Nero

Yep. Hence why I started this thread. I was under the assumption the SSI had a sustainable future. Average earnings doesn't concern me so much. I know there's enough there for the right people, as with every game. Just want a career in an evolving industry with opportunities and avenues to explore. Am I barking up the wrong tree?!

That's what I was hoping to get into really. More the commercial side of things than residential properties. I live on the border of London, there must be stacks of commercial work in the city.

I've earnt 45k the last few years. 15k of that on overtime which has now grounded to a halt. And that's having 1 day off a fortnight. Like I've said, there's no future there. Sky engineers will not exist in 10 years.

There's no future working for sky. No one will have a dish in ten years or even a set top box. We'll all have an app in our smart TVs. Sky Q is being launched without a dish next year. Need I say anymore.

How come? How can the industry be on the way down? Surely there's always gonna be a need for security systems? More so today than ever in the world we live in..

And does an engineer cover alarms/cctv/access control or do they mainly concentrate on one or the other?

What can a fully trained top end engineer look to earn in the industry? And do you cover alarms/cctv/ access control or would an engineer generally specialise in one area?

Can anyone recommend any good companies Essex/London way?

That's great. Thanks again, Peter. Thanks buddy!

Can anyone give me their opinion on what sort of average wage I would be looking at as a trainee? Also, how many years would it take to train up to a good level?

Lol.. yes, I have certainly had my fair share of difficult customers. I definitely have a lot of transferable skills to the industry which should go a long way. Seems like the logical career progression to me.

Thank you so much for your response, Peter. This was my original thought but wasn't sure if I would have much luck because of my age. And yes, I would turn up every day and graft unlike some young trainees.lol. I will start sending out my CV to some local companies and see where it gets me. Thanks for your advice.

Thanks everyone for replying! Great advice, I was planning to get books and parts e.t.c and self teach some of the basics. Although, I was more interested in the cctv side of things to be honest. although I assumed in that field you worked on cctv/alarms and access control. Or do you only generally only work on one specific area within that field?

Thanks for replying to me! So in your opinion, if I completed these courses off my own back. I would be able to find employment with a company? I only ask because a lot of the jobs advertised require 'experience '. They really mention anything about qualifications...

Hi people, im looking for some advice and I'm hoping somebody can help. I'm looking for a career change into security systems installing and I'm not sure where to start? im 37 and have been working as a field engineer for Sky.uk for nearly 10 years. I'm looking to move on but I am not sure the best way to go about it. I have been looking at some courses on Tavcom. Problem is, I'm not sure if these courses worth doing without hands on experience? Obviously they are quite expensive and I'm just concerned after committing they wouldn't be worth much without experience in the field. Or should I be looking for trainee positions? Only problem with that is my age. Normally these positions are aimed at youngsters. If anyone in the industry can offer me some advice it would be greatly appreciated.