Career change? Renewable energy sector?

2988 Views 33 Replies 18 Participants Last post by keith_henson, Jun 6, 2010

Fart Mersho

Discussion Starter · Apr 26, 2010

Hello all,

Well, I'm weighing everything up. I still don't know what'll happen long term, but I'm faced with a choice which can be made fairly soon.

I *could* stick it out in my IT job for the next 2 years... why 2 years? Well, simply because everything we've borrowed over the years will be paid off then, and perhaps we'll have some savings by then too.

OR, I could re-train for a more interesting/challenging job. With (at the moment) half an eye on the australian immigration requirements.

With that half-an-eye, I can see that renewable energy people are in demand over there. I've often though that this would be a very interesting field to be involved in, and so now I'm considering it as a change of career option.

So, apart from the general 'what do you think'... I was wondering if anyone out there has first hand experience of this change, and might be able to offer some advice. My first sticking point it knowing exactly what area to go into. The sector seems to be sub-divided quite heavily. first it's divided into medium - wind/solar/marine, then further into engineering, planning, management, etc etc.

I'm also in a bit of a quandry about 'transferable skills'. Do I try and find the role in which my skills in IT/networking are most transferable, or would that mean that I'd end up with an equally boring job in the long run...

so, things to bear in mind are:

age: 27
degree: software engineering
Current role: network planning - although not as good as it sounds
previous role: 2nd line WAN network support for virgin media
previous to that: network support/planner in a big school.

please no-one think that I'm asking for someone else to do all the leg work for me... I'm simply adding to YD's library of useful but strange threads, and exploring another avenue of knowledge. Rest assured, a lot is going on in the background.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 34 Posts

Woz

· #2 · Apr 26, 2010

Absolutely no-one knows what they are doing as far as renewables are concerned. There are loads of "consultancy" companies who all blow smoke up each other's arses at "power meetings" but don't really understand what's what. It's quite entertaining. Lots of little companies with pilot plant knocking about but they are al struggling with the technology, which is why you see lots of German plant kicking about (not that they know what they are doing either).

Anyway. I digress.

The leading company in the UK for biomass energy generation is Alstom Power in Derby (no not far away from you). They've just done the biomass plant at Drax power station. Might be worth seeing if they are recruiting.

Reactions: 1

cwesterling

· #3 · Apr 26, 2010

If you are looking to try and get into the Renewables sector, one of the best places to visit would be All Energy All-Energy - the UK's largest renewables event in Aberdeen on the 19th and 20th May. There will be lots of companies there and quite interesting talks. There is also an evening networking event. I was there last year and there were lots of people to talk to. There are also a lot of crazy ideas floating round, so choose carefully! There are networking type jobs around in renewables if you look, as the devices are normally in quite remote places, so need to be controlled and monitored from somewhere completely different.

Charlie

Reactions: 1

NotDeadYet

· #4 · Apr 26, 2010

Woz said:
which is why you see lots of German plant kicking about (not that they know what they are doing either).

Tell me about it. Two years of dealing with them on too many projects... The concept of "British Standard" still hasn't sunk in.

As for the Aussies... good technology if you are installing it in a warm, dry climate. Unfortunately it doesn't work too well in cold, wet climates which they seem to forget.

Be careful which sector you get into as a lot of it is dependant on public finance.

Reactions: 1

chrisch

· #5 · Apr 26, 2010

farmershort said:
....

OR, I could re-train for a more interesting/challenging job. .....

Given up on the piggies already dude?

Green energy? Smallholdings? Are you my missus posting secretly from the laptop in the shithouse?

Fart Mersho

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 26, 2010

chrisch said:
Given up on the piggies already dude?

Green energy? Smallholdings? Are you my missus posting secretly from the laptop in the shithouse?

nah, not given up on the piggies... I just want more.

I'm pretty sure i'm not your mrs.... but I am in work...

Digger

· #7 · Apr 26, 2010

Probably worth a PM to Keith Henson. He is involved in something like this, I honestly can't pretend to understand what he does for a living, but he seems to enjoy it, and might be able to advise whether it's a good idea to get into something like it, and possibly how it's done.

Digs.

Reactions: 1

witchieblackcat

· #8 · Apr 26, 2010

I do a little bit with these chaps: Natural Power. They seem to know quite a lot about renewables. I was talking to a chap there who changed from being in the army and needed another career after finishing there and he seems pretty happy.

There seems to be a lot of software and computer networks involved - how would you know how much energy you've produced and put onto the grid otherwise?

Reactions: 1

big_si

· #9 · Apr 26, 2010

As I understand it he does stuff around evaluating environmental impact for wind farms... Of course I could be wrong and he does something completely different instead?!?

Digger said:
Probably worth a PM to Keith Henson. He is involved in something like this, I honestly can't pretend to understand what he does for a living, but he seems to enjoy it, and might be able to advise whether it's a good idea to get into something like it, and possibly how it's done.

Digs.

Reactions: 1

NotDeadYet

· #10 · Apr 26, 2010 (Edited)

Digger said:
Probably worth a PM to Keith Henson... possibly how it's done.

IIRC Keith did the Offshore & Underwater Technology MSc at Cranfield. I did the same course but never finished it, I found going back to academia extremely boring after having been in industry. You really need the right mindset to do it, it is an interesting course but it is done in a proper stereotypical university/academic/bumbling professor type environment and it's done at a snail's pace as well, the taught part could easily be done in half the time. I remember sitting in a lecture thinking I'd just paid £1300 for someone to stand there reading off overhead slides in between tea-breaks (FFS, spend 20min learning Powerpoint!!!!!!! And less breaks!!!!!!!!). Cranfield is also the arse of the world as well, you can walk from one end of the campus to the other without seeing another person.

I went on to do an MBA after that, I found that a lot more interesting and a lot more useful. And you're a lot more useful to more industries and in more roles as well. I work in engineering design (in energy from waste), everyone thinks it is a banking or commerce qualification. I've still got a bit to do before finishing it but it has been a lot more aligned to what I wanted to do than a specialist course was.

See less See more

Reactions: 1

chrisch

· #11 · Apr 26, 2010

2

farmershort said:
nah, not given up on the piggies... I just want more.
....

Some outside units round here. And land is cheap.

The odd few wild ones too!!

See less See more

Matt-75

· #12 · Apr 26, 2010

You can come join my course if you dont mind living in Cornwall.

Currently on the FdSc Renewable Energy Technologies at Cornwall College, which is a 2 year course. You have the option afterwards to do an extra year and get the BSc Environmental Resource Management Degree. But from talking to some of the third years the course is more about stats and reports than actually doing anything practical. Cost wise its about £4300 for the FdSc and £3200 for the BSc year.

My plans are to do some work out in Africa after the 2 years are up, possibly working for an NGO (UN, or similar), maybe in solar or biofuels. Do it for a year or two then go back and sort out the final year.

I dont see any point in working in Renewables in the UK though. Maybe Spain, West Coast US or Australia, as they have climates that are suited to some of the technologies on offer. Yes companies exist over here that do work in the area, but i dont see any point in getting this qual and staying here (i have little interest in wind farming). The whole point of it is to go find work in a warmer country (and a lot of the people who have done this course over the years before i joined seem to be working all over the place).

More info:

: FdSc Renewable Energy Technologies

If you are interested in it, shoot me a PM and i'll give you the email address of the course leader, who can probably guide you better than the recruitment office.

See less See more

Reactions: 1

Spacehopper

· #13 · Apr 27, 2010 (Edited)

Woz said:
The leading company in the UK for biomass energy generation is Alstom Power in Derby (no not far away from you). They've just done the biomass plant at Drax power station. Might be worth seeing if they are recruiting.

Lobbox, the leading company for Biomas in the UK is Doosan Babcock, not that I am biased of course [1]. We actually did the clever bit at Drax and provided all the combustion guarantees etc. Not that we are just active in Biomass, ohhh no, we have fingers in lots of pies. Thats probably why Woz doesnt like us

We are recruiting for loads of positions at the moment, have a look at the careers section on the web site. If you want any advice or to talk things over drop me a pm

[1] my bit is here

Gareth

Reactions: 1

Matt-75

· #14 · Apr 27, 2010

If its ok with you Gareth i will be posting that link up on to our facebook group.

Also...

<pedant>
Careers - Doosan Babcock - Is that Caron Dioxide Capture or Carbon Dioxide Capture?

</pedant>

Reactions: 1

Spacehopper

· #15 · Apr 27, 2010

No problem, and I'll pass the correction onto the relevant pen-pusher and keyboard puncher :embarassed:

Gareth

iwantone

· #16 · Apr 27, 2010

Personally, I would go for Alstom first, Doosan have more of an "old school" approach to management..

Fart Mersho

Discussion Starter · #17 · Apr 27, 2010

Sadly they both seem to be focusing on the old ways.... carbon capture and biomass. I don't agree with using good food land to grow fuel, so that's biomass out, and working on carbon capture isn't quite what I consider a renewable energy scheme....

That said, I'm hoping that because wind/wave/tidal/geothermal/solar/a.n.other are in their infancy, it'd be a good point to get in on the game. It just makes it a bit harder than normal to pin down a specific job.

iwantone

· #18 · Apr 27, 2010

Unfortunately "renewable energy " can only be considered as a top up to conventional power generation at the moment.
Due to government subsidies everyone is jumping on the bandwagon with any hair brained scheme, hence all the different schemes (scams) out there.
Geothermal was tried in Cornwall for many years but failed (hot rocks), wind energy only works when windy

not as often as you think) and wave/tidal energy needs huge investment to generate any significant power.
Conventional power generation will be here for a long time to come, new nuclear stations will have a minimum of 60 years lifespan.

NotDeadYet

· #19 · Apr 27, 2010

farmershort said:
That said, I'm hoping that because wind/wave/tidal/geothermal/solar/a.n.other are in their infancy, it'd be a good point to get in on the game. It just makes it a bit harder than normal to pin down a specific job.

It depends on what you want to do. I think a lot of the vaguer "sustainability" jobs are going to get hammered over the next few years as the organisations involved in procuring these schemes want better value for money. From my experience a lot of these roles can be done without as they aren't contributing as much as they cost.

I know a lot of engineers involved in detail design but that's fairly specialist work or else they are doing fairly boring general work like designing foundations and access roads that there is lots of competition for (plenty of civil/structural engineers on the dole at the moment).

There are lots of project/construction management vacancies in energy at the moment so maybe an APM qualification might help get into that side but employers would still take on someone with proven construction experience before someone with a PM qual. It's the same for design co-ordination/design management for contractors, you don't need to design anything, you control the design process done by others (most of these projects are design and build where the client commissions a concept design then gets a builder -- albeit a very big builder like Costain or Amec -- to do the rest of the design). Again, you'd need some relevant experience to get into that.

See less See more

russthedude

· #20 · Apr 27, 2010

have you been to Australia before? It's not my cup of tea from what I've seen of it, and I've seen a fair bit of it. Now, New Zealand is a whole other story all together.

If you've not been treat yourself to a holiday, try and swing in to NZ at the same time. I'd imagine any wind energy would be done on the west, but there's nothing there except perth. Over on the east coast it livens up a bit and is more normal, but I can't imagine them going for wind turbines on the GBR. maybe south east corner then, climate similar to ours and no barrier reef to get in the way. Melbourne is a nice enough place, you might bump into mrs mangle if she isn't dead.

Try and get hold of one of the Aussies on here, Richard Mason, ChristianG etc. they may be able to help.

1 - 20 of 34 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.