EET Career Opportunities

T

TweedleDee

Guest
Is an Associates Degree in Electronics Tech still worth anything out
there? How is the job situation compared to what it was 2 years ago?
5 years ago? I would most like to work in Product Development when I'm
done with school, but a coworker was telling me how worthless the
degree is.

Thank you.
 
"TweedleDee" <iliveinatrailerpark@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1106934903.934289.47210@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Is an Associates Degree in Electronics Tech still worth anything out
there? How is the job situation compared to what it was 2 years ago?
5 years ago? I would most like to work in Product Development when I'm
done with school, but a coworker was telling me how worthless the
degree is.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

With an associates degree in electronics tech you won't likely be working in
product development. Instead you would likely be an electronics technician
who just takes orders from the real engineers and does skilled labor for
them. Alternatively you might find yourself in some part of manufacturing
that takes a bit more skill, in which case you would certainly be higher on
the totem pole than the rest of the peons. Most companies don't even like
hiring NCG (new college graduate) bachelor degreed electrical engineers.
The problem is you really need to know what you are doing in order to be
very useful in the field of electronics. Unfortunately four years of
college isn't really enough to teach you all you need to know. You really
need experience to go with it. So most companies only hire electrical
engineers with a bachelors degree and 5-10 years experience in their little
subfield of interest in electrical engineering. It sucks to be the
prospective new employee, but I can't say I blame the companies. NCGs are
usually pretty worthless.
 
Anyone else who has an Associates degree care to comment?
 
"TweedleDee" <iliveinatrailerpark@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1106934903.934289.47210@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Is an Associates Degree in Electronics Tech still worth anything out
there? How is the job situation compared to what it was 2 years ago?
5 years ago? I would most like to work in Product Development when I'm
done with school, but a coworker was telling me how worthless the
degree is.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about a 20 year old EET with zero practical experience, or
someone with a new EET and 20 years of practical experience (for instance, a
recent military retiree with an electronics specialty)?

What area of of the country?

My experience is that the last two companies I worked for (southeastern
Virginia and Florida panhandle) hired experienced EETs/METs and successfully
used them as tech writers. They interfaced well with the engineers, could
check the material for errors, and had sufficient writing experience to put
the material in terms easily understood by operators and technicians. Of
course, unlike the "real" engineers, they knew which end of the soldering
iron got hot and which end of the pipe wrench to use to pound screws!

Richard
 
Are you talking about a 20 year old EET with zero practical experience,
or someone with a new EET and 20 years of practical experience (for
instance, a recent military retiree with an electronics specialty)?
Click to expand...
Are you somebody who have only the knowledge you have recieved from this
4 year formal education, or have you had electronics as your hobby and
you main interest for 10+ years, and the formal education is just the
backbone of your total knowledge and experience?

Formal schooling can only give a sceleton of knowledge, the most important
and basic stuff. You need to get the rest of your knowledge, the body, in
a certain field by yourself.

What did you do in your free time at 15 years of age?
Did you hang with others in the mall, drinking beer and watching video
every night? Or did you build electronic circuits and read Wireless
World?

People who have only formal education will not get the best jobs in the
field. People with only hobby interest will never get good jobs either.
You need both formal education and self study.
As much as possible of both will get you very good jobs.




--
Roger J.
 
Actually, I work in Product Development with a Medical Company as a Lab
Technician. I have an interest in Electronics and quite a bit of
amateur experience with computers and computer programming. I feel
that I need to get a "skill" and a "diploma" so that I can stay an
Engineering tech. My specialty is probably working with Labview and
basic data acquisition. So, I thought an electronics degree would go
well with that. I have a family, so a 2 year degree looks much more
feasible than a four year degree. Although, a four year degree in EET,
EE, or CS is possible at nearby colleges.
I live in the Northwest region of the U.S.
 
"TweedleDee" <iliveinatrailerpark@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1106953724.041364.125490@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Anyone else who has an Associates degree care to comment?
Click to expand...

Right, sorry. Should have said I have an associate's degree in business and
a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
 
On 28 Jan 2005 18:29:52 -0800, "TweedleDee"
<iliveinatrailerpark@yahoo.com> wrote:

Actually, I work in Product Development with a Medical Company as a Lab
Technician. I have an interest in Electronics and quite a bit of
amateur experience with computers and computer programming. I feel
that I need to get a "skill" and a "diploma" so that I can stay an
Engineering tech. My specialty is probably working with Labview and
basic data acquisition. So, I thought an electronics degree would go
well with that. I have a family, so a 2 year degree looks much more
feasible than a four year degree. Although, a four year degree in EET,
EE, or CS is possible at nearby colleges.
I live in the Northwest region of the U.S.
Click to expand...
The general way things seem to work in business is that
any extra education or degrees you get should not be
expected to have much impact on your advancement in
that company as such. The reasoning is that if such
education has made you more valuable, it should show
in your performance. Conversely, a new hire coming in
with the exact same degree will get more money right
off the bat... that's just the way the job market works.
So after you get the degree, you will have to be prepared
to jump ship to another company if you want more
money. If your present position seems insecure, the
degree is good insurance for the future.


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Welcome to EDABoard.com

Sponsor

Back
Top