Becoming An Engineer or Technician
You may well ask how a mechanic busy all day at the bench or machine can become an engineer or technician. Even day students taking the regular four-year engineering degree find their time fully occupied. Yet it can be done; it has been done by countless machinists. Let's investigate a few ways.
If you are a graduate of a technical or academic high school, your scholastic credits will probably admit you to the night or extension division of most engineering schools, technical institutes, or junior colleges. If you have all the required credits, you can register for training in mechanical, industrial, or aeronautical engineering or technology, or in any other field in which you are interested. The school will provide you with a list of the required and elective courses you need for a degree, and you can work out a program with the help of the school's advisor. It is then up to you to apply the energy and perseverance necessary to complete the course.
Of course, it is not going to be easy. It is difficult to put in a full day at the bench or machine, grab a bite to eat, then dash off to a class in analytic geometry, mechanical lab, or mechanisms. When you finally get home, there is homework to be done; your weekends cannot be devoted entirely to leisure activities. And there is the matter of paying for the courses.
Acquiring an engineering (bachelor's) or technology (associate) degree might take several years. Yet, despite the obstacles, it is still worthwhile. Many machinists have followed this road to emerge as engineers or technicians with specialties in design, production, manufacturing, distribution, or some other field. They have become machine designers, plant administrators, production planners and overseers, time and motion study experts, quality control supervisors, and personnel managers.
Be sure you investigate all possibilities for continuing your education. Every urban center either has such institutions as those mentioned above or is near such schools. Look around your own neighborhood and inquire about the programs offered in nearby schools.
Some companies encourage their employees to continue their educations by offering them financial assistance. For example, the owner of one large machine shop asked an instructor at a vocational high school to recommend two graduates of the school's machine shop course who would be good candidates for training as all-around machinists. As an incentive for them to accept employment, they were offered financial assistance to help them work their way through evening engineering courses at a local university.
Financial assistance to pay for tuition and books also is available through scholarships, grants, and loans. Such assistance often is awarded even though the recipient may only have a part-time job. To find out about financial help, consult the guidance service of the nearest federal-state employment office or the guidance or financial aid office of the institution you wish to attend. Additionally, you may wish to consult the following for further information:
Teaching
Have you ever thought of a career in teaching? Probably such an idea has never crossed your mind or it has appeared to you as rather far-fetched. Yet the possibilities exist and are not too difficult to attain, as proved by the many machinists now teaching in vocational, technical, evening, and extension trade programs all over the country.
Public vocational education has come a long way since the turn of the century, and particularly since 1975. It is one of the few educational programs partly subsidized by the federal government; the federal government invests approximately $700 million each year in support of vocational education. The states and local governments invest even more-in the range of $2.5 billion annually. Today, there are nearly 20,000,000 persons enrolled in some form of trade or skills training at either secondary or postsecondary school levels.
Vocational education and skills training are expected to continue expanding in coming years. The Vocational Education Acts of 1963, 1964 and 1984 not only changed the entire structure of federally financed skills training but also allocated to the states large sums of money to help pay for this development, thereby expanding employment opportunities for trade teachers.
In addition, the Jobs Training Partnership Act, the various antipoverty measures, and the numerous state manpower training efforts all emphasize vocational training and retraining.
The employment situation of recent years has caused many people to reexamine their career objectives with the result that a great deal of interest in learning a skilled trade has been aroused; consequently, there should be no lack of openings for machine shop teachers in the years ahead.
As a rule, local boards of education do not require a shop teacher to have a college degree. A high school diploma and from five to nine years of valid and comprehensive trade experience are usually the basic requirements. The larger cities may hold examinations for trade teacher licenses, which usually consist of a general written test and a practical demonstration of shop skills. The successful candidate can then be appointed to an existing school vacancy. Once on the job, he or she usually is enrolled in a state-supported teacher training course or is required to take some courses at a local university.
If you like working with young people, have had sufficient experience in the shop, and see advantages in teaching as a career, you can check with the board of education in your own locality or write for information to such urban centers as Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City, and Los Angeles which have large programs of vocational education. If your trade experience or educational background is not yet sufficient to qualify you as a teacher, you can delay your plans but keep a teaching career in mind.
Teaching can be a most satisfactory experience. Teachers usually receive livable salaries and have work days of about six and a half hours, summer vacations of six to eight weeks, chances for advancement to supervisory or administrative positions, some form of job tenure, and pensions after a certain length of service. They also have the satisfaction of helping young people clarify their goals and start a career. Teachers employed in civil service will make no fortunes, but at least they have some security in their jobs and a large amount of time off which they can devote to developing other interests. Additionally, teachers have an opportunity to develop many satisfactory relationships with young people and the community.
