Electrical Careers!? Need direction

Thread Starter

BoneBreaker

Joined May 13, 2007
5
Hey all, im 5 months away from doing a pre-vocational in electronics, it will cover the basics of electronics and give work experience which i am looking foward. But lately i have been looking threw the net and job search websites looking for a suitable career to take on after my course, or something to work towards in the near future.

I am quite interested in Refridgeration and Air con, but it dosent seem to pay that well compared to other areas of electronics even though i have been told it pays quite well by people i work with. On every site that i have looked at that compares the median wage for all different careers, HVAC technicians median is always rellatively low compared to all the others.

i was also looking at lift mechanics, althought alot of it seems to involve alot more than just electronics which is fine with me because it looks like it pays very well. But the industry seems very difficult to get into, although companys like Otis and KONE were advertising on australian job search sites for electrical technicians, and it stated there is no need for previous experience with elevators but it was an advantage. Coming to my point on this question, what would be a good area of electronics to get into before being a lift mechanic, im not sure if this makes any sence but im sure some of you could make something of it.

I was also wondering what kind of work an industrial electrician would do because on the job search engines i was looking threw, indutrial electricians seem to get paid very well some job offerings were $36 per hour (AUS Dollar)
and they weren't in mines or anything stupid. I was just wondering what the work conditions would be like for an industrial electrician because they get paid so good there must be a catch.

im sorry if this post confused you and was a waste of your time, as i don't know to much about the whole electronics industry yet, but im just very interested.

Thanks
 

hgmjr

Joined Jan 28, 2005
9,027
Choosing a career is a tough call. It has been my experience that selecting one on the basis of how much money you will earn is risky. A better way to chose, IMHO, is to make sure that it is something that you are genuinely interested in. In the end, if you are not enjoying what you do, the amount you are paid to do the work will not make up for your dissatisfaction with the job. There is a good chance that you will underperform due to your disinterest in the work you are doing.

Keep in mind, "If you enjoy your job, you will never work a day in your life."

hgmjr

PS. Too mushy, right?
 

Thread Starter

BoneBreaker

Joined May 13, 2007
5
lol, not to mushy, that is a valuble lesson.
Its just that i dont really know what A typical day of an airc con n refrigeration technician or a lift mechanic involves, hell i hardly know a thing about the areas lol, but from what i have 'read' i like the sounds of things.
I dont know if anyone on here specialises in these fields at all??
 

hgmjr

Joined Jan 28, 2005
9,027
The best thing to do is talk to several people who have worked in the area you are interested in pursuing and see what they have to say about a typical day's work. I say talk to several people because you may end up picking someone who is not happy doing the work and they are bound to paint a bleak picture of the job.

Use the Internet to research the job type and find out what skill-set you will need to perform well in the job.

Basically all I am recommending is for you do as much upfront investigating as you can to minimize any surprises. You have already begun your quest by posting your question here. Just expand on that effort.

hgmjr
 

Dave

Joined Nov 17, 2003
6,969
I was also wondering what kind of work an industrial electrician would do because on the job search engines i was looking threw, indutrial electricians seem to get paid very well some job offerings were $36 per hour (AUS Dollar)
and they weren't in mines or anything stupid. I was just wondering what the work conditions would be like for an industrial electrician because they get paid so good there must be a catch.
By 'industrial electrician', I assume you mean an electrician that works on industrial/commercial worksites? Those that earn good money doing this tend to be their own boss, either as a sole trader or as the proprietor of the company. The biggest issue with industrial electricians, i.e. those working on industrial new builds, is that they are often slaves to the site manager who can often want them working unsociable hours and in less than favourable conditions, i.e. working on top of other trademen. For this inconvenience, this is why they get paid well - that and they can often be working alongside fickle foremen/co-tradesmen (an issue for all trademen) - you would probably best get the comments off an electrican on this one, but it happens.

Dave
 

Thread Starter

BoneBreaker

Joined May 13, 2007
5
hmm this is all interesting, Do you know anything about becoming a lift mechanic or air con technician Dave or anyone else?
Oh and, what does an electrical engineer do compared to just an electrician that works on site, this had conufsed me for a while.
 

Dave

Joined Nov 17, 2003
6,969
hmm this is all interesting, Do you know anything about becoming a lift mechanic or air con technician Dave or anyone else?
Oh and, what does an electrical engineer do compared to just an electrician that works on site, this had conufsed me for a while.
I did work in the aviation industry for several years and air conditioning engineering is a critical part of that industry. In aviation, the air conditioning is very closely allied with the engine design and hence the field crossover is significant. If you are interested in air conditioning in the aviation industry I recommend you look at the Jeppeson books.

I suppose the main difference between electrical engineers and electricians is the qualifications. Both are equally skilled in their respective fields, however electrical engineers are seen in some parts of the world (sadly not here in the UK) as being professionals on the level of a physician (Germany would be a good example here). Electrical Engineers focus on design and development of electrical/electronic/mechatronic systems for a wide range of applications - their is a creative as well as practical aspect to the work they do. Electricians are seen as skilled tradesmen who focus on wiring and assembly of buildings and equipment - there work is primarily practical and functional.

The wikipedia articles do a good job of giving you the idea of the differences between electrical engineers and electricians:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_engineering

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrician

Dave
 
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