Originally posted by HammurabiIf you plug an electric drill into the same outlet as a TV set and see what happens to the picture when you run the drill, you get some idea of the issues my lab deals with.
What kind of schooling do you need for a job like that? :confused: I've never seen anything like that around here.
As far as I know, there are no post-secondary school courses focused on preparing graduates for a carreer in EMC (Electromagnetic Compatability). You would do well to start off with a good understanding of physics as it relates to the propogation of Radio Frequencies. Some training as an electrical engineer might be useful as well. But it still comes down to what amounts to an apprenticeship at an accredited test laboratory. Since you can't graduate from any school ready to do the job, you have to "learn as you earn" by getting a job at the bottom of the ladder at a test lab, and acquiring the necessary skills on the job.
If you poke around on the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) website, you can find a list of test labs that are recognized as sites that provide test data acceptable for assessing a product's marketability. You could approach one of these labs about a summer work-term.
You aren't likely to get rich in this line of work, but it is interesting. You get to see and examine high-tech products before they come to market. Sometimes you get to work on secret stuff that you can't talk about. But EMC is a small world. An individual can make a noticeable difference in this field. The key is to see your goal as not making an applicant fail, but to prove that a deserving applicant passes.