5 ms·

"How are you dealing?" Short answer; not well. Long answer; I'm currently stuck in a job with an employer that I hate, that is slowly destroying my love of th

by 0xEF 3y ago

"How are you dealing?" Short answer; not well. Long answer; I'm currently stuck in a job with an employer that I hate, that is slowly destroying my love of the work, and I can't afford the time it would take to leave, upgrade my skills and get into a better situation. For context, I am a versatile service tech for industrial machines. I have zero certifications in anything only because I never needed them before since I keep pretty good logs of stuff I work on in my spare time and that typically serves nicely as a portfolio. I'm in my mid-40's and realized I have hit the upper limits of what I can do without certifications and an upgraded skillset. I'd love to move into the world of PLC programming and cybersecurity in an industrial setting. I've expressed this to my current employer, but it's clear they want me to stay where I am at, so I'm more or less on my own if I want to grow. I have been quietly looking for a company that offers opportunities for this type of learning and makes an effort to invest in their people. Nothing that comes up are positions I qualify for since I lack said certifications. I realize this is my fault, of course, and could have been avoided with different decisions in my youth...but now I am panicking because I'm having trouble seeing what my next move is and that is something I've never had to deal with. In the past, I've been blessed enough to interview well and prove my skills, generally landing a new job within two weeks of leaving the old. Now I can't even get recruiters to call me back, with their bars being set historically low. I'm at the point where I'm open to night school (sacrificing pretty much all personal/family time I have left) but I have no idea what viable institutions are out there, and what's a diploma mill to be avoided. If anyone works in SCADA, cybersecurity for industrial settimgs, PLC programming, etc, I am open to any direction you can provide. Lord knows I am not getting it from the folks I'm surrounded with in the industry.

HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago
I can't help you directly, but have you checked plctalk.com? Lots of experience on there and I'm sure you can find someone who's been in the same situation and can offer some guidance.
- 0xEF 3y ago
  I didn't know about this! And with animated gifs, too! Hah, I dig the old web, anyway. But yeah, I'll comb through these forums, seems like it's an active community. Thanks!
fredgrott 3y ago
STOP! All that time spent in distractions to salivate the job hate is not doing you any favors....use it instead to pick up PCL! I speak from exp....my brother did exactly that...he is now a manager with good money and better employer.
- benjijay 3y ago
  Google is mainly returning biology or construction terms and my brain is on vacation; what's PCL here?
  - hnbad 3y ago
    It's either the Italian or Libanese Communist Party. But I don't think that's what they meant either. They probably meant PLC, which OP mentioned: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
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    [deleted]
- 0xEF 3y ago
  I do have a PCL (you can find Allen Bradley or Seimens PLCs on eBay for cheap if you are patient, if anyone else is looking). I have learned to program and use it enough to know that I enjoy working with them, which is what set me on this path. Still good advice! The trick is now rounding out that skill with a proper education on it and being able to show "yes, I did the work."
anymouse123456 3y ago
You can do it! You just have to start. No one on Earth can stop you from learning what you want to learn. Don't worry about certifications, dig into the information on your own time. Do it at night, or in the morning, when everyone else is sleeping. Buy some old, broken or used controls and mess around with automating something in your house. Once you start taking action that convinces you that the day job you hate is temporary, you'll be shocked at how much more bearable every single thing becomes.
- smelly101 3y ago
  > You can do it! You just have to start. No one on Earth can stop you from learning what you want to learn. The 'weekend' is not enough time to switch a career. A university undergrad takes 1460 days. With 100 weekend days a year it would take 14 years to achieve that. That's assuming you don't take a single day off for 14 years. You're gaslighting the poor dude.
  - paulcole 3y ago
    I mean what's better? To say "Well if you try you might get what you want..." or to go, "Yeah you're right it's hopeless and you are stuck..."
    - 0xEF 3y ago
      But...I'm not saying either of those things. Both are extreme positions. If you read my original post, I'm looking for a company that can take me on and help me get to that next level while I work for them (aka "investing in its people"). They exist, but the barriers to entry are tricky to navigate, hence why I asked for advice from someone in the field. Sweeping ideas about blanket positivity are not practical solutions, so the previous comment (and, by extension, yours) are pretty unhelpful.
- 0xEF 3y ago
  I like the positive energy, but this is not a practical solution. For more context, I work a lot of over-time at my current (US) job. Outside of work, I have a home and family to take care of. Time is an expensive commodity in my world. Don't get me wrong, I am self-taught in a lot if areas, but there are some areas where structured learning is better, especially when it comes to being endorsed (certs, diplomas, etc). Money is also an issue. About 80% of my wife's and mine combined income goes to debt (credit cards, loans, kid's schooling, etc) and the rest goes into our gas tanks or bellies. The US economy is not friendly to people who started off lower-income, and sadly, positive vibes don't help change that. We're realistic, not looking to get rich. But do I have the brains to do better? I believe so. Convincing a potential employer of that is impossible without backing, and if you're at the bottom, getting that backing is MASSIVELY difficult. Another comment mentioned that networking in the industry is key, and I do need to do more of that. I suppose it is time to reactivate my LinkdIn, something that seamed like another superfluous Facebook back when I first made the account. Anyway, positivity is important, but it is not a solution. I do my best on that front, but it gets harder as I get older and less marketable.

by 0xEF 3y ago

HeyLaughingBoy 3y ago

I can't help you directly, but have you checked plctalk.com? Lots of experience on there and I'm sure you can find someone who's been in the same situation and can offer some guidance.

0xEF 3y ago
I didn't know about this! And with animated gifs, too! Hah, I dig the old web, anyway. But yeah, I'll comb through these forums, seems like it's an active community. Thanks!

fredgrott 3y ago

STOP! All that time spent in distractions to salivate the job hate is not doing you any favors....use it instead to pick up PCL! I speak from exp....my brother did exactly that...he is now a manager with good money and better employer.

benjijay 3y ago
Google is mainly returning biology or construction terms and my brain is on vacation; what's PCL here?
- hnbad 3y ago
  It's either the Italian or Libanese Communist Party. But I don't think that's what they meant either. They probably meant PLC, which OP mentioned: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
0xEF 3y ago
I do have a PCL (you can find Allen Bradley or Seimens PLCs on eBay for cheap if you are patient, if anyone else is looking). I have learned to program and use it enough to know that I enjoy working with them, which is what set me on this path. Still good advice! The trick is now rounding out that skill with a proper education on it and being able to show "yes, I did the work."

anymouse123456 3y ago

You can do it! You just have to start. No one on Earth can stop you from learning what you want to learn. Don't worry about certifications, dig into the information on your own time. Do it at night, or in the morning, when everyone else is sleeping. Buy some old, broken or used controls and mess around with automating something in your house. Once you start taking action that convinces you that the day job you hate is temporary, you'll be shocked at how much more bearable every single thing becomes.

smelly101 3y ago
> You can do it! You just have to start. No one on Earth can stop you from learning what you want to learn. The 'weekend' is not enough time to switch a career. A university undergrad takes 1460 days. With 100 weekend days a year it would take 14 years to achieve that. That's assuming you don't take a single day off for 14 years. You're gaslighting the poor dude.
- paulcole 3y ago
  I mean what's better? To say "Well if you try you might get what you want..." or to go, "Yeah you're right it's hopeless and you are stuck..."
  - 0xEF 3y ago
    But...I'm not saying either of those things. Both are extreme positions. If you read my original post, I'm looking for a company that can take me on and help me get to that next level while I work for them (aka "investing in its people"). They exist, but the barriers to entry are tricky to navigate, hence why I asked for advice from someone in the field. Sweeping ideas about blanket positivity are not practical solutions, so the previous comment (and, by extension, yours) are pretty unhelpful.
0xEF 3y ago
I like the positive energy, but this is not a practical solution. For more context, I work a lot of over-time at my current (US) job. Outside of work, I have a home and family to take care of. Time is an expensive commodity in my world. Don't get me wrong, I am self-taught in a lot if areas, but there are some areas where structured learning is better, especially when it comes to being endorsed (certs, diplomas, etc). Money is also an issue. About 80% of my wife's and mine combined income goes to debt (credit cards, loans, kid's schooling, etc) and the rest goes into our gas tanks or bellies. The US economy is not friendly to people who started off lower-income, and sadly, positive vibes don't help change that. We're realistic, not looking to get rich. But do I have the brains to do better? I believe so. Convincing a potential employer of that is impossible without backing, and if you're at the bottom, getting that backing is MASSIVELY difficult. Another comment mentioned that networking in the industry is key, and I do need to do more of that. I suppose it is time to reactivate my LinkdIn, something that seamed like another superfluous Facebook back when I first made the account. Anyway, positivity is important, but it is not a solution. I do my best on that front, but it gets harder as I get older and less marketable.