R12rules said:
How do you begin a carreer in controls work?
Hmmm. I used to be boat mechanic, Navy type, PBR's. When the Navy later assigned me to big ships, engine rooms and boilers. I'd get curious when we needed to call an Auxilliaries guy to fix a centrifugal AC unit or refrigeration syste,
I'd get curious, and be a bit irked that something that confounded me, seemed so easy to him. So I'd always be looking over his shoulder, asking questions, asking if I could borrow a tech manual to read, and would help him with the heavy, dirty, sweaty part of his work.
After a while ... I didn't need to call him much, if at all.
Then there were those Hagen Automated Boiler Controls, which I knew nothing much about. In fact, when they acted up, we'd have to get our onboard "expert" to come fix things. Same thing. I'd hang around watching, asking questions, lend him a hand with the dumb, boring parts of the job he'd as soon not do anyway.
<G> Then one day I ended up being the "expert" guy people called.
Anytime I worked with something I didn't know or understand well, I did pretty much the same. Spent a LOT of my own time helping out someone else, from whom I hoped to learn. And begged, borrowed, and maybe even light-fingered more than just a few tech manuals and other literature. Much of which I still have.
Later got my degree, via night classes, correspondence classes, and challenge tests.
Not a degree in controls, BTW. But I was always interested particularly in controls. I don't believe in "Black Boxes", and just following the instructions to install em. I always started investigating and finding out what that durned Black Box did and how it did it. Or how that intelligent, self modulating and adjusting valve did what it did. And ... WHY.
When I retired from the Navy and worked for a phone company as an in-house "facilities" manager, I was responsible for a few hundred buildings. Most of which were pretty small "switch houses". But some were fairly large network centers, customer service centers, etc. And we had a conglomeration of equipment. Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Andover, you name it. We had it somewhere.
Fact was, many a time we'd be having problems and whichever local vendor or contractor we used for whatever control system wouldn't come. Or wouldn't come NOW. When we wanted him to, and as required by our contracts, which said vendor signed.
Plus, more than a few time, the contractor was BSing us to the max ... and beyond. System wouldn't perform as advertised and guaranteed. Guy would give me a BS excuse. Or some other song and dance.
<Shrug> So I started to learn Honeywell, Johnson Control, Andover, etc. Even paid out of my own pocket to attend an Andover school.
<G> Pretty soon I didn't need to call those BSing contractors much, any more. Not that I didn't call any. The good ones I kept, bad ones I "fired". Screw em. Fixed, replaced, or installed the stuff in those areas myself.
(I had responsibility for a whole state worth of buildings, so used a number of contractors.)
Anyway, when I called it quits with the phone company, and went looking for a job, I found the company for whom I work now. At the time they were looking for a controls guy with a background in a particular line of controls. About which I knew nothing. But then, neither did much of anyone else ... who was looking for a job.
I told the fellow I interviewed with that I didn't know squat about those controls, but did know others. Andover, Honeywell, etc.
He asked if I thought I could learn a new one and asked if I wanted to give it a shot. No schools ... no time, they needed me NOW. Could I teach self if they gave me a set of manuals?
<G> I went home with a stack of manuals, and hopped in with both feet. 3 days later I took over a project. Granted that I had help. Phone number of another guy with the company I could call if I had questions.
Point is, the interviewer later told me he selected me because others he interviewed backed off when faced with something totally new to them. I didn't.
I figured I knew the basics. Sure as hell know HVAC systems, and other other manufactureres of controls did things ... and WHY. So how hard could a new system be?
If you know what needs to be done and why, then learning a new way to do it really isn't that hard.
I don't know about your area, but around here, while it's not frequent ... it is REGULAR that this or that company is looking for someone not afraid to give controls a try.
Also around here, just about as common to find a controls guy with a mechanical background as with an electrician background. In the company for whom I work, it's nearly 50/50. With most of the electrical types having had a lot of prior experience in HVAC systems.
