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How much does an electrician know more than an electrical engineer?

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Comments

  • #32
    jamiemcg85
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3 ✭jamiemcg85


    crystalbrite wrote: »
    How much does an electrician know more than an electrical engineer? I was just woundering if a qualified electrical engineer would be able to do the job of an electrician. Since an electrical engineer learns everything about electricity you think they should be able to. What does an electrician learn that an electrical engineer dosn't?

    An electrician has the praticle experience as well as the basic theory to electricity. An engineer has only the advanced theory behind electricity.

    Fact of the matter is that an engineer is NOT certified to make as much as one electrical connection in any given installation. Your standard electrician is certified to work with a supply of up to a 1,000V. Any more than that they would need to be trained for a higher supply rating e.g in the ESB. Which would supply the training and certs to their electricians. The ONLY way an engineer can install an electrical application is to have completed a standard based apprenticeship with FAS. So that person is an electrician and an engineer... Hence they are two different job titles, which both rely equally on eachother. End of!!


  • #33
    Dublinstiofán
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,190 ✭✭✭Dublinstiofán


    Theres a clause in the code of ethics to stop engineers/electricians from pissing in somebody elses' pool if theyre not qualified to do so.

    " Members shall accept and perform only work for which they are qualified and competent to undertake and shall obtain whatever advice and assistance is necessary to discharge this responsibility"

    I think its pretty clear. If you need an electrician get one. If you need an engineer get one.

    If your an engineer and you wire a house up and don't know what your doing your in breach on the code of ethics and your royaly screwed if it burns down.


  • #34
    shanejunkin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 85 ✭✭shanejunkin


    Anima wrote: »
    No need to be rude in fairness.

    It was funny though... lighthearted I thought?


  • #35
    shanejunkin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 85 ✭✭shanejunkin


    crystalbrite wrote: »
    So basically coming out of an engineering degree you'll have no practical experience at all. It'll just be all theory. Thats pretty lame. Like what if you come up with some amazing idea, yere saying that all you'll be able to plan it out and everything but not make it. You'll have to get someone else to do it.

    What if you want to be able to do both, what should you do? Go to college and FAS?

    If you want to do both, study both! Do an apprenticship, work for a few years and then do a degree.

    There's nothing "lame" about being able to design something and not having the skills to build it efficently. They're different skills. If one designs something well he/she can outsource the build to someone else and you end up (hopefully) with a well designed (assuming you know what you're doing) and a well built system (assuming the guys you outsourced to know what they're doing). What's lame about that? You're still a very important part of the process/team, as are the builders of the system...

    Significant projects are naturally large. So, to think that to be skilled is to do everything, like fund, design, build, manufacture and market is not really that relelvent.

    Is a novelist p1ssed off that he/she didn't bind every one of the books that were sold? I doubt the printers feel sick at the thoughts of binding someone elses book either!!!


  • #36
    shanejunkin
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 85 ✭✭shanejunkin


    Stoner wrote: »
    1st There are many electrical eng degrees out there none of which cover installation. There is only one standards based apprenticeship

    The practical side of an electrical apprenticeship is not covered for degree courses to any extent worth mentioning.

    Back in the day I used the Electrical Craft Principles books to study for semester one exams in first year, they were good books, but useless after that.

    There is no comparison between the two with respect to technical issues IMHO.
    Apprentices have no language or business studies so they don't cover the management side of things.

    Engineers on the other hand have little or no practical training, the apprenticeship training on site offers a vast amount of experience and exposure to best and worst practice, good engineers listen to good electricians and work out the best way to do the job.

    Someone with both qualifications is in a great position, most electrical engineers who think that they can do the job of an electrician don't know what they are talking about are are generally at the lower end of the scale IMO.

    Good engineers and electricians know their role and respect the position of the other.
    On a final confusing note

    I've never met an engineer whom I considered great who thought he/she could do the job of an electrician.

    However I've met plenty of great electricians who think they would be great engineers :)

    The gap between a good and bad trades person and a good and bad engineer is huge IMO so yes I'm sure a good electrician could do the same job as a bad engineer, and a good engineer could do the job of a bad electrician.

    You're clarification that a good engineers and electricians, or technicians I suppose, respect the position of the other is excellent. That's extremely valid. The technician who wants to slag off the engineer because he or she is not tidy with a wiring job or installation probably is not much of a technician. Similarily, an engineer who wants demonstrate installations or wiring techniques to a technician probably is not much of an engineer.

    We've an "engineer" like that working with us, he's useless, can't do anything. The techs patronisingly nicknamed him "Brunel". Hilarious, I thought.


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  • #37
    carolok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16 ✭carolok


    An electrician installs, maintains and fixes electrical installations. a electrical engineer designs systems, transmission networks and generations systems. iam a electrician who did a degree in electrical engineering after qualifying. they are not the same but they are closely liked, i now design wiring systems for hotels and hospitels ect, and to be honest if i wasnt a spark first i think i woundnt beable to desight the best system possible. an electrican is not more qualified then an electrical engenere but an electrical engener is not more qualified then an electrican, 2 different profficeans, 2 different carreres just in the same field.


  • #38
    drunken_munky52
    Closed Accounts Posts: 636 ✭✭✭drunken_munky52


    Engineers understand the scientific and technical background of electricity. They use maths to solve problems and develop new systems.

    Electricians do what the engineers tell them. They are troubleshooters, solving problems by trying one thing before moving on to the next.


  • #39
    carolok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16 ✭carolok


    drunken_munky52 wrote: »
    Engineers understand the scientific and technical background of electricity. They use maths to solve problems and develop new systems.

    Electricians do what the engineers tell them. They are troubleshooters, solving problems by trying one thing before moving on to the next.


    true!


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