Plc programming job question

cardosocea · Nov 12, 2018

ASF said:
I should probably warn you though that from December through February it's pretty standard to have daytime temperatures of high 30's - low 40's with humidity that'll make you sweat standing still in places you didn't even know you had sweat glands. At night it gets down to the low 30's though so it's not all bad.

I worked in Asia for a long while and am from the South of Europe. I'm sure I can adapt.

saultgeorge · Nov 12, 2018

ASF said:
I'm going to throw a slightly different perspective out there...

You want to get into programming. Your current employer works in a closely related field, but does not provide a pathway for where you want to get to.

Very few companies will take you on as a programmer just because you want to do it and you've gone to some courses. So if you want to pursue this as a career, you have two real options:

1. Find a different job that will initially have you still on the tools, working in the same type of role you currently have, but does have a pathway into programming; or
2. Do exactly what you suggest and then in 6-12 months time start applying for programming roles with some real-world experience under your belt

Option 1 would be ideal is it's less risky for you and potential employers, but jobs like that can be hard to find. Option 2 will be a lot harder on you (giving up leisure time and working two jobs) but if you have a plan and a goal in mind then the short term pain could definitely be worth the long term gain.

My company has been trying to recruit a new programmer for almost 12 months. There's a real shortage at the moment. If we found a guy who had worked on the tools for several years, decided he wanted to be a programmer, and took it upon himself to learn and get hands on experience in his own time, and had some successful projects to show for it, we'd hire him in a heartbeat. That sort of attitude shows what you're made of.

So I say, if it's what you want to do, and you're willing to put in the hard yards to get there, go for it.

As others have said though, don't forget to cover yourself. Go and see a professional and get some proper advice on insurance, accounting, etc etc. Like any other ladder, make sure you secure your career ladder before you start climbing it!

I would like to apply also.

JohnCalderwood · Nov 12, 2018

Queensland sounds ideal, I have family and friends there....

But to get back to the original post.......there are jobs around for the right applicant.
You don't say what part of the EC&I industry you are in, it could cover a wide spectrum - industrial, manufacturing, contracting, water, building services, get yourself into agencies with your CV, ask around....companies do look for people to develop and nurture as well as those with different experience..

A_G · Nov 12, 2018

Lc1 said:
Hi,
I have a question about plc programming as a second job and whether anyone currently does this. I work full time for a company (not plc programming ) but would like to do small programming jobs either at night or the weekends. Does anyone have any advice as to how to go about this?

Thanks

In my opinion it's possible but may not be the best idea as others have already said. At my current company, there are some contractors that do exactly what you said, they write PLC programs then email them to the engineers at the main site to download and test. The reason is because, there are not enough programmers on site to keep up with the workload. But like others have said, this is not that common and you can be sure that issues will always come up during test. If there is no one on site available, then you will be getting calls/emails and possibly be asked to come on site. You will probably have to be available during normal business hours and not just nights/weekends.

James Mcquade · Nov 12, 2018

I admire you for wanting to do the extra work, but I have several questions for you.

#1 who is providing the laptop, programming software, programming cables?
if the answer is your current employer, you are in trouble. if they find out you are using their equipment, you can be fired and face other legal issues.
#2 if you do this, does your current employer mind if you get calls from
customers when their machine goes down while you are working for tour current employer?
if he does mind, how will you work this out with the employer?
your employer is paying you to work form them, not provide tech support for others on their time.

james,

cardosocea · Nov 13, 2018

James Mcquade said:
your employer is paying you to work form them, not provide tech support for others on their time.

I've had this happening with a technician working for me. He had a company that built custom made machinery and eventually he closed it but still had technical support and small modifications as a side job. Turns out he spent quite a bit of his shift dealing with his customers... I explained this to him, but I think it did weigh on the choice to lay him off (I had left by then).

Another "similar" example was a technician that was day trading while at work and obviously trading was taking priority over his work that he had to take a "break" every 30 or so minutes to check up on the stock prices... he got warned by his manager... when he moved on to night shift and appeared as if he hadn't slept that was it for him too.

Plc programming job question

cardosocea

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saultgeorge

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JohnCalderwood

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A_G

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James Mcquade

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cardosocea

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