I actually watched your video before applying for an internship almost a year and a half ago. Fast forward to going into the internship with 0 experience, two NCCER certifications, and some experience in the refineries (non-destructive testing)…I got a full time position and moved into an analyzer technician position. Pay is amazing, benefits are amazing. It’s all a complete life changing experience. No two days are the same and work is legitimately fun. I don’t have to sweat or break my neck and my work is instrumental to my company’s success. Thanks so much for all you’ve done with this page and the wise words I heard from you in this early and satisfying career move.
At this exact moment many of the positions are not filled we have two positions to fill at my company and no one that's qualified even applies for it (it has been a loooong time, wage is good too). It's not right for everyone though. If you like working with your hands and you like working with your mind that's pretty much what it is a bit of a hybrid but if you go to school it'll be challenging to get the first job after that it's easy to get placed and there's an extremely low chance that it won't work out if that makes sense
Hey man, love your videos, keep them up! I’m a college student about to graduate this semester with an eletrical engineering degree, with a concentration in power and cyber security. I was looking to start applying for entry level jobs out of college and found a water and sewer instrument technician position for my local county. I meet all the requirements they request. However, in all honesty, my overall knowledge on things circuit or electronics related is a little behind (be it covid, my focus on my power and cyber security concentrations in school or just lots of time passing by since my circuit classes). I understand the basics, but that might be the extent of it. I do have an internship with an engineering department as of now which is great on paper, but in all honesty, all I do is data entry and working with excel. No hands on experience. Also because of covid, labs related to electronics in college left a lot to be learned and desired. All in all, my question is, will someone with my knowledge be a good fit for a job like this? How are technical questions in interviews from your experience? Is this a good (or possible) entry level job for an electrical engineering graduate? Is there a lot of room to learn on the job? This line of work greatly interests me and I would love to try it out, learn and gain experience on the job, and work my way up it. Side note, I would say that my overall engineering related skills and knowledge is great, especially with mathematics. It’s just the electronics area (which i know has a lot to do with electrical engineering lol) is lacking. Thank you for your help! It’s very much appreciated.
Boy that's a great question.. I have to apologize in advance I'm very tired I had a very long day. My response might be a little bit short. In practical application that water job would probably put you way ahead of some of the other entry level colleagues, but like you said there's a lot to learn going into it blind would be difficult. If there's no one to train you it's going to be trial by fire fortunately if you know all the fundamentals you can figure stuff out relatively quickly. There should be entry level engineering jobs as well but I've never really looked into that that much but it's basically the same thing trial by fire you're going to depend on coworkers to kind of guide you. I'll elaborate more when I got a little bit more time tomorrow
Just to elaborate a little bit.. that job might not be the perfect job for you but it will definitely build your skill set. That's basically where I started. My first job was an internship at a very high-tech water plant I worked under a full-time instrumentation technician training on the different sensors and automation equipment for about a year. My second job was pretty much what you are describing and it was a bit different than the first. I basically had to go in there and train myself; it was a great learning experience. If you end up doing that I would say be extremely careful because if you don't have much practical experience you will most likely shock yourself more than once. Focus on safety first. Long story short I train myself and after about 9 months I was an absolute beast. I guess it's really up to you. Instrumentation and controls as a whole lot of overlap with electrical engineering and also has overlap with being an electrician so you're just going to have to make a decision based on what you know. But yes, you will learn a lot.you might not be the best person for the job at first but if you have a strong understanding of physics and electrical theory within a few months you will be killing it
The only thing that people sometimes struggle with is finding a first job with a college degree and no experience... You won't have that issue I'm happy for you you made the right choice. Add me on LinkedIn
Man am I glad I found your channel!! I’ve been a welder for quite some time now, and I’ve returned to school this past fall to pursue an AAS in Electronics engineering technology. I’ve really been looking for someone with experience in the industry to point out all of the different job opportunities available in the EET career field. I hope you post more, because I really want to know all about the different areas of the job market I’d be qualified to work in.
And a bit more follow up on that pretty much how it goes is you got your first job then you got your career job. First job you have a few choices as far as which direction you're going to go in.... You can be one of the chosen few and find a company that has entry level instrumentation and controls technician training program. Those can be kind of hard to find but that's like the best case scenario I was able to get that because of the connections that one of my professors had down in South Florida. Nothing to worry about though because there's other opportunities that are a bit on the entry level side of instrumentation... You can start out as a wiring technician or electronics technician basically doing mechanical and electrical assembly following schematics etc it's a good way to get a foot in the door. A better route in my opinion is to get a job as a maintenance technician which is essentially you're going to be working on equipment and you want to find one that is a bit more on the entry level side with electrical and automation troubleshooting in the job description. There are a million of those and if you have the education those people would love to hire you cuz usually there's a whole team of maintenance guys and most these places are a little bit short on the controls aspect of it I think most people are going to end up in a job like that with their first job. There's also field service which includes some travel and some smaller companies don't really want to pay much so they always have shortages with that. So the options for the first job are pretty broad and there are a lot of jobs out there hopefully you have a good personality and at least some sort of Warehouse or industrial background even if it's very limited to your foot in the door. Do that for a year or two and then you get the good job use that background in your education and boom you're qualified to make the big bucks buddy
@@gregroche7323 Ahh south Florida.. I’m in South Alabama myself. I do have warehouse/ industrial experience also. I’m a welder currently and I’ve been at it for several years, but being blunt; I’m tired of that 💩 now. Too much wear and tear on my body, so that’s what lead to the career change. I had a chance to speak with my advisor at school after watching your video, and he recommended that after I completed the EET program, I stay another semester to get the AAS in process maintenance. Which I wasn’t interested in until you mentioned the maintenance jobs. So there’s definitely a lot to digest as far as job options. I haven’t gotten to the instrumentation and controls classes yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to them. I’m currently in the robotics programming and Lab class along with microprocessors and the lab for that class also, I know Delta Airlines came to the class offering jobs starting at 31.50/hr fresh out of school, but that was prior to me coming in. So I know there are lots of opportunities, I’m just looking for something that will be a good apprenticeship/internship with an opportunity to grow. I’ve been looking at Texas heavily, but I feel I may be getting ahead of myself.
@@shaunjay6040 yea man why rush it. Is the area you live in at least somewhat populated or have a decent amount of industrial jobs? If so you don't need to sweat anything man I would suggest get that AAS degree sounds good and you are right most tech positions are pretty easy on the body. You're definitely some dirty difficult jobs out there but for the most part at least you're not doing much heavy lifting or anything like that and then on the flip side of that you can go into like a sterile lab environment if that's what you want
@@gregroche7323 there are a few ship yards like Austal and Ingalls here. Amazon is local along with Mitsubishi polycrystalline silicon facility. There are some options available locally.
Make sure you find an internship or a cooperative even a full time job while you're in school it's gonna make your job hunt exponentially easier I can't stress that enough
Yes so there are a lot more jobs for engineering than there are for technicians or technicians but I know for a technician it's a lot easier to get A foot in the door If you have a little bit of related experience, it doesn't even have to be super closely related. Engineering might be a little bit easier to get into the field but some sort of work that's related will give you a major advantage over other college graduates with no experience. If possible I would definitely look for something engineering related even if you're just helping out around the office or something like that.
Currently working at a food processing plant as a boiler and refrigeration op/tech and going to school for Instrumentation and Controls, hoping to stay with the company and move departments at some point into instrumentation, they start at $32 and go up to $44 👌 nice video bud
Does anyone have any insight into what the physical field evaluation and written evaluation would entail for an E&I Apprentice position? I passed the EEI MASS test and have these coming up. Thanks
I really like your take on the job market, currently in the military as an electronics technician but plan on joining the workforce next year when I'm out. I hope the job market stays hot for workers in the foreseeable future.
The last company I was with had a lot of military guys particularly ex-navy. It appears that some of the bigger companies prefer a military background so I expect you're going to have smooth sailing brother. I've been looking at these jobs since 2017 that's when I started my career and it's pretty much always been like this it's just more in demand now that was when I started so I don't think you have anything to worry about. Thank you for your service.
You'll get a position. Companies typically favor military over most. I've ben an ICE tech for 12 years. Worked in coal fired and gas fired plants. What I can tell you is this: keep up on your HOT troubleshooting (working with live circuits), be flexible when it comes to prints (some are good and up to date, some are terrible), be "loose". I mean that. Your co-workers are going to have far different personalities and lives than what you experienced in the military. So relate to what's going on in your life. Projects at home, life in general. Keep the military stories to a minimum. Always, ALWAYS, be willing to ask for/offer help. Never be afraid or to prideful to ask for help or offer it. That will get you far. If you don't know, say you don't know. I've seen too many good techs get either cocky or sucked up in what that think they know and either get hurt, at worst, or branded as someone the workforce "can't work with". Respect operators and your maintenance crew. They'll help you and become a viable part of your working life (and teach you a lot). And always...ALWAYS...work on your crossword puzzles. Best of luck to you.
Thank you for posting this video. I am 42 and looking into getting on this career. Can you please tell me, what is one of the most important things to learn , to become good at this job? Thank you.
Well I don't think anyone's ever asked me this one before. If you have read my responses to other people's questions you know that this is gonna be a big one🤣🤣 I guess the 1st thing is to figure out within instrumentation what type of job do you want and whathe one and the way you figure that out is through a little research and different personality types are better fit for Different types of jobs. I'm not gonna go super deep into this topic but I'll just say 2 examples. E and I In the most simple explanation full explanation is a hybrid between an electrical engineer and an electrician. Generally Speaking You would be doing maintenance on industrial equipment and the thing about this job is that a lot of the things that no one really understands or noone really knows how to work on will become your responsibility... Part of the job is reading Technical manuals calling technical support and ordering parts. This job is a good fit for people with high intelligence. If you're the type of person that Can't stop working on a puzzle until you figure it out then you would be good at this job. Another Job is general lab setting instrumentation which is better for people that are highly organized And pay attention to detail. My job is the first one. Understanding electricity & electric theory is basically the foundation of everything. If it's not that then it's Physics. You don't need to be a rocket scientist but you know need to know a little bit about everything. I.T. stuff can be important but those skills can be developed mid career. Specific skills to learn: reading electrical schematics, P&ID, understanding analog signals (part of electric theory) are good places to start. It may sound complicated but it's really not horribly complicated. As far as where to start if you're not planning on going to school I would suggest trying to get a job as a maintenance technician at a company that has controls and controls and instrumentation and you can kind of learn on the job and start leaning in that direction. Best of luck let me know if I answered your question and if there's anything else you'd like to know from my experience
@@gregroche7323 I want to really Thank you for taking the time to write your advice. I even screenshot it lol. May God keep giving you wisdom. This will indded, be a challenge for me. Thank you so much Greg .
Would you recommend getting an electrician apprenticeship first and then get an electrician license or just go straight job searching for I&E? What do you search for when looking for I&E entry job or should I just take some college courses first while doing job searching? It’s pretty cool that I watch your old video a couple days ago and you just happen to upload a new one.
Nice I appreciate that Electricians are different than I & E in a lot of ways even though they are similar. Electricians tend to make more money depending on where you are in the country and if there's unions etc. I'll make some assumptions here if you joined an electrical apprenticeship you're going to start out digging ditches learning how to pull wire stuff like that which is something that you're just not going to learn in instrumentation School. Of course later on I'm sure there be some much higher end stuff, but the electricians tend to focus on getting power to the panels. Techs work on the controls in the panels. Associate's degree is going to take less time that's what I would suggest if you're confident that you want to be an I & C tech. That education is going to be more theory-based plus labs where I'm not really sure what they learn in the apprenticeship school but I'm assuming they're not really learning a lot of engineering fundamentals and stuff. Again, just different. So do some research and figure out which one's a better fit for you. I don't think apprenticeship is a very standard career path for i and e because those people tend to make more money than I and e techs. Anyways recommend finding a good two-year degree and see if they have good job placement there. Job titles electrical technician instrumentation technician i & e technician i & c controls technician electrical maintenance technician electronics technician calibration technician I would say start with those, starting at the beginning of the list. As far as a first job you're going to have your best luck getting an interview with electronics technician wiring technician or just a general maintenance technician you can kind of get some training on the job if the company has PLC's Automation and instrumentation. You can also look at Amazon, probably not the best place to work but seems like they're a little short staffed and they have all different levels of different types of techs (they usually contract through staffing agencies so you got to figure out what company they use in your area it probably won't say Amazon in the title) just food for thought. It's probably the longest response I've ever written but I feel like there was a lot to pack in there hope it made sense appreciate you commenting it makes the views go up
@@gregroche7323 this is perfect and alot for me to digest and think about. I was actually looking for a programming job since I’ve been doing VBA and SQL and came upon this career path that include some PLC programming. I think PLC is a little bit different though because I heard it’s more about ladder logic? I actually have an interview soon as a wastewater specialist trainee and I remember in your other video you work at a water plan before? This interview will be with an engineering firm. Do you have any suggestion for me? I think I might be able to pick up a few skills there for instrument and control. Anyways, I really appreciate your reply and your videos are awesome.
@@SimpleSysadm yeah for sure if you're looking at wastewater stuff (I'm assuming this is a technician job) they will 1,000% ask you what you know about pumps 😂😂 I always get asked at pretty much every job interview if I've worked on three phase pumps which I think is hilarious because as far as from an electrical standpoint it's just hooking up a few wires or using a megger to test the insulation on the coils which takes approximately 45 seconds to learn 😂 Regardless if it is a tech job I would suggest brushing up on your wiring diagrams I would suggest looking into PLC programming (just the basics) watch a couple videos on how pumps work and just be yourself my friend. You also may want to familiarize yourself with vfds. Honestly though if this is a training position they're going to be looking more at your personality than anything in my opinion so I wouldn't sweat the studying too hard doesn't hurt to do a little bit of research though.
Also if the position is less electrical based and more of a mechanical type gig definitely do a lot of research on pumps that's most of what you'll be doing. I hope you're willing to get your hands dirty 😂
Well you kind of use math a lot but its mostly simple math. Multiplication, exponents and trigonometry. Trigonometry comes up a lot but is actually pretty simple once you understand the basics. No calculus or complicated equations. Being naturally good at math helps a lot but you don't need a lot of knowledge if that makes sense
Hi, It is really great to see again on youtube after a long time! I've just applied to Industrial Instrumentation program in Nova Scotia Community College. It is a Canadian Community college in Nova Scotia Province. I hope I get accepted. My question is the fallowing: when they call it industrial instrumentation, does it make any difference in comparison with Instrumentation and Control etc? Because there are many programs with different names and I suppose more or less they are the same thing. I have to say million thanks for all the experiences, informations you shared with us and also for the motivation and the encouragement you gave!
That's a really good question... There's a reason why they call it instrumentation and controls they are technically two different things. Generally people use instrumentation as a vague term covering instrumentation, control systems, automation etc. Technically speaking instrumentation is measurement sensors. Calibration technician would be someone who is solely focused on instrumentation; there is plenty to learn in that field. How instruments work, different types of instruments, calibrations and of course how your physical process can create bad readings and correcting those process issues to get you more stable instrument readings. Controls is a bit different. All of your instrument signals are going to come in and they're going to interact and control your automated devices, possibly through a PLC, there are proprietary controllers that are made for specific processes, they're all different types of softwares out there just depends where you're working and of course you have your electrical controls/hardwired logic (relays, floats switches etc.) These all fall under the umbrella of controls. When I say instrumentation in my videos I generally mean instrumentation and controls or instrumentation and electrical, but the technical definitions are a bit more specific and each company might use different terminology in their job descriptions. There are sometimes different degrees within this, also we can't forget about robotics which is similar but different. When deciding which degree to take or which job to take realize there's a lot of crossover between all of it so at the end of the day the degree you get might not make a huge difference because you're going to learn about all of it in any of the degrees. As far as choosing the direction of your career I would say if you are extremely organized, like things with clear-cut rules and directions calibration (solely instrumentation) maybe a better fit for that personality type. If you really enjoy troubleshooting, like a good challenge, and tend to think there's more than one way to solve a problem focusing more on the controls side of things may be better for you. For me I prefer controls troubleshooting to calibrating instruments
Hey bro, came across your video and wanted to get your opinion.. unfortunately I'm incarcerated but I do have several instrumentation textbooks with an associate that promises 6 months in a school that he's familiar with and I will be certified.. so my question is do you believe that's actually possible?
I'm sorry I didn't really understand the question, are you asking me if it's possible to get a 6 months instrumentation certification? If that's the question then yes I believe it's possible but it's not going to hold as much weight as a two-year degree and it will be pretty tricky to get into it with that only. Anything helps to get a foot in the door though and you can kind of grow into the position you want. Also realize that there's a lot of companies out there that are looking for people that can't find them... a big part of Landing a job is being creative on your job hunt how charismatic you are and how hard you push. Maybe you could rephrase a question I could give some more input
@@gregroche7323 okay I am not knowledgeable of the actual facts, but a friend of mine is claiming that once I get all of the book knowledge down in my downtime that he will be able to get me into a 2 years School, but I would only have to stay there for about 6 months for hands on purpose and would receive the same qualifications as someone who has participated in the entire two years.. simply because I am acquiring all the book knowledge currently and will not have to go through that within the school so the question is do you think this is actually possible on is my friend selling me a pipe dream
That's a good question I'm really not sure. I mean to get an associates degree you have to actually take the classes so I would think that he is talking about some sort of certification rather than an addociates. I don't think that you can get college credit for just having knowledge, you can use it sometimes to start like a higher level math class or something but those situations are pretty few and far between. I'm not going to say don't do it I'm just going to tell you that it's going to be challenging to get a job as an instrumentation Tech without experience and without a two-year degree. Another factor of courses if you are a felon that is going to chop about half of the companies that are willing to hire you off the list. All that being said if you are a driven individual and you know you want to do this by all means go for it just know it's going to be challenging in the path to get to where you want to be is not going to be a straight line
@@gregroche7323 this is message I just received You can get a Instrumentation Degree. But, you still need NCCER Certificate. But, you don't need Instrumentation Degree to take Test For Certificate. True or false?
I actually don't know the answer to that I do not have that certificate I think that is more of a West Coast / Texas thing maybe I'll do some research on it. I just have an associate's degree and like 6 years of experience so there's certain electrical things that I am not certified to do but I don't know of anyone in my region that has that degree
Yes.. little update I have noticed, at least in my area there arent a ton of jobs right now, they are out there though... Best AS degree for SURE dude, no one goes into this field so even though it's not that hard demand is strong and employers treat you well. I do not think I have gone a week in the last 3 years where someone hasn't reached out to me asking me to apply.
They are all posted online. A lot of them now aren't even posted publicly you have to talk to recruiters and staffing agencies. I'm in Ohio it's good here really good Illinois Ive noticed is crazy right now
LinkedIn is probably the best way to find them you should post your resume on there with your contact information so you fill out your profile with your skills and whatnot so when people use the search function they can find you
Hir sir, I am instrument technician and i am having 8 years experience in oil and gas industry and looking for job in canada but one problem is there i am only 12th pass is it possible to find job base on only 8 years experience?
I don't know the answer to that I'm in the United States. I should probably do my next video on this.. I know in the United States you would be qualified for a lot of jobs with that I believe there's different certifications in Canada. In the United States to be an electrician generally speaking if you want a good job you need a journeyman's certificate but as an instrumentation technician we don't have those types of certificate programs or at least where I'm at in the United States we don't have those for instrumentation... the general qualification is a 2-year degree or relevant experience. I believe there are apprenticeships in Canada the only way to find out is to try to apply for some jobs
I really don't know how to answer that question I would look at field service technician jobs as a good start starting point since you're planning on moving having the travel for work want to be a bad thing. Companies have a really hard time filling those positions whether they be electrical and the electrical and instrumentation technicians are even field service engineer.. Look at companies like Rockwell Johnson Controls Siemens Etcetera
@@gregroche7323 thanks bro for the info atleast in someways you've helped me to start with something. I'm currently taking up 'Instrumentation technology and process control' in Papua New Guinea. But thanks very much for your reply.
Is it possilbe to get into the field if you have electrical and troubleshooting experience outside of instrumentation? I have an Industrial Electronics degree but have worked as a medical equipment technician and as an electrician apprentice before that.
The best way to figure it out is start applying you would be surprised how quickly you will get a response. I would say yes and no they really depends on the job you're applying for... In my opinion there would be some jobs that you wouldn't be qualified for but if you have a good personality and work ethic etc I'm quite certain that you could get in doing electrical maintenance, or even possibly i & c either at a smaller company, if you're willing to travel or potentially even a larger company looking to train someone a little bit. Your experience sounds pretty relevant to me just maybe lacking in PLC work and possibly instrumentation fundamentals but it's not the hardest stuff in the world to learn... So long story short.... IM NOT SURE😂😂 Apply for two or three jobs and let us know how it goes
I apologize I'm pretty long-winded... You also have to understand that not all of these jobs are going to have you plugging into a PLC some companies don't have plcs they just use relays and stuff so it really just depends on the job description there's a pretty big variety out there
Sounds good I feel like most people at watch these videos are either in school or thinking of going into school so whatever you post will probably be a bunch of people that end up reading it could help someone
I would look for a similar job that requires less qualifications I don't know what the job market in India is like but maybe something where you're doing maintenance on machines or helping out and training at a factory. I can't be tricky to get the first job but once you get that one and work there for a year or two it's really easy to change jobs. Maintenance technician wiring technician engineering technician control panel Builder Electronics assembly technician these are all good places to start they might pay a little bit less but if it's similar to what you want to do that's what you want
I know that we just hired someone that just got their degree with no experience at my company but in the United States it's very difficult to find qualified instrumentation technicians. So we have a guy with no experience starting soon that's at the same level as me and I have about 5 years of experience, it's just difficult to find people here at this time
There are a decent number of jobs in the high 40's even low 50's /hr. They aren't easy to get but I know a good number of people with 100k + base salary. I am not in that category obviously it helps if you know someone that works at a oil field or Refinery or power plant that's usually where you're going to get those rates. A good expectation for when you get your career a little bit established is low to mid 30s
I can't really comment on that I would say look for companies that offer sponsorship for people from other countries and also so any positions that involve traveling are very difficult to fill so you may have better luck with those companies. I would expect that from large corporations more than small companies
I can see that.. honestly I saw more high paying postings before we started slipping into a recession I've noticed the trend that the wages are actually dropping the last few months I just keep an eye on it so I can stay informed. I'm pretty large portion of the people that comment on my videos are in the 40s I think it just takes a little bit of time to get there
I actually watched your video before applying for an internship almost a year and a half ago. Fast forward to going into the internship with 0 experience, two NCCER certifications, and some experience in the refineries (non-destructive testing)…I got a full time position and moved into an analyzer technician position. Pay is amazing, benefits are amazing. It’s all a complete life changing experience. No two days are the same and work is legitimately fun. I don’t have to sweat or break my neck and my work is instrumental to my company’s success. Thanks so much for all you’ve done with this page and the wise words I heard from you in this early and satisfying career move.
That makes me very happy to hear. I wish you the best and appreciate you letting me know what's going well. Congratulations.
I can't even get a call back
@@Purplegrass117 I can try to help as best as I can. What region are you in?
@@christopherreynolds7318 Houston/Pasadena Texas
@@Purplegrass117 did you go to school or do you have any certs?
Bro am really bless with your words and am looking forward to hearer more about instrumentation technology.
I am really thinking about going to school for this. I am nervous, but this video is very encouraging!
At this exact moment many of the positions are not filled we have two positions to fill at my company and no one that's qualified even applies for it (it has been a loooong time, wage is good too). It's not right for everyone though. If you like working with your hands and you like working with your mind that's pretty much what it is a bit of a hybrid but if you go to school it'll be challenging to get the first job after that it's easy to get placed and there's an extremely low chance that it won't work out if that makes sense
I also believe my last job that position is still open I left almost a year ago
Hey man, love your videos, keep them up!
I’m a college student about to graduate this semester with an eletrical engineering degree, with a concentration in power and cyber security. I was looking to start applying for entry level jobs out of college and found a water and sewer instrument technician position for my local county. I meet all the requirements they request.
However, in all honesty, my overall knowledge on things circuit or electronics related is a little behind (be it covid, my focus on my power and cyber security concentrations in school or just lots of time passing by since my circuit classes). I understand the basics, but that might be the extent of it. I do have an internship with an engineering department as of now which is great on paper, but in all honesty, all I do is data entry and working with excel. No hands on experience. Also because of covid, labs related to electronics in college left a lot to be learned and desired.
All in all, my question is, will someone with my knowledge be a good fit for a job like this? How are technical questions in interviews from your experience? Is this a good (or possible) entry level job for an electrical engineering graduate? Is there a lot of room to learn on the job? This line of work greatly interests me and I would love to try it out, learn and gain experience on the job, and work my way up it. Side note, I would say that my overall engineering related skills and knowledge is great, especially with mathematics. It’s just the electronics area (which i know has a lot to do with electrical engineering lol) is lacking.
Thank you for your help! It’s very much appreciated.
Boy that's a great question.. I have to apologize in advance I'm very tired I had a very long day. My response might be a little bit short. In practical application that water job would probably put you way ahead of some of the other entry level colleagues, but like you said there's a lot to learn going into it blind would be difficult. If there's no one to train you it's going to be trial by fire fortunately if you know all the fundamentals you can figure stuff out relatively quickly.
There should be entry level engineering jobs as well but I've never really looked into that that much but it's basically the same thing trial by fire you're going to depend on coworkers to kind of guide you. I'll elaborate more when I got a little bit more time tomorrow
Just to elaborate a little bit.. that job might not be the perfect job for you but it will definitely build your skill set. That's basically where I started. My first job was an internship at a very high-tech water plant I worked under a full-time instrumentation technician training on the different sensors and automation equipment for about a year. My second job was pretty much what you are describing and it was a bit different than the first. I basically had to go in there and train myself; it was a great learning experience. If you end up doing that I would say be extremely careful because if you don't have much practical experience you will most likely shock yourself more than once. Focus on safety first. Long story short I train myself and after about 9 months I was an absolute beast. I guess it's really up to you. Instrumentation and controls as a whole lot of overlap with electrical engineering and also has overlap with being an electrician so you're just going to have to make a decision based on what you know. But yes, you will learn a lot.you might not be the best person for the job at first but if you have a strong understanding of physics and electrical theory within a few months you will be killing it
I'm a first year instrument apprentice. Really looking forward to my future
The only thing that people sometimes struggle with is finding a first job with a college degree and no experience... You won't have that issue I'm happy for you you made the right choice. Add me on LinkedIn
Man am I glad I found your channel!! I’ve been a welder for quite some time now, and I’ve returned to school this past fall to pursue an AAS in Electronics engineering technology. I’ve really been looking for someone with experience in the industry to point out all of the different job opportunities available in the EET career field. I hope you post more, because I really want to know all about the different areas of the job market I’d be qualified to work in.
I'm available to discuss anytime
And a bit more follow up on that pretty much how it goes is you got your first job then you got your career job.
First job you have a few choices as far as which direction you're going to go in.... You can be one of the chosen few and find a company that has entry level instrumentation and controls technician training program. Those can be kind of hard to find but that's like the best case scenario I was able to get that because of the connections that one of my professors had down in South Florida. Nothing to worry about though because there's other opportunities that are a bit on the entry level side of instrumentation... You can start out as a wiring technician or electronics technician basically doing mechanical and electrical assembly following schematics etc it's a good way to get a foot in the door. A better route in my opinion is to get a job as a maintenance technician which is essentially you're going to be working on equipment and you want to find one that is a bit more on the entry level side with electrical and automation troubleshooting in the job description. There are a million of those and if you have the education those people would love to hire you cuz usually there's a whole team of maintenance guys and most these places are a little bit short on the controls aspect of it I think most people are going to end up in a job like that with their first job. There's also field service which includes some travel and some smaller companies don't really want to pay much so they always have shortages with that. So the options for the first job are pretty broad and there are a lot of jobs out there hopefully you have a good personality and at least some sort of Warehouse or industrial background even if it's very limited to your foot in the door.
Do that for a year or two and then you get the good job use that background in your education and boom you're qualified to make the big bucks buddy
@@gregroche7323 Ahh south Florida.. I’m in South Alabama myself. I do have warehouse/ industrial experience also. I’m a welder currently and I’ve been at it for several years, but being blunt; I’m tired of that 💩 now. Too much wear and tear on my body, so that’s what lead to the career change. I had a chance to speak with my advisor at school after watching your video, and he recommended that after I completed the EET program, I stay another semester to get the AAS in process maintenance. Which I wasn’t interested in until you mentioned the maintenance jobs. So there’s definitely a lot to digest as far as job options.
I haven’t gotten to the instrumentation and controls classes yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to them. I’m currently in the robotics programming and Lab class along with microprocessors and the lab for that class also, I know Delta Airlines came to the class offering jobs starting at 31.50/hr fresh out of school, but that was prior to me coming in. So I know there are lots of opportunities, I’m just looking for something that will be a good apprenticeship/internship with an opportunity to grow. I’ve been looking at Texas heavily, but I feel I may be getting ahead of myself.
@@shaunjay6040 yea man why rush it. Is the area you live in at least somewhat populated or have a decent amount of industrial jobs? If so you don't need to sweat anything man I would suggest get that AAS degree sounds good and you are right most tech positions are pretty easy on the body. You're definitely some dirty difficult jobs out there but for the most part at least you're not doing much heavy lifting or anything like that and then on the flip side of that you can go into like a sterile lab environment if that's what you want
@@gregroche7323 there are a few ship yards like Austal and Ingalls here. Amazon is local along with Mitsubishi polycrystalline silicon facility. There are some options available locally.
If I were starting i would join the IBEW. They offer free trianing and they pay for you're instrumentation certification.
Motivating me again. ✊🏾✊🏾 appreciate you. This is my second year in college as controls engineering.
I will likely be going for control's engineering in the next year or so your motivating Me Too!
Make sure you find an internship or a cooperative even a full time job while you're in school it's gonna make your job hunt exponentially easier I can't stress that enough
@@gregroche7323 what full time job do you mean? Any job?
Yes so there are a lot more jobs for engineering than there are for technicians or technicians but I know for a technician it's a lot easier to get A foot in the door If you have a little bit of related experience, it doesn't even have to be super closely related. Engineering might be a little bit easier to get into the field but some sort of work that's related will give you a major advantage over other college graduates with no experience. If possible I would definitely look for something engineering related even if you're just helping out around the office or something like that.
@@gregroche7323 thanks brother.
What’s the perks of doing an extra 1-2 semesters to get the electronics technology along side instrumentation for INE
Currently working at a food processing plant as a boiler and refrigeration op/tech and going to school for Instrumentation and Controls, hoping to stay with the company and move departments at some point into instrumentation, they start at $32 and go up to $44 👌 nice video bud
Frick yea
Does anyone have any insight into what the physical field evaluation and written evaluation would entail for an E&I Apprentice position? I passed the EEI MASS test and have these coming up. Thanks
Would instrumentation technology be a good fit as well or should I go the technician route in college?
I really like your take on the job market, currently in the military as an electronics technician but plan on joining the workforce next year when I'm out.
I hope the job market stays hot for workers in the foreseeable future.
The last company I was with had a lot of military guys particularly ex-navy. It appears that some of the bigger companies prefer a military background so I expect you're going to have smooth sailing brother. I've been looking at these jobs since 2017 that's when I started my career and it's pretty much always been like this it's just more in demand now that was when I started so I don't think you have anything to worry about. Thank you for your service.
You'll get a position. Companies typically favor military over most. I've ben an ICE tech for 12 years. Worked in coal fired and gas fired plants. What I can tell you is this: keep up on your HOT troubleshooting (working with live circuits), be flexible when it comes to prints (some are good and up to date, some are terrible), be "loose". I mean that. Your co-workers are going to have far different personalities and lives than what you experienced in the military. So relate to what's going on in your life. Projects at home, life in general. Keep the military stories to a minimum. Always, ALWAYS, be willing to ask for/offer help. Never be afraid or to prideful to ask for help or offer it. That will get you far. If you don't know, say you don't know. I've seen too many good techs get either cocky or sucked up in what that think they know and either get hurt, at worst, or branded as someone the workforce "can't work with".
Respect operators and your maintenance crew. They'll help you and become a viable part of your working life (and teach you a lot).
And always...ALWAYS...work on your crossword puzzles.
Best of luck to you.
I too am an AT who just got orders to cal school lol so I’m doing the same thing and looking up stuff like this lmao
Any advices for me before I finish college to look for a job? I love your Chanel.
Thank you for posting this video. I am 42 and looking into getting on this career. Can you please tell me, what is one of the most important things to learn , to become good at this job? Thank you.
Are you coming from an industrial background or starting from scratch
@@gregroche7323 I am starting from scratch. Thank you for your reply.
Well I don't think anyone's ever asked me this one before. If you have read my responses to other people's questions you know that this is gonna be a big one🤣🤣
I guess the 1st thing is to figure out within instrumentation what type of job do you want and whathe one and the way you figure that out is through a little research and different personality types are better fit for Different types of jobs. I'm not gonna go super deep into this topic but I'll just say 2 examples. E and I In the most simple explanation full explanation is a hybrid between an electrical engineer and an electrician. Generally Speaking You would be doing maintenance on industrial equipment and the thing about this job is that a lot of the things that no one really understands or noone really knows how to work on will become your responsibility... Part of the job is reading Technical manuals calling technical support and ordering parts. This job is a good fit for people with high intelligence. If you're the type of person that Can't stop working on a puzzle until you figure it out then you would be good at this job. Another Job is general lab setting instrumentation which is better for people that are highly organized And pay attention to detail.
My job is the first one. Understanding electricity & electric theory is basically the foundation of everything. If it's not that then it's Physics. You don't need to be a rocket scientist but you know need to know a little bit about everything. I.T. stuff can be important but those skills can be developed mid career.
Specific skills to learn: reading electrical schematics, P&ID, understanding analog signals (part of electric theory) are good places to start. It may sound complicated but it's really not horribly complicated. As far as where to start if you're not planning on going to school I would suggest trying to get a job as a maintenance technician at a company that has controls and controls and instrumentation and you can kind of learn on the job and start leaning in that direction. Best of luck let me know if I answered your question and if there's anything else you'd like to know from my experience
Also try to learn some industrial jargon before you go to the interview🤣🤣
@@gregroche7323 I want to really Thank you for taking the time to write your advice. I even screenshot it lol. May God keep giving you wisdom. This will indded, be a challenge for me. Thank you so much Greg .
Would you recommend getting an electrician apprenticeship first and then get an electrician license or just go straight job searching for I&E? What do you search for when looking for I&E entry job or should I just take some college courses first while doing job searching?
It’s pretty cool that I watch your old video a couple days ago and you just happen to upload a new one.
Nice I appreciate that
Electricians are different than I & E in a lot of ways even though they are similar. Electricians tend to make more money depending on where you are in the country and if there's unions etc.
I'll make some assumptions here if you joined an electrical apprenticeship you're going to start out digging ditches learning how to pull wire stuff like that which is something that you're just not going to learn in instrumentation School. Of course later on I'm sure there be some much higher end stuff, but the electricians tend to focus on getting power to the panels. Techs work on the controls in the panels.
Associate's degree is going to take less time that's what I would suggest if you're confident that you want to be an I & C tech. That education is going to be more theory-based plus labs where I'm not really sure what they learn in the apprenticeship school but I'm assuming they're not really learning a lot of engineering fundamentals and stuff. Again, just different.
So do some research and figure out which one's a better fit for you. I don't think apprenticeship is a very standard career path for i and e because those people tend to make more money than I and e techs.
Anyways recommend finding a good two-year degree and see if they have good job placement there.
Job titles electrical technician instrumentation technician i & e technician i & c controls technician electrical maintenance technician electronics technician calibration technician I would say start with those, starting at the beginning of the list.
As far as a first job you're going to have your best luck getting an interview with electronics technician wiring technician or just a general maintenance technician you can kind of get some training on the job if the company has PLC's Automation and instrumentation.
You can also look at Amazon, probably not the best place to work but seems like they're a little short staffed and they have all different levels of different types of techs (they usually contract through staffing agencies so you got to figure out what company they use in your area it probably won't say Amazon in the title) just food for thought.
It's probably the longest response I've ever written but I feel like there was a lot to pack in there hope it made sense appreciate you commenting it makes the views go up
@@gregroche7323 this is perfect and alot for me to digest and think about. I was actually looking for a programming job since I’ve been doing VBA and SQL and came upon this career path that include some PLC programming. I think PLC is a little bit different though because I heard it’s more about ladder logic?
I actually have an interview soon as a wastewater specialist trainee and I remember in your other video you work at a water plan before? This interview will be with an engineering firm. Do you have any suggestion for me? I think I might be able to pick up a few skills there for instrument and control.
Anyways, I really appreciate your reply and your videos are awesome.
@@SimpleSysadm yeah for sure if you're looking at wastewater stuff (I'm assuming this is a technician job) they will 1,000% ask you what you know about pumps 😂😂 I always get asked at pretty much every job interview if I've worked on three phase pumps which I think is hilarious because as far as from an electrical standpoint it's just hooking up a few wires or using a megger to test the insulation on the coils which takes approximately 45 seconds to learn 😂
Regardless if it is a tech job I would suggest brushing up on your wiring diagrams I would suggest looking into PLC programming (just the basics) watch a couple videos on how pumps work and just be yourself my friend. You also may want to familiarize yourself with vfds. Honestly though if this is a training position they're going to be looking more at your personality than anything in my opinion so I wouldn't sweat the studying too hard doesn't hurt to do a little bit of research though.
@@gregroche7323 for sure! Thanks for the advise, I’ll look into those things and get an overview so I can be a little bit prepare. 😁😁
Also if the position is less electrical based and more of a mechanical type gig definitely do a lot of research on pumps that's most of what you'll be doing. I hope you're willing to get your hands dirty 😂
I really liked your video. How much math do you have to know in order to get your AA degree?
Well you kind of use math a lot but its mostly simple math. Multiplication, exponents and trigonometry. Trigonometry comes up a lot but is actually pretty simple once you understand the basics. No calculus or complicated equations. Being naturally good at math helps a lot but you don't need a lot of knowledge if that makes sense
@@gregroche7323
Good looking out man, highly appreciated.
Hi,
It is really great to see again on youtube after a long time! I've just applied to Industrial Instrumentation program in Nova Scotia Community College. It is a Canadian Community college in Nova Scotia Province. I hope I get accepted. My question is the fallowing: when they call it industrial instrumentation, does it make any difference in comparison with Instrumentation and Control etc? Because there are many programs with different names and I suppose more or less they are the same thing. I have to say million thanks for all the experiences, informations you shared with us and also for the motivation and the encouragement you gave!
That's a really good question... There's a reason why they call it instrumentation and controls they are technically two different things.
Generally people use instrumentation as a vague term covering instrumentation, control systems, automation etc.
Technically speaking instrumentation is measurement sensors. Calibration technician would be someone who is solely focused on instrumentation; there is plenty to learn in that field. How instruments work, different types of instruments, calibrations and of course how your physical process can create bad readings and correcting those process issues to get you more stable instrument readings.
Controls is a bit different. All of your instrument signals are going to come in and they're going to interact and control your automated devices, possibly through a PLC, there are proprietary controllers that are made for specific processes, they're all different types of softwares out there just depends where you're working and of course you have your electrical controls/hardwired logic (relays, floats switches etc.) These all fall under the umbrella of controls.
When I say instrumentation in my videos I generally mean instrumentation and controls or instrumentation and electrical, but the technical definitions are a bit more specific and each company might use different terminology in their job descriptions.
There are sometimes different degrees within this, also we can't forget about robotics which is similar but different.
When deciding which degree to take or which job to take realize there's a lot of crossover between all of it so at the end of the day the degree you get might not make a huge difference because you're going to learn about all of it in any of the degrees.
As far as choosing the direction of your career I would say if you are extremely organized, like things with clear-cut rules and directions calibration (solely instrumentation) maybe a better fit for that personality type. If you really enjoy troubleshooting, like a good challenge, and tend to think there's more than one way to solve a problem focusing more on the controls side of things may be better for you. For me I prefer controls troubleshooting to calibrating instruments
@@gregroche7323 Thank you very much for the answer!
Hey bro, came across your video and wanted to get your opinion.. unfortunately I'm incarcerated but I do have several instrumentation textbooks with an associate that promises 6 months in a school that he's familiar with and I will be certified.. so my question is do you believe that's actually possible?
I'm sorry I didn't really understand the question, are you asking me if it's possible to get a 6 months instrumentation certification? If that's the question then yes I believe it's possible but it's not going to hold as much weight as a two-year degree and it will be pretty tricky to get into it with that only. Anything helps to get a foot in the door though and you can kind of grow into the position you want. Also realize that there's a lot of companies out there that are looking for people that can't find them... a big part of Landing a job is being creative on your job hunt how charismatic you are and how hard you push. Maybe you could rephrase a question I could give some more input
@@gregroche7323 okay I am not knowledgeable of the actual facts, but a friend of mine is claiming that once I get all of the book knowledge down in my downtime that he will be able to get me into a 2 years School, but I would only have to stay there for about 6 months for hands on purpose and would receive the same qualifications as someone who has participated in the entire two years.. simply because I am acquiring all the book knowledge currently and will not have to go through that within the school so the question is do you think this is actually possible on is my friend selling me a pipe dream
That's a good question I'm really not sure. I mean to get an associates degree you have to actually take the classes so I would think that he is talking about some sort of certification rather than an addociates. I don't think that you can get college credit for just having knowledge, you can use it sometimes to start like a higher level math class or something but those situations are pretty few and far between. I'm not going to say don't do it I'm just going to tell you that it's going to be challenging to get a job as an instrumentation Tech without experience and without a two-year degree. Another factor of courses if you are a felon that is going to chop about half of the companies that are willing to hire you off the list. All that being said if you are a driven individual and you know you want to do this by all means go for it just know it's going to be challenging in the path to get to where you want to be is not going to be a straight line
@@gregroche7323 this is message I just received
You can get a Instrumentation Degree.
But, you still need NCCER Certificate.
But, you don't need Instrumentation Degree to take Test For Certificate.
True or false?
I actually don't know the answer to that I do not have that certificate I think that is more of a West Coast / Texas thing maybe I'll do some research on it. I just have an associate's degree and like 6 years of experience so there's certain electrical things that I am not certified to do but I don't know of anyone in my region that has that degree
Thanks for this Video Man I want to start school this year.
Yes.. little update I have noticed, at least in my area there arent a ton of jobs right now, they are out there though... Best AS degree for SURE dude, no one goes into this field so even though it's not that hard demand is strong and employers treat you well. I do not think I have gone a week in the last 3 years where someone hasn't reached out to me asking me to apply.
Where are the jobs man I got 20 years experience into instrument & control
They are all posted online. A lot of them now aren't even posted publicly you have to talk to recruiters and staffing agencies. I'm in Ohio it's good here really good Illinois Ive noticed is crazy right now
LinkedIn is probably the best way to find them you should post your resume on there with your contact information so you fill out your profile with your skills and whatnot so when people use the search function they can find you
bro its crazy its like people just dont want to work now days
Hir sir,
I am instrument technician and i am having 8 years experience in oil and gas industry and looking for job in canada but one problem is there i am only 12th pass is it possible to find job base on only 8 years experience?
I don't know the answer to that I'm in the United States. I should probably do my next video on this.. I know in the United States you would be qualified for a lot of jobs with that I believe there's different certifications in Canada. In the United States to be an electrician generally speaking if you want a good job you need a journeyman's certificate but as an instrumentation technician we don't have those types of certificate programs or at least where I'm at in the United States we don't have those for instrumentation... the general qualification is a 2-year degree or relevant experience. I believe there are apprenticeships in Canada the only way to find out is to try to apply for some jobs
What are some overseas companies that you think I should apply for?
I really don't know how to answer that question I would look at field service technician jobs as a good start starting point since you're planning on moving having the travel for work want to be a bad thing. Companies have a really hard time filling those positions whether they be electrical and the electrical and instrumentation technicians are even field service engineer.. Look at companies like Rockwell Johnson Controls Siemens Etcetera
@@gregroche7323 thanks bro for the info atleast in someways you've helped me to start with something. I'm currently taking up 'Instrumentation technology and process control' in Papua New Guinea. But thanks very much for your reply.
LinkedIn is the best resource to find jobs in my opinion
Is it possilbe to get into the field if you have electrical and troubleshooting experience outside of instrumentation? I have an Industrial Electronics degree but have worked as a medical equipment technician and as an electrician apprentice before that.
The best way to figure it out is start applying you would be surprised how quickly you will get a response.
I would say yes and no they really depends on the job you're applying for... In my opinion there would be some jobs that you wouldn't be qualified for but if you have a good personality and work ethic etc I'm quite certain that you could get in doing electrical maintenance, or even possibly i & c either at a smaller company, if you're willing to travel or potentially even a larger company looking to train someone a little bit.
Your experience sounds pretty relevant to me just maybe lacking in PLC work and possibly instrumentation fundamentals but it's not the hardest stuff in the world to learn... So long story short.... IM NOT SURE😂😂
Apply for two or three jobs and let us know how it goes
I apologize I'm pretty long-winded... You also have to understand that not all of these jobs are going to have you plugging into a PLC some companies don't have plcs they just use relays and stuff so it really just depends on the job description there's a pretty big variety out there
@@gregroche7323 I appreciate the response! I'm gonna start applying, it never hurts.
Sounds good I feel like most people at watch these videos are either in school or thinking of going into school so whatever you post will probably be a bunch of people that end up reading it could help someone
Sir i completed Diploma Instrumentation & control i have no work experience😢 how to find a job sir i’m in Indian region
I would look for a similar job that requires less qualifications I don't know what the job market in India is like but maybe something where you're doing maintenance on machines or helping out and training at a factory. I can't be tricky to get the first job but once you get that one and work there for a year or two it's really easy to change jobs. Maintenance technician wiring technician engineering technician control panel Builder Electronics assembly technician these are all good places to start they might pay a little bit less but if it's similar to what you want to do that's what you want
I know that we just hired someone that just got their degree with no experience at my company but in the United States it's very difficult to find qualified instrumentation technicians. So we have a guy with no experience starting soon that's at the same level as me and I have about 5 years of experience, it's just difficult to find people here at this time
What is the highest paying job for a Instrumentation Technician?
There are a decent number of jobs in the high 40's even low 50's /hr. They aren't easy to get but I know a good number of people with 100k + base salary. I am not in that category obviously it helps if you know someone that works at a oil field or Refinery or power plant that's usually where you're going to get those rates. A good expectation for when you get your career a little bit established is low to mid 30s
move to cali and apply to pg&e
iam an a instrumentation technican in India, and how i can apply instrumentation job in European country
I can't really comment on that I would say look for companies that offer sponsorship for people from other countries and also so any positions that involve traveling are very difficult to fill so you may have better luck with those companies. I would expect that from large corporations more than small companies
$28/hr is pretty low tbh. Once you make some connections and gain experience you can get into the $40s easy
I can see that.. honestly I saw more high paying postings before we started slipping into a recession I've noticed the trend that the wages are actually dropping the last few months I just keep an eye on it so I can stay informed. I'm pretty large portion of the people that comment on my videos are in the 40s I think it just takes a little bit of time to get there
Hi Greg I enjoy your video, can I send you an email. If Yes please I'll need your address. Thanks
I would prefer not to put my email on youtube do you have access to linkedin, I'm pretty easy to find on there. I live in Ohio
You can message me on there. In case you aren't familiar it is a social media platform based on finding jobs and professional networking