Aah!! Dilemmas, Dilemmas. Career Change.

[Elmer Fudd]

This is aimed mainly at you Brits out there but any comments are welcome!

Anyway, my motto in life has always been "as one door closes another one slams shut in your face" and it's usually been pretty accurate!

However, today I'm sorting through a weeks worth of mail. After discarding the usual hate mail I opened an interesting letter that could be a career change opportunity for me. Not one option, but two!

The options I'm interested in are training up to be either: a (Part P) qualified sparks or training up as an IT Technician.

I've re-wired a couple of houses in my lifetime. I've built up a couple of PC's as well. I've always worked with my hands, I like taking things apart, so when they break I know what I'm looking at (putting them back together is another matter!!). I like to stand back and look at something and think, "I did that".
So I think I'd be adequately able in both lines of work. Ideally I'd like to end up self employed.

So I suppose I'm really asking for advice from people in either lines of work on their opinion of job prospects. Going it alone etc..

New Year, New Start and all that, don't ya know!!

 

[mark barker]

If you're thinking of making a career of it, then I'd go with the sparks role... PCs are a disposable item and for those that are really keen on upgrading their system the odds are they'll do it themselves. With domestic wiring a certificate of compliance is required for most works, so that puts the DIYer off tackling the job themselves.

Either way, good luck with it!

 

[rusky]

I was/still am considering a career change & leaning towards the domestic installer route.

We have planning permission for an extension & the course cost woud cover the cost of a registered installer. My problem is fitting it in with full time work.

The problem I have is finding out what I need to do to become a domestic installer & which professional body I need to register with.

 

[thomas]

If you're thinking of making a career of it, then I'd go with the sparks role... PCs are a disposable item and for those that are really keen on upgrading their system the odds are they'll do it themselves. With domestic wiring a certificate of compliance is required for most works, so that puts the DIYer off tackling the job themselves.

Either way, good luck with it!

I wouldn't do the IT technician training. I know people who did similar courses a few years ago and still don't have a job (mind you, he's a lazy bugger). The type of jobs that are available, would be either work for yourself (but then everyone has a mate who can help - or they'll just take it into a store/buy new), or for schools and things. I did my work experience for a large business IT company and worked in their "desktop support department" (AKA: it technicians) and they all had degrees and it sounded like they needed them (rather than some sort IT technician qualification like you'd be going for).

I'm doing a computing science degree...so does that make my opinion slightly more valid? I certainly don't think I'm better at anyone for doing a degree, however, for any sort of reasonable level in IT/Computing it is pretty much vital if you're looking to go into it (without many years of experience).

I used to work for an online marketing firm, but that was all based on experience.

Do the electrician work - any old dipstick can get let loose on a computer

 

[asterix]

In France I have met several ex-IT peeps who became electricians but no-one I know has gone the other way.

 

[Night Train]

Go with being a sparks. I did back in the late 80s. It has always kept me in work and there is always work for a good one.

The thing is to be much more then a bog standard installation sparky. They are good and will always have bread and butter work and you should be as good and as quick with site work, rewiring and adding additional circuits.

You should look at fully understanding not just the trade and the regs but also the mistakes and the complex issues so that you can trouble shoot the many mistakes and problems others leave in their wake.

Also consider which area of work you want to do. Site work doing first and second fix on new and refurb buildings. Repairs and conversions of existing work. Domestic and residential, commercial or industrial.

I worked mainly in residential repairs and modifications, and some rewiring, for owner occupiers, private landlords and housing associations but also did a fair bit of commercial office rewiring including data and telecoms wiring. There was also a spattering of industrial work connecting and commissioning machinery which lead onto heat and ventilation work across all the fields.

I ended up training electricians and sorting out the trouble shooting and difficult jobs while my electricians did the day to day stuff.
Some of the fun stuff included very high quality work for wealthy clients where I had to steam off wallpaper, chase in new circuits and then repaper the walls so that switches and sockes would just appear on the wall.
Also fire investigation following an alledged electrical fire for insurance claims. Many a time I would find the 'electrical fault' was faked or caused by bad work from many months or years previously. There is always great satisfaction from that sort of 'CSI' work.

All in all, in my opinion, it will probably open more (interesting) doors, mainly in the construction and service industries, then IT will.

 

[Bamford]

I was the sort of person who enjoyed taking things apart and it took me a while to find my true vocation until I happened to try web development.

I love the problem solving and the creative aspects.

Microsoft offer free software for building websites - see http://www.microsoft...press/Downloads

Also, have a look at getting into WordPress - http://wordpress.org or CodeIgnitor http://codeigniter.com

Komodo Edit is also worth a look http://www.activestate.com/komodo-edit

You may also consider getting into developing apps for mobiles phones. Have a look at PhoneGap http://www.phonegap.com or Titanium http://www.appcelera...on-development/

Just a suggestion.

 

[gbb]

I'd go the electrical way. The world and his brother do IT, strikes me that electrical work would be more satisfying and rewarding.
A career change can be the scariest and most rewarding thing you'll do.
I got offered a job as a maintenance engineer 10 years ago. Never done it before although ive always been involved in engineering departments. No qualifications even now (to my regret) but i work competently on machine electrics, 3 phase, pneumatics etc etc. You just never know where its going to head...10 years ago i'd never have dreamed i'd be doing what i do now. 2 years trying to absorb it all, then you (i) really get (got) going....to the point where i've worked in places around the world i'd never have thought possible.

Truly scary at times, unbelieveably rewarding....keeps the grey matter well and truly working. Best thing i ever did.

 

[Piemaster]

I'd say electrical as well. Constant demand in my industry (shipping) for electricians - if you fancy running away to sea that is. gbb's experience would be a good start in the industry.

BTW gbb if you ever fancy a change in career direction.... (bit mercenary here as I'd get a finders fee )

 

[Arch]

I'd say, go for the electrics, because you need the certification to do the work. Once you have it, you can work as a sparks and you can still do computer stuff via word of mouth recommendation, for which you don't need to have the quals. Whereas if you go down the IT option, the electrics stuff is closed to you....

 

[sheddy]

Beware of this lot, lies and hard sell - want you to sign up today etc
Featured on BBc Watchdog - http://www.train4tradeskills.com/about.html

 

[ttcycle]

I'd agree with other posters- the way to go is electrician - the IT world is very volatile at times and as has been mentioned above by Thomas, the qualifitcation that wouldn't neccessarily lead to work for you. I have family in IT and you have to have certain qualifications and years of experience in said areas before you can progress.

If you can get trained up as a spark and find an area of specialism or work to the level that Nighttrain mentions then you'd always have work on.

 

[meenaghman]

In the IT world you have to get business clients..and keep them. PCs are essentially disposable..or the components are...and so its a case of card out and card in. Laptops are slightly more complicated to fix but...if you were a competent electrician the common fixes are easy to do..a desoldering and soldering are easy .enough to do. I,d do electrician..but remember that LANs using cat5/6 cabling and automation using wireless control is starting to become popular in both new build and retrofit. I'd do the electrician myself. On top of that I'd look at cat5/6, fibre (fttc / ftth being rolled out) and wireless networking if interested in the whole are of IT.

 

[Globalti]

Blimey! Is that 100% in favour of electrician? I would agree as well; you get to meet all kinds of interesting people and blow up their houses, much better than peering at a computer all day. That could turn you into a geek.

Why don't you go and ask on DIYnot.com? They will give you sound advice.

 

[Elmer Fudd]

Yet again its been a long time since I was here. But I'm thinking my experiences may be interesting.

So. I kept my "IT" skills to myself and strangely I've earnt a few bob doing that remotely on line (i.e. I take control of their PC using Team Viewer (that's the one where Asian Microsoft phone you up blindly and tell you to install it. The program is good. It's the twats on the other end.), they say what do I owe you, I say forget it, didn't take long etc. next day a cheque in the post.)

So I went the electrical route. Hit the Xmas time the first year and things went quiet (dead). Then joined a "contract team" rewiring council houses in Newcastle. You get 1 day to fully re-wire a house. I got my chisel and mallet out to chase a channel down the wall behind the t.v. in the front room and the gaffer basically said to me "rip the cable out if you can for scrap. Otherwise smash the socket, run sticky backed plastic trunking down the wall and surface mount everything
The "certs" where signed by an 18yr old YOP team leader who I'm assuming copied figures from the front page of the certs book as I never saw him actually test anything. I'm sorry but I'm now 57. But even at 18 I had it instilled in me that you take pride in your work and do the best to your ability. If you cock up, stick your hand up and admit it then no-one can dob you in at a later date.

I had to go back to one old Dears house and apologise for the mess that we'd made to her immaculately decorated lounge. And it was an abomination.

I've just realised I'm running on nervous energy and I'm getting hyper on the feeling!! Sorry peeps!