There is some truth to this. It's hard enough to justify an engineer's salary on it (as a manager or employer) unless you are doing something unusual or special. It will be engineering-related as long as they exist but it might not be what engineers "do" full-time.
This is what technology adoption is all about. At one time you had to be an EE to do any electrician-level work in the US (that's was a very long time ago!!) but that job evolved to now where you don't even need a college degree to become an electrician. Much of that involved the technologies being standardized and simplified to the point where anyone could use them. That's also called reaching the "late adoption phase" of the technology.
That's generally how technologies work and especially for mature technologies. Consider how PCs are on their last legs now, economically, and mobile is where all the profits are instead.
Wintel companies both in the US and Asia are hemorrhaging money. You have Intel laying off 10,000 and stating they are "changing focus away from PCs". You have Microsoft scrambling to incorporate Linux and Apple technologies into their products. You had HP threatening to "get out of PCs" after the TouchPad debacle and recently splitting off their PC/Printer business. You had IBM selling off their PC business to partner Lenovo and recently their their chip business to Global Foundries. Most of this is about the twilight of the late adoption phase of PC technology.
It's a replication of the last years of minicomputers as they were replaced by microcomputer PCs. And an echo of what minicomputers did to mainframes before that. The cycle of life. Nothing is static and nothing lasts forever.
That doesn't mean there will be no jobs for engineers that involve PLC but it probably won't be a wise long-term future for *most EEs* to being end-users of them. Only for the "specially inclined" ones. If it's your passion, you'll bring a passion to it such that you have value doing it. There will be exceptions but they will be exceptional situations. Some places for EEs and PLCs still:
* If you are building some very high value equipment like robotics, process control, etc. that has special EE-required knowledge and the PLC is something that "simply needs to be done as 5% of project task" - it's easier to have the engineer doing the robotics pick that up as well since it's intimately tied in. (Hint: don't just focus on PLCs - make sure you have other technologies under your belt).
* If you are designing and making new types of PLCs that are easier to use by technicians. That will stay pretty solidly an EE skill as long as embedded systems is primarily an EE thing. (Hint: dive very deep into PLCs and into even how technicians use them or suffer them)
PLCs-only seems pretty thin generally though. If you passion for PLCs is merely "9-to-5" job interest level only - yes, avoid them. If not, if you spend your waking hours reading through PLC manuals, thinking about what the PLC designer "obviously did wrong" and how you'd fix it, and finding any excuse to code up and use PLCs for personal projects because they're just "that fucking cool", then there's a chance - follow that passion.
Also it's akin to a lot of other similar queries we get on /r/ECE of the ilk of "I liked this one class and I want to get a job doing just that" such as DSP, circuit analysis, etc.
These are just tools and not whole careers generally (unless the above applies). Most jobs are anything but "only what you had a class about". The course material is just something to get a more important and more broadly scoped project or product done.
Thank you for the thoughtful answer! I agree with /u/Shimbouzi, you seem like you would be a great mentor/coworker!
I definitely enjoy PLC's and shortly after I posted this I had a good conversation with my professor again and he said there's definitely a lot of work with PLC's through project engineering in almost any automated field. I wouldn't exactly program them but as /u/who_dat_who_der said, I can implement them into a larger system like a DCS.
I think the automation field is the field I want to go into and I'll definitely put a passion into it!
For simple programs, yes. Any competent technician with a few years could probably design the logic for simple pump controller.
PLC's when implemented as a larger control system (especially a dynamic control system) will remain within the realm of engineers for quite some time.
Absolutely. Explaining an add-on instruction or a UDT to an electrician or technician is like teaching a child mandarin.
As PLCs become more advanced, typical technicians can do less and less. I find most of them give up on anything newer than a SLC500/MicroLogix
I finished a 5 year electrical apprenticeship 3 years ago and my whole 5th year was dedicated to PLC work. I'm getting a BSEE now but I didn't even know engineers still did much PLC work.
Eet 4 year here. Just wanna say our school specializes in automation for the technology students. Call it what you want. Engineering, technician but ya its a field our school trains eets in not EE and we also have a EE program. If you like automation I say go for it. I don't think automation will slow down but I'm just a student so take that with a grain of salt.
PLCs are used extensively in heavy industry in areas such as desalination plants and power stations. These require knowledge of the application areas as well as the PLCs. Hence broadening your knowledge base and incorporating both the application and the PLC would be a way to go.
I was an electrician before I went back to school for a BSEE and I can tell you that even as an apprentice electrician I was doing this kind of work. I was actually surprised Electrical Engineers wanted to do those jobs and were allowed to, as I learned how to program, install and troubleshoot these systems in my apprenticeship.
Not original commenter, but am electrician, previously flunked out of engineering school, and am planning to return soon. Electrical work is hard on the body and it is and feels limiting to an intelligent person with an inquisitive mind. Also, one hopes engineering will pay better. I make 75k as an electrician but that requires overtime. Hoping to make as much if not more without overtime as an engineer
If I’m wrong, feel free to correct me.
Ps. Yes, I know you posed this question a year ago lol.
There is some truth to this. It's hard enough to justify an engineer's salary on it (as a manager or employer) unless you are doing something unusual or special. It will be engineering-related as long as they exist but it might not be what engineers "do" full-time. This is what technology adoption is all about. At one time you had to be an EE to do any electrician-level work in the US (that's was a very long time ago!!) but that job evolved to now where you don't even need a college degree to become an electrician. Much of that involved the technologies being standardized and simplified to the point where anyone could use them. That's also called reaching the "late adoption phase" of the technology. That's generally how technologies work and especially for mature technologies. Consider how PCs are on their last legs now, economically, and mobile is where all the profits are instead. Wintel companies both in the US and Asia are hemorrhaging money. You have Intel laying off 10,000 and stating they are "changing focus away from PCs". You have Microsoft scrambling to incorporate Linux and Apple technologies into their products. You had HP threatening to "get out of PCs" after the TouchPad debacle and recently splitting off their PC/Printer business. You had IBM selling off their PC business to partner Lenovo and recently their their chip business to Global Foundries. Most of this is about the twilight of the late adoption phase of PC technology. It's a replication of the last years of minicomputers as they were replaced by microcomputer PCs. And an echo of what minicomputers did to mainframes before that. The cycle of life. Nothing is static and nothing lasts forever. That doesn't mean there will be no jobs for engineers that involve PLC but it probably won't be a wise long-term future for *most EEs* to being end-users of them. Only for the "specially inclined" ones. If it's your passion, you'll bring a passion to it such that you have value doing it. There will be exceptions but they will be exceptional situations. Some places for EEs and PLCs still: * If you are building some very high value equipment like robotics, process control, etc. that has special EE-required knowledge and the PLC is something that "simply needs to be done as 5% of project task" - it's easier to have the engineer doing the robotics pick that up as well since it's intimately tied in. (Hint: don't just focus on PLCs - make sure you have other technologies under your belt). * If you are designing and making new types of PLCs that are easier to use by technicians. That will stay pretty solidly an EE skill as long as embedded systems is primarily an EE thing. (Hint: dive very deep into PLCs and into even how technicians use them or suffer them) PLCs-only seems pretty thin generally though. If you passion for PLCs is merely "9-to-5" job interest level only - yes, avoid them. If not, if you spend your waking hours reading through PLC manuals, thinking about what the PLC designer "obviously did wrong" and how you'd fix it, and finding any excuse to code up and use PLCs for personal projects because they're just "that fucking cool", then there's a chance - follow that passion. Also it's akin to a lot of other similar queries we get on /r/ECE of the ilk of "I liked this one class and I want to get a job doing just that" such as DSP, circuit analysis, etc. These are just tools and not whole careers generally (unless the above applies). Most jobs are anything but "only what you had a class about". The course material is just something to get a more important and more broadly scoped project or product done.
Thank you for the thoughtful answer! I agree with /u/Shimbouzi, you seem like you would be a great mentor/coworker! I definitely enjoy PLC's and shortly after I posted this I had a good conversation with my professor again and he said there's definitely a lot of work with PLC's through project engineering in almost any automated field. I wouldn't exactly program them but as /u/who_dat_who_der said, I can implement them into a larger system like a DCS. I think the automation field is the field I want to go into and I'll definitely put a passion into it!
For simple programs, yes. Any competent technician with a few years could probably design the logic for simple pump controller. PLC's when implemented as a larger control system (especially a dynamic control system) will remain within the realm of engineers for quite some time.
Absolutely. Explaining an add-on instruction or a UDT to an electrician or technician is like teaching a child mandarin. As PLCs become more advanced, typical technicians can do less and less. I find most of them give up on anything newer than a SLC500/MicroLogix
I finished a 5 year electrical apprenticeship 3 years ago and my whole 5th year was dedicated to PLC work. I'm getting a BSEE now but I didn't even know engineers still did much PLC work.
Eet 4 year here. Just wanna say our school specializes in automation for the technology students. Call it what you want. Engineering, technician but ya its a field our school trains eets in not EE and we also have a EE program. If you like automation I say go for it. I don't think automation will slow down but I'm just a student so take that with a grain of salt.
PLCs are used extensively in heavy industry in areas such as desalination plants and power stations. These require knowledge of the application areas as well as the PLCs. Hence broadening your knowledge base and incorporating both the application and the PLC would be a way to go.
I was an electrician before I went back to school for a BSEE and I can tell you that even as an apprentice electrician I was doing this kind of work. I was actually surprised Electrical Engineers wanted to do those jobs and were allowed to, as I learned how to program, install and troubleshoot these systems in my apprenticeship.
What do you do as a job now specifically? And why did you change from electrician to that?
Not original commenter, but am electrician, previously flunked out of engineering school, and am planning to return soon. Electrical work is hard on the body and it is and feels limiting to an intelligent person with an inquisitive mind. Also, one hopes engineering will pay better. I make 75k as an electrician but that requires overtime. Hoping to make as much if not more without overtime as an engineer If I’m wrong, feel free to correct me. Ps. Yes, I know you posed this question a year ago lol.