You will also have completed three semesters of Physics. This is in addition to four electronics courses, usually two each of analog (linear systems and possibly a first course in diode/transistor circuits) and digital (focused mostly on logic design and possibly some microcontroller work). Plus there's the usual side courses in writing and this and that.

So this Associates degree might prepare you to start a subsequent four year program on a better footing, but don't expect it to save you much time -- and most of that will be in the fluff courses (which has value).
 

Thread Starter

Mrantoine

Joined May 17, 2017
6
Ok so this is their Bachelor's Degree program, which includes courses I have already taken or will be taken,


Student Success 1
CT212 Digital Electronics (Lab included) 4
CS192 Programming Essentials 3
CT262 Microprocessor Systems Engineering (Lab Included) 4
CS263 Programming in C 4
EN361 Technical Writing 3
ET105 Fundamental Properties of DC Circuits and Lab 4
ET115 Fundamental Properties of AC Circuits and Lab 4
ET212 Electronics I and Lab 4
ET222 Electronics II and Lab 4
ET310 Circuit Analysis 4
ET332 Analog Integrated Circuits and Lab 4
ET372 Instrumentation and Measurement and Lab 4
ET382 Signals and Systems Theory and Lab 4
ET410 Technical Project Management 3
ET450 Capstone Project 3
MA302 Calculus I 4
MA312 Calculus II 4
PH220 Physics I 4
PH221 Physics II 4
GENERAL EDUCATION: 30
Course: Title: Credits:
CO101 Introduction to Public Speaking 3
CS105 Introduction to Computer Applications 3
EN101 English Composition I 3
ET100 Engineering and Ethics 3
GP210 American Government I 3
GU299 General Education Capstone 3
GS102 Introduction to Life Science 3
HU260 Strategies for Decision Making 3
MA105 College Algebra 3
MA141 Precalculus
 
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