Re: Hobbyist electronics courses... extinct?
- From: Jonathan Kirwan <jkirwan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 02:58:42 GMT
On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 16:11:29 -0500, "Charles Schuler"
<charleschuler@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
><longjohnstuartmill@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>news:1135887749.193666.188480@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> After asking several dumb questions on this newsgroup, I realized I was
>> going to need some extra help if I was ever going to learn this stuff.
>> So I searched for an electronics course in my community. I couldn't
>> find one. I found a million yoga classes, but no basic electronics
>> courses. My only options seem to be an electricians' ticket or an
>> engineering degree, and I'm not ready for either of those. I live in a
>> city with ~75 000 people.
>>
>> Do you think my problems are due to the community's size, or is this a
>> problem in most areas?
>
>It is becoming more difficult to find community college courses in
>electronics in most areas. These courses were typically offered for
>"technicians" and this area of employment is shrinking.
I had a long discussion with two of the department heads of local
community colleges, here in the Portland, Oregon area. One was the
head of the metals/welding department (and also the head of the
automotive training department); the other was the head of the
'flying' department. Both of them, in their own way and at different
times lately, told me essentially the same thing about changes they've
observed here in our area.
In the case of the metals teacher, I was interested in just learning
some practical facets for use on my farm, here. Building and welding
up large gate hinges for through-hole bolting into 6x6 or 8x8 posts,
that I can't anywhere, etc. Stuff like that. But after an hour on
that subject, we got onto an older interest of mine -- re-purposing
car engines for aircraft use. There used to be some great classes at
one of our community colleges, the Sylvania campus, where the teachers
would let students or others bring in engines and we could learn to
adapt them for other use as part of seriously learning about engines.
Since he was also the head of the automotive department, as I'd found
out over the discussion, I thought I'd ask him how things are in that
regard of late, too.
In the case of the flying department teacher, I'm primarily just
interested in flying (I do fly, on occasion) for personal purposes.
I'd like to take courses on instrument flying, multi-engine, etc., to
supplement my essentially VFR experiences with small aircraft _and_ I
might like to learn on some larger aircraft or higher altitude ones,
such as a Cessna 182, etc. I was thinking about using the community
college instead of private businesses to learn.
If they told me correctly and if I understood them accurately, it
appears that the schools' programs have become dominated (directed) by
industry. The flying school is entirely targeted at producing what
the industry is looking for, not just folks looking for personal
pleasure. I was told that I couldn't just 'take classes' as there
must be a business focus on the goals and I needed to be accepted into
the program on that basis, anyway. The metals/automotive guy was also
lamenting the changes. He'd been in the area for some 45 years of
practice and really loved his work a lot. But he also told me about
the same story, that industry was dictating to the schools (through
donations, for example, as well as other influences) what the course
work should be in order to produce the automotive mechanics _they_
wanted and that the "old days" where you just learned to be fluent in
engines and engine design on a less _vocationally-targeted_ path, no
longer existed. The Sylvania program is now gone, forever.
I can't pretend to fully apprehend the changes going on. It seems
multi-faceted, though. When I was growing up, there were five
periodicals strictly dedicated to helping amateur astronomers learn
the trade of optical design and fabrication on a small (personal)
scale. I was one of many here in the area who designed _and_ built
their own telescopes and I had nearby neighbors with weird Rube
Goldburg type cam designs to automate the grinding process, made from
plywood, pulleys, motors, etc. I don't know anyone, these days, doing
that -- though I _do_ know that some still do. It's just not as
common to actually have personal contact with such folks, I think.
And, of course, the periodicals don't exist anymore; the glass
suppliers of hobbyist quantities of various qualities of glass (for
eyepieces, too) are all but gone (no, don't cite Willmann-Bell to me);
etc. It would be hard for someone to break into this area, these
days.
>You might get some good books and have a go at it on your own. This works
>for some folks. Good luck.
Seems to be all there is left for someone struggling; at times. It is
far, far better to have real people with real experience to interact
with, though, who seriously want to teach and enjoy the subject
matter. Oh, well.
Jon
.
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