Is your refrigerator running? Then go catch it!
Seriously, though, if your fridge stops running, it’ll be no joke, because odds are you don’t know how to fix it. And that goes for your stove, your air conditioning unit, your computer, your lights – anything powered by electricity. But if you become an expert who can repair them, that makes you a rare, valued professional.
That's what skilled trades are: In-depth knowledge of something that everyone needs, but most people can't figure out. Trades are where the money is, because in that moment, you need someone with those specific skills more than anything else.
What makes the world run? Energy and power. Without it, everything would grind to a halt. Before any leader, scientist, doctor or writer can get their job done, they need the technology they use to work. Electrical engineers keep the lights on and the machines moving, and electrical engineering is the trade of power.
That’s why electrical engineering is so important in the modern world, where every business runs off electricity. If you’re talented in math or science and want a career that’s practical, or if you like to work with your hands and want to do something challenging, a career in Electrical Engineering technician or technology will fill both of these wants. It’s a growing, important market and if you’re looking for promising, long-term careers, Centennial’s Electrical Engineering Technician and Electrical Engineering Technology programs can get it for you.
What is it?
In a world that runs on technology that is powered by electricity, electrical engineer technicians and technologists have to make sure that power is flowing before everyone else can start their day. That’s what you’d be doing. As Indeed explains, you’d be designing, developing and testing equipment, and solving problems with the equipment designed by Electrical Engineers. You’ll work with your hands, but you’ll also make use of the math and physics that applies to electricity. It’s a broad career field, one in which you could apply your skills to automation, robotics, instrumentation, communications and power generation and distribution. For example, if Toronto makes it through this hot, hot summer without a blackout, you have electrical engineers to thank.
Why you want to do it
Simply put, it’s a growing field with plenty of electrical engineering technician and technology jobs around, and more coming. The Government of Canada’s most recent data reveals that the industry boomed in the 1990s, shrank at the turn of the century and is now booming again – and, since the old guard is retiring, there’s a growing need for electrical engineers technician and technology graduates. The next few years will be the perfect time to enter the industry and secure a solid career, plus there’s room to move around and grow, especially since there’s interest in alternative energy sources like wind and solar. Similarly, every industry, from transportation to communications to the government, is going to need electrical engineers, technicians, and technologists, meaning you can specialize in whatever field suits you best.
How we can help you get it
Centennial College’s Electrical Engineering Technician and Electrical Engineering Technology programs will help you enter the field by grounding your learning with real experience. Centennial’s Progress Campus features laboratories that give you the chance to work with the same equipment during your courses that you will work on in your career. Expanding on that, our Electrical Engineering Technology program also contains a co-op component which has you working for three terms as a paid employee in the field. It’ll help you get further paid experience, and allow you to sample the job market before you even graduate.
Electrical engineering technician and technology is a growing career field that’s essential in our modern, technology-driven world. You’re providing the important foundation for almost every industry that exists, so you’ll always be in demand. To get into the field, take our classes and learn how to power the planet.
Written by: Anthony Geremia