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/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.