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re: Instrument Tech and Plant Baws
Posted on 10/9/17 at 5:48 am to sta4ever
Posted on 10/9/17 at 5:48 am to sta4ever
Get into Planning/Scheduling. I did this in my early 20s. I busted my arse working turnarounds but it was worth it. I'm in my early 30s now and work at a plant in BR as a Maintenance Manager. I'm home every day usually before 5 and off every weekend. Great benefits, salary and quarterly bonuses.
This post was edited on 10/9/17 at 5:52 am
2
Posted on 10/9/17 at 6:26 am to sta4ever
quote:
Thinking about just saying screw college and going to a community college and doing instrument tech for 2 years and then go work in a plant.
First off, no plant will hire you green out of school. You will have to work under a contractor till you get 5-7 years experience. Then, only then if you show that you know what you are doing, you might get hired.
Pay wise, plant instrument techs make bank. Avg starting pay once in a plant, around $36 an hour.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 6:48 am to sta4ever
Finish your degree then if you still want to be a plant baw do it but at least you'll have other options
Posted on 10/9/17 at 6:54 am to RealityTiger
quote:
The cons to bypassing a bachelor's degree is that you have no educational leverage to use when competing against Joe Blow for that other job you want to do ten years from now. Also, if you ever get run off from the plant or simply tired of working in a plant, you have nothing else to fall back on.
I see what you’re getting at, but you aren’t 100% correct.. there are instrumentation job opportunities outside of refineries
Posted on 10/9/17 at 6:57 am to sta4ever
Looks like you've tooken the red pill baw. Don't listen to these liberal arts betas that'll tell you to stay in school. Get your ptec and start getting paid son
My basic schedule is get to Geismar at 11 pm, drink a pot of coffee, bump the lnst to see if anybody's awake, play my fantasy team, search Craigslist for jet skis and 4 wheelers, start the good morning thread, bump it until people wake up. Then at 7am I go to the daquiri place and holla at the night nurses and try to talk em into going to Waffle House with me
Don't listen to these pencil pushers and stay in school, get your ptec and start doing something for a living
My basic schedule is get to Geismar at 11 pm, drink a pot of coffee, bump the lnst to see if anybody's awake, play my fantasy team, search Craigslist for jet skis and 4 wheelers, start the good morning thread, bump it until people wake up. Then at 7am I go to the daquiri place and holla at the night nurses and try to talk em into going to Waffle House with me
Don't listen to these pencil pushers and stay in school, get your ptec and start doing something for a living
Posted on 10/9/17 at 7:05 am to RogerTheShrubber
quote:
Yes...everyone was meant to be a plant clock puncher...
Cheaply built homes, overpriced trucks, fat wife, couple of spoiled kids.
The American dream.
Do you know me?
Posted on 10/9/17 at 7:11 am to Kcrad
I/E has more opportunity than operator from a job availability standpoint. An I/E tech can find work outside of the chemical plants and refineries but the operator baw is more limited. In 29 years at this site I can say that a good I/E tech is hard to find....and keep. As others said in most cases you'll have to start off with a contractor and work your way into the plant but some like Dow now have intern programs for I/E, Millwrights, etc.
It's you life, follow your heart and good luck.
It's you life, follow your heart and good luck.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 7:37 am to sta4ever
Harvey Weinstein was manipulating his instrument in a plant
Posted on 10/9/17 at 9:47 am to sta4ever
I started out in the industry in I/E. I went out of state to get my experience. I worked in Illinois for 3 years because they aren't inundated with I/E techs and such up there. Better job market but I still worked for a contractor.
Here's the difference for me at least. If you are an I/E tech, you can pick up your tool bag and walk into a different industry tomorrow and be successful. Instrumentation is Instrumentation no matter where you go, everything is the same. It's not the same with operations. Learning the ins and outs of each process isn't necessarily transferable.
Also, if you are a good I/E tech it opens a lot of doors and you can pretty much do anything you want technically. To be a good Tech expect on never putting down the books. After learning the basics, start learning what your engineers know. Just pick up the books and start learning, no one will stop you and most will help if you ask.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 10:05 am to 777Tiger
quote:
life is so much funner when you look forward to going to
quote:
777Tiger
Man frick you and your idealistic bullshite(just messing). Paramedics and teachers over there loving their jobs while eating Hamburger Helper for supper.
How'd you like to get paid like they do for flying all them big aero-planes?
Life is funner when you can take the kids to the Beach every summer and LSU football away games. Idgaf if I'm shoveling shite to afford it.
This post was edited on 10/9/17 at 10:07 am
Posted on 10/9/17 at 12:03 pm to gazelles
quote:
hope this helps
having a shitty supervisor doesnt help anyone. it thats really your approach you may want to keep YOUR resume updated
Posted on 10/9/17 at 12:16 pm to Four Leaf Tayback
quote:
Get into Planning/Scheduling. I did this in my early 20s. I busted my arse working turnarounds but it was worth it. I'm in my early 30s now and work at a plant in BR as a Maintenance Manager. I'm home every day usually before 5 and off every weekend. Great benefits, salary and quarterly bonuses.
You hiring? I did planning and QA in the navy and got shite pay... I'm doing pretty much the same thing now for shite pay.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 12:40 pm to sta4ever
Instr tech all day over ops. Our instr techs have a great gig.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 12:51 pm to RogerTheShrubber
Get the trade, Inst Tech. look everyday at this site there is a chance you could lose your job. shite happens. with the trade, you can easily find a job quickly. as an operator not so much. Inst tech's with skill are hard to find right now. If you would see the lazy azzes we are forced to hire because that's what is interviewing...then it is easier to move to another role, (planner,cooridinator) as maintenance. mostly 4-10 work. hard for an operator to leave production.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 1:36 pm to chackbay
I have to agree with the folks on here saying get into I&E. In the past, I have supplied specialty calibration gases to these guys and they are always complaining about not being able to find enough good, younger people as many of them are aging out. Honestly, if I could turn back time, I would have done this when I was younger if I had known better as I like working in the plants.
Posted on 11/4/17 at 2:04 am to sta4ever
So I’ve been talking to a lot of people that work in plants and they say that P Tech is the way to go and become an operator and I’ll make bank but it’s a lot of shift work and overtime.
Then people say Instrument Tech has a lot of opportunities in it and I can choose which way to go in this field like if I like to work outside or if I like to work inside and also you don’t have to work overtime and nights all the time like P Tech.
I’m still very torn on which field I want to get into. Both honestly sound good and each one has its pros and cons. Making a decision this young on what I’m gonna do the rest of my life is pretty exciting but at the same time it’s kinda scary. My goals are to be able to provide for a family, which I know that both will be able to, and to do things that I want to do when I’m not working like going to football and baseball games or going fishing and hunting.
Then people say Instrument Tech has a lot of opportunities in it and I can choose which way to go in this field like if I like to work outside or if I like to work inside and also you don’t have to work overtime and nights all the time like P Tech.
I’m still very torn on which field I want to get into. Both honestly sound good and each one has its pros and cons. Making a decision this young on what I’m gonna do the rest of my life is pretty exciting but at the same time it’s kinda scary. My goals are to be able to provide for a family, which I know that both will be able to, and to do things that I want to do when I’m not working like going to football and baseball games or going fishing and hunting.
Posted on 11/4/17 at 2:17 am to sta4ever
Log back on during the LSU/Bama game and ask how many instrument tech's are hung out at work instead of enjoying watching their big screen with a beer in their hand.
This post was edited on 11/4/17 at 2:17 am
Posted on 11/4/17 at 2:58 am to sta4ever
If you like to hunt and fish, shift work ain't so bad. A lot less people in the woods and on the water on a week day. If you go into operations you will miss birthdays, weddings, parties, holiday events and other stuff that you really want to go to but don't have enough vacation time left for. If you go with I/E there's still a chance you'll be called out multiple times a day on your day off. We have guys that get called out and on their way home from a call out, get called out again and have to turn around. They both have their pros and cons. Both are an honest living though.
Posted on 11/4/17 at 3:01 am to A_bear
quote:
If you go into operations you will miss birthdays, weddings, parties, holiday events and other stuff that you really want to go to but don't have enough vacation time left for.
Without a doubt will happen
quote:
If you go with I/E there's still a chance you'll be called out multiple times a day on your day off. We have guys that get called out and on their way home from a call out, get called out again and have to turn around.
Possible, but unlikely. Especially when compared to the alternative given.
And a lot of Ops are on call as well
This post was edited on 11/4/17 at 3:01 am
Posted on 11/4/17 at 3:11 am to fightin tigers
If the OP does this, go with I/E. Things will not be easy to start with till one pays their dues of OJT. This is from someone that is retired as a plant operator.
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