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Aspiring Engineer

C

carlpolson

So I would like to possibly work my way into an Engineering job someday. What are some college classes I could take that would help me get closer to this type of job.
Thanks for any advice.

Carl Polson
www.carlpolson.com
 
A lot has changed since 1967 when I started, but here's how my path went...I ran into a preacher who worked at a local Christion station about 4 blocks from where I grew up. He got me a study guide for the 3rd class operator license w/broadcast endorsement that was required at the time. A few weeks later, at age 14, I ran his board shift while he was on vacation for 2 weeks. The station's Chief Engineer (who worked at one of the city's big commercial AM stations) took at interest in my desire to learn & invited me to help with technical matters. I took every opportunity to learn. At age 16, I passed the second class test and at 17, passed the first class test. I was green, but in the FCC's eyes, I was a broadcast engineer. Since then, I have done a lot of dumb things and learned from every one. School of hard knocks...I've never been in any school beyond 12th grade and have been retired from one of the top 10 brodcast groups for 5 years now. I still take care of about 15 stations on a contract basis. I don't know if the same scenario could play out today, but radio has been good to me over the past 40 years...

Radio Engineers will pretty well all admit that we don't know who's going to replace us when the time comes. Your interest in this field gives a glimmer of hope to our community at large. If this is what you want to do, introduce yourself to every broadcast engineer you can in your area. Chances are that one or more of them will do for you what one did for me in '67...
 
The FCC has since deregulated, and the present "General Radiotelephone Operator License" is now no longer related to broadcast, however the Society of Broadcast Engineers maintains a tiered certification program. Certificates beyond the bottom tier require successive years of "on the job" experience. Above all, get your foot in the door, and start studying up on electronics, physics, and IT. I got my first job at 18 as an engineer's assistant, and had been the Asst. Chief Engineer for awhile by the time I finished college (6 yrs. later.. ) After school, I moved across the country to take a C.E./dept. head position at a large cluster. A college degree is by no means a requirement, but definitely opens up more possibilities. Go to SBE.org and look at the job listings to get an idea of what sort of qualifications are expected for the "good" jobs.... While you're there, buy a study guide for the CBT certification!
 
Carl,

Pardon me if this is an irrelevent question, but do you mean broadcast engineering rather than engineering in general? One would assume this is the case considering where you posted, but I wanted to be sure.

Neil
 
Yes sir, I mean broadcast engineering. I've worked at a radio station for the past 4 years doing anything from on-air to light engineering work, website work. Anything to get experience! I love radio and have wanted to work in this industry since I was 6 years old (now 22). I wanta know everything there is to radio and broadcasting. Just not sure what the next step is. I am in the process of continuing my college education.
Thanks for all the advice!

Carl
 
Some courses in electrical engineering will do you well. Don't need anything too advanced, just the introductory courses that you get the essential formulas and understanding.

Next, become a HAM! Studying up for the tests gets you a greater understanding of how the transmission systems work, and then gives you a chance to get some hands on experience with transmitters and antennas. The concepts are just about identical to what you'll be doing in broadcast engineering.

SBE certifications are definitely a plus as well.

Finally, start to make friends with the engineers in the area! Trust me when I tell you the vast majority of them will be more than happy to talk to a young person who shows interest in what they do. If your college has an NPR outlet, talk to the engineer. I learned after I graduated that my college NPR station's engineer offered student positions! I'm still kicking myself about that!

This is the advice from a 20 something who is also on the path to becoming an engineer. Good luck...I'm glad I'm not alone!
 
Glad to see there are more people interested in the field! I started out on the air some 22 years ago, and have always been interested in the technical side of radio. I had a chief engineer who finally prodded me hard enough and taught me the ropes, and had patience, which allowed me to learn the craft. I'm all too happy to extend that to anyone who wants to tag along with me.
 
There is a great home study course available out of Cleveland. Can't remember the name of the school of the top of my head but (at least the way they used to do it) the test equipment that you got during your studies were yours after passing the course. I think the name was Cleveland Institute of Technology.
 
Yes, it is the "Cleveland Institute of Electronics." They offer a home study certificate in Broadcast Engineering as well as many other certifications.

Hope that helps...
 
Carl,
Do what I did. I hooked up with the Chief of our small town local station, and started doing work for him, repairs, remotes, etc. Gained enough knowledge from being so hands-on, that I landed the Chief job there a couple of years later when he moved on. It was a great launching point for my career. College study is great, but hands-on, dive right in type studying was far better for me. As a matter of fact, the higher grade SBE exams contain questions that no book studying will provide. It's stuff you will have learned by doing.

Good luck, and I'm glad to see someone new interested. It's kind of becoming a dying art.
dave
 
I'd be interested to hear if anyone's had experience with the 'Cleveland Institute of Electronics'... I've been searching awhile to find a self-study program for my assistant. He's got a good IT background, but really needs a solid foundation in electronics to build his 'broadcast engineering' skills on, and quite honestly, neither of us have time during the work day to get past the basics.

We've budgeted this year for some 'continuing education' expenses for him, and CIE looks pretty good (though maybe a tad overpriced) from their website. They've been around for awhile, and the programs seem pretty thorough. I did some research on their accrediting body, and it is indeed legit. They seem eager to impress that they are not a 'diploma mill' type of operation.

What worries me is that a google search turns up some complaints that make CIE out to be a bit of a con, at least regarding some of their billing and contract practices. The BBB website indicates they've been a member since 1964, but also indicates a handful of complaints, all related to money matters. Needless to say, I'd feel pretty terrible if I got him steered in the direction of a scam.

Any insight would be appreciated.
 
I guess I'm an old fart (mid thirties), comparatively speaking, who's in the same boat. I decided a few years ago to change course in my career path, and got into radio. Initially, I had no idea what I wanted to do, I went to a vocational school, got an internship at a local station, and started at the bottom in promotions.

Now, a few years have passed and I find that anything relating to programming and engineering is my passion and also my forte. What helps me greatly is my background in IT and my basic understanding of electronics. I work a lot with our current CE, sometimes formally, sometimes informally (on and off the clock). Most of what I learn now is on the job, referring to documentation when I need details. Getting a basic understanding of how things work together is an invaluable aid. As has been said, it's about the relationships you build and maintain; I've been fortunate enough to have worked with some very talented folks. Your relationships (and reputation) will have a lot to do with your success.

As I understand it, each company has their own requirements and there is no required set of credentials. My question as it relates to this thread is regarding certifications. Which certifications are highly desirable? And what is the entry point, price-wise, for study materials?
 
As soon as you've been in the biz for 5 years, get your CBRE certification from the SBE... Assuming you've had any broadcast technical experience (and an electronics background), it shouldn't require very extensive study. The SBE has study materials on their website for around $30.00. Some people still tout posession of a FCC General Radiotelephone Operator's License, though it is no longer applicable to broadcast (at least not directly). It also requires a simple test that can be passed with a couple weeks of thumbing through a study guide.

90% of the CE jobs I've seen posted ask the same as a minimum:

5 years experience (can be as assistant).
2-year degree or tech school.
SBE (or FCC) certification "is a plus".

The remaining posts usually are asking for an engineering degree, 10 yrs. experience, or both. Occasionally you'll see postings for Asst. CE jobs which have lower qualifications. Above all, it never hurts to aim high... Engineers are in short supply.
 
This is true...especially the higher paying positions. I've been a Chief for three years by sheer luck because I already knew alot about electronics and had a mentor who was patient in teaching me. He is still a great friend and teacher...even though I don't work for that particular company any longer. I still run into things that are beyond my understanding, and need a different viewpoint about what I'm tackling.

I had a good friend of mine who worked for the cloud company that left because he said "there was too much political bull****. Wasn't about engineering anymore...just politics." He had close to 20 engineers under him, and out of those, only 3 were worth their salt. He also stated that two of his markets were legal. That is saying something!

I probably know as much as the "schooled" engineers, but just don't have the certificate to hang on the wall. I am actually looking at CIE myself, just to say I've done it, and help better my knowledge about other issues.

I will say that nothing beats hands-on work, but you can't get the certification by doing that. I am also hoping to get my SBE certification in the near future.

In the past, employers would sometimes help you out by offering to keep you up to date on the latest equipment, procedures, and technology. Not so much anymore. Most don't even know what we, as engineers, do for a living. It's beyond their scope of understanding.

You are right, however, good engineers are in short supply, and we now have to wonder who is going to replace us when we're gone. I just hope that the industry doesn't die before that happens.

Damn...reading this back makes me sound like I'm applying for a job! Sorry...
 
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