The future of electric / electronics technician job

[giorgos]

With this topic , I would like to share our thoughts for the future of the job of electric / electronics technicians.
The financial crisis gets new limits on jobs opportunities, also the development of technology sets new fields in these jobs, which requires constant training for the technicians who doesnt want to miss the train of evolution.
A clear example  is the electricians, nowdays the electronics have involved in many electric applications (plc, automation etc) , so the electricians have to train in electronics.
 The rate of evolution is very fast and getting faster as years go by. The technician of 80s was rather close with one in 90s, but from the 00s and then the distances have been getting bigger and bigger. As the evolution is getting faster the time for training is getting smaller, so the only way for anyone is specialization in a specific sector.
This contains a main disadvantage, the technician maby become something like a part of machine, having a very specific job to do and loosing other characteristics like analytical thought , crisis etc.
I wonder if there is a red line,which anyone will set it in a position according to his requirements.

[Kiriakos GR]

Yes I will agree in some points of your concept but I will have to disagree in many too.

The primary obligation of one electrician who works as employee is to be able to handle problems and solutions relative with the technology which is currently available in the specific factory no matter the age of the equipment. 
 
Advance theoretical training regarding modern systems in the above example is useless, and therefore the chair belongs to the one which haves the proper experiences.

An electrician graduates from school with extremely generic training.
In order to get your license so to work you are obligated for two years of practical experience.

What would be this practical experience it can be a matter of choice, but most of the times is a coincidence.

What I am trying to say is that no one has 100% control of what is happening in his career as electrician.

Even the most experienced electrician in a new working environment looks like a lost baby.

Training cycles among with experiences and advanced tools in your tool box are the weapons which I consider as must have for your personal preparation, so to learn of how to think and react when a problem arises.

Troubleshooting is an art by it self.
Maintenance is a different story.
New electrical installations are also another different story.
Industrial automation does not necessarily translate to PLC.
PLC programming is part of Industrial automation, but actually you need to have at list three different electricians specialized in totally different sectors, so have your specific system running.
 
My personal problem in such working environments was not the job it self, or the dirty environment with fumes / cement / grease / black smoke / chemicals / or angry bees which love to build nests in power distribution panels, and you have to chase them around with WD40 spray.
It is all about been respected in the post that you are serving, no matter if there is an active problem to solve or not.


Regarding training I am not in favor either of endless training curves, they are pointless especially when there is the latest technology of automation installed.
With all those digital aids as self-diagnosis / self-calibration / computer controlled inspections and analysis, the role of electrician and the tasks which will perform is very specific.

Crisis – Europe – Industry – unemployment, the same picture faces the electrician in Italy who worked in FIAT, and the one in France who worked in RENAULT, and the Greek who worked in NISSAN and the Australian who worked in FORD.

The easiest way to make money is to sale toilet paper, but if you have select to work as electrician / trouble-shooter, you better stay sharp even under the worst situations, or change your life style completely and do something different.
   
In England they also preannounce the electricians as Sparky, well I agree that an electrician which his mentality is not capable to produce sparks ( unstoppable alternative solutions generator)  he has much less chances to work as electrician even if he have finish the basic education as electrician.

[giorgos]

You raised the issue of education, which is something important.
 Indeed the training in technical schools is very generic even at universities too. And there is the point, the future technician have to look further, to train by his own and not to depents in what he learn in school/college.
I remember when I was a student at technical high school, that i have passion with electronics. Other students in my class was spenting their pocket money on caffes, video games etc, instead of me , that I was buying technical books, equipment, tools, components etc. little by little.
Unfortunately many students today ,who have graduated from technical schools, even from technical universities, have a poor level of knowledge that it affects to their jobs. I can see it clearly in my job, where are many employees with higher diplomas than mine ,but with less knowledge.
Maby the reason is the bad education system in Greece who push students to follow something that they doesnt really want. Also the mentality that anyone should have a diploma, and when you get it you think that you are specialist.

[Kiriakos GR]

I consider my self as lucky because even by short contracts, I did work in many local industries.
The pack of those experiences is truly invaluable.
In the medium to large size industries there is always in them an electrician engineer, which is the one who become most of the times a dart target.

When you work as freelancer you are also a moving dart target. 

What I am trying to say is that an electrician is a position with tremendous responsibilities, like been a permanent soldier which it does obey and follow orders and even lives his life by following specific principals.

In Greece you inherit the way of acting as a true electrician only by cooperating with elders electricians in the same work field.
If your personality have awkward manners, there is no chance to become friends with those people, so to make them to open up and share with you their experiences and teachings. 

My saying it might sound crazy but the life style of a true electrician haves as close example the Bushido Code ( The Eight Virtues of the Samurai )    

It is not a well payed job, but if you accept to engage in full with it, it is mainly because you are enjoying doing it.