my future plans..

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jayrad1122

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Hi everyone,
To start off I am 17, I go to Vo-tech for electrical and I am on co-op with a small but highly skilled electrical company. I usually work 25 hrs a week, and I love it. It challenges me and I have learned a lot. I applied to 2 colleges for electrical engineering, but I also been teetering lately on the idea of becoming an electrical contractor. I don't know all that much about an electrical engineer's job other than he designs the electrical plans for buildings. I would really like to do that for a career, but I also want to do the hard work involved with wiring commercial buildings and having my own company. I just have some questions about if I'm on the right track..

-Can I be both? :confused: Is it possible to design the buildings and and wire them? I know really large building have an engineering firm do the whole building but I'm talking restaurants and small office buildings and the like, not big buildings.

-I like to get hands-on and if i were to become an engineer would i no longer be able to do that?

- If I were to become an electrical contractor and have my own company (maybe 15 guys?) and do commercial work, would I still be able to design some of electrical plans for those buildings? Is there work like that out?

-And lastly, If I went to college got the degree and knowledge, would that be more helpful becoming an electrical contractor? (After college I would work for a company that does commercial construction before going on my own.)

Sorry about the bombardment of questions, but thank you for your future input.

- jared
 
If you were my son I'd say...

If you were my son I'd say...

If you have the grades and math skills to get an EE degree...
And if you have a way to pay to go to school for it...
Do that.

In what off time you have on weekends/holidays/summers etc...
Continue to do the electrical work if for no other reason than to make some cash
But also to deepen your knowledge of the work and accumulate hours.

To become an EC requires a few intermediary steps along the way.
The common theme of them is job hours and apprentice/journeyman schools.
(or at least the tests the appr/JM schools are preparation for)

Having the EE education will help you be a better electrician but it won't make you one.
Having electrician experience will make you a better EE.

But is is VERY rare for the two to align with each other.
Not impossible; just VERY rare.

Good luck.
 
Marc,
"design-build", there was an article in EC&M about this that I read. Are there a lot of commercial jobs out or at least so I can do them every so often if I were an EC. like 30:60.

Bryan,
thank you. If i were to get a degree and get the engineering knowledge, and also have the experience needed to become an EC..could that be a possibility? Say I get out of college and work for 6 years or until I have enough experience to be able to become an EC could that be an alternative? or is it more or so a "this or that"
 
Get your EE and as much experience as you can. You may find a Great Position with a Mid to Large size EC... Don't forget to take some Business Classes too... Maybe a Spanish Class or two also. You could find yourself running the show...
 
No one can take your education away from you. Go for the EE!

I know of one EE that has his EC license, he said it only gets crazy when quailifing with two different state boards...

Good Luck and Stay Hungry!!!

Edit:
NC requires contining education courses for most Licensed Services
 
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Having options is always good if you think you'd like both careers. I graduate with a BSEE in June and I've settled on the engineering route. I hope I can get enough time in working with my hands through my volunteer activities and tearing stuff apart in my garage. It should help too working in a plant environment as opposed to an office in a consulting firm or something. I've heard a number of people say to keep your hobbies and career semi-separated so you don't burn out on either. My cousin (pipe welder in his late 40s) keeps telling me that no matter how much you like working in the field, if you have the opportunity to do the "desk version" of that job, do it. He feels his body wearing out and knows that he doesn't want to do that kind of work for another 20 years, but there really aren't any other options for him where he's at.

In regards to engineering school, there's one other thing to think about. Electrical engineering is a broad field - broad to the point that you can get an EE degree without knowing a single thing about building power systems. With all of the electronics, semiconductor devices, and high-tech stuff going on that's where the professors tend to focus their time. The research funding they can find determines what they study, and there is a fairly small pool of dollars going into power. This means that only a hand full of schools have good power programs anymore. Nuclear engineering is in the same boat - clearly society will need a number of people with this training for many years to come, but there are only 20 or so schools in the US now to provide it. Our Dean just closed down the nuclear program at Cincinnati so I've listened to all of those arguments flying around for a while. If I want to really learn about power systems I can go to Ohio State, but the only reason their power program is still around is because my power instructor and a couple of his buddies kicked in $300,000 or something for them to keep the program alive.

Anyway, as I sit back and look at my schooling and think about how much of directly applies to industrial plants it's kind of sad. Everything I know about motor drives I researched myself. Sure, I learned how to analyze the amplifier circuit in general, but my solid state electronics class didn't cover IGBTs, and my electronics classes didn't cover any power electronic circuits. Electric machines and power system analysis were taught at night by a guy who just retired from the utility - thank God he was there or I'd really be lost. For me the EE program provided a wide theoretical base, but I've had to do a lot of work on my own to apply it to anything I WANTED to know. It's amazing to sit here and think how much I still have to learn to be successful in my chosen field.

....when I started these ramblings I was trying to answer a question at the time....
 
Can I be both?
Click to expand...

You can be whatever you want to be and with this much enthusiasm at age 17, I have all the confidence in the world in you.

I was a dumbass little kid at 17 and didn't take life seriously until about age 30. I eneded up OK and you have a 13 year head start on me.



And....If you were an EE with field experience, you would be a god in my eyes. Most EE's I have dealt with only know how it works on paper.
 
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jayrad1122 said:
Hi everyone, To start off I am 17, I go to Vo-tech for electrical and I am on co-op with a small but highly skilled electrical company. I usually work 25 hrs a week, and I love it.

-Can I be both?

- jared
Click to expand...

Your'e 17 and you know what you want. Something in electrical. Try all of it and see what fits. You may find another aspect of the industry you love more, or not. I suspect you'd be happy almost any place in the field.
 
I am from California so I know what I'm talking about. The Golden Age of electrical contracting is over. Continue to work in electrical but go to school and get that EE degree. Study hard, become an engineer and you will have much intellectual stimulation, stay in construction and you will suffer a lifetime of frustration.

I'd be willing to bet that if you asked any electrical contractor if the were 17 again, would they go to school or become contractors, 99.9% would go the school route.

You're obviously smart, go to school and use your intellectual gifts.
 
RE:My future plans

RE:My future plans

I work as an estimator at a mid-size electrical contractor, and our Master is also a PE.(Electrical) He worked his way thru college, working summers for an electrical contractor. He feels and I totally agree with him, that he is a far better engineer, having worked in the field. After you deal with some knucklehead engineers who have no idea what it takes to build a job, i really enjoy working with guys who have field knowledge. Just my opinion, I am sure to take some flack from the PE's out there. Nice to see a person your age that has his head on straight. Good luck!!
 
If you want to goto school do it now. It only gets harder the older you get. Things happen to. Maybe your making good money as a electrician. You get hitched, now you need the money, can't afford school. Goto school now if you are inclined to do that.
 
I agree with all those that say go to school!

Use your electives to take business courses.

Keep working in the field with the idea of getting your contractors license.

Graduate and get your EE degree.

Then, decide if you want to be one or the other or both.

You will be a rare individual who will truly have the choice of doing either or both. If you are doing both, you may not be the best in both fields. If you choose just one, I believe your attitude will almost guarantee you will be one of the best in either.

Best of luck to you.

It is refreshing to hear a young man thinking long term with enthusiasm.
 
always learning!

always learning!

mdshunk said:
Yes, that's called "design-build"... or in some cases "design as you build". :grin:
Click to expand...
There is a lot of this"design as you build" going on! The smallest of jobs may have 4 or 5 different set of prints before it is over! To the op, what ever you decide you may still end up changing that decision later. I see the smartest people in the electrical trade, as the ones always learning! And remember, I once worked with a young engineer right out of school that said " all engineers should be required to be electricians one year in the field"!! Good Luck to you!
 
well thank you all for your input, so being an engineer with field experience is very valuable. I think this will help too.

captaincrab55 said:
You may find a Great Position with a Mid to Large size EC...
Click to expand...

- I am thinking if I don't like being an engineer after a couple years then this might be a possible option.

thank you

-Jared
 
You might end up being too big of a fish to work in the field in a few years, three to five years might be enough if you get exposed to a good variety of work.
I would suggest adding business management and construction law to your education.
Dont get stuck as someones CAD operator unless thats what you enjoy.
Like most guys here, I personally design 90% of my projects.
You sound like you have what it takes to make a difference in the trade.
Maybe you are the one that can get everyone to start flat rate pricing.
 
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