Electronics qualifications in Australia

[Terry Dawson]

I'm interested in developing new skills in electronics.

I have a good deal of computer science and IT skill and am not
looking for work in electronics necessarily but I'd like to learn
more than I know now, with a view to obtaining formal qualifications
of some sort.

I'm an amateur radio operator and posess basic Electronics skills. I
self study and experiment but think I'd benefit from some formal
study.

What is considered a good qualification in the electronics and/or
broadcast industry now?

Terry

 

[Bruce Varley]

"Terry Dawson" <vk2ktj@gmail.com-fu> wrote in message
news:almarsoft.2792588252149112095@news.eternal-september.org...

I'm interested in developing new skills in electronics.

I have a good deal of computer science and IT skill and am not
looking for work in electronics necessarily but I'd like to learn
more than I know now, with a view to obtaining formal qualifications
of some sort.

I'm an amateur radio operator and posess basic Electronics skills. I
self study and experiment but think I'd benefit from some formal
study.

What is considered a good qualification in the electronics and/or
broadcast industry now?

Terry

It may have changed since I was there, but I suspect the focus at uni will
still be theory, theory and more theory. Someone I know who's doing a BEng
(communications) is talking about things like Hilbert transforms and not
much else. If you want something with more of a balance between learning and
doing, TAFE may be a better bet.

 

[terryc]

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:33:15 +1000, Terry Dawson wrote:

I'm interested in developing new skills in electronics.
I
self study and experiment but think I'd benefit from some formal study.

If you can self-study, then there isn't anything that would benefit you,
unless you were really just chasing a piece of paper for the wall. Then
it is Uni or Tafe.

If you really want extra skills, start with building kits, then branch
into modifying them then turning circuits into built stuff.

What is considered a good qualification in the electronics and/or
broadcast industry now?

You have to go and ask the guy/gal doing the employment.
Look at job adds and ring up the contacts and ask them.

AFAIK, all this stuff is de-skilling to board shuffling, just like "IT/
computers".

 

[David L. Jones]

Terry Dawson wrote:

I'm interested in developing new skills in electronics.

I have a good deal of computer science and IT skill and am not
looking for work in electronics necessarily but I'd like to learn
more than I know now, with a view to obtaining formal qualifications
of some sort.

I'm an amateur radio operator and posess basic Electronics skills. I
self study and experiment but think I'd benefit from some formal
study.

What is considered a good qualification in the electronics and/or
broadcast industry now?

Terry

Define what you mean by "good".
What useful stuff you will learn?, or what would be more attractive to some
potential employer who might care about that sort of thing?
The basics are that as far as employment is concerend it doesn't really
matter, very few employers will care about what qualification you have or
where you got it. All they care about is your experinence and what you can
do.

If it's bang-per-buck in terms of learning useful electronics stuff, a TAFE
Electrical Engineering Diploma or Advanced Diploma, or even an Advanced
Certificate would be your best bet. A B.Eng at any uni is pretty much going
to be mostly advanced theory, math and physics you will rarely use, and a
good lot of your work will have nothing to do with practical electronics.
You'll be dismayed in the first few years that you are learning little of
real use.

Several unis have 3 year B.Tech degrees instead of the usual 4 year B.Eng,
these might be more focussed and practical?

Full time or part time? Uni's and TAFE offer both, and by correspondence
also if that suits you better.
I believe you can even pay to take individual classes if that suits you.

If you don't care about the bit of paper, MIT have all of their engineering
lectures available on YouTube. In theory you can get the equivalent of
entire MIT degree without leaving your chair, and for nix.

Dave.

--
---------------------------------------------
Check out my Electronics Engineering Video Blog & Podcast:
http://www.eevblog.com

 

[Terry Dawson]

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:05:11 +0000 (UTC), terryc
<newsninespam-spam@woa.com.au> said:

If you really want extra skills, start with building kits, then
branch
into modifying them then turning circuits into built stuff.

I'm about at that stage now. I want to do original design now. It
feels like a bigger step.

You have to go and ask the guy/gal doing the employment.

That's an interesting idea.

Terry

 

[Terry Dawson]

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:33:18 +0800, "Bruce Varley"
<bxvarley@weastnet.com.au> said:

It may have changed since I was there, but I suspect the focus at
uni will
still be theory, theory and more theory. Someone I know who's doing
a BEng

Yeah, I know a whole bunch of elec.eng grads, but few of them know
what I want to learn.

Terry

 

[Terry Dawson]

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:08:02 +1000, "David L. Jones"
<altzone@gmail.com> said:

Define what you mean by "good".

That's a good question and the truth is I'm not actually sure, but I
think you covered it anyway.

What useful stuff you will learn?, or what would be more attractive
to some
potential employer who might care about that sort of thing?

Both perspectives would be interesting.

where you got it. All they care about is your experinence and what
you can
do.

Interesting. Sounds like a healthy approach.

If it's bang-per-buck in terms of learning useful electronics
stuff, a TAFE
Electrical Engineering Diploma or Advanced Diploma, or even an
Advanced
Certificate would be your best bet.

Ok, I'll take a look at those.

If you don't care about the bit of paper, MIT have all of their
engineering
lectures available on YouTube.

That's interesting. I'll definitely check those out.

Thanks all.

Terry

 

[terryc]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:45:30 +1000, Terry Dawson wrote:

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:05:11 +0000 (UTC), terryc
newsninespam-spam@woa.com.au> said:
If you really want extra skills, start with building kits, then
branch
into modifying them then turning circuits into built stuff.

I'm about at that stage now. I want to do original design now. It feels
like a bigger step.

AFAIK, there isn't much happening in Australia employment wise. Thirty
years ago, thousands were fed into the bottom in technical traineeships
that might lead there. Then it all stopped. Now, it is mostly a guy with
skills in the job buying solutions in or bodgying stuff together if they
can not buy it.

There are a few people on this list that seem to do part time design aka
projects for electronic magazines, but I don't think there is a handful
of them. AFAIK, anything else (paid design)is very competitive and you
need decades of experience.

Also, if you happy reading, then peeps might recommend a good book to
learn something specific. Do you have your own "lab" at home?

You have to go and ask the guy/gal doing the employment.

That's an interesting idea.

Always, always, always talk to the person doing the employment.

IME, agencies will demand piece after piece of expensive paper, where as
the guy doing the employment may simply want to know what work you've
done on/with this device/or task in the industry/or ???


If you have practical skills, then my 2c is that TAFE may even be a waste
of time and money unless the qualification at the end is what you really
want or need.

Nial at Bankstown TAFE (NSW) runs an evening class under Advanced Diploma
in ??? Engineering that is interesting in you select your subjects(not
all), do self study and use him as a mentor. Library is reasonable as
well.

All the equipment at Petersham* is worn out crap and you will end up
there for practicals if you do correspondence through OTEN. OTOH, it must
be worse (availability wise) in other states as people were flying in
from other states to do practicals there.

North Sydney has a positive reputation, but I've never been there. The
guys from St George(?) were good, but I'm not sure if they offer what you
want there. Note OTEN guys were generally from electrical power
background.

Bottom line, if it is just personal skill, why not just ask here and
other relevant usenet groups? There are some highly skilled people that
hang out in different groups. The hard part is selecting an interesting
useful project.

Digital is just logic design really and the craft tricks of plugging it
all together. You can build your own sensors for "been there-done that"
or you can just buy them. You can build the logic from logic gates, then
learn any one the the programmable chip methods, where all that logic
shrinks it all into one programmable chip that drives it all. then you
are just stepping into embedded devices, then fully fledged computers.

Analogue is driving transistors and RL&C, the basics of which are covered
everywhere, then you get into using pre-built blocks.

Note, AFAIK, employment wise, people tend to specialise in design in very
specific areas and might only design a handful or original devices in
their lifetime.

 

[Terry Dawson]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:11:54 +0000 (UTC), terryc
<newsninespam-spam@woa.com.au> said:

AFAIK, there isn't much happening in Australia employment wise.
Thirty
years ago, thousands were fed into the bottom in technical
traineeships

I know what you mean, I completed one of the last Telecom Australia
apprenticeships some 20+ years ago. Similar story in
telecommunications.

There are a few people on this list that seem to do part time
design aka
projects for electronic magazines, but I don't think there is a
handful
of them. AFAIK, anything else (paid design)is very competitive and
you
need decades of experience.

Indeed, and was why I asked. Perhaps you're right though, I might be
being unrealistic, it's possible the only way I'll learn what I'm
after at this stage of life is to just do it.

learn something specific. Do you have your own "lab" at home?

Yeah, I'm kitted with a good enough set of tools and toys.

Always, always, always talk to the person doing the employment.

I might network a bit. I'm sure I'll know people who know people.

If you have practical skills, then my 2c is that TAFE may even be a
waste

The way you describe it you're probably right.

hang out in different groups. The hard part is selecting an
interesting
useful project.

Heh, I've got interesting (to me) projects.

On a side note, I suspect we met a number of years ago, perhaps at
SLUG, perhaps somewhere else related?

Terry

 

[terryc]

Terry Dawson wrote:

On a side note, I suspect we met a number of years ago, perhaps at
SLUG, perhaps somewhere else related?

Yes and probably yes)

 

[Bob Larter]

Terry Dawson wrote:

I'm interested in developing new skills in electronics.

I have a good deal of computer science and IT skill and am not
looking for work in electronics necessarily but I'd like to learn
more than I know now, with a view to obtaining formal qualifications
of some sort.

I'm an amateur radio operator and posess basic Electronics skills. I
self study and experiment but think I'd benefit from some formal
study.

Buy yourself a copy of "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz & Hill. It's
the standard text in the electronics design industry.



--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
---^----^---------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Terry Dawson]

On Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:51:14 +1000, Bob Larter
<bobbylarter@gmail.com> said:

Buy yourself a copy of "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz & Hill.
It's
the standard text in the electronics design industry.

Thanks, I have one of those already.

Terry