Electronics Post-trade - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Wilkins
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2012, 08:58:39 am
content: Hi guys,I'm 6 months off completing cert III in electronics and communications at TAFE as part of a Communications (Radio) Apprenticeship, i've been considering going on to doing an Electronics & Communications Engineering Diploma at TAFE in the evenings.https://www.tafensw.edu.au/howex/servlet/Course?Command=GetCourse&CourseNo=17789&selType=coursesResultsI'm looking for advice from techs/engineers who may have gone down a similar path in the past, is there a demand for associate engineer positions in electronics.Or will i be unable to make a contribution to the field without an engineering degree.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2012, 11:27:26 am
content: all i can say is most of it looks redundant to you until you get to subgroup 2, ohs and on the job experience should have already been covered atleast in those respects during your cert 3 :/

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 03, 2012, 02:20:09 pm
content: Quote from: Wilkins on July 03, 2012, 08:58:39 amThere is usually a lot of overlap in these courses, be sure to get all the exemptions you can.QuoteBasically such a job title in Oz only exists in the eyes of the IEA, and a few rigid companies that academically pigeon-hole. In the majority of engineering jobs though, you get hired based on what you can do and your experience, not what "level" you are in qualifications.QuoteNo, not at all, you can contribute to almost any level of the engineering field you like, regardless of your qualifications.Dave.

author: Wilkins
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2012, 07:20:52 am
content: Thanks for the advice.I'm worried that the industry as a whole is trending towards either unskilled electronics workers doing routine module level repairs/maintenance or engineers doing design/testing with little room in the middle for skilled service techs, hopefully i can end up on the engineering side of the equation in the future.

author: tec5c
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2012, 10:35:04 am
content: Quote from: Wilkins on July 04, 2012, 07:20:52 amYou have just described my current situation. This thread could well have been made by myself with only a few very minor details changed.I completed my Cert III in Electronics while doing brown good repairs (TV's, amplifiers, dvd players etc) and I got frustrated with becoming a board jockey (module replacement) so I quit and went in search for more.I want to get into the engineering side of things and to also just have a deeper understanding of electronics, so as a (long) way to get into a Uni course I have chosen to do an Advanced Diploma course.I am currently doing the 17796 course, Advanced Diploma of Electronic Technology. I chose to do it via OTEN (Open Training & Education Network) so I could get through the course at a faster rate. I was also able to find a traineeship that stated as part of the job was to complete the course I was already doing, it's boring as bat shit work though I am only there to get through the course (and not be broke!)Now as Dave said, there is a fair bit of overlap with these type of courses, I was exempted from at least 1/4 - 1/3 of the Adv. Dip. course before I even began, so that's another thing to keep in mind.I will say that if you are considering doing evening classes, this can take around 4 years, at least for the course I am doing, it is 2 years full-time and 4 years part-time. So perhaps OTEN could be an option for you if you didn't want to take that long to complete the course?I am a little concerned with how I (or anyone) is to go about making the transition from repair work into the design field. I guess it will require a lot of personal hobby work to get the experience level up to where you can be considered employable in the EE industry...What are your intentions/goals for going on to do a Diploma course after completing a Cert III?Oh and also where are you located/which Tafe do you go to?

author: Wilkins
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2012, 12:09:41 pm
content: Quote from: tec5c on July 04, 2012, 10:35:04 amI'm doing a little bit of board repairs in my current job as a radio tech under the supervision of a senior tech, most of the time he just lets me find the faults on my own, if i get stuck he might give me a nudge in the right direction.But the amount of repairs is low, often there is not enough repairs to keep him busy.I know what you mean about being a board jockey, i used to do that for 3 years, it was awful, got treated like dirt and had to work my arse off (10 units repaired per hour), did you do your cert as an apprenticeship or did you do it on your own?My current plans are, still got 6 months left on my cert III, studying it at chullora campus, all the major parts are out of the way now though (DC, AC, Analog, Digital), so i will finish that at the end of this year with the subjects i am taking, then i will look into diploma/adv diploma via evening classes for 2013.I don't really mind it taking a couple of years part time, i like being able to focus on a couple subjects at a time, i can cut out 1/4 to 1/3 with my cert III as you said, haven't really decided what campus to do it in evenings tho.So yeah, smash out the diploma couple nights a week and focus on my projects in my spare time at home is the plan atm and hopefully i'll be in good stead for applying for an engineering job.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2012, 11:16:12 am
content: Quote from: tec5c on July 04, 2012, 10:35:04 amBingo.Key is that you simply need to start applying for engineering jobs instead of T/O jobs.Of course it usually takes longer (and less choice) than someone with the golden ticket, but once you have that first job with the "engineer" title, you are home and hosed.It's harder to get your current company to "graduate" you from T/O to engineer, but it's possible.You need to start selling yourself as an engineer instead of T/O. But with only T/O jobs on your resume you'll usually have to rely on that personal stuff a lot more.And of course there is always the old stretching the truth on the resume trick, "massage" your job title a bit to get that first step up the ladder. It's a dog-eat-dog world. As long as you can do what you claim, you'll be right.Dave.