Skills Required

[phkennedy]

Hi All,

I would appreciate your views and thoughts on the following. I am currently in my last year of an Electronics & Computers Engineering Degree and it is getting to the stage where I need to apply for jobs, or at least start looking. I have a huge interest in security especially Intruder from no age and I am having thoughts about applying for jobs with a Multi-National Company and also a few local based companies. However I have no idea at what level I should be at in terms of security electronics knowledge, as job requirements are very general. What would you think a new employee should be able to do. What would you expect someone who is applying for a job as an engineer to possess in their knowledge base? How long do you think it would take to become proficient, so that you would be useful as a team member? I have done only a weeks professional work experience with a company when I attended school, but I did try and obtain a further 1 years industrial placement with a company last year as I had to complete a years working as part of my degree. I was unsuccessful as they said that they could not afford to take me on in this "financial climate". I did complete a year industrial experience within a Government agency as a Field I.T Services Engineer.

My experience in limited but I have installed CCTV, and intruder alarms i.e accord XPC, galaxy G2, 16+ etc and understand how systems work. I also understand all the principals in the like of the DD243 compliance and the latest IEE standards etc. I also am aware of the operation of Red care etc.

My main concern is that the content covered at degree level deals more with system design and microprocessor design, once having studied the basics in electronics rather than the operation and functionality of existing system security or other, but I have found that skills used in this higher level of electronics can be used in lower levels especially in understanding diagrams and fault finding, and calculating of readings.

I hope that I have not been too vague and hope to have communicated the concerns I have and information that I am really looking. And hope that I do have what it takes to become a service engineer.

A friend who works for a security company has said that knowledge of the ATS 4000 from GE is of benefit as these are becoming standard specification on many contracts, and that this company in particular is keen to employee anyone who has any knowledge of them.

Does anyone know where I could pick up a installation manual or engineering manual for this system onlinr. I don;t really want to ask him for one.

I really look forward to your responses.

Regards

PK

[black knight]

By sounds of things you are keen and that is good for starters - to many