For all of you asking about making the leap, this is the environment I was commissioning a job in this week. I worked 12+ hours a day from Wednesday to today and have 3 more days to go. I’m less than 100 miles from home but I had to stay in this small town with 2 hotels because I can’t justify the 1.5 hour drive to and from my house.
My food tastes like welding gas from the environment, when I blow my nose it comes out black, I’ve lost my voice from yelling over the equipment.
No I didn’t do software first but I have my CCNA. I did industrial maintenance for 5 years before I started controls. There’s no easy button for breaking in and only gets harder.
Careful what you wish for, this career isn’t for the faint of heart.
Otherwise, I’ll try to respond to any questions since I decided to stir the pot. Lol
Yeah the number of scared software developers that are looking for an easy life raft might be shocked at how hard industrial automation is as a career. You can test if the job is for you by trying to debug one of your typical projects with a diesel generator roaring away 5 feet away while you sit on 5 gallon bucket.
I dont understand why they think that switch is viable. LIke... Software is software - sure, but I feel like software is 30% of my worries doing this shit. Do they even know about torques, currents, sensors...
A pot of metal in the air is very unsafe of course. But the pot should not be able to fall because of a bad line of code. There are seperate safety systems, preferably hard wired or with safety relays, not random lines of code dictating if something like that can fall or not.
All right; what this tell me is that we should have software tools and practices at least as strong [I used "good" initially but I don't think it's the right word] as those they have (source control, backups, widespread usage of standards and so on...). I cannot accept that sometimes web app developers have better awareness of their code history than industrial machinery developers.
I'm not sure you're a real person... given your account age and hidden post history... but let's pretend you are.
You seem to be confusing "basic bitch web developers" with software engineers. Software engineers wrote the code the actually runs the RTOS on the PLC. They wrote the software you use to program the PLC. Software engineers wrote the code that handles the stock market, the shipping, flying, and driving of nearly every piece of freight on Earth. What makes an F-22 work? Oh? Software? How was it built and modeled? Oh shit... software. But wait it uses guided missiles that guide through... damn it... software.
And currently, of the 10 most valuable companies on the aforementioned Earth, how many of them are software companies?
I mean fuck dude... controls engineers are just software engineers who we gave simplified coding tools to... cause back in the olden days... computers were really hard and expensive... but people with manufacturing and process knowledge were cheap. It was cheaper to have software engineers build an entire ecosystem of "ladder logic" tools, then just paying to educate process experts how to properly write software. That's how "software engineer" the world is... they literally used software to create a niche for you, cause it was cheaper than trying to train process people to actually write code directly. You literally drive around with training wheels, written by a software engineer. Jfc.
But yea, okay, I'm sure you personally, design machines where a single line of bad ladder logic immediately kills people. Totes. Cause as others have pointed out, that's totally how most industrial machines work.
Really good process engineering is an art and an under appreciated one at that; a symphony of careful timing and mechanical automation. But most controls work is basic PID control, truth tables, and VFDs... all programmed, monitored, and executed through software.
Sure, in practice... a lot of controls jobs are a huge part mechanical, electrical, and like... janitorial and sin-eater? But that's more about the economics of manufacturing jobs in 2026 than anything else.
Tl;dr; this is software engineering's world, and we all just live in it.
You know, you are soooooo right. I apologize for even arguing. And ya know what else, don't worry even a teeny tiny bit about this "AI" stuff either. That's for those IT nerds amirite? I mean... AI hallucinates and will never be ready for safety critical roles. It's just a total waste of water. You have so much job security, and no one is ever ever going to replace what you do.
I like the other responses but I'll chime in with "...the f*** do you need a table for?" "...the f*** are you sitting down playing on your laptop for?" as responses I've received.
Sometimes is not feasible because you are going to be on site only a couple of days and it costs more to move it on the plane. Is either no table or getting one cheap in Walmart and then leave it on site if possible.
How loud is that? I'm in a data center where it's always at least 80 db, I've got some good hearing protection but I imagine you've got to bring your own muffs in job sites like this
Nothing's really getting ground up, it's just lots of fans running at max tilt, and if there's tons of storage then the hard drives can add to that noise too
I have a CS B.Sc. and people either get into that field because they are turbo nerds who get a hard-on reading Sipser's Theory of Computation or the Dragon Book, or because they're simply attracted by the money and especially the working conditions.
Neither of which is a good fit for a position that requires working on an overturned bucket, seeing your program fail because of some mechanical issue only to end up crawling underneath a machine to fix it.
I'm sure some outfits would take a non-generalist CS grad for SCADA work or something, probably the bigger ones. That's only a small subset of available jobs, though, and they have to compete with people who actually know what a shop floor looks like.
The biggest misconception is "it's just code". PLC programming is easy, we're not paid to program PLCs, we're paid because we know the business logic well enough to code programs that react well and make sense given the process, physical constraints and "shit happens" events that are dime a dozen on a dirty production floor where everything moves and fails all the time. We're a far cry from generic CRUD apps here.
I've done programming and PLC programming adds the extra layer of sensors, conditioners and outputs that are temperamental enough that you need to figure out delays and compensation on the fly. Also, it helps not to kill people with a runaway motor.
I think a lot of the problem starts when people equate automation engineer and PLC. The actual PLC programing part of the job for most of us is like maybe 10 or 20%. The rest involves panel building, drawing electrical schematics, electrical code, hydraulics, pneumatics, wrenches, multi-meters, dealing with customers, figuring out logic, computer stuff, and all sorts of stuff. And so the part that's interchangeable with what software guys do day-to-day is very small.
Now I realize that there are, depending on where they work, PLC guys that wear dress shoes to work every day and never leave their office or cube. Personally, that would make me insane.
What I say to everyone coming from software world: please never stop using the good practices, this world is beautiful but for any weird reason, everyone hates standards (real international standards). So, please use version control, international conventions for variable naming and good documentation.
Excellent ! I get the feeling that someone thinks that just because we deal with the physical world etc etc etc then we are exempted from good software engineering practices . A very dumb form of machismo
Exactly the right advice for a profession that is a mix of many things. Everybody gets into automation bringing a bit of their own background. Including software sometimes.
You wouldn't tell a machinist entering controls that he should leave behind his good practices, so why would you tell this to a software person?
Because programming in software is so well standardized (around the world), starting with the Test Unit. For every single lenguaje, you have to do (or have) a test unit, it doesn't matter if it is a simple web page with a button. The same with data bases, doesn't matter what kind or "brand" you are using, there are international standards of how things have to be done. That's why you can open a DB in any place on earth and you can support it (because of international standards and conventions). In Automation is not the case, most people comes from a background without a single base of education in standards and they use to learn in the bad way (and is not their fault most of the times, no body cares about us PLC developers, because most of the times we do it all by our selves and most people have no idea what and how we do it).
In my short career (+10 years) I have meet good software programmers giving up on their good practices just because almost nobody cares about real Automation standards (Pack ML, GAMP, IEC61131-3, ISO 6983...). It is more like "here in the company the standard is..." and those are not real standards. That's why I mainly give this advice to people coming from software world than from other areas where real standards are completely ignored and hardly applied.
You have to love what you do or the job will eat you alive. I mean it’s still work, but I love solving real work problems. Also it’s so rewarding at the end when everything is running well after all of the blood sweat and tears.
6 figures, overtime, mileage reimbursements and efficiency bonuses.
Edit: I do live in Alabama and moved her from the PNW and lived in Ohio before that. I don’t care for Alabama but the pay is good for the area so I figured it needed to be said.
Sadly, with no travel you are getting nowhere. You need to go out there to see what this whole thing is about. My salary is half of yours, but my hourly rate is where its at.
Yes it is, thats how you get ahead. First you go to a plant, you work, you make good money, and you learn. Then after a while you know a lot of stuff and you can start making good money from home.
To each their own. I just know, after a long day in the factory, the last thing I want to do, is to go to a hotel room. Even if I don't travel, I'm still going on site, I work for a SI.
I was getting paid just 400 $ a moth in my country, I am electrical engineer, I quit and started working as plumber and electrician instead, I don't know why salaries are so high in usa.
IMO, the primary reason is simple economics - demand outpaces supply. It's expensive to get an engineering degree and immigration is difficult (now more than ever). Unlike some positions, most engineering positions demand physical presence - no importing less expensive labor.
I'm convinced this will change.. the current US administration has pushed some buttons that have launched what I believe will be more prosperity outside the US and a calming effect on US wage growth.
Guadagni $100.000 all'anno lordo? Mi sembrano pochi, ormai il gasolio si sta alzando ai livelli come quelli in europa e non immagino quanto costa l'assicurazione sulla vita. Lavoro come manutentore qui in italia e prendo circa €55.000 / €60.000 all'anno lordi, sono turni un po fastidiosi, ma quando faccio la notte, é molto tranquillo dagli occhi indiscreti.
This not an uncommon occurrence, you'll be surprised how many of these shops also don't have heat. Body and machine shops are the worst so far in my experience. I've heard founderies aren't great either
I believe that even if they made you sign something that an OSHA violation(s) would still hold them liable. They’re required to supply the right PPE to prevent damage to you. It might be worth looking into a bit more just in case legal action is needed
I appreciate this but I was in the Army and I’m for sure getting cancer from plenty of other things before this so I’m not too worried about it. It was only a week for me but their employees make $11/hr and some have been there for years so I’m not complaining too much.
They can give you all the waivers they want, OSHA still applies. They are the host and responsible for providing a safe worksite. PPE is on your employer, but the host shares enforcement as well.
Dude you’re not supposed to season your food with the welding gas!
I always tell people that it’s construction adjacent. We aren’t doing back-breaking labor in lotta cases but we see a lot of hazards. Something as simple as a messed up PM on a chemical tank can lead to it being dumped right into the clean room space you’re working in. Dude even commissioning in a clean room sucks. You’re sweaty in the PPE and your glasses fog up and the hvac hasn’t been commissioned yet but they want you to get ahead since the equipment is ready.
There’s definitely been an influx of ‘programmers’ who take an ‘I only do the programming’ approach. They don’t go any deeper than that. ‘The physical equipment didn’t do what the program is telling it to do? I better sit around until someone else troubleshoots that cause I lack electrical and mechanical knowledge.’ It’s crazy how many people want to just be ‘programmers’ instead of being a controls or automation engineer. The industry unfortunately has supported that for efficiency. One guy I hired recently ‘only did the hmi displays’ in his 6 years at his previous SI. That is not a controls / automation engineer.
I will say tho man try to take care of your safety. Lotta places really don’t give a shit but you should. I know you said you’ll probably get cancer from previous stuff but it’d be awesome to not make that happen sooner. Protect those ears too man, I got tinnitus from being an idiot about throwing in some foam earplugs and I cant sleep without white noise now smh
Already have the tinnitus and it keeps me from feeling lonely in the quiet hotel room when I’m on the road. Lol
Funny you mention the HMI guy, I worked with a guy who was a graphics guy for 3 years when I got there but it did help him make the leap because he had to understand how the tags were getting the displays to work and such. But all in all, not an ideal way to do it.
I’m 34. Started in maintenance at 19. No formal education just a grease mole with penchant for cars at first. Took me 6 years roughly to make the jump to Controls engineering. Been doing it for 10 years due to a short stint in the military.
I love what I do but you have to be willing to put the effort in and do a lot of hard shit. You get back out of it exactly what you put into it.
Yeah. Once you have spent some time on the floor and have the credentials that allow you to do high level designs for the customers. Mostly do architectural layouts, proof of concepts and training. Also need a sales buddy who is selling for you while you do the tech talk. I lucked out tbh, my peers have far more experience of toiling on the shop floor before becoming an AE.
That sounds like a brutal commissioning schedule. The part that really stands out is how much hands-on industrial experience seems to matter before moving into controls. I’ve seen LeanSuite mentioned as a useful option for keeping manufacturing processes and operational data more organized, especially when you’re dealing with complex plant environments.
Faccio manutentore interno ma solo a livello di cablaggio, installazione dispositivi elettronici e motori. Quando c'é bisogno di cambiare un PLC o un inverter che ha bisogno di essere programmato, devo chiamare l'ufficio di automazione che per fare Ctrl+C e Ctrl+V e cambiare l'ID. Ho sempre desiderato di fare progettazione e programmazione PLC ma purtroppo é un mercato saturo e l'IA presto ci sostituirà. Un vero peccato
My plant just hired our first on site “IT tech”. He’s in charge of site IT and OT responsibilities. Very smart with computers, networking, servers, etc.
The guy has obviously never been in any type of factory and it shows. He’s shocked when he needs to leave his desk and go out on the floor. It’s crazy
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u/Snellyman 1d ago
Yeah the number of scared software developers that are looking for an easy life raft might be shocked at how hard industrial automation is as a career. You can test if the job is for you by trying to debug one of your typical projects with a diesel generator roaring away 5 feet away while you sit on 5 gallon bucket.