Industrial Maintenance Technician/Maintenance Technician? (employment, degree, jobs, career)

[BigVisionary]

What are the pros and cons of being an Industrial Maintenance Technician?

I'll be going to a community college in fall for an A.A.S Degree in Industrial Systems Technology I choose this because I don't want to work a minimum wage job all of my life, and it seems to be in good demand, it also can't be outsourced.

[brownbagg]

its pretty good if you can get on with a factory or plant

[BigVisionary]

Originally Posted by brownbagg

its pretty good if you can get on with a factory or plant

Thanks for the response, that's what I'm hoping. I live in eastern North Carolina there's a lot of factories and plants here.

[fishbrains]

It's great that you are thinking of jobs that cannot be outsourced. Good thinking, and this career field is a great start.

There are potential downsides to this field. I don't want to dissuade you from this career, I am only pointing out some things you should be aware of.

Although your job is difficult to outsource, the factories that are great places to work can themselves be closed. Over the span of a career, you may experience this a few times. Another employment option would be to work directly for a machinery manufacturer as a technical rep. That would require some travel on your part.

The technology used by industrial machinery will change over time. In 20 years, your knowledge will be obsolete. Plan on taking courses to keep up, and gaining various certifications over time. There will be some cost to this, but it will also make you more marketable and you may be able to demand a higher wage.

I hope that helps.