Questions about starting my own Automation Company

A pharmacy assistant picking pills off the shelf according to a prescription from a proper doctor is not treating patients, it's simply attending a counter.

I agree, but that wasn't my point. I never said anything about another doctor doing the work.

I agree with Harryting that it's about risk management, not competence. It's obvious some places and people put more value on a piece of paper than others.. And it's probably for the best.. But just because you have that piece of paper and spent all of that money doesn't make you competent.
 
I agree with Harryting that it's about risk management, not competence. It's obvious some places and people put more value on a piece of paper than others.. And it's probably for the best.. But just because you have that piece of paper and spent all of that money doesn't make you competent.

Definitely. University is condensed learning with a bit of practical (in good schools) exercise and lots of theory. There is no reason why, if someone puts their mind to it or gets directed to by their job that they can't reach a level of knowledge that someone with a degree can. But it will certainly take longer and will depend again on experience and opportunity.

There's also the fact that if you completely remove arrogance, it is much more likely that an engineer will learn faster than someone without a degree. Mostly because of base knowledge and also because of the conditioning that University will put you through.

Then there are specialised areas where just having plenty of experience is not enough and understanding the theory or legislation behind it is a requirement, if you don't like the Doctor analogy, would you want a bricklayer to design a bridge that will carry thousands at any one time?

Personally I feel that experience is undervalued nowadays, but you cannot rely solely on experience either.

I've worked in an industry where hiring people is based on experience and it was the most appalling mix of incompetent people that were hired because they were "experienced".
 
After re-reading my hastily typed last post, that was typed up on the floor between breakdowns, I just wanted to clarify that I was most certainly not talking about anyone in particular, or any particular piece of paper really. This forum, and everyone who takes the time to out of their day to post here, has been the most helpful tool I've had in advancing my career. And as long as they pay me like an "engineer", I don't care what they call me.

My only point was that I would hate for some High School student who is interested in this field, reading this forum and trying to figure out what they're going to do next, to feel like getting an expensive degree from a University is the only way to go. Especially when what they're truly passionate about is building and fixing things.. I remember being told going to a University was the only way to succeed, but "The times they are a changin", and I don't know how long this pay-for-knowledge scheme will last.

I also agree about the building bridges analogy. That's kind of how I feel about Union shops. You don't want some small fly by night company building our infrastructure, but that doesn't really equate to roping houses.

To provide some relevant content to this thread, the small systems integrator I worked for, worked like a dog, pretty much 7 days a week. He was amazingly good at what he did, but had a hard time being out there finding and bidding work, and managing all of the jobs he had going on, and his 1 lazy office assistant. He had been trying for years to find help, but it's just not very plentiful around here. Also, I spent a lot of time troubleshooting various automation issues in many different industries, and the cost of software to work on all of those different machines was almost absurd. I don't know how he did it, especially since our hourly rate was about 50$ less per hour than a local service plumber. Most of his re-peat customers were good old boys he'd known for a while, and he didn't want to "offend" them by upping his rates.
 
My advice is get a good broker for insurance. It is alot easier,cheaper and safer if things go pear shaped in the long run. Don't ask me how I know :)
 
Yea I had the same problem with parts costs and eventually figured out how to deal with it.

You are NOT going to make much profit on parts as your customer has equal access to their costs and will question every cent you have charged for each component.

I do however charge to build and assemble enclosures to NFPA and NEC standards.

With each quote I provide a complete Bill of Materials including wire and other consumables required for the project and where to buy them. [Building a network of distributor/suppliers is crucial here].

Per the contract the customer is fully responsible for purchasing and shipping them to my business.

This approach has been a Godsend. Once they committ to purchase parts the project is in the bag.
Sorry I strongly disagree! Never EVER tell the customer anything about your business and suppliers ! That is why it is YOUR business! I make a tidy bit on parts by doing my homework and not messing around with retail suppliers. If the question gets asked by a customer I say, "no problem please could I have a copy of your customer list" The responses and looks have sometimes been comical but I am never asked again. Make your payment terms CLEAR. Install a runtime counter for 3 months or your own time limit in you program, 3 months no pay machine stops! Then the **** starts but you now have them. No pay balance no machine ! easy!
 
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