Electronics qualifications in Australia

If you can self-study, then there isn't anything that would benefit you, unless you were really just chasing a piece of paper for the wall. Then it is Uni or Tafe.

If you really want extra skills, start with building kits, then branch into modifying them then turning circuits into built stuff.

You have to go and ask the guy/gal doing the employment. Look at job adds and ring up the contacts and ask them.

AFAIK, all this stuff is de-skilling to board shuffling, just like "IT/ computers".

It may have changed since I was there, but I suspect the focus at uni will still be theory, theory and more theory. Someone I know who's doing a BEng (communications) is talking about things like Hilbert transforms and not much else. If you want something with more of a balance between learning and doing, TAFE may be a better bet.

Define what you mean by "good". What useful stuff you will learn?, or what would be more attractive to some potential employer who might care about that sort of thing? The basics are that as far as employment is concerend it doesn't really matter, very few employers will care about what qualification you have or where you got it. All they care about is your experinence and what you can do.

If it's bang-per-buck in terms of learning useful electronics stuff, a TAFE Electrical Engineering Diploma or Advanced Diploma, or even an Advanced Certificate would be your best bet. A B.Eng at any uni is pretty much going to be mostly advanced theory, math and physics you will rarely use, and a good lot of your work will have nothing to do with practical electronics. You'll be dismayed in the first few years that you are learning little of real use.

Several unis have 3 year B.Tech degrees instead of the usual 4 year B.Eng, these might be more focussed and practical?

Full time or part time? Uni's and TAFE offer both, and by correspondence also if that suits you better. I believe you can even pay to take individual classes if that suits you.

If you don't care about the bit of paper, MIT have all of their engineering lectures available on YouTube. In theory you can get the equivalent of entire MIT degree without leaving your chair, and for nix.

Dave.

branch

I'm about at that stage now. I want to do original design now. It feels like a bigger step.

That's an interesting idea.

Terry

uni will

a BEng

Yeah, I know a whole bunch of elec.eng grads, but few of them know what I want to learn.

Terry

That's a good question and the truth is I'm not actually sure, but I think you covered it anyway.

to some

Both perspectives would be interesting.

you can

Interesting. Sounds like a healthy approach.

stuff, a TAFE

Advanced

Ok, I'll take a look at those.

engineering

That's interesting. I'll definitely check those out.

Thanks all.

Terry

AFAIK, there isn't much happening in Australia employment wise. Thirty years ago, thousands were fed into the bottom in technical traineeships that might lead there. Then it all stopped. Now, it is mostly a guy with skills in the job buying solutions in or bodgying stuff together if they can not buy it.

There are a few people on this list that seem to do part time design aka projects for electronic magazines, but I don't think there is a handful of them. AFAIK, anything else (paid design)is very competitive and you need decades of experience.

Also, if you happy reading, then peeps might recommend a good book to learn something specific. Do you have your own "lab" at home?

Always, always, always talk to the person doing the employment.

IME, agencies will demand piece after piece of expensive paper, where as the guy doing the employment may simply want to know what work you've done on/with this device/or task in the industry/or ???

If you have practical skills, then my 2c is that TAFE may even be a waste of time and money unless the qualification at the end is what you really want or need.

Nial at Bankstown TAFE (NSW) runs an evening class under Advanced Diploma in ??? Engineering that is interesting in you select your subjects(not all), do self study and use him as a mentor. Library is reasonable as well.

All the equipment at Petersham* is worn out crap and you will end up there for practicals if you do correspondence through OTEN. OTOH, it must be worse (availability wise) in other states as people were flying in from other states to do practicals there.

North Sydney has a positive reputation, but I've never been there. The guys from St George(?) were good, but I'm not sure if they offer what you want there. Note OTEN guys were generally from electrical power background.

Bottom line, if it is just personal skill, why not just ask here and other relevant usenet groups? There are some highly skilled people that hang out in different groups. The hard part is selecting an interesting useful project.

Digital is just logic design really and the craft tricks of plugging it all together. You can build your own sensors for "been there-done that" or you can just buy them. You can build the logic from logic gates, then learn any one the the programmable chip methods, where all that logic shrinks it all into one programmable chip that drives it all. then you are just stepping into embedded devices, then fully fledged computers.

Analogue is driving transistors and RL&C, the basics of which are covered everywhere, then you get into using pre-built blocks.

Note, AFAIK, employment wise, people tend to specialise in design in very specific areas and might only design a handful or original devices in their lifetime.

Thirty

traineeships

I know what you mean, I completed one of the last Telecom Australia apprenticeships some 20+ years ago. Similar story in telecommunications.

design aka

handful

you

Indeed, and was why I asked. Perhaps you're right though, I might be being unrealistic, it's possible the only way I'll learn what I'm after at this stage of life is to just do it.

Yeah, I'm kitted with a good enough set of tools and toys.

I might network a bit. I'm sure I'll know people who know people.

waste

The way you describe it you're probably right.

interesting

Heh, I've got interesting (to me) projects.

On a side note, I suspect we met a number of years ago, perhaps at SLUG, perhaps somewhere else related?

Terry

Yes and probably yes)

Buy yourself a copy of "The Art of Electronics" by Horowitz & Hill. It's the standard text in the electronics design industry.

It's

Thanks, I have one of those already.

Terry