I think there is a certain amount of general careers advice which could be valuable here.

Note, I am not an electrician, I definitely shouldn't be let loose too near a distribution box :) However, I started my career in testing and commissioning of electronic systems and worked my way across to the design side where I have mostly stayed. It was easy for me as i was working for a large company that did both design and test, so it was a case of getting a placement. I don't think this is the position you find yourself in.

However, there are a few things you can do. If you can identify companies and people that do the sort of work you are interested in, then you can do a bit of research (LinkedIn is useful here) and see what you can find out from those profiles.

What you may find that there are common qualifications that those people have. That might give you an idea of it there is further study you need to do.

However, just because you don't have a qualification, doesn't mean you can't get there. Most of the people I work with have engineering degree's, but not all of them. Those who don't often offer a useful viewpoint different from the rest of us.

The other thing I would add, given you do text and inspection, you are probably aware of all the design flaw that make it difficult to test and inspect. That can be a useful skill in its own right. I've know people who were taken into design teams because they came from manufacturing backgrounds and could make sure the design was easier to manufacture (which makes it cheaper to manufacture also).

So its a case of what educations and skills do you need to develop to get into design, but also what useful perspectives you can bring to the design process from your current viewpoint.

Good luck,

Mark

I think there is a certain amount of general careers advice which could be valuable here.

Note, I am not an electrician, I definitely shouldn't be let loose too near a distribution box :) However, I started my career in testing and commissioning of electronic systems and worked my way across to the design side where I have mostly stayed. It was easy for me as i was working for a large company that did both design and test, so it was a case of getting a placement. I don't think this is the position you find yourself in.

However, there are a few things you can do. If you can identify companies and people that do the sort of work you are interested in, then you can do a bit of research (LinkedIn is useful here) and see what you can find out from those profiles.

What you may find that there are common qualifications that those people have. That might give you an idea of it there is further study you need to do.

However, just because you don't have a qualification, doesn't mean you can't get there. Most of the people I work with have engineering degree's, but not all of them. Those who don't often offer a useful viewpoint different from the rest of us.

The other thing I would add, given you do text and inspection, you are probably aware of all the design flaw that make it difficult to test and inspect. That can be a useful skill in its own right. I've know people who were taken into design teams because they came from manufacturing backgrounds and could make sure the design was easier to manufacture (which makes it cheaper to manufacture also).

So its a case of what educations and skills do you need to develop to get into design, but also what useful perspectives you can bring to the design process from your current viewpoint.

Good luck,

Mark