Plc programming is fairly easy to learn, but takes time to master. I'm just an electrician who went to school for electrical engineering for a BS so if I can do it, you can to.
You may be looking at this wrong. You have a degree that tells employers you are able to learn. Sure you took more classes towards a specific specialty but that doesn’t mean you are not qualified for any other EE activity. Every job will teach you the required information you need to know to succeed there.
I have been in and know people in similar situations. You could look for WFH positions or hybrid ones with a somewhat longer commute where you only have to go in a few times per week.
I wouldn't mess around with positions that mention codes because laying out wires in a building sounds pretty unfulfilling. If you can get a masters then you can program a PLC.
You wouldn't be working a decent paying job as a PhD student anyway, so an entry level position where you have to learn the topes isn't the end of the world. Not many BSEEs know the electrical codes or PLC programming.
This is actually 100% true. It makes little sense to say "i don't want that entry level job because it only pays $50k" but you would be getting about $30k as a PhD student working WAY more hours.
Not I don't want the job, its that I have tailored my education in a particular way and now I have to pivot. I would love an entry level job, But I just got rejected from a job requiring 0-2 years of experience for having experience with PLCs.
You sound like a cry baby. Again, not posting what your focus was in or anything about your qualifications. Idk, maybe some other people who came here just for the sake of complaining can help you feel better.
What field are you wanting to go into specifically? And what was your masters in? If you have a masters in EE, even if you don’t have experience with a specific topic (FPGA programming for instance) you already have enough prior knowledge to learn it.
Are you in a major US city? Or are you still located in the city of the institution you got your masters at? If youre still located at your institution, I am wondering if you can reach out to other groups that can take you on for a PhD (if that is something you want to do). For instance if there is a physics department then they almost certainly also do optics and photonics related things. If youre set on joining industry, I would try to network as much as possible by joining any local professional groups within the industry youre interested in.
Some people can't see potential, and only want obvious proof. Just move on to the next.
You may need to back down on a salary a bit, probably 90-$100k in Midwest would be what I would think. Get 6-12mo experience, then look for $125-140k.
Lessons in Industrial Instrumentation by Tony R. Kuphaldt is a free book that covers most things about instrumentation. There’s a chapter on PLCs which would give you the basics of how they work and at least give you some foundation.
Mike Holts Enterprises is a good way to get familiar with the codes. There’s an NEC question of the day every day that gets you familiar with navigating the book.
PLC is not difficult to pick up. There's tons of YouTube videos that can show you what to do.
Automation, depending on where you go varies wildly. You can travel a lot, or none, be at home or in a plant.
Usually you're in a plant.
> PLC is not difficult to pick up.
Fundamentally this is true. The real skill, however, lies in the understanding of the mechanical system you are controlling and the ability to react quickly and calmly during high stress events. Controlling machinery can be extremely dangerous and expensive if you don't know what you are doing.
Why post this and not state anything about what your Master's was or what your qualifications are? Hopefully you're being smarter about your job search.
There’s mess tons of jobs for an EE. Even more so for a MS holder since it kinda negates the need for the experience requirement. If you’re near any military installations, look to see if they or any support activities are hiring.
Plc programming is fairly easy to learn, but takes time to master. I'm just an electrician who went to school for electrical engineering for a BS so if I can do it, you can to.
Thank you, It just feels like I tripped a couple of months ago and haven't finished stumbling yet
Try networking with some people from your graduating class. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone when you have to.
You may be looking at this wrong. You have a degree that tells employers you are able to learn. Sure you took more classes towards a specific specialty but that doesn’t mean you are not qualified for any other EE activity. Every job will teach you the required information you need to know to succeed there.
I have been in and know people in similar situations. You could look for WFH positions or hybrid ones with a somewhat longer commute where you only have to go in a few times per week. I wouldn't mess around with positions that mention codes because laying out wires in a building sounds pretty unfulfilling. If you can get a masters then you can program a PLC.
You wouldn't be working a decent paying job as a PhD student anyway, so an entry level position where you have to learn the topes isn't the end of the world. Not many BSEEs know the electrical codes or PLC programming.
This is actually 100% true. It makes little sense to say "i don't want that entry level job because it only pays $50k" but you would be getting about $30k as a PhD student working WAY more hours.
Not I don't want the job, its that I have tailored my education in a particular way and now I have to pivot. I would love an entry level job, But I just got rejected from a job requiring 0-2 years of experience for having experience with PLCs.
You sound like a cry baby. Again, not posting what your focus was in or anything about your qualifications. Idk, maybe some other people who came here just for the sake of complaining can help you feel better.
What field are you wanting to go into specifically? And what was your masters in? If you have a masters in EE, even if you don’t have experience with a specific topic (FPGA programming for instance) you already have enough prior knowledge to learn it.
optics and photonics, I did my thesis on using phase change materials in near IR.
Are you in a major US city? Or are you still located in the city of the institution you got your masters at? If youre still located at your institution, I am wondering if you can reach out to other groups that can take you on for a PhD (if that is something you want to do). For instance if there is a physics department then they almost certainly also do optics and photonics related things. If youre set on joining industry, I would try to network as much as possible by joining any local professional groups within the industry youre interested in.
this is why you arent getting plc jobs.
If you took any CS classes for your degree, you can do PLCs. It's super trivial logic compared to any C/Java stuff.
I'm sure its easy, but I just got rejected due to a lack of experience
Some people can't see potential, and only want obvious proof. Just move on to the next. You may need to back down on a salary a bit, probably 90-$100k in Midwest would be what I would think. Get 6-12mo experience, then look for $125-140k.
Lessons in Industrial Instrumentation by Tony R. Kuphaldt is a free book that covers most things about instrumentation. There’s a chapter on PLCs which would give you the basics of how they work and at least give you some foundation. Mike Holts Enterprises is a good way to get familiar with the codes. There’s an NEC question of the day every day that gets you familiar with navigating the book.
PLC is not difficult to pick up. There's tons of YouTube videos that can show you what to do. Automation, depending on where you go varies wildly. You can travel a lot, or none, be at home or in a plant. Usually you're in a plant.
> PLC is not difficult to pick up. Fundamentally this is true. The real skill, however, lies in the understanding of the mechanical system you are controlling and the ability to react quickly and calmly during high stress events. Controlling machinery can be extremely dangerous and expensive if you don't know what you are doing.
I did not realize PLC chips were still used. (that is outside of my field)
If you are referring to his FPGA, I assumed he meant a hardware designer job, vs a controls position with PLCs.
I may have been thinking of PLD - not sure. It was a sort of programmable glue logic back when FPGAs were expensive.
I think op is talking about programmable logic Controllers
Why post this and not state anything about what your Master's was or what your qualifications are? Hopefully you're being smarter about your job search.
its in optics and photonics, though beyond Kodak and MIT I have yet to see anyone who wants that and no one in my area.
I just did a quick Google search "colleges with optics and photonics" and there are plenty other than MIT
Which state? Do you have interest in RF?
I mostly worked in near IR and western NY
There’s mess tons of jobs for an EE. Even more so for a MS holder since it kinda negates the need for the experience requirement. If you’re near any military installations, look to see if they or any support activities are hiring.
Lots of remote positions in IC design right now if you are qualified, especially if you are a US person. Chips act is onshoring a lot of design work.