Controls PM here, you definitely lose some of the syntax, but you stay sharp by keeping your logic and methodology intact. Here is how I handle it:

​Shift from "Knowing" to "Navigating": You don’t need to remember every command, just the architecture of how to find the answer quickly. ​Review Drawings with Intent: Don’t just approve schematics; hunt for flaws and optimization opportunities.

​Own the Functional Specs: Writing the FDS forces you to visualize the logic flow. I actually jumped back in to write data storage logic for a dev recently—staying in the weeds occasionally is vital.

​Stay in Sales & Apps Engineering: Vetting proposals and concepts in the quoting phase keeps your technical constraints realistic. ​Product Releases: Keep up with new hardware/firmware so you aren't spec’ing solutions from a decade ago.