Job Title

[I is a noob]

E&I Tech
AA in Industrial Mechanics
AA In Electrical Engineering
(Got both of those in two years, not each but total)
Not licensed but I work circles around our in house electrician(licensed). From trouble shooting blinking lights to refusing transmission lines and everything in between. I programmed for the last three two years until our automation group realigned. Now the guy over me wants to joint program to make sure we are on the same page but the bulk of that I am still programming.

 

[chanal]

electrician here...just went back to school for mechatronics and BOY AM I CONFUSED ON PLC programming WOW!

 

[Plcwill]

I'm an maintenance electrician now and been doing this for 9yrs out of my 23yrs as an electrician with 10yrs it in commercial electrical construction.

I learned PLC programming on my own and also took Allen Bradley classes which I paid for myself after working for Six Flags America. And also able to program microcontrollers like the Parallax Basic Stamp programmed in PBasic and Parallax Propeller chip which is programmed in Spin (similar to PBasic)

Many electricians where I work at on a DOD contract site don't have any knowledge of PLCs or microcontrollers and how program or troubleshoot them.

 

[ojz0r]

My education is Electrical-Automation (really no better translation for it).
In school we learned about everything; electricity, mechatronics and all kinds of control systems.
Now im working at a paper mill and i do all the programing in the conventional PLCs aswell as controlls for motors like VFDs and soft starters.
I also do many modern updates to the machines here.

 

[exabmorgan]

I guess I'm an oddball then, my degree is computer science, programming. I use the title of Automation Engineer. Everything PLC and HMI is cake to me. And I have I valid excuse to not go poking around any high voltage panels.

I used to do programming work for a in-place pump skid manufacturer and the owner was likely to hand you a pipe wrench if you were walking out the door to a service job. He never did that to me, I never really asked if he thought I would screw up a mechanical item or he thought my time was more valuable in a programming capacity. His electricians were never that lucky.

 

[vettedrivr]

Dronai - To answer your question, the only electrical I do now is system design and troubleshooting.
I spent a lot of years working as a maintenance technician for several companies doing in-house programming. I have an A.A.S. in Electronics and an A.A.S. in Mechatronics. Went back and got my B.S.EET last year. Got hired as an electrical engineer for a systems integrator. Most companies I've worked for won't hire 4 year degrees into the maintenance dept or have them do PLC programming.

 

[Oakley]

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering concentrating on Controls and Power.

I later obtained my Professional Engineering license. Thus can legally use the term Engineer.

My current business title is Associate Consultant Process Control Engineer.

But what does all that have to do with it? Not much in being that programming is a logical trait that one has, and ability to function in the automation realm.

I have witnessed many electricians, or even non-degreed people, outperform people that have upper education. And, converse is true as well.

In my 18 years experience, I find a well balanced group of individuals with specialities, that know their limits, will perform in 98% of the challenges that arise.

 

[mvaughan]

I spent a lot of years working for systems integrators and now am a licensed master electrician. I did a lot of robot programming and then transitioned into the PLC side of things. Now I work for a food packager, I mostly do machine upgrades and installs.

Allen Bradley, Cmore, Red Lion.

 

[jvdcande]

It seems most of the responses come from Uncle Sam, but this is my situation over here in Belgium. I studied electricity/electronics in the 70's and graduated in 1980 at age 18, so I'm in no way an engineer. I started out with a big Dutch electronics company (I guess almost everybody will know which one I mean, there's only one) as an electrician, but showed my willingness to learn and got the opportunity to prove what I as worth, including with PLCs. So they let me re-design some machines, the wiring as well as the programming. Back in 1993 I changed career to become a PLC trainer for the Flemish government. During 16 years I trained people how to program and troubleshoot PLCs and SCADA systems. Among my trainees I can count a lot of engineers, some of the university level. So I guess experience counts also a bit if you want to program PLCs. But of course, you'll have to put some effort in, or you won't get a single step further. Continue learning and everybody can get a better position in time.

Nowadays I'm training people in an Engine Room Simulator. Therefor I had to study ships diesel engines, refrigeration systems, pneumatic systems and some other stuff. Sailors have to care about everything on board a ship, so their trainers have to be too. Next year I'm hitting 50 and I have not stopped one day from learning. I guess it keeps me young, maybe that's why me and my girlfriend are expecting a baby .

Kind regards,

 

[bce123]

Jean, congrats on the baby. I do some work for Mann B&W here in the states They have some very good Dutch Folks on staff and have a Engine Room Simulator I helped them wire up, Great folks to work with!!!

 

[geniusintraining]

I guess it keeps me young, maybe that's why me and my girlfriend are expecting a baby .

Congrats Jean!!


My job titles

1) Janitor (cleaning bathrooms)
2) Production welder
3) Shift supervisor
4) Maintenance (apprentice machinist)
5) Maintenance Electrician
6) Electrician
7) Project supervisor
8) Business owner / Janitor (cleaning bathrooms)

Kind of funny how things start and finsh the same

 

[Christine1914]

I graduated Instrumentation and Control Technology last 2005 and pursued to study Bachelor of Science in Instrumentation and Control Engineering and finished it last 2009.

Although been able to practice my course while still studying. Had an opportunity to do my practicum in Siemens during ICT and Emerson Process Management during ICE years.

My first knowledge to practice was programming a S7-200 controller, then got exposed to SCADA/HMI of Siemens and Delta V of Emerson, then programming of Siemens S7-300, then now Allen-Bradley products except FT.

Although I would still admit, it is still easy for me to do Siemens stuff than handling other PLC brands, maybe because Siemens was the brand that I handled and practiced more even before.

And I strongly agree to one post here, being in this field gains more knowledge while being exposed on different brands as we grow years in this field. And I am still looking forward to have experience in different brands as well

 

[pct_jimmy]

I am a licensed master electrician and work for a relatively small company. We have an "IT department" who take care of the PLC's at most of our facilities. The last two PLC upgrades we have done have all been programmed by me though. I found it was a lot easier to do them myself as I lay the programs out more like my electrical drawings and all the IT guys see are data tables and algorithms. I learned PLC programming on my own, mostly, because as many as we have at my plant site it was a necessity.

 

[RocketTester]

My title is Engineering Specialist, similar to a GS-14 in federal government. I came to controls and instrumentation both from early engineering jobs (chemical plant production, turbine engine controls design) and later academic research. My current job is half instrumentation and controls design and use and half software data analysis. In my experience, in the U.S. instrumentation and controls is considered technician level and given little respect except in academic research, and one often runs into "pile driver" attitudes. In other countries, particularly the developing world, PLC users tend to be engineering graduates often with advanced degrees with no fear of advanced programming.

 

[jtashaffer]

I am a maintenance tech, I build electrical panels and do a lot of the PLC programming. At the plant we have a master electrican who does some programming too. I think it is what the job situation is.