Avionics job opportunities in civilian life.

[Andrew93G]

I am a Poolee, and have a contract in Aviation Electronics.
I am very curious on what kinda job opportunities i will have when i get out, if i decide not to stay in for 20 years.

Will i be limited to jobs specifically in aviation? or will i have a broad range of electrical jobs?
Hope somebody can reply,
thanks ahead of time.

[Huitt6400]

Im still in training for avionics right now, but from what Ive heard a lot of people switch into this field for the civilian opportunities of jobs anywhere from 70k-100k a year.

You will have a choice between O-level and I-level. O-level is more of working directly on the plane and pulling out the bad circuits; where as I level is working on the circuits that O-level pulls out of the plane. If you go I-level (my field) you will be trained in specific electronics in the plane (whether com, radar, nav, etc.).

Settling for a basic electrical civilian job after being trained in advanced aviation electronics would be a poor decision in my opinion.

[DrZ]

I was trained in Aviation Electronics back in the late 60s. I stayed in a bit over 2 tours and when I got out, I managed to land a job as an electronics technician until I could finish my degrees.

My suggestion is to do your best in A school as well as all other schools that you go to. Take some classes, as time permits, and get as much of your education completed as possible. Between the leadership skills and your electronics training, you will have a leg up on any other student out there.

I have worked in electronics since my EOS and it has housed and taken care of my family well for all these years. DO NOT expect your A school training alone to be enough.

Remember...failing to plan is planning to fail.

Huitt - I was both OMA and IMA during my time in with the majority being IMA. With your background.... you are worth about 35 - 45K a year starting. If you get your BSEE, you are worth 55 - 60K a year starting. I know this since I have hired many prior military over the years. Don't expect to walk into a job paying the 70 - 100K without a degree and a substantial amount of experience. Too many people out of work with advanced degrees and not enough open slots.

[MOS4429]

Andrew, Dr. Z would speak maybe to this better, but I enlisted avionics/electronics technical skills bonus. The Marine Corps in its infinite wisdom assigned me to legal servicemans school out of boot camp. Spoke to my D.I., they checked into it, and turns out I REALLY enlisted technical skills bonus which is sort of open contract to whatever technical skill the Marine Corps assigns you. Long story short, I was given a choice to go legal or avionics/electronics. I had a D.I. talk to me about it. He told me that I could land a job in AV/E when I got out but that most of these jobs were in large metropolitan areas like L.A., etc. How true that is, I don't know, but it made sense if one was looking at employment with a large avionics industrial complex. I went legal upon his recommendation, and like Dr. Z, have worked in the MOS I was eventually trained to do.

Good luck.

[flyby]

Corrected for typos.

I am a Poolee, and have a contract in Aviation Electronics.
I am very curious on what kinda job opportunities i will have when i get out, if i decide not to stay in for 20 years.

Will i be limited to jobs specifically in aviation? or will i have a broad range of electrical jobs?
Hope somebody can reply,
thanks ahead of time.

I can answer your question as I was an Avionics Technician (6323). First, you need to realize that the military is training you to perform a job in the military and is not training/preparing you for the civilian job market. To be honest, don't expect any opportunities on the outside with the training that you will receive. After I reached my EAS, I applied for a city and state police helicopter aviation avionics position as well as a couple more private helicopter companies and a fixed wing general FAA repair facility for light weight, single engine aircraft (which are simple compared to what you will work on). Everyone of those turned me down. And I was also working on my A.A.S. in Digital Electronics at a local college, which did not help me in the field either. I had experience on the H-53, H-3 and H-60 but no one would hire me because I did not have either an FAA Repairman Certificate or more importantly, an A & P Licence. Even companies that want an Avionics Technician generally require and A & P license.You will have a training jacket that you complete and record your levels of proficiency as you perform task in your MOS. That jacket can be used toward some of the A & P requirements but it will not satisfy all of them. In my opinion, the time and money it takes to get an A & P is not worth it. Neither the aviation or electronics industry pays well enough for what you invest. I ended up getting my B.S. in Information Systems and worked in the I.T. field. I made way more money than some of my counterparts who got out and found an aviation related job. Without the above certifications, you may only find a job rewiring air frames or something along those lines. The average pay for an avionics technician today is around $20-$30. You will NOT make 70-100k. The aviation industry is fickle and companies are always struggling to stay afloat. So they are always tight with overtime and are always looking to cut cost. For the amount of work and responsibility that comes with the job, it just isn't worth it. Like the other poster said, don't expect to make any money without a BSEE.
I wanted to work in aviation when I joined the military and the Marine Corps did provide that. And I am grateful for the experiences that it provided. Just don't expect to get a job on the outside. Chose the MOS that you would like to do as a Marine and not as potential job training once you get out.