Finding your niche – considered being a Technician?
Being a technician is not the same as being a junior engineer. It is a different job and requires different skills.
An engineering degree may sound attractive, but is it the best option for your career?
One of the large technology companies I work with has recently started recruiting technicians in Poland. This isn't because they are cheaper, or work harder: it is simply because there are far too few in the UK. With easy access to engineering degree courses, many of the young people who 20 years ago would have enjoyed successful careers supporting and supervising engineering activities are entering industry without the practical skills required for these critical roles.
Being a technician is not the same as being a junior engineer. It is a different job and requires different skills. Graduates of the old Polytechnics or holders of the HNC/HND qualifications were well equipped to run laboratories, supervise manufacturing operations and provide a host of other technical management functions that allow engineering industry to function smoothly. A theory-orientated degree is often the wrong qualification for this role.
So, if you want to design computers or cars and feel you have the academic ability to do this well, then an engineering degree is clearly the best option. But if you feel your talents are more suited to making things happen, ensuring processes work efficiently and encouraging others to excel in their work, a more practically-focussed qualification may be better. You'll end up with a skill set that is in high demand and a job that can be extremely satisfying.
By Richard Gotch
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