Need some feedback on career choice

FreeRepublic ^ | 06/02/2004 | Hacksaw

[Hacksaw]

I am attending tech school on the 28th of June. I am signed up for residential and commercial electricity, but I am thinking CAD might be a better choice. So my question is - for anyone with any know how about either field, what would you recommend? I think I would enjoy both, but my main goal is employability. My programming experience would help me in CAD, but I have no idea how saturated the market is, or how to find out.

My old job was a mainframe programmer, but since I don't speak Hindi and don't want to move to Bombay, the jobs in that area have been very scarce as of late. I've been painting on the side for about a year now, and I feel it is time for a change.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Since I no longer have a home net connection, I'll have to come back to this thread in a day or two.

[stylin_geek]

My suggestion would be to check with a career counselor, and see if they have any information in regards to the job market you are looking to enter.

[Sir Beowolf]

Take both Cad will aid the other

[Fierce Allegiance]

If you go electrician, you can make a comfortable wage until you get your masters license, and then start your own company. I would strongly suggest it. Union electricians make more on average than college grads with 10 years experience.

If you go cad, you may run into the same position your former profession did, besides you will be working for someone else forever, usually a mid-level engineer type, who are good on tech skills and usually lack people skills.

hope that sheds some light. Good luck.

[Hacksaw]

Thanks - I will see about a counselor. I was looking at Monster, and the entry level salaries are about the same - CAD making slightly more. Laz, I pinged you because I know you are in computers and you might have some comments.

[theDentist]

I'd think carefully about bio-tech, but as the man before said: think about becoming an electrician. People will always need them, no matter the economy's highs or lows.

[Hacksaw]

Looks like my time is running out on this workstation - I'll chack back tomorrow. Thanks for the comments!

[RightWhale]

Forget CAD. Be a lineman.

[thackney]

I'm an electrical engineer working in the consulting side of oil/gas/petrochem. My father was an electrician. I recently moved to Alaska to stay employed in a slow job market. My programming experience would help me in CAD
In a very limited manner, or for a limited market. I hire CAD designers and in my business, this would have no increased appeal except at a very small shop where you would need to do work besides CAD, such as maintaining a network.

but I have no idea how saturated the market is, or how to find out
Employment Ads. If you are willing to move, look at newspapers from major cities where you would be willing to move.

My old job was a mainframe programmer, but since I don't speak Hindi and don't want to move to Bombay, the jobs in that area have been very scarce as of late.
You just described a lot of CAD jobs, sorry to say.

More money can be made doing CAD. However, you cannot outsource work to another country that has to be done on site. The best electrical CAD designers I have ever worked for had field experience as an electrician.

Hope that helps, good luck and remember, I'm just one guy with an opinion.

[Jivana108]

To be honest it may take less time and money to "learn" Hindi...

[pfflier]

Depends on where you live. In the Southwest where construction is booming, industrial electricians are in demand and that is a trade that is always viable.

If you want to work in an air conditioned office and are reasonably satisfied with a mid-level technical job CAD is OK. You will have to constatnly upgrade your skills as the systems and software change.

If you are going to do that try virtual relaity software or animation software instead of CAD. The niche is opening there.

[OK]

Personally, I would stay away from any line of work that can be outsourced abroad. I would try to find something that can not be done abroad like air conditioner repair, or lineman as someone else suggested. CAD is easily outsourced for less money than you can survive on.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

What's right for you? I noticed that you don't spend time doing carpentry and drywall, and that's 90% of what an electrician does. If you don't like (or can't learn to like) crawling on your back and peering into dark recesses in cold and heat, sometimes wet, you won't like being an electrician. Got a friend who's rewiring an old barn in the summmer? Get a Time-Life book and volunteer to help him out.

[lp boonie]

The entry levels may be the same but in the long run you will make a lot more as an electrician. Our firm hires CAD and they do not move up in the salary schedule very fast.

[LurkedLongEnough]

For all the above reasons, advance as an electrician. You can always make money either on your own or for someone else.

If that doesn't work, try career counselor!

[RightWhale]

That would not be a problem since English is spoken quite well in outsource land. Can't outsource linemen, though.

[Radioactive]

Do you want a job or do you want to make some real money and have a business of your own.

If you want a job..then don't figure on ever being financially secure.

If you want to make it in this world....start your own business.

You take a big risk if you decide to work for somebody else. They control your every move...where you live...what time to get up...what kind of car you can buy....when you can go on vacation and for how long.

That doesn't look like much of a future.

START YOUR OWN BUSINESS......

[sharktrager]

One word:

Plastics.

[frankenMonkey]

I entered into computers 20 years ago, with CAD (AutoCAD version 1!). Also worked as an engineer (electrical, cable tv, telecom.) CAD is basically a closed-end career path. You can't really grow beyond being a CAD operator, except to be (maybe) a manager of a CAD department, but that is rare. To grow beyond being a CAD operator, you need an engineering degree (which you may want to consider).

I don't have experience with the Electrical trades, but every one that I know of is fully employed, and has been for years. I think that if you have the drive and desire, it could be a much better carreer path.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Anything to do with government, security, bureaucracy, bean counting, etc. It's the nation's biggest growth industry.