Electrican to electrical engineer

alan86

Right lads just wondering if anyone can give me any pointers on what courses or what direction i can go in to achive this. I am 26 and have no leaving cert dont know if that will make a difference. In the trade about 10 years and i just cant hack it any more. Dont fancy still chaseing and wireing old houses in an other 10 years so i think i will try and do something else why i can. Any help is appreciated

crasy dash

Hi Alan,

I would say your best bet would be to talk to someone in the electrical department in Cit I see you are from Cork and see what they would advise you on doing, ie what the entry requirements for the course are etc

You could also post your question in the cit forum on here there is a boards member called phillip o reilly who seems to answer alot of questions about courses cit .

Im an industrial spark myself and i feel the same as yourself unfortunately i am not in the situation to think about a return to college.

Whatever happens hope it works out for you and keep us updated

Dash

2011

alan86 wrote: »

Right lads just wondering if anyone can give me any pointers on what courses or what direction i can go in to achive this. I am 26 and have no leaving cert dont know if that will make a difference. In the trade about 10 years and i just cant hack it any more. Dont fancy still chaseing and wireing old houses in an other 10 years so i think i will try and do something else why i can. Any help is appreciated

+1 to crasy dash's advice.

The fact that you do not have a leaving certificate is not a problem because technically at 26 you are a mature student. As such your entry to an engineering course will be determined by an interview rather than leaving cert results. The fact that you are already a qualified electrician demonstrates that you already have a level of electrical understanding and experience. It may not be possible for you to get direct entry to a level 8 degree, but a level 7 should not be a problem. As a qualified electrician with a level 7 in the right area you should be able to get a good job or even progress to a level 8. For many in your position maths is the most difficult subject, but you should not all this should to put you off.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

dahamster

+1

The electrical engineering level 8 degree in CIT has been modified to accomodate the need for upskilling electricians. Give the head of dept a ring to discuss.
Your maths electrical science needs to be up yo scratch though. If so i think you get a bye into second year of the degree.

Good luck

Max_Charger

dahamster wrote: »

+1

If so i think you get a bye into second year of the degree.

Good luck

Trade cert and a leaving cert is needed to get into second year, otherwise you're starting from scratch unfortunately.

2011

Max_Charger wrote: »

Trade cert and a leaving cert is needed to get into second year, otherwise you're starting from scratch unfortunately.

Which is not always a bad thing. This will mean that the OP will not be puting himself under undue pressure and will have a year to get up to speed with maths etc. before 2nd year.

IMHO it is best to ensure that whatever course you do is acredited by Engineers Ireland. There are plenty of courses out there that will not carry any weight with employers. Also do some research to ensure that the course you select will lead to employment. Some might say that there are courses out there with the primiary aim of keeping lectuers in a job that no longer have electrical apprentices to teach.

2011

@ alan86, you may find this thread interesting.

Max_Charger

2011 wrote: »

Which is not always a bad thing. This will mean that the OP will not be puting himself under undue pressure and will have a year to get up to speed with maths etc. before 2nd year.

Very true, I myself am starting elec engineering in CIT in a few weeks,and like the OP, have no leaving cert so am starting off in 1st year. Sur you have the rest of your life to work all you want anyway :pac:

lostlad

I'm doing the exact same thing, applied for advanced entry to Dit and Cit electrical engineering.

Both seemed good colleges although I preferred how Dit made you pass bridging modules in maths, electrical science and Autocad to qualify for advanced entry.

If your thinking about going back next year call into a citizens information centre and they will tell you all about grants, btea allowance etc.

Also it might be a good idea to get an old maths book and do an hour or two a week working at it, so it isn't a big shock to the system when you start looking at maths next September. I did this and I felt it did no harm at all:D

alan86

Thanks for all the help lads really appreciate it. Just wondering is it too late to apply this year.

leeomurchu

I think you can do the building services engineer course in a year full time or two years part time. you skip the first couple of years with a trade qualification