Hi All,

I have a mechanical engineering degree and 8 years of engineering experience. My current position is Project Engineer. I've been trying to get into this industry for some time now. I first became interested in automation about 6 years ago working with the controls department of my employer at the time (I helped out with commissioning and instrument mounting).

As I looked seriously at getting into controls I found that most employers with positions to fill were seeking people with electrical engineering or computer science degrees. In response I took about 3 terms worth of classes offered by the local community college learning how to program using relay-ladder logic (RSLogixs) and started taking undergrad electrical and computer engineering classes at my local university preparing for entry into a masters program. At this point I've had about half the ECE core classes and will probably be entering the masters program in about a year. I've specified and programmed the controls for one of my current employers systems using a GE Fanuc micro PLC and text interface, the first PLC based control system my employer has supplied. I also tested and made some wiring corrections to the same panel. In the next couple of months I will be on site for commissioning.

Through all of this I've been applying for the positions I've found to no avail. I'm now beginning to wonder if I'm taking the wrong approach. My concern is that I really need to get in with an entry level position, but a masters degree may over qualify me for an entry level position. My experience level may also over qualify me for an entry level position.

I'm really at a loss on this. I need some advice.

Thank You,
Mark Ezell

 

Start your own business, self employment is fun and you'll
pay a hell of a lot less tax It seems like a big jump, but once you're here, you'll never go back. Offer your services to your current employer on a self employed basis, that's a good start, then look further afield, in the same sector, if you're good then you will have more work than you can eat within the year.

Marc Sinclair

 

Have you considered advancing your status in Project Management? My experience has been that advancement and understanding of technology (control operations) pales in comparison to the career advancement available in this form of management.

 

Mark,

Most controls firms here, Louisiana, have a mix of both electrical and mechanical. In the last 7 years I have found it to be a good mix simply because a lot of control problems contain both mechanical and electrical components. Where are you looking? I know several control system companies around the us and they also have multi-dicipline staffs for control systems.

Jeff

 

Dear Mark Ezell,

Looking at your profile what I feel is you would be the right person for the industries that is manufacturing machineries(eg:drum filling,bottling etc.) with lot of hydraulics and pneumatics involved in it.I feel that the design of these machineries would in fact involve a lot of mechanical engineering as well as a thorough knowledge in PLCs.

Try and try till you succeed!!

All the very best

Jayaharan C J

 

You might try a maintenance position to leverage your existing skills and gain experience with PLCs. They are usually the easiest jobs to find and usually unbelievably broad in scope. You might even be able to migrate into your chosen area with demonstrated interest.

Regards

cww

 

Hi!
By looking your mail,it seems that you always think that the opposite side of river is green.Don't have this idea in future also.So i suggest you to keep intact with the present employer and develop your skill further.In future you may avail an oppurtunity to become a project manager level in some huge project taking companies as you are having mechanical engineering degree with instrumentation cum electronics experience.Don't take any false step further.
Bye.
kadher

 

Your timing is not so good. Maybe three years ago, there were multiple job listings every week for controls engineers. Now the job market is very scarce. I am sure there are many highly qualified unemployed engineers who you are competing with for jobs.

 

Do you want to program, design automation systems, or be project manager of automation systems design? If you just want to program, you will need to start at the bottom and work your way up with programming experience. You don't need a degree for most employers, just PLC/HMI programming experience. If you want to design systems, you can work it the same way. To work into larger scale systems, you might want to finish your degree. If you want to work on cutting edge, IT based automation systems, then finish your degree. I believe that this will be under served area once the economy recovers and one that requires much more education in Comp Sci/EE than most PLC jockeys possess. To manage projects, you might have what it takes right now. Right now, the industrial controls market is dry due to the overall economy and the slow decline in controls needs in the industry.

 

Have you considered advancing your status in Project Management? My experience has been that advancement and understanding of technology (control operations) pales in comparison to the career advancement available in this form of management.

I would second that advice, based upon the number of job openings I see on the 'net. I have been looking for similar work in New England area for several months now, and noticed that the project manager listings far outnumber the ads for the individual contributor engineer. I have no clue as to the count of "downsizees" applying for those positions, so I don't know how that affects your opportunities, but it just something I've noticed in my area.

Rufus

Rufus V. Smith [email protected] http://members.aol.com/rufusvs

 

Thank You all for the advice. It will be very helpful.

Mark

 

I'm looking in the Portland Oregon area (northwestern Oregon).

 

Mark,

How's the search going? I'm in the same area and although you're in a different league I would be interested in what you've discovered. I'm an electrician with an interest in IT and Process Control. How are your RSLogix programming skills?

Russell

 

Would it help if you didn't include the mechanical engineering degree in the job application documents. This may get you through the door and then you will show more expertise in in your entry level position. I have been in this field for 30 years and started off as a field repair tech and it snowballed.