Guidance Needed For Mapping Career Path

[Quality123xyz]

For starters, I am a QC inspector with 5 years of experience, all of which has been on the job training, and I presently reside in the Houston, TX area.

I have pretty much reached the top of the pay scale for a quality inspector ($23/hr) and while that isn't necessarily a terrible wage, it doesn't afford me the kind of lifestyle or future that I want for myself.

It is a given that I will need to obtain my BS and maybe even my MS to make the kind of money and have the job satisfaction I'm seeking. The dilemma I'm facing is that I don't have a clue of what field to pursue it in. I have scoured the Internet and haven't found a single bachelors program for Quality Assurance in the Houston area.

The only offerings I have found online are through distance learning schools where the likelihood of the credits transferring are slim, or somewhere like Cal State Online which will be prohibitively expensive considering the cost of out-of-state tuition.

I'm at a loss about what to do and at 40 years of age, I'm not getting any younger. Any guidance that can be provided is tremendously appreciated.

 

[Randy]

Try the University of Phoenix for example and there's nothing wrong with a Business degree, you're not going to advance too far money wise as a quality guy, the high paying jobs are few and far between, they are there but they evade discovery.

If you try to stick to Quality & Quality alone you're dooming yourself to perpetual compartmentalization and possible stagnation. Diversification + expertise is the key, it has been for me. Make yourself valuable.

 

[Jen Kirley]

University of Phoenix is trying hard to overcome its reputation as a diploma mill, but for many people its past reputation still carries a smell.

That said, I agree with Randy that continued education is a good idea but I want to offer that there seems to be a lot of business majors out there. If you can succeed in an engineering field (it isn't for everyone) this is a good time for it. Demand is very high for engineers, and I have seen a lot of promotion potential, including into quality management.

What did you do before becoming a QC inspector? You mention that you are 40. Does your employer have a tuition assistance program?

 

[stevegyro]

For starters, I am a QC inspector with 5 years of experience, all of which has been on the job training, and I presently reside in the Houston, TX area.

I have pretty much reached the top of the pay scale for a quality inspector ($23/hr) and while that isn't necessarily a terrible wage, it doesn't afford me the kind of lifestyle or future that I want for myself.

It is a given that I will need to obtain my BS and maybe even my MS to make the kind of money and have the job satisfaction I'm seeking. The dilemma I'm facing is that I don't have a clue of what field to pursue it in. I have scoured the Internet and haven't found a single bachelors program for Quality Assurance in the Houston area.

The only offerings I have found online are through distance learning schools where the likelihood of the credits transferring are slim, or somewhere like Cal State Online which will be prohibitively expensive considering the cost of out-of-state tuition.

I'm at a loss about what to do and at 40 years of age, I'm not getting any younger. Any guidance that can be provided is tremendously appreciated.

It is a shame that inspector’s get paid so little, when they are the first line of defense to avoid failures in aerospace and medical industries.

It is also a shame that CMM programmers get dog food for pay also. I have seen many inspectors/CMM programmers who can ‘draw circles’ around engineers.
They must work with GD&T, drawings from differing customers, and most of all, understand the principles of measurement (with their type of equipment) as well as the amount of error in their measuring equipment.

 

[Jen Kirley]

It is a shame that inspector’s get paid so little, when they are the first line of defense to avoid failures in aerospace and medical industries.

It is also a shame that CMM programmers get dog food for pay also. I have seen many inspectors/CMM programmers who can ‘draw circles’ around engineers.
They must work with GD&T, drawings from differing customers, and most of all, understand the principles of measurement (with their type of equipment) as well as the amount of error in their measuring equipment.

That is a weakness in human resources, also in managers who do not appreciate the skills needed for these positions. A tight job market is pressuring some into re-thinking these prejudices, but currently a degree or certificate is still an important part of their checklist. Rarely do we manage to convince them otherwise (my husband did as IT Director without a degree, but only after the organization became frustrated with their two earlier degreed candidates leaving soon after starting), usually we must play the game by their rules, usually at our expense.

 

[Johnnymo62]

Here is a Quality Career path from ASQ.

I have been looking for it quite a while, but they just put it in the June members gift page.