Job advise for technically minded, hands on electronics experience &no training  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: turbo!
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 04:36:38 am
content: I have a lot of hands on experience with personal projects and I am very good with interpreting technical things, but I do not have formal training or job related experience in this field and I know that without doubt I can do well within things described in many job descriptions, but many require associates or bachelors in related field.What to do?

author: radiomog
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 04:47:32 am
content: hard to find a job without electronics experience or schooling.I'd suggest you get some formal or vocational training, its the easiest route (employment wise)orif time is not of the essence, hands on / hobby electronics. Join user groups? volunteer?

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 04:54:30 am
content: Show them what you have done and accomplished, and use that as an opening, no job should expect you to know everything about how they do things from day dot, just enough so that you can understand the concepts as they are presented to you and pick it up in a reasonable time,a degree or job experience is just one of many ways to show you are capable at a task, but not the only ways, and yes i fully agree it is hard trying to just get your foot in the door with no references,If you feel you need references, look to similar trades and ask a contracting company for a weeks work experience, they may pay you for your time, they may not, but it only cost you a week or 2 to get a written reference from a large company,

author: turbo!
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 05:57:30 am
content: Quote from: radiomog on March 07, 2015, 04:47:32 amPlease read the post. I do have personal experience. Not employment related experience in relevant field. In the US, it seems lie they don't care what you have to say or what you know, if it's not xx years of xx position that relates to this position at recognized company.

author: radiomog
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 07:55:28 am
content: sorry I did not fully understand. advice still stands. other hobbyist and usergroups may have people who need your skills. you may not make much, but you'll gain experience and things will build from there.

author: Cside
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 08:14:02 am
content: Quote from: turbo! on March 07, 2015, 04:36:38 amI have experience dealing with people who have no formal education and whose knowledge is based on personal projects. I have consistently found that these people do not even realize how little they know. My advise is unless you have had other accomplished engineers honestly regard you as a competent engineer or technician, then you should not consider yourself one because you probably don't even realise how little you do not know.In that light, best get some qualifications.

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 10:40:03 am
content: Quote from: turbo! on March 07, 2015, 04:36:38 amDo you personally think you are good at it? Has the bucher of your town said so? Did a multimillionaire say so? Did a teacher tell you that?The way to acquire more knowledge is using your talent to discover the boundaries of your technical knowledge, and then challenge it, every day again.Every time someone told me such general things like "I am good at tech/cooking/electronics/languages/development" he was full crap at it.There really is a difference between the guy that is good at "putting that Windows DVD" and the one who writes a partial Modbus library for an Extension card so it communicates with the new Omron series and an existing machine in the field that can't be put out of service.

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 10:53:49 am
content: Quote from: turbo! on March 07, 2015, 05:57:30 amIn Europe, it's all money related. If you want to earn much money, it's an AND story. Diploma+related expierience+many years in known business+what you know+what you say.If you leave one element out, you are gonna earn normal.If you leave more elements our, you are gonna earn below normal, witch is made illegal.So you have to search another formula, like freelance, trainee,... earning close to zero.But it gives you the possibility to acquire that "element" (after some years)

author: Ericho
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 12:34:02 pm
content: QuoteVery simple, go back to school, get the degree you need. Then apply for an engineering job.Don’t go for a job that is above your skill and experience, If you get it, you will fail and go home at the end of the workweek feeling very unhappy. After a few fails you will lose the job anyway.I would hire someone that got a degree in their adult life, It says a lot about their determination to achieve a goal/target. I kind of find that a + character trade.No degree, no experience in the field, never, I would make you unhappy and feel responsible for the destruction of your dream; This besides the fact that I would have wasted money on hiring labour time that I cannot sell with a profit.Please dream on, but follow a good path to achieve it. Don’t skip on the steps most of us took ;-)

author: Seekonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 04:48:51 pm
content: In my years in electronics I have had to hire many techs. Their resumes say they have schooling and they tell me all the board repair they have done. For 30 years I have been giving the same test, 20 questions multiple choice ABCD. My last employer made me cut it down to one page 4 questions. I mean this is simple stuff, a transistor, LED and a resistor. All voltages indicated. Two answers are absurd. You get partial credit for choosing the one that isn't totally moronic. Some people run out the door when they see the page. Totally random choice will get you 25%, you get hired if you can get a 35%. A tech knows no more than which end of a screwdriver to hold these days. Funny thing is when I was barely a teenager I knew techs that were designing sound studios and doing high tech design.Given my experience, how am I going to believe you. Truth is you won't make it past HR.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 05:08:04 pm
content: Make sure you spell "advice" right if you have to write it on a covering letter or CV, see Dave's rantSmall employers are much more likely to give you a chance if you haven't got any relevant qualifications or work experience. Put together some sort of portfolio of your work and pass it around.

author: ConKbot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2015, 06:00:33 pm
content: Gonna have to work from the bottom up. I got my foot in the door as a base level technician where my job was to assemble connectors on cables, drag bundles of said cables around, learn the custom DAQ system they had, and other general labor stuff. My 'In' was that I been running soundboard stuff for a local church, putting together XLR cables, and have put together ethernet cables. Gained experience, made impressions of people for being a good worker and not bullshitting about what I could and couldn't do. Took on some extra responsibilities, for assembling a breakout from an agilent switch matrix card to SMC connectors (crimping connectors on, soldering the other end to the PCB). Got pulled to a new job position doing PCB assembly for smaller instrumentation, and general electronics, ('real' technician work) and went from there.Now I do a bit of RF stuff (piping RF around though blocks though tubes), antenna tuning, non-engineering PCB design and layout (I.e. follow datasheet instructions, get a circuit that works, plus a few ancillary functions) and the PCB assembly to go with making said PCBs of course.TLDR; get your foot in the door somewhere doing basic work, dont be a know it all, people can figure out what you know on their own, and get to know people, because who you know matters as much as what you know.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 12:54:42 pm
content: Quote from: Galenbo on March 07, 2015, 10:40:03 amIf you don't believe that, watch that rather wretched TV programme "The Apprentice".

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2015, 12:58:32 pm
content: Quote from: Cside on March 07, 2015, 08:14:02 am+1Apart from the actual skills you will learn in getting a recognised qualification from a recognised institution (N.B. the "recognised"), it will show you have the dedication to put in the hard work. It will also be more believable than a mere self-assertion.