Electrician > Electrical Engineer

[king_11]

Hello all.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As the subject suggests I am currently working as an electrician, however I have been looking into becoming an electrical engineer.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I have located and contacted my local college in regards to the HNC electrical engineering courses and they have told me they do evenings, so that shouldn't be a problem as i still want to work as an electrician whist doing said course...[/FONT]

My questions are

Is this a possible career change ?

I'm 27 and wondering if i've left it to late?

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Will my current electrical background help or hinder me?[/FONT]

Will i struggle to find a job now?

Should I carry on to do HND?

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Has anybody had any experience in doing this?[/FONT]

Tips and pointers are very much welcomed

Thanks

Ash

 

[trev]

Yes
Yes
No
It's different
Times are tough
Yes
Not personally but I know people who have
No bother
Trev

 

[telectrix]

Hello all.

As the subject suggests I am currently working as an electrician, however I have been looking into becoming an electrical engineer.

I have located and contacted my local college in regards to the HNC electrical engineering courses and they have told me they do evenings, so that shouldn't be a problem as i still want to work as an electrician whist doing said course...

My questions are

Is this a possible career change ? definitely

I'm 27 and wondering if i've left it to late? nope

Will my current electrical background help or hinder me? help

Will i struggle to find a job now? depends

Should I carry on to do HND? definitely

Has anybody had any experience in doing this?

Tips and pointers are very much welcomed

Thanks

Ash

my thoughts in red, after after trying to make sense of trev's answers. well, he is a geordie. LOL.

 

[trev]

my thoughts in red, after after trying to make sense of trev's answers. well, he is a geordie. LOL.

Pretty much the same answers as mine but not in proper England like

 

[rapparee]

I'm looking into it and I'm a year older than you, utd's out of the champions league this year so I'm thinking it might be an option, 2 nights a week for 2 years

 

[rapparee]

Pretty much the same answers as mine but not in proper England like

would that be proper English? oliceman:

 

[telectrix]

nearly as bad as utd. wtf is that? only team is LFC.

 

[trev]

would that be proper English? oliceman:

HOW MAN! Aam a Geordie. Aa say worra mean an Aa mean worra say!
Reet! ?

 

[Silly Sausage]

Do a degree mate, you get to cover some interesting ground!!!
You can see where my strengths and weaknesses lie!

 

[king_11]

Do a degree mate, you get to cover some interesting ground!!!
You can see where my strengths and weaknesses lie!

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And not the HNC? not sure if I would even get on a degree course

HNC is one below a degree?

 

[trev]

And not the HNC? not sure if I would even get on a degree course

HNC is one below a degree?

2 or 3 below as I understand it mate.

 

[Adam W]

2 or 3 below as I understand it mate.

From what I can make out:
HNC is equivalent to 1st year of degree
HND is equivalent to 2nd year of degree
then you can do another course to upgrade your HNC and HND to a degree.

... Or you can just do it all together as a degree.

 

[rapparee]

hnc is level 4 and is one below a degree, and a hnd is level 5 and equal to a degree

edit .... i'm wrong I looked it up

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_National_Certificate

 

[jimmymac]

If you do the HNC then you won't immediately be an electrical engineer. To call yourself and electrical engineer you need to either have a degree or HNC/HND and 10+ years experience, or at least that's what I think

 

[jimmymac]

hnc is level 4 and is one below a degree, and a hnd is level 5 and equal to a degree

edit .... i'm wrong I looked it up

Higher National Certificate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It may be different in England/Ireland/Wales but a HND is not an equivalent to a degree in Scotland. A degree would normally take four years to complete; 1st year is HNC, 2nd year is HND then remaining two years are all the extra units which are required to get to the degree

 

[king_11]

If you do the HNC then you won't immediately be an electrical engineer. To call yourself and electrical engineer you need to either have a degree or HNC/HND and 10+ years experience, or at least that's what I think

Well yes, ill be graduate/trainee electrical engineer.

 

[rapparee]

on a side note, has anyone done the c course? it was discontinued the year I started so I missed the boat, was it big miss

 

[Silly Sausage]

And not the HNC? not sure if I would even get on a degree course

HNC is one below a degree?

I don't know, but choose wisely about where and what level of qualification you do.
I read recently about someone interviewed some lass with a 1st Class degree in Computer Studies.
Turned out, she didn't even know how to program!!!
She went to Sheffield Hallam "University", looks like a Blair Mickey Mouse degree.
Point being, I think, a "lesser" qualification, which has quality content will be worth more than the aforementioned. In my opinion anyway!
Seek proper advice from somewhere.

 

[jimmymac]

Well yes, ill be graduate/trainee electrical engineer.

You won't be a graduate engineer unless you get a degree, you may find a job as a trainee engineer but you could be up against others that have the degree. I'm not trying to put you off, just letting you know how things stand. I've just finished my HNC and it's opened a lot of doors for me so I would recommend doing it

 

[king_11]

You won't be a graduate engineer unless you get a degree, you may find a job as a trainee engineer but you could be up against others that have the degree. I'm not trying to put you off, just letting you know how things stand. I've just finished my HNC and it's opened a lot of doors for me so I would recommend doing it

Did you work as an electrician whilst doing the course?