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So I've decided that if I may need to go back to school and get a little more knowledge under my belt. Ive been working as an electrical technician and while i enjoy writing programs for automation i definitely do not like being a wrench turner. My problem is that i only really have a two year degree and at that level the majority of work is being a wrench turner.

I just got laid off and pretty much have two choices. Try and find another job or go back to school and get my double E. Im 30 so I'm unsure of whether its not too late to do this....

Definitely not too late. My wife got her degree at 30 and it's working out just fine.
Just be prepared for a dick ton of math.

MEC wrote:a dick ton of math.

This is why I switched to graphic design.

I got a BSEE a few years ago. My one regret is not taking more programming and embedded systems courses, because they're very in-demand skills. Now I'm learning that stuff in my spare time.

A good portions of the dudes I was in the program with were in their 30's, maybe 40's.

greymedicine wrote:I got a BSEE a few years ago. My one regret is not taking more programming and embedded systems courses, because they're very in-demand skills. Now I'm learning that stuff in my spare time.

A good portions of the dudes I was in the program with were in their 30's, maybe 40's.

THIS! If you can get your feet wet with some 8-bit PIC or AVR stuff, and move into the ARM devices you'll find work quickly. Cross over your EE knowledge with some CS programming, and you'll be near the top of the heap. Just having some programming skills in your life toolkit will make it easier to sell yourself.

Also consider a Computer Enginneering program... I did my first two years as a CpE, which was a full EE with a side of more CS classes than CS majors took...

It's never too late dude.

Do it! But I agree with the advice to take as much programming as you can handle. (I'm gonna assume most EE courses now include digital logic as a requirement, but knowing that stuff in addition to programming is good.)



In addition, there's lots out there you can learn on your own with fairly cheap stuff (the Arduinos for PIc/embedded stuff and Raspberry Pi's for higher power ARM stuff.) Depending on your school, the course might be a bit "behind the times" on these hobby level things, but the EE courses and programming courses will all be foundational and build towards a good general knowledge that will let you tackle problems.

For that on-the-side hobby hacking and learning, I highly recommend Adafruit's website: http://learn.adafruit.com and sparkfun's website: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials

Also gonna throw in here as a secondary thought that you should take as much VHDL (programming language for designing digital hardware ) and CAD as you can.

It is not too late! IT IS NOT TOO LATE!!!

No way, man. In fact, your resume is going to look really solid if you go get a EE degree. It will also tell the story of someone developing through life, experiences, and realizing their passion.

As someone who hires entry-level and experienced engineers at a cutting-edge power system company, it is SUPER beneficial to have hands-on experience + a degree. Whether that comes as EE + post-graduate experience, or experience as an electrical tech+EE degree later, it doesn't matter much. Lots of EE's graduate and do glorified tech-work in their entry-level position. I say go for it. In 10 years, I think you will be much happier with your career (and wage). Though, electricians and good electrical techs can make serious bank, too.

And as people mentioned, learning programming is good. But, TAKE POWER SYSTEMS AND POWER ELECTRONICS CLASSES TOO, assuming you have an interest in that. Also, if you have the opportunity to take other systems engineering type classes (including more boring stuff like project management, stats/six sigma, robotics [not so boring], etc.), that'll be beneficial. Lots of energy jobs are popping up, and demand for EE's with systems specialization is peaking. My favorite person to hire is an EE who is also mechanically inclined, is versatile, understands complex systems that use chemical, mechanical, and electrical processes, and has good troubleshooting skills. This type of EE/system guy is pretty rare.

This is coming from someone who has a bachelors in mechanical engineering, and a masters in systems engineering. I've been in the industry for 5 years, and currently run an R&D test laboratory. I'm also a "jack-of-all-trades" type systems engineer. Most people I work with are really impressed with my versatility and knowledge about many disciplines (mech, electrical, and chemical). Unless you want to go into something very specific (which probably requires or highly prefers a masters degree) then having a wide breadth of knowledge is really useful in the professional world.

Just my 2 cents.

mathias wrote:Also gonna throw in here as a secondary thought that you should take as much VHDL (programming language for designing digital hardware ) and CAD as you can.

CAD was a heavy requiemenr for EE 20 years ago, can't imagine it is any less now...

Thanks for the flasbacks to AutoCAD on a 386/25...

I think it's a killer idea to go back for your EE but I may also suggest finding another Technician job for a larger company and use them to pay for your bachelors? Alot of big companies offer tuition reimbursement as long as it's work related, I know mine does and I plan to use it for either a BSEE or getting a masters.

jwar wrote:It's never too late dude.

Total truth there. I graduated with my Masters (in Psychology) when I was 33, and I think I was the second youngest person in my cohort of about 20 or so. 10 years later, I'm itching to go back and do a Doctorate, and I probably will someday, because it still isn't too late!