Security Technician - Adam, Mark and John's stories
Adam Lopes
Adam is a software engineer working at Inner Range Pty Ltd, a company that specialises in the manufacture of security systems. Before studying to become a software engineer, Adam worked as a security installer and service technician.
As a technician, he worked for a relatively small company and his work included installing equipment, running cables, fault finding, programming, systems configuration and preparing quotes. His work focused on installing and servicing security systems in medium to large commercial and industrial work – such as factories and high rise corporate buildings. While Adam was working as a technician, he gained certification from a number of manufacturers and completed a cabling qualification.
There is no margin for error when installing a system, and Adam found this the most challenging part of his work as a technician, along with having to be on call 24 hours to attend to any fault with the system.
|
|
As a technician he was doing a lot of systems configuration and IT oriented work and this inspired him to go back to study. In 2003 he applied for mature age entry and got accepted into a software engineering degree at RMIT. Following the completion of his degree he started at Inner Range working in software engineering and software development.
Adam believes there are many opportunities for promotion in the security industry. If you are willing to put in the effort and show aptitude in a particular area, promotion is really easy to achieve. There has always been a shortage of enthusiastic young people entering the industry, but now they're really in demand, because older workers are looking to younger people with an understanding of technology to take responsibility for technology.
He feels the most important personal attributes for a technician are attention to detail and diligence. It is important that technicians are meticulous about their work – they can't afford to have a 'near enough is good enough' attitude because mistakes can have serious consequences. Security equipment and systems are used every day and often in a safety context.
When you enter the industry as a technician, even the first level of employment is usually quite interesting and challenging. There's very little mundane work. You generally find yourself specialising in one type of installation environment, for example, you could be working in larger commercial installations or industrial complexes, or you may specialise in smaller domestic installations. You'll find a niche within the company itself and in the industry as a whole with ample opportunities to move around.
Mark Vella
Mark Vella is a second year apprentice completing a Certificate III in Security Equipment at Box Hill Institute of TAFE. He works at Universal Communications in Melbourne as an apprentice security communications and data technician.
Universal Communications installs communications, security and network products and conducts system maintenance as necessary. The company works closely with builders who specialise in commercial construction works, such as office refurbishments, and security and data systems installation.
Mark initially trained as a pilot. He started flying at age 16 and obtained his commercial pilot’s license by age 17. He has a Bachelors degree in Aviation but decided on a change in career as he preferred hands-on work in programming and electronics. He feels the work he’s doing in the security industry is more suited to his interests and skills.
It took Mark a while to find an employer as, at age 26, he was a mature-age student. He applied for several jobs before successfully gaining employment with Universal Communications. He believes it took several tries because potential employers were worried about his age and the possibility of having to pay him higher wages. [Actually apprentice award wages are not age-based.]
His job is mainly installation of security equipment and systems, such as cameras and infra-red sensors, and installation of communications such as telephone and computer network systems. A typical working week means starting at 7am and finishing by 3.30pm. Some projects run for a month, with the first two weeks devoted to setting up and organising cabling, followed by two weeks of testing.
There are several sides to his work that Mark enjoys. He likes the hands-on experience and the chance to be at numerous sites and to meet different people. Universal Communications is a small business so Mark has plenty of opportunities to develop a broad range of skills and on-the-job experience. Professional development is important and he is often sent on short courses which extend his knowledge of security systems and cabling products. He is currently completing a short course on an energy-saving automated lighting product. He enjoys the supportive team environment and appreciates the regular positive feedback he receives from his employer.
There are a couple of aspects to his role that Mark sometimes finds challenging. The first is keeping up with the ever changing technology, and the second is attending to all the individual client specifications.
Mark believes the most important personal attributes and skills needed for work in the electronic security industry are sound problem-solving skills, time management and communication skills as well as great teamwork skills.
Mark is certain the electronic security industry is one of the fastest growing industries in Australia. Demand is increasing as security systems become more affordable. Employment opportunities include programming security panels, working on large building sites, multi-sites or campuses as well as specialising in biometrics security systems such as facial recognition software.
John Albert
John coordinates the installation and servicing of electronic security systems and equipment. His main task is to look after ART Security's monitoring centre room and any service problems that technicians have. He is the "fix it" man at the company.
What he finds interesting about his work are the ever changing electronic products. When he first started he was working on little relay boxes. Now it's all electronics and if there are problems with parts, service technicians don't have to fix them, they just pull out the faulty part and get a replacement. Not having to fix parts makes a service technician's job easier and from his perspective, it's a great industry to work in.
New technology allows clients to do more things with their alarm panels – such as send text messages, turn on lights, and turn on sprinkler systems. Clients as end users get a lot more out of their systems these days.
John started working in electronics in the area of car radios, before moving across to alarms at ART Security. He has worked for the company for 25 years and has learnt about installation and servicing on the job. His main challenge at the moment is moving the monitoring onto a network and he's learning that on the job too. He's very aware that there's little room for error in this role - if you make a mistake you could shut down the entire system!
John works part time, three days a week – much better than when he was in a management role, on call 24/7. That was hard work - having to attend to call outs in the middle of the night to fix faults. . Now he has time to be a trainer at a local footy club!
He sees a great future for employment in the electronic security industry. He believes that young technicians with good computer skills will be able find extremely interesting work in this environment.
Related Links
Adam Lopes
(1:34 mins - 17.2MB)
Mark Vella
(1:38 mins - 7.43MB)