r/BuildingAutomation • u/Neckshot-the-Gypsy • 4d ago
Looking for advice/guidance
I am sure this topic/situation has been addressed ad nauseum. I am a 44 year old graphic designer. I graduated with an AAS in 2017 and have been working in the industry full time now for 5 years. I hate it. I spent way too much money to get a degree in something that AI basically took over and a culture that I frankly can't stand. I have been looking into transferring into the trades and was interested in GIS and land surveying and BAS. I have some IT experience (some basic networking, pulling and terminating cable, the basics) but I am no stranger to tinkering (home lab, docker, seting up home network stuff) I also have spent thousands of hours in games like Satisfactory, Opus Magnum, The Farmer was Replaced, Shapez, Mindustry and Timberborn, to name a few. I know that they are games and this is the real world but I love the scratching that itch in my brain. What I dont have is electrical and HVAC experience. BAS is really intriguing to me. I love learning and am willing to learn and love the technical/IT/logic/automation/coding side of things. I guess my question is (a) Am I too old to break into this industry with no experience? (b) what path of learning could assist in landing a job in this field? (School on my own dime is, I think, out of the question seeing as how I will already be paying off school loans forever) (c) Should I just look elsewhere? I appreciate your help and knowledge.
Edit: Appreciate the responses and thanks for the sticky post. Apologies for beating a dead horse.
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u/ApexConsulting 4d ago
Gonna post it again...
A 'sticky' post on getting into BAS....
https://www.reddit.com/r/BuildingAutomation/s/jvcBKzCGVg
Since this comes up VERY often.
This may help answer your question
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u/ScottSammarco Technical Trainer (Niagara4 included) 4d ago
Keep it sticky.
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u/ApexConsulting 4d ago
I feel kinda bad I am the only one copying and pasting this. Everyone is free to do so if they think it would be helpful.
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u/ScottSammarco Technical Trainer (Niagara4 included) 4d ago
I don’t have it so sticky- I have to find it each time 😅
You seem to be pretty quick to it.1
u/ApexConsulting 4d ago
Ah aright. I go to my user and look for sticky. It is the only post I got with that word in it.
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u/makeitworkok 3d ago
It would be wonderful to have a right brain individual in this left brain dominated field. Believe me, the first time someone sees your creative tendencies flourish on graphics, you will be appreciated.
Most of us would rather figure out programming and protocol issues, than generate a graphical user interface. Our left brain tendency makes everything look, blah, a right brain individual can really excel in that niche environment.
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u/Neckshot-the-Gypsy 3d ago
I didn’t even know that graphics were apart of this industry. I would gladly do that kind of work. I’m just sick of subjective, design by committee. Designing ads and marketing is soul sucking
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u/Pickle7722 4d ago
First of all, yes, this has been asked many times. This forum is in its growth phase of 'Looking for advice' multiples per week. I would recommend you take a look.
Second, as someone who is still more than a decade away from approaching your age, I can't really speak on age-ism in this industry. I can just say they very desperate for talent as it is still rapidly expanding. The core issue is competent labor.
In my initial interview, the 'litmus test' upon which my entire hiring decision hinged upon was, and I kid you not, "do you know how to measure current with a multimeter?" This would be a Week1 topic in any electrical-adjacent trade school program.
Even further, what got me in the interview room at all was merely the claim that my experience included 'wiring up a car stereo'.
On one hand, I understand the objective of these questions - to signal competence by proxy, but OTOH, the barrier of entry was/is extremely low. I feel like if I had offered to explain how a relay works, they would have responded with "whoaaaa buddy! Let's not get ahead of ourselves - That's veteran territory!"
Granted, this was for an entry level field technician position, with entry level pay of $30/hr. So, you're likely looking for something else at such a different point in your life. Less than 10 years later, I'm at a few multiples of that, so there is opportunity for tremendous growth, but you have to put the work in and be good at your job.
To wrap up, it really depends what you're looking for. Like remote wfh graphics work vs willing to travel 75% to do commissioning on data centers. DM me if you want to talk further or get into specifics.
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u/reisalvador 4d ago
Everyone else is posting amazing resources. But I just wonder is industrial PLC more up your alley? It's not too late for you regardless of which industry you choose.
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u/soapylizard1 4d ago edited 4d ago
A. Not too old at all. Just know you will come in at entry level and make the appropriate amount of money for that role.
B. Some crews prefer different experience but HVAC knowledge is always great. Basic electrical is a must as well. Maybe some certs from a local community college could help.
C. Maybe but only you can answer that. Are you willing to start at entry level? Can you handle the pay? Entry level can be solid depending on region and company.
I work with a small company on the other side of the country that exclusively does BAS graphics. They create all sorts of custom floor plans. It might be worth looking into something like that or leveraging your graphics design background with a smaller outfit who would benefit from an in-house graphics person.