Power engineering... should I go for it?

[Bryce Masuk]

Anyone on here a power engineer?

do you like doing it, I am thinking of going to school for it

currently I am a metalworker I was getting my sheet metal ticket, but it seems as soon as your not in the union they want to cut your wage in half,

I applyed for a job doing tig welding for the pharm industry thinking it was going to be a reasonable wage and they want to pay 15 dollars an hour for this!

a warehouse job where I would do very little pays 14 dollars per hour and takes no skill nor effort.

the average house is worth 500000 in the vancouver area 15 dollars per hour is below the poverty line because of the cost of living.

I am thinking getting cert'd as power engineer is going to help me and teach me some cool things not to mention get me bringing home some big pieces of metal :)

[David Einhorn]

I am always in favor of education. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would consider something along the lines of engineering of some sort.

[Bentiron1946]

I don't know how things work in Canada but a few years ago a friend of mine got tired of producing all of the work turning out a set of plans for a building and getting paid very little for it compared to the engineer on the project. He decided to go back to school to become an engineer. I told him to get a copy of the list of registered engineers in the state and get an education in the area that had the least amount of registered engineers. He looked at them all and chose to be an Electrical Engineer. It didn't have the least but he thought he could manage the requirements education wise. It was a good choice for him. Civil engineering had three times as many registered engineers as any other type and accordingly got paid the least. Pick wisely education costs are soaring and loans are costing more.

[Jocko 58]

Could you please describe a Power Engineer, maybe different wording in OZ thanks John:confused:

[Bryce Masuk]

The cost of eduation is only 1000 dollars if i get the job first i can do all the schooling on the computer,

this decribes what it is,
BCIT : : Power Engineering (General Program): Full-time, Certificate of Trades Training

usually there is lots of work abroad for power engineers and at home since we have huge electrical dams and more being built as we speak,

the pay is excellent as you move up
it seems like its better to have than a ticket in welding or machining or sheetmetal

[Bentiron1946]

So this is like being a Master Boiler Tender in the old days?

[Bryce Masuk]

I guess so to a certain extent,

You get your 4th class first and work your way up people who are 1st class run powerplants and dams and such many others work in mills, chemical plants, and food factorys

I figured I could work and still have lots of energy to forge afterwork untill i manage to make enough money that blacksmithing puts food on the table

[Bentiron1946]

That sounds like a good idea to me. Lot of my family members did that sort of work. Most got their start in the Navy as boiler tenders or black gang. One uncle worked on a diesel powered ship so no boiler but lots of other equipment to keep running plus the engine. Good work later in life and good retirement benefits too.

[Bryce Masuk]

I am mostly concidering it because right now i am basicly screwed for employment I just took a job at a warehouse, it sucks but it pays the same as welding for rip off artists plus the job is about 10 mins from my house usually i have had to travel over an hour each day which adds up,

[Larzz]

I am a National Board commissioned boiler inspector and have a Chief A Boiler Operators License from Minnesota. I have been in the profession since 1982. I read the information from the web site you referenced and it is indeed training to operate boilers and power plants. I received my primary training from Uncle Sam's Canoe Club, underwater division, in the 1970's. I have found it to be a very rewarding and stable profession. Low and High pressure boilers are in use the world over and are used for production, heating and power generation. I would recommend you take the training, it can lead to a good future.

[JESmith]

Power Engineering is a good career. There are two parts to a 4th class. There is a 4A and a 4B. To fully qualify as a 4th class you do need boiler time. I never did get my full 4B because I wasted my time as a Process Operator. It was the same pay so I really did not care. I'm not following in that career anymore but it really did help me out a lot becoming a Millwright.
If you go a head and pursue this career check out correspondence through NAIT or SAIT. By far the most complete and best educators of Power Engineering. If you would like more information let me know I do still work with about 10 Power Engineers. One other thing if you work towards a 3rd class or even better your 2nd . Thats were the money is.

Edited November 27, 2009 by JESmith