Possible career change 4

I've spent the last 28 years in the Printed Circuit Board manufacturing industry as an Applications Engineer. The PCB industry in the US is rapidly migrating to China. I'm not interested in moving to China. Time for a career change.

Water treatment and distribution has many components which I am already familiar with to varying degrees.

I live in southern California and I'm wondering if any of you can shed any light (good or bad) on the water treatment and distribution career field?

I see that I would have to start out with a T1 & D1 certification just to get my foot in the door.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. If there is a better forum to ask these questions, please let me know.

Regards,
Greg / Canyon Lake, CA.

 

[coloeng]

I'm not sure from your post if you are contemplating getting into the field as an operator or as an engineer. If you want to get into the field as an operator, I would recommend that you look at either being a water treatment plant operator or a wastewater treatment plant operator. I am not familiar with the experience requirements in your neck of the woods for certification, but if you have industrial experience you may be able to have some of the time requirements waived. You would need to check with your local certification board. There is a lot of potential in the field for treatment plant operators as there is currently a shortage in many parts of the country and a large number of the current operators are expected to retire in the next ten years.

If you are looking at becoming an engineer in this field, I wouldn't expect that you would need to get certification in treatment or distribution, unless there is a requirement by the company/entity that you are looking at working for.

 

[bimr]

Not sure that the work in water treatment and distribution is any different than any other career field right now. Increased productivity is required. Put another way; overworked and underpaid is the norm.

As coloeng points out, there is a shortage of skilled people. Having said that, it should be noted that in a capitalist economy, there is no such thing as a shortage. In other words, with the low pay that is offered for these positions, it is difficult to attract people and the positions go unfilled.

 

[dnsalyer]

Greg:

As an operator, there are lots of opportunities in So Cal and you can see them on Monster or Careerbuilder. You wouldn't see much pay as a T1/D1 with no experience and probably be stuck reading meters for a few years. As an engineer, you will not need an operator certification but you will need a Civil P.E. to work for a public utility or most consulting engineering firms. You can work as an engineer for a private company that is in the water business (like us) without certification.

Check out our web site:

http://www.laynechristensen.com

We have a location in Fontana, about 20 miles up the 15 from you. We aren't hiring at this exact moment, but that can change quickly. You can send your resume to: dnsalyer at laynechristensen dot com.

Good luck.

 

Thank you for your responses. Even though I earned the title of "Applications Engineer" in the PCB industry, it was by way of coming up through the ranks. I do not hold an engineering degree from a recognized college or university. Until now, it was not an issue.

My technical education mostly consists of my training in the USAF tech schools, working on flight simulators and the 28 years of "hands on" experience in the PCB drilling and routing industry.

I'm assuming that I would have to start out as a "tech" in the water industry and work my way up (again). As I did in the PCB industry, I would quickly demonstrate my abilities to learn and adapt to a new work environment.

Thanks again for your feedback. It has been helpful.

 

[gerhardl]

Perhaps dnsalyer is onto the right thing. Far from California, seen from a European / Scandinavian point of view in general; you ar either interesting for a certain job as a person, or you are not. At your age (28 years experience in another branch) this is perhaps more true than for a newly educated person.

As dnsalayer suggest: I would have tried contacting possible companies you find interesting. It all depends on the working market, and the impression you personally give.