# Help me vet my new "career" plan **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 20, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105 "2011-06-20T03:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/1 "2011-06-20T03:00:58Z")
Disclaimer: not a drive-by, but I have a bunch of students tomorrow, so I might not be online for a day or two. I’m sick of scuffling for jobs for small bills, so I enrolled to do my favorite hard science discipline at a good local school – electrical engineering. (Thank you Randy Dipert!) I wonder about how portable a job EE techncian is going to be, especially given the state of microelectronic technology and manufacturing in general. PDX is a shitty place to find books – there is no research library here, which makes it difficult to do my work in ontology (one of my masters was Barry Smith – he burned it into my brain starting with Ingarden – and even though I have all RI’s books in German, I still have secondary books which are difficult to procure). My longer term plan (I just turned 35 a few months ago) is to, after grabbing an AAS in EE technology, to transition to freelance technical writing (ambitious, no?) after having some hard science cred. I think, given a laude laude (it’s fancier than that, I thought it was funny) from a very good school w/a a BA in Comparative Literature (Avital Ronell gave me, basically, my departmental prize for my essay), and 7 years in a doctoral program in Comp Lit (including 2 years as a Professor of Linguistics in Paris, with all the work visa and my special badge to get into the archives at the BNF and all that) – but I’m already spending my first paycheck (hey – five figured salary!!!) before I get it. That’s a long-term plan. Thoughts? I’ll be around, but I need to cook dinner for myself so it’s no offense intended for anyone who has any thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/2 "2011-06-20T04:49:26Z")
An associates degree in electrical engineering? 😕 Never heard that one. I think your lack of education would be a hindrance. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/3 "2011-06-20T05:39:48Z")
If I’m following you correctly, you don’t actually want to work as a technician? You want to do the electrical technician coursework to give you the background so you can do freelance technical writing and all the comparative literature stuff you mentioned is what you already have? An associates degree in EE is little better than a scam, you will be qualified to be a technician, not an engineer. An electrical technician is trained to test and repair electronic equipment. If you are only interested in doing technical writing for the field of electronics, then I suppose being an electrical technician would suffice. I can’t respond to your question about portability since I don’t know the specifics of where you are or what program you have chosen, there are lots of different schools that offer these technician programs and they aren’t created equally. For what it’s worth here is a [general summary about engineering technicians](http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos112.htm) from the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. They are forecasting a decline in electrical engineering technician jobs for the next decade. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/4 "2011-06-20T18:19:45Z")
I’m sorry to hear that I’m being scammed. Short break today until 2 pm. Yes, I know what a technician in EE does – a cross between a mechanic for the big stuff, and an invaluable member of a “team” (plus, I’d be a ringer for their softball team – not fast enough to be a SS but I’d be a handy #5, as long as the catcher were not bad). My BIL is a full-bird EE for Tektronix, and I’m as sharp as he is – he might have another ten or twenty g on me, but that’s not an important difference if I’m just fixing stuff and working the clean rooms. At any rate, math is easy for me, and if my classmates tend to be as – uncompetetive – as I think they might (not…be), I’ll not have a hard time rising to nab a paid internship in a few months. Basically, yes – I don’t care what I do to make scratch, but it’s a sure deal I can find some work in microelectronic technology, as opposed to doing something else I don’t care about, like grabbing a certificate in accounting (not a CPA – the test is hard-ish, I know, and I don’t care that much to bother with it). Ideal job for me is sitting in a dark room, not using my brain too much, grabbing a paycheck, so I can spend another 80 hours per week reading and performing music (and transcribing). ---
**Author:** ![Gilles\_de\_Rais](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@Gilles\_de\_Rais](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilles_de_Rais)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/5 "2011-06-20T18:21:22Z")
I was a freelance tech writer and it is not a career I would recommend. You spend more time trying to garner work than actually working. Very difficult field… ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/6 "2011-06-20T18:22:30Z")
> [@Dano83860](#): > > \I think your lack of education would be a hindrance. What lack of education? ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/7 "2011-06-20T18:36:24Z")
By the by, I did see the BLS stuff a while ago – but microelectronic technology is a sector probably not accounted for adequately in the more general rubric of EE technology. (Yeah, to the other guy, I know, I’m not getting to be an EE with an AAS – the discipline itself is what I’ll be working at, in my spare time. Hand me another 2K resistor, and all you all guitar players can have a custom-made fuzz box or a line mixer). I’m certainly not ever going to bother getting licensed, even if I had the experience and chops – but there’s always a hardware store job – hope for the best, expect the worst! \ ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/8 "2011-06-20T19:38:02Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > By the by, I did see the BLS stuff a while ago – but microelectronic technology is a sector probably not accounted for adequately in the more general rubric of EE technology. I work in a building that ten years ago had about 5,000 associates level “EEs” - Electrical Technicians, and specifically microelectronics technology - and now has less then 100 - we’ve offshored most of that sort of work or mechanized it. Frankly, when you are talking circuit boards, they are too small to be plugging resistors on by hand. We still have plenty of M.S. EEs doing R&D work. But almost nothing below a M.S. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/9 "2011-06-20T19:50:23Z")
My wife is a freelance medical writer. She has a Masters in Biology, which has been very helpful to her for snagging good jobs. They are looking for good clips and good technical background, and I’m not sure an AA will cut it. Also, the writing has to be a lot clearer than your typical academic paper. Even worse, most of her writing is for various medical sites, and nothing like them exist for EE. She sends me job posts every once in a while (for when I retire) and they are almost totally computer science related. I’m a computer scientist who has worked in microelectronics for 30 years, and I know of very few microelectronics writing jobs. She hasn’t had much trouble getting work, since she is hooked up with a few on-line medical encyclopedias which are always getting updated, and which give her a steady stream of editing and writing work. BTW, meeting deadlines is more important than anything else. We have some technicians (I’m not sure what educational level) who run our testers. It is not a growing field. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/10 "2011-06-20T20:39:44Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Also, the writing has to be a lot clearer than your typical academic paper. Oh, snap. Well, I can do both kinds of writing – the good kind and the academic kind (and what I post here is not writing, except in name). ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/11 "2011-06-20T20:50:16Z")
Damn, I’m almost late to help my next student figure out how to find my apartment – pretty smart, though; I’ll just hang up here and wait for him to let me flag him down. I had to learn that Dicky Betts tune, “Jessica,” last week, and I’m kind of glad I did – fun tune (don’t try it, no, I can’t play the solo note for note – but Leavell had some good ideas and that’s the main thing you want in your head/ears trying to play a good solo).Just want to say thanks for the good info (grr–why don’t you all just tell me what I want to hear!!!) and keep it coming iffen you don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/12 "2011-06-20T20:56:59Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > and I’m not sure an AA will cut it. Also, the writing has to be a lot clearer than your typical academic paper. (Your post was enormously valuable). But what’s all that jive about my “mere” AA – is it really a joke degree? If it is, why am I blowing a bunch of cash on it? I’m pissed a still have to re-take calc I – granted, I only learned it to help this girl I was shacked up with in 1999 pass her test (and organic chem too! [she was pretty smart, but not that smart, so I learned all her college courses and taught it to her. oooh, baby, you are so talented, and [some of them] they are so dumb!]) ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/13 "2011-06-21T03:35:19Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > What lack of education? What education? ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/14 "2011-06-21T07:02:07Z")
Yeah, a lot. Of education. I learned all the MT stuff in high school, but if you weren’t reading real close, I have about 12 years of good education under my belt, and all of that was paid for by the state, since I worked for them (no student loans). Li…never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/15 "2011-06-21T13:47:35Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > Yeah, a lot. Of education. I learned all the MT stuff in high school, but if you weren’t reading real close, I have about 12 years of good education under my belt, and all of that was paid for by the state, since I worked for them (no student loans). Li..never mind. The course are real but the AA in EE is pure BS and is designed only to seperate the students from their money. Two years of study in EE will provide you with the ability to read the manuals but as for writing them I think not. Your BA in Comparative Literature and 7 years in a doctoral program in Comp Lit are not relevent to the study of EE. You say your brother has the full degree. Ask him what he thinks. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/16 "2011-06-21T19:51:40Z")
> [@Dano83860](#): > > The course are real but the AA in EE is pure BS and is designed only to seperate the students from their money. Two years of study in EE will provide you with the ability to read the manuals but as for writing them I think not. I didn’t really mean to be such an ass yesterday to you – I do appreciate any titbits of info I can get. Damnit, I’m already paid up for tuition this coming summer (i.e., now), so I guess I’m stuck. I could have bought some better pedals for my fake-Hammond with that money, but whatever. Life’s a journey, or something. My BIL mostly complains about these fake EE techs, since they make about what he makes per annum, and they don’t have hardly any none education. In the Spring, given that I’ll ace every class, I’m in spot for an internship (paid) at Intel, and they foot the bill for tuition, fees, and books. I think it’s a good bet that, given that I’m presentable, articulate, and bona fide, I’m a good hire for someone in a “career” that claims to value communication. The tech writing was just a pipe “dream” (or nightmare!) – Gaddis was a technical writer when he was working on _The Recognitions_, and one of my favorite profs, Charles Bernstein, did his turn in that racket too. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/17 "2011-06-22T02:35:45Z")
> [@Jaledin](#): > > . > > In the Spring, given that I’ll ace every class, I’m in spot for an internship (paid) at Intel, and they foot the bill for tuition, fees, and books. I think it’s a good bet that, given that I’m presentable, articulate, and bona fide, I’m a good hire for someone in a “career” that claims to value communication. So whats to stop you from going for the BS in EE? Lower division classes should transfer with no problem although the summer classes are doubtfull. Good luck.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-vet-my-new-career-plan/586105/18 "2011-06-22T04:33:21Z")
Thanks again to everyone – **D** might have a point re going for a real degree. the market in Oregon is fairly starved for MT people, and there’s a pretty good shot I can get a scholarship at a decent place, using some of my AAS credits. It’s not going to be at CalTech or Mudd, but I’m smart enough that I can give myself a good push out the door, and obviously spend my free hours studying the fun stuff (thank you, Feynman!).