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Paraplegic studying to become an electrician

5K views 52 replies 27 participants last post by  BBQ 
#1 ·
Ideally, I want to learn how to design my own electrical systems. Many of you will tell me that I should study to become an electrical engineer instead. I disagree. Becoming an electrical engineer is a part of the plan. I just have problems with learning from books. I prefer hands on, tactile experience in order to learn and apply new concepts. Call me crazy, but this is what I want to do with my life. Is it feasible? I thank you in advance for your feedback.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Don't know how it will all work out for you but I gotta admire your ambition. There's people that are perfectly healthy that could use a good dose of what you got. Are you thinking about residential work or commercial? I wish more people would design their electrical systems for their homes ahead of time instead of making the electrician try to decipher what they want as the job progresses.
I'll tell you what I want to do. I want to design my own electrical musical instruments. ;)
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
Can you be more specific about 'electric musical instruments'? Do mean like electric guitars and basses? Something like the Theramin, perhaps? Music is my hobby, more specifically live sound and production, and I play a little bass guitar.

Based on that, I think you might be better served in reaching your goals by getting work at a manufacturer of electric instruments. You won't have to deal with the dangers of trying to work in a construction site, and it will be easier for your employer to accomodate your abilities. You need to be realistic in this...you really don't want to be the guy that the company is looking for an excuse to lay off because it cost them more to accomodate you than you are able to produce for them. Business is business, and constuction contractors are tough people in this regard.

But more to the point of being on the offense rather than defense, I think that working from the ground up at an instrument manufacturer will be worlds more enlightening for you. There are different cultures in the music industry, and that's a big part of what you need to fully grasp as an instrument designer. And learning how a manufacturer will build what you design is huge...you want to design instruments that are economically possible to profit from.

If you want, PM me and I can give you info on a web forum I moderate. I know a member who's an EE who designs instrument amplifiers for a company that's a division of Fender, and also has extensive industrial power systems experience. There are other members who are music industry players in various fields, who might be of interest to you.
Thanks for the advice. I'm interested in creating electronic instruments like a synth or keyboard.
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
How realistic is that?

Maybe you should hire someone who's only capable of installing faceplates. They can go around from job to job installing all the device plates. You can then hire someone else who specializes in typing up the panel schedules. Then you can have the op come in and program the fire panel.

Doesn't seem like a good business model to have someone who has so many limitations. You can either do the job and everything that entails or you can't.

If someone is physically limited and can only program the fire alarm system, maybe they could get a job with a fire alarm company doing just that, but I doubt it. Generally you still start out doing the grunt work and work your way up to the good stuff. Are you going to hire someone off the street, with minimal/no qualifications and have them go right to doing the cake work just because they have a physical impairment? Do you think that would go over well with the rest of the guys that had to start at the bottom and work their way up?
I'm more of the entrepreneurial type. I plan on using the education that I'd receive as an electrician to build my own devices and continue onto the path of becoming an electrical engineer.
 
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