Hi Ed,
?
I don't understand what your last post is about.
-Chris
?
I don't understand what your last post is about.
Careful there! You are making some huge assumptions. A great deal depends on the university or college they attend, how much personal study and natural aptitude an individual may have. The institution I attended taught university level theory along with a high level of practical skills. We had many students from other universities (Waterloo for example) who attended and were surprised by the practical requirements in addition to the focus of subjects like Physics that was taught as it applied to Electronics (as opposed to pure Physics). The great majority of those people were gone by term two and by term three, only a couple were left. They had made similar assumptions about universities that you just made. Throughout my career I utilized the training I received to continue to teach myself more advanced knowledge in electronics, so that once a person is a few years out from a university, their personal skills and attributes will determine how knowledgeable they will become in life. University lays the groundwork of knowledge and teaches the skills required to continue learning in the future. So it is really down to the person rather than the courses and school they attended.
-Chris
I am not from the US, but from a very small EU member state, Malta. The situation here, is as I described it. I wouldn't make sweeping assumptions without sufficient facts. Here, students who opt to become technicians are essentially academic dropouts; geeks may exist. Anyone who is able would always seek the highest of technical qualifications, which is that of an engineer.anatech said:
I can understand what I will be doing and the dangers involved. My house is not a huge distribution centre supplied power from various high tension grids. In the PV system there are only two points from where power is supplied, and these are the mains supply and panels. Both of these can be easily disconnected. Unlike most houses in the world, in my country, houses are built of globigerina limestone, and have concrete ceilings and roofs. Both of these materials cannot catch fire no matter what temperature they are exposed to.
Last edited:
Hi Ed,
That may be in your area of the world. I still think you are making some unfair generalizations. But, that is up to you and what kind of person you want to be. I don't look down upon anyone. There is always something you can learn from just about everyone, and you can't learn anything with a closed mind. You can sometimes learn a lot from an old technician.
The back board has primarily another purpose. Because it is wood, they have decided that it should be fireproof. A good decision. The back board is there to make mounting various equipment easier. In shopping plazas, it is also all concrete - so same situation you have. Using a back board simply makes everything easier to do. I also specialized in water plants. Again, all concrete. We use a back board whenever we can as it simplifies mounting of equipment. Right down to the holder for diagrams and notes. I have mounted equipment directly to concrete. So it can be done, but the moisture tends to corrode anything metallic that it comes in contact with, or is close to. Generally speaking, it isn't wise to mount equipment directly to concrete. Your choice of course.
-Chris
That may be in your area of the world. I still think you are making some unfair generalizations. But, that is up to you and what kind of person you want to be. I don't look down upon anyone. There is always something you can learn from just about everyone, and you can't learn anything with a closed mind. You can sometimes learn a lot from an old technician.
The back board has primarily another purpose. Because it is wood, they have decided that it should be fireproof. A good decision. The back board is there to make mounting various equipment easier. In shopping plazas, it is also all concrete - so same situation you have. Using a back board simply makes everything easier to do. I also specialized in water plants. Again, all concrete. We use a back board whenever we can as it simplifies mounting of equipment. Right down to the holder for diagrams and notes. I have mounted equipment directly to concrete. So it can be done, but the moisture tends to corrode anything metallic that it comes in contact with, or is close to. Generally speaking, it isn't wise to mount equipment directly to concrete. Your choice of course.
-Chris
Hi Ed,
You can sometimes learn a lot from an old technician.
-Chris
Before I got professionally into electronics I was into mobile disco gear for my own disco. I built a sound to light unit where one of the lights just stayed on.
So I asked at the local "Radio house" if he could help me fix it.
We managed to get it working and found out sometimes when spot lamps are new they can take too much current until they settle down.
So after that I burned in the spot lamps connected directly to the mains for a while and that stopped them blowing thyristors.
I also told him I was into playing guitar and that valve amps were the in thing. He gave me a very old valve amplifier out of a radio to play with.
I spent many hours with him working on old valve TV sets and learned a lot.
He had been in the RAF during the war and had lots of stories to tell.
A very sad loss when he passed on.
Why naturally technical people like me are denied the right to technical examinations and therefore, official qualifications? Why are they forced to take courses notwithstanding they can plan and study on their own? I remember a few years ago, a government official who works for the government's office of national statistics, happened to discuss the same issue of examinations to people like me, and agreed my idea was a good idea, and I had a valid point. People like me are denied examinations to which they should have every right, just because they cannot attend courses. I only ask you, mention me any online site with reputable online technical examinations, and I will be more than happy to do those examinations. Yes, I challenge you, as you gave the impression in your reply I am being unreasonable. I am not afraid of examinations, far from it. Examinations prove I do have theoretical and practical knowledge. I also tell you, I will pass with flying colours if am given some time of preparation as it is always the case with official examinations.anatech said:
You are a moderator; this is now becoming a political discussion.
As a citizen, and given the technology of distant learning, I should be given that right to allow me and people like me, to only pay for examinations, and if necessary for the occasional online tutorial. Why is this possibility only offered to the rich by the greedy private sector?
This discussion started from the belief, that not having official certification is equivalent to not having expertise in dangerous skills, like modifying a high power home PV system.
The above is an insult to anyone's intelligence. Provide me with examinations and I will pass!
Last edited:
So, after words actions came, and I must say, I am satisfied with the results. The PV system with it's 'Sunny Boy' 2kW inverter, started normally at around 3:30pm, although the solar radiance was weak at that time.
The outdoor inverter has been transferred from it previous position beneath the PV panels to my garage, where it will stay dry in all weather conditions. Before reinstalling it, I removed the rust and protected its box with a high quality marine grease.
I am in the process of ensuring the switch that turns off DC power to the inverter is better protected from rain. The plain irresponsible company who installed it, was more interested in financial gain rather than following electrical safety for outdoor switches. It is unbelievable, but they used, a four pole indoor switch that is normally used to feed star connected AC motors! I have to protect this switch as it is exposed to heavy rain that is often accompanied by force 6 to force 8 winds. In fact, I uninstalled the inverter in almost gale force wind. One way of achieving switch protection from wet weather is housing it in a box. A better solution is to replace it altogether with a similar switch designed to resist outdoor conditions.
The outdoor inverter has been transferred from it previous position beneath the PV panels to my garage, where it will stay dry in all weather conditions. Before reinstalling it, I removed the rust and protected its box with a high quality marine grease.
I am in the process of ensuring the switch that turns off DC power to the inverter is better protected from rain. The plain irresponsible company who installed it, was more interested in financial gain rather than following electrical safety for outdoor switches. It is unbelievable, but they used, a four pole indoor switch that is normally used to feed star connected AC motors! I have to protect this switch as it is exposed to heavy rain that is often accompanied by force 6 to force 8 winds. In fact, I uninstalled the inverter in almost gale force wind. One way of achieving switch protection from wet weather is housing it in a box. A better solution is to replace it altogether with a similar switch designed to resist outdoor conditions.
Hi Ed,
I'm one of those people that had to take courses and pay for them. I made my own way through, no one else helped me pay my way through. I would work a year, then take two terms and so on.
Early on, I was exempted from early courses as the subject matter was something I learned myself and was using practically. Later, I discovered that although I knew the more advanced material, I had no idea about the simpler stuff. I aced my exams, and that was probably a detriment to me. What I learned from that was if you don't actually take the course, there is a lot you don't learn. You can pass the exams without a proper knowledge of the material.
After the public courses, I made sure I took every other course that was available to me in the field I was in. This was more practical knowledge where my institutional knowledge was a real benefit and helped me grasp other ideas that were not being taught and allowed me to have an understanding sometimes beyond what the instructor knew. This allowed me to attain a high level of proficiency in each industry I worked in. So now I have advanced knowledge in audio electronics, Instrumentation and calibration and telephone / paging. Those courses I worked for allowed me to do well in all these endeavors. I have all kinds of certificates in each area of work.
Getting practical experience and training is always good, and you should pursue that by all means. However, one thing that became painfully clear to myself and many people is this. A person who isn't that knowledgeable on the subject matter will underestimate the knowledge required to safely and or competently complete a task. They may even succeed in a task they are not qualified to perform without injury. Great, but this doesn't mean they are even aware of the risks they took, or maybe the deficiencies in the work they did until later. Often these exist until a knowledgeable trades person sees teh work, or has to repair what was done. Let me tell you that the number of Stereo "repairs" I see that someone unqualified has done is greater than the number of competently repaired equipment I see. Just because someone does work in a field doesn't mean they are qualified or competent to do that work.
I do believe you can take the exam for a CET, Certified Electronics Technician, without taking any courses. However, for my license to obtain and keep firearms, my wife and I both had to pass a government course at our own expense, and take the exam on the last day (you had to take the course). We passed, but the course was compulsory even though we had owned guns for many years previously and it was new legislation. Had we failed or didn't take the course and exam, we would have been forced to surrender our firearms. I'm pretty certain that some people failed and still more refused to take the course. These people would think it was very unfair they had to give up their firearms.
This isn't political for one, and for two, I am posting as a member. The official moderator duties are plain for all to recognize. I post by the same rules everyone else does. As a moderator, I have even more rules that dictate what my actions are.
-Chris
I'm one of those people that had to take courses and pay for them. I made my own way through, no one else helped me pay my way through. I would work a year, then take two terms and so on.
Early on, I was exempted from early courses as the subject matter was something I learned myself and was using practically. Later, I discovered that although I knew the more advanced material, I had no idea about the simpler stuff. I aced my exams, and that was probably a detriment to me. What I learned from that was if you don't actually take the course, there is a lot you don't learn. You can pass the exams without a proper knowledge of the material.
After the public courses, I made sure I took every other course that was available to me in the field I was in. This was more practical knowledge where my institutional knowledge was a real benefit and helped me grasp other ideas that were not being taught and allowed me to have an understanding sometimes beyond what the instructor knew. This allowed me to attain a high level of proficiency in each industry I worked in. So now I have advanced knowledge in audio electronics, Instrumentation and calibration and telephone / paging. Those courses I worked for allowed me to do well in all these endeavors. I have all kinds of certificates in each area of work.
Getting practical experience and training is always good, and you should pursue that by all means. However, one thing that became painfully clear to myself and many people is this. A person who isn't that knowledgeable on the subject matter will underestimate the knowledge required to safely and or competently complete a task. They may even succeed in a task they are not qualified to perform without injury. Great, but this doesn't mean they are even aware of the risks they took, or maybe the deficiencies in the work they did until later. Often these exist until a knowledgeable trades person sees teh work, or has to repair what was done. Let me tell you that the number of Stereo "repairs" I see that someone unqualified has done is greater than the number of competently repaired equipment I see. Just because someone does work in a field doesn't mean they are qualified or competent to do that work.
I do believe you can take the exam for a CET, Certified Electronics Technician, without taking any courses. However, for my license to obtain and keep firearms, my wife and I both had to pass a government course at our own expense, and take the exam on the last day (you had to take the course). We passed, but the course was compulsory even though we had owned guns for many years previously and it was new legislation. Had we failed or didn't take the course and exam, we would have been forced to surrender our firearms. I'm pretty certain that some people failed and still more refused to take the course. These people would think it was very unfair they had to give up their firearms.
This isn't political for one, and for two, I am posting as a member. The official moderator duties are plain for all to recognize. I post by the same rules everyone else does. As a moderator, I have even more rules that dictate what my actions are.
-Chris
If I can teach and my students pass with flying colours, it means, I know and understand my subjects to a very good level. Do not insult me by telling me courses increase my knowledge. Courses waste my time and my money, that I would otherwise use to enrich my knowledge, without having to be physically inside a school or university.
Courses have their advantages, but forcing everyone to take a course to sit for exams is an injustice, and that is why, this topic is now becoming a political subject. What is holding goverments from passing laws that give rights to citizens to sit for exams without having to attend the relevant courses? Why are they favouring private teaching institutions, guaranteeing them that anyone interested, will have to attend courses and pay for them?
Please, do not be naive, learning is one of the most basic abilities of all animals. Learning does not require formal courses in institutions, but can also be done alone, as in distant learning.
Why are governments not empowering their citizens with this right? For instance, why is the EU not taking any measures to increase this kind of accessibility to learning? Be informed, the EU passed laws to ban exams without courses! This is a blow to social mobility.
Please, do not tell me you had to bend backwards to follow courses; this shouldn't be the case, and is not something to promote. Increased hardship is never justified, especially if such hardship is the consequence of bad political decisions.
Please, be informed I live on an island with double insularity. I have to cross to another island by boat to attend courses, and this wastes me a lot of time, and energy that I could otherwise use to study. This is why alternatives should be considered. In your case, you could catch a bus or a train and you arrive at your school; my case is different.
Courses have their advantages, but forcing everyone to take a course to sit for exams is an injustice, and that is why, this topic is now becoming a political subject. What is holding goverments from passing laws that give rights to citizens to sit for exams without having to attend the relevant courses? Why are they favouring private teaching institutions, guaranteeing them that anyone interested, will have to attend courses and pay for them?
Please, do not be naive, learning is one of the most basic abilities of all animals. Learning does not require formal courses in institutions, but can also be done alone, as in distant learning.
Why are governments not empowering their citizens with this right? For instance, why is the EU not taking any measures to increase this kind of accessibility to learning? Be informed, the EU passed laws to ban exams without courses! This is a blow to social mobility.
Please, do not tell me you had to bend backwards to follow courses; this shouldn't be the case, and is not something to promote. Increased hardship is never justified, especially if such hardship is the consequence of bad political decisions.
Please, be informed I live on an island with double insularity. I have to cross to another island by boat to attend courses, and this wastes me a lot of time, and energy that I could otherwise use to study. This is why alternatives should be considered. In your case, you could catch a bus or a train and you arrive at your school; my case is different.
Last edited:
Hi Ed,
You completely missed my point.
If you don't take the course, you will be missing a lot of detail type knowledge. Courses are not a waste of time. I guess you are saying that you don't have a reason to exist as a teacher since what you teach is unnecessary and a wast of time. You can't have it both ways, so are you unnecessary? A complete sham and rip-off?
There is nothing political about this no matter how much you try to make it so.
Hardship is a fact of life, and the reason isn't political in nature. I think it's a crime that idiots are allowed to service consumer equipment. Idiots with paper on the wall are even more scary as they assume they know everything about the subject. But you seem to be special. Because you teach (something I enjoy doing), you figure you know all you need to know about another subject? Really? Just out of curiosity, what subject do you teach?
-Chris
You completely missed my point.
If you don't take the course, you will be missing a lot of detail type knowledge. Courses are not a waste of time. I guess you are saying that you don't have a reason to exist as a teacher since what you teach is unnecessary and a wast of time. You can't have it both ways, so are you unnecessary? A complete sham and rip-off?
There is nothing political about this no matter how much you try to make it so.
Hardship is a fact of life, and the reason isn't political in nature. I think it's a crime that idiots are allowed to service consumer equipment. Idiots with paper on the wall are even more scary as they assume they know everything about the subject. But you seem to be special. Because you teach (something I enjoy doing), you figure you know all you need to know about another subject? Really? Just out of curiosity, what subject do you teach?
-Chris
I tutor (not teach) GCSE maths and find to do that my level needs to be A* and perhaps more. How ever much you know, a new exam question you havent seen before will come up and you have to be able to answer it.
When I learned electronics I didnt do a degree course but did a TOPS (training opportunities scheme) course. The beauty of it was we did theory in the morning and practical in the afternoon. Its amazing how much extra you get from actually making circuits and having them not work first time.
When I learned electronics I didnt do a degree course but did a TOPS (training opportunities scheme) course. The beauty of it was we did theory in the morning and practical in the afternoon. Its amazing how much extra you get from actually making circuits and having them not work first time.
And, you will get even more when they don't work the first time...
Troubleshooting and repair are truly essential skills.
Hi Nigel,
Yes, that would be what I would expect from someone in your position. Me? Math is my weakest subject, but I muddle through. I don't derive my equations, I look them up so I don't make a mistake.
-Chris
Edit: You betcha!! Making mistakes and troubleshooting them is a valuable way to learn. You normally don't forget the mistakes that cost you something.
Yes, that would be what I would expect from someone in your position. Me? Math is my weakest subject, but I muddle through. I don't derive my equations, I look them up so I don't make a mistake.
-Chris
Edit: You betcha!! Making mistakes and troubleshooting them is a valuable way to learn. You normally don't forget the mistakes that cost you something.
I tend to agree, Chris.
Jeez, I hope my avatar of my CET certificate doesn't make me look like an idiot.....LOL.
But I worked hard for it, nevertheless.
Although, seriously, I've had a couple of "techs" walk into my shop on occasion, and the little snots tried to impress me with their so-called knowledge.
None did.... asking them a few pertinent questions usually left them staring into space trying to think of an answer I posed to them.
I'm an old seasoned buzzard, having learned my skills in the 60's/70's, and am not easily fooled by these "kids".
I'll give them credit, however, for going into this world of electronics, it's a complex and never-ending experience.
Well, we had huge advantages back then. We were apprenticed for the most part. Our errors were often corrected, often not to gently, by the senior techs. There were no technicians to help on the internet and we had to figure things out on our own for the most part. Schematics were sometimes like pulling teeth to get a hold of. Then most semiconductors were marked with "house numbers" that were another barrier to clear. We became good at getting real transistor data and selecting parts through knowledge about what parts had to have for specs at a minimum.
Remember when the fax machine became affordable? All of a sudden we could get information within usually 1/2 an hour from distributors we had contracts with, or friendly shops. Manners were something you had to have back then or you wouldn't get any help. When computers rolled around it became easier to look things up and get prices (I bought two original IBM PCs ... $$$$) and was an early adopter of a computerized shop. Wrote my own inventory, price and repair databases using dBase and Symphony. When the internet became useful, and up until now, we became very adept at finding information, or asking for help when we needed it.
In some ways, we wish we could be starting off today with all these huge advantages. I sort of did when I sold my shop in 1998, then had to rebuild my manual and parts references from scratch. I lost 7 or 8 filing cabinets full of service information when i sold the shop. I'll never be able to restore most of that unfortunately.
But many of the technicians just starting out do assume they know everything. That's too bad for the customer base. Many are too proud to ask for help, or even to consider that there might be more to something than they think they know. They need that grouchy old technician to teach them humility along with the possibility there is more to know about something. It's good to question yourself. This allows you to do a better job. Some younger guys are great and seemed to know these things. Thank godness for those, they are theh next super techs everyone looks up to.
-Chris
Remember when the fax machine became affordable? All of a sudden we could get information within usually 1/2 an hour from distributors we had contracts with, or friendly shops. Manners were something you had to have back then or you wouldn't get any help. When computers rolled around it became easier to look things up and get prices (I bought two original IBM PCs ... $$$$) and was an early adopter of a computerized shop. Wrote my own inventory, price and repair databases using dBase and Symphony. When the internet became useful, and up until now, we became very adept at finding information, or asking for help when we needed it.
In some ways, we wish we could be starting off today with all these huge advantages. I sort of did when I sold my shop in 1998, then had to rebuild my manual and parts references from scratch. I lost 7 or 8 filing cabinets full of service information when i sold the shop. I'll never be able to restore most of that unfortunately.
But many of the technicians just starting out do assume they know everything. That's too bad for the customer base. Many are too proud to ask for help, or even to consider that there might be more to something than they think they know. They need that grouchy old technician to teach them humility along with the possibility there is more to know about something. It's good to question yourself. This allows you to do a better job. Some younger guys are great and seemed to know these things. Thank godness for those, they are theh next super techs everyone looks up to.
-Chris
In college, I found I often learned more from trying to teach a friend something during a study session, than I did from trying to master it myself. We used to study in groups, and take turns teaching each other difficult topics.
When I eventually became a teacher, I used to have my students do the same thing; work in groups and try to teach each other whatever new concept they were studying. Nothing clarifies things in your own mind like trying to teach it to somebody else, and having to answer all the questions they throw back at you!
Somewhere along the way, that idea became included in teacher training classes. Nowadays all qualified teachers in the K-12 system know this trick, and many use it with their students.
-Gnobuddy
Indeed, our style of learning was drastically different from today's, which in one sense I don't care for, since it doesn't seem to encompass all the finer points of "old school" learning.
Us old guys learned "an art", not just a career or a job.
I'd like to see anyone new to servicing compete with what I've had to do.
Like restoring, fully, and to spec or better, a 1930's RCA Victor floor model radio like the RCA 816K, with 5 bands, motor-driven tuning with automatic presets, wired remote control, real AFC on AM, complex tone control system, 16 tubes.... and the list goes on..
I've restored several of those rare birds over the years, and got paid handsomely for my tedious work.
Of course, these were a small tidbit to the decades of restorations I've done... countless, from table radios, phonos, and transmitters.
I knew what I was getting into a long time ago, and prepared myself for it by "doing my homework", something I find lacking in today's field of recruits.
It used to tick me off - these lazy bunches, thinking they could do what I've done, while ignoring the fundamentals that I knew I had to learn.
God forbid you ask them what "capture ratio" means in FM receivers - you'll get a blank stare.
But not any more - I couldn't care less, I'm semi-retired and "did my time".
Attachments
@anatech and @gnobuddy
I used to teach basic electronics in a commercial setting for a large(ish) Point Of Sale company that was branching into office machines and computers. Indeed watching that moment when "Oh I get it" happens is quite rewarding.
I have, however, noticed a definite change in the electronics industry and would not be surprised if it's branched out into other technical trades as well.
When I first started teaching in 1981 my company had just introduced one of the first 8088 computer designs and Point Of Sale systems were just beginning to be networked. We were hiring kids right out of high school, giving them about 6 weeks of basic training in circuit operation, troubleshooting and repair. From my classes they went on to be apprenticed to an experienced technician for their in-house qualifications.
In the first couple of years, most of the kids already had the most basic basics like Ohm's Law, Watt's Equations etc from their physics classes. For the most part they learned quickly and with genuine interest. All but maybe 1 or 2 a year went on to their apprenticeship and a few became lifelong employees.
But by the mid-1990s things had changed drastically. High school kids no longer had even the first concepts, so, now we were hiring from community college courses. These guys were pretty dumb... fresh out of a year of basic electronics and most of them couldn't even work through the basic math. Some simply did not have the first clue how to use hand tools and a few were actually reluctant to handle the test equipment. By this time I was releasing (yes, "firing") about 1 in 10 students because they simply couldn't do the job. But, harder to teach does not mean "unteachable", it just means I had to shift gears from keeping them all working together to pushing them to work at all. "This is your future, you know..."
By the time I recommended my bosses should shut down the program and hire only experienced technicians from other companies, it was 2005. The last class I held was populated by college grads and first year technicians... and it was practically impossible to keep their attention. Cellphones and iPods were just becoming a thing and getting them to turn them off and pay attention was a major chore. Most of them couldn't use simple tools, none of them could solder, and almost to a one they seemed entirely disinterested in the technology before them. A common grumble was "We're just going to be swapping assemblies, why do we need to know this stuff?" If memory serves, I ended up dismissing all but 2 of 12 candidates from that last course.
Today, happily retired, I see signals that it's gotten even worse.
For example: I helped a friend who is diabetic and visually impaired, move from one unit in our building to another. One of the helpers, a young kid (yes, a Millennial) was virtually uncontrollable, he got carried away on every task. But the real kicker came when it was time to move my friend's computer, stereo and TV. The young kid runs off and packs everything up in a box. Now I did mention my friend is visually impaired, so I had everything colour coded so I was able to help her fix things on her own (which she enjoys) by saying things like: "unplug the RED cable from your router, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in"... Well the kid shows up with everything in a box, jumble style and when I told him he should not have done that because I needed to get the colour codes first he says: "What makes you so special, anybody can hook up electronics, it's not that hard." So I said, "Okay, then maybe you should do it" ... Long story short, braintrust got the 24v brick for the stereo into the side of my friend's laptop and exploded the batteries.
Not only do the new generation (in my area at least) have no interest in how things actually work, they actively resist learning and have no concept of the value of experience.
One of my major fears is that one day the lights will go out and nobody is going to be able to get them back on.
Is this A Glimpse Of Our Future ?
I used to teach basic electronics in a commercial setting for a large(ish) Point Of Sale company that was branching into office machines and computers. Indeed watching that moment when "Oh I get it" happens is quite rewarding.
I have, however, noticed a definite change in the electronics industry and would not be surprised if it's branched out into other technical trades as well.
When I first started teaching in 1981 my company had just introduced one of the first 8088 computer designs and Point Of Sale systems were just beginning to be networked. We were hiring kids right out of high school, giving them about 6 weeks of basic training in circuit operation, troubleshooting and repair. From my classes they went on to be apprenticed to an experienced technician for their in-house qualifications.
In the first couple of years, most of the kids already had the most basic basics like Ohm's Law, Watt's Equations etc from their physics classes. For the most part they learned quickly and with genuine interest. All but maybe 1 or 2 a year went on to their apprenticeship and a few became lifelong employees.
But by the mid-1990s things had changed drastically. High school kids no longer had even the first concepts, so, now we were hiring from community college courses. These guys were pretty dumb... fresh out of a year of basic electronics and most of them couldn't even work through the basic math. Some simply did not have the first clue how to use hand tools and a few were actually reluctant to handle the test equipment. By this time I was releasing (yes, "firing") about 1 in 10 students because they simply couldn't do the job. But, harder to teach does not mean "unteachable", it just means I had to shift gears from keeping them all working together to pushing them to work at all. "This is your future, you know..."
By the time I recommended my bosses should shut down the program and hire only experienced technicians from other companies, it was 2005. The last class I held was populated by college grads and first year technicians... and it was practically impossible to keep their attention. Cellphones and iPods were just becoming a thing and getting them to turn them off and pay attention was a major chore. Most of them couldn't use simple tools, none of them could solder, and almost to a one they seemed entirely disinterested in the technology before them. A common grumble was "We're just going to be swapping assemblies, why do we need to know this stuff?" If memory serves, I ended up dismissing all but 2 of 12 candidates from that last course.
Today, happily retired, I see signals that it's gotten even worse.
For example: I helped a friend who is diabetic and visually impaired, move from one unit in our building to another. One of the helpers, a young kid (yes, a Millennial) was virtually uncontrollable, he got carried away on every task. But the real kicker came when it was time to move my friend's computer, stereo and TV. The young kid runs off and packs everything up in a box. Now I did mention my friend is visually impaired, so I had everything colour coded so I was able to help her fix things on her own (which she enjoys) by saying things like: "unplug the RED cable from your router, wait 30 seconds and plug it back in"... Well the kid shows up with everything in a box, jumble style and when I told him he should not have done that because I needed to get the colour codes first he says: "What makes you so special, anybody can hook up electronics, it's not that hard." So I said, "Okay, then maybe you should do it" ... Long story short, braintrust got the 24v brick for the stereo into the side of my friend's laptop and exploded the batteries.
Not only do the new generation (in my area at least) have no interest in how things actually work, they actively resist learning and have no concept of the value of experience.
One of my major fears is that one day the lights will go out and nobody is going to be able to get them back on.
Is this A Glimpse Of Our Future ?
Last edited:
Indeed, I do remember when people were genuinely interested in how things worked.
These days they don't even seem interested in work.