How do you see the Electrician of Tommorrow?
They would need to be armed with such skills as PLC Fault-finding, Computer skills,you name it.
How do the older members of our Trade feel about the looming Technology?

two words: "fiber-optics", and, "ethernet". (is that three?) already in industrial and commercial applications. there will come a day, prolly more "sooner" than "later", when they will establish themselves in the residential area, too. whole houses ran from a terminal or even a "touch screen". when the scientists get the "broadcast power technology" area perfected, (prolly several years from now), a lot of the old-time wiremen, like myself, will be outa business, unless we can keep up with the new advances.

Gramps
I don't see the new technology pushing out the more mature generation. I think we will just fade into history. New technology is coming in faster than it did 50 years ago, but not so fast as to eliminate our experience. Someone has to teach the younger generation "how to do hands on" that they don't teach in college anymore.
The "Smart House" has already been demonstrated to work. Everything can be controlled from the household computer, and can be changed using the incoming phone line, if necessary. Again, someone has to be able to install the necessary wiring. The new smart house will have a single server with each household device transmitting and receiving instructions from that server. I have heard of this already. But the power wiring will always be there. Transmitting "power" electrons is a long way into the future, if ever. However, I would like to propose a challenge to appliance designers. Make the toaster or mixer so that it will work on the energy transmitted by the local cell tower. Then you may be out of a job Gramps.

well, i'm thinking about retirement, anyway. ....i have this nice little place on lake cumberland....................

Hey guys, I did not want to bring you all down.
The ordinary Joe Electrician, has nothing to fear from the new technology, if they can teach me about it, man, they can teach anybody,it's all a sinch, Get into It!

Yeah, Gramps, I've been giving that some thought lately, but somebody has been messing around with my 401K for the last two years, soooo,I don't know. I've got some land up in Oconnee County that I would like to build a log cabin on, no time , and no money!!! So I gusess I have to hang in here for a couple more than I wanted.

Trumpy,

Interesting question.

I can't imagine a mainstream alternative to electricity for light, power and communication that has any real near term viability. So, I believe there will be a lot of regular wiring for the forseeable future.

I also believe we're in for a rise in small, highly decentralized power generation. . .wind, solar, fuel cells, and even some generation from hybrid vehicles. Tomorrow's electrician will be as comfortable with generation side requirements as todays electrician is with the load side. I think good controls will be a big part of the excess generation making it to the Grid.

And I agree with Gramps. Tomorrow's electrician is the natural installer of any hard communication/information lines.

I apprenticed in 1968, and I'm still in love with the new stuff. I don't want to stop learning.

Al

Gramps, is your retirement place anywhere close to Russell County, KY?