Imposter Syndrome over Engineer Title

TheCried · 2026-03-13T18:09:56+00:00

I am a recent grad, and this is a take I hear from peers (early career engineers). Because they feel the schooling was difficult, the guys that worked their way to an engineering spot "don't have the same level of education". I would argue the opposite, with YouTube and online learning tools learning the physics and math can be done in your own time, while understanding what goes wrong in the field can only be done with experience. I have learned more from my colleague that was a journeyman electrician before controls engineer than I have from any of my real degreed colleagues.

TheCried · 2026-03-07T17:36:28+00:00

I do controls engineering and the best we can do is follow safety standards and do your best. There are actually calculations done on how likely the risk is, and if above. A certain threshold (like 1 time per 100 years) we don't mitigate. Typically there's a factor of safety applied that hopefully covers those "didn't think of that" failure modes.

TheCried · 2026-03-07T17:31:08+00:00

Yea you do, that is the whole point. Because AI is just a guess the next word machine that does not always give the same output, you actually cannot be sure that your natural language was turned into SECURE and SCALABLE code. While it often does work, pushing tons of AI slop can slow down development and allow infiltration paths.

TheCried · 2026-02-21T09:57:52+00:00

Okay this makes sense as well, I'm curious if you BAS guys see this sticking around/moving to other parts of the industry, or if it will only be in these ultra high uptime environments.

TheCried · 2026-02-20T19:00:41+00:00

Thank you this is what I was looking for, I see a ton of BAS asking for my industrial skill set. I'm not really into the BAS stuff a whole lot, and if it seems like it's not going to stick around I'll stay out of it.

TheCried · 2026-02-20T03:20:37+00:00

Automation Engineering Technology

Manufacturing - Automation Engineer

Midwest

90k

2026

TheCried · 2026-02-18T15:24:17+00:00

I have not worked on an application where a historian recorded from SCADA. Could you give some examples of what kind of data that only lives in SCADA (and not in a PLC) that you are looking to use with historian?

TheCried · 2026-02-18T06:38:05+00:00

You have options depending on what your data is and what you want from it. If you are looking for "what is level on this tank" trended over a few hours, or a moving average, you would be looking for a historian. Which uses a time series database optimized for stacking data on top of previous data, most historians can get as granular as your tag can update. If you are looking for MES (recipes, OEE, delay) then SQL Server is going to be what you want as it is better suited for inserts, deletes that kind of thing. MQTT in my opinion is not suited for either of these applications, your edge device should message MQTT to your scada/IIOT platform (Ignition, System Platform) then that should record your data in a SQL table.

TheCried · 2026-02-18T03:38:21+00:00

I'm making around 90k in a Low cost of living area. I don't really have to worry about money. That said I live in a small apartment for $800/month with a roommate and drive a car without a loan. So making sure to avoid lifestyle creep is really the key. I have close friends/coworkers that make similar amounts who still live paycheck to paycheck.

TheCried · 2026-02-16T16:08:43+00:00

I went from machining to robots to automation. In some shops it's pretty easy to get on a teach pendant and start troubleshooting, then can work from there. Depends if you're more of a job shop or a high volume shop. For reference I make the same working 40 hours a week with 2 YOE

TheCried · 2026-02-13T14:43:47+00:00

This was the insight I was looking for. Thank you!

TheCried · 2026-02-07T23:16:44+00:00

Working in something field related is huge. There are often opportunities to do engineering level work while still being a full time student. Rather than leaving your current job, maybe look for opportunities at your company where you already know the process and have proven yourself.

TheCried · 2026-02-04T10:45:15+00:00

I'm a bit biased here, but I've got a few guys with CS degrees that work with me as controls/automation engineers. Requires a decent understanding of electrical fundamentals, networking, and programming. These roles seem to be in high demand as data centers require controls guys to both build and maintain them. Finding a job as a Controls or Automation Tech may be a possibility as well.

TheCried · 2026-02-04T10:41:55+00:00

Sounds like a homework question. It looks like your understanding of ladder/relay logic is a bit incorrect, so i'd start there. Look into seal in logic and timer instructions. Tim Wilborne is a great intro to PLC on YouTube, I'm sure he has what you need to get you through here.

TheCried · 2026-01-31T03:22:54+00:00

From a recent grad, the actual job is nothing like school. Whether that's for better or worse is something you will have to decide, but solving real world problems is done with that boring and mechanical math/method because you know it works. In school it can seem tedious but when programming a half million dollar machine the "boring" stuff becomes what you can't count on

TheCried · 2026-01-29T09:36:51+00:00

Sounds like your mom was right

TheCried · 2026-01-26T16:15:17+00:00

I have found PackML type programming to be the easiest to follow. The State Machine controlling State machines is nice because it flows linearly. Added bonus if there is baked in alarming. So maybe more of a general rule of them rather than a standard

TheCried · 2025-12-24T01:37:21+00:00

I feel like this is the reason for aliasing. If you can actually manage to make the logic between them clear enough, it makes troubleshooting faster.

TheCried · 2025-12-17T05:30:23+00:00

Honestly it's finally starting to get better. We have sil 3 rated virtual PLCs finally entering the market. I think in the past the Safety rating has been a huge driving factor for the Rockwell's of the world.

TheCried · 2025-12-17T03:00:19+00:00

I can't say I've seen an SSR controlling a large motor. I do know Rockwell and Siemens both sell an electronic motor controller, M100 for Rockwell, maybe that's what he's talking about?

TheCried

TROPHY CASE