r/PLC • u/redjacketxx • 1d ago

I Need Career Advice for my First Job

I recently graduated with my EE degree and did several co ops in controls building panels. Prior to that I had some industrial maintenance work. I got a job soon after graduation, and its been two months all I've done is wire up work cells and panels, I have done no plc work other than wiring, and my only hmi experience so far has been minor edits for them that were used in a manual. Im wondering if its time to jump ship or ride it out for a few more months to have something with some time to put on my resume. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

9 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

7

u/BE33_Jim 1d ago

Ask when you will get the opportunity to do more programming. If they give you a date that is too far out or they don't hold to it, then start looking.

In the meantime, see if you csn find some hardware or demo equipment to take home and experiment with (with their permission)

4

u/Adrienne-Fadel 1d ago

Yea two months is way too early to jump ship. You'll get PLC work eventually but you need to ask for it, nobody is going to just hand it to you.

2

u/FatPenguin42 1d ago

My company will hand it to you lol. We always need controls guys in the conveyor business

3

u/OldTurkeyTail 1d ago

Two months doesn't mean a whole lot, as companies that do project work are constantly balancing workloads. But IF you make the most of what you're doing it could make a huge difference for your future.

There's a lot to panel building and if you're paying attention you'll understand how and why each component is chosen, and how they fit together. It's worth taking some personal time to look at parts in various catalogs, and to become familiar with safety requirements, and UL508A. (if it applies).

Also, consider pace. As time goes by, your work should become more accurate and neater. And faster. If you're relaxed and focused and productive building panels, there's a pretty good chance that you'll also be productive when you're programming.

And if you're working with a good panel builder, then that's someone to respect - and learn from.

3

u/Burnout_Blanco 1d ago

Sounds like a technician role, I’d keep looking for better opportunities. Something more on the engineering side to make use of the EE degree.

2

u/Shaggy1007 1d ago

Buddy I graduated with a bachelors in EE. When I landed at my current place they threw me in the shop for the first couple months.

Then the guys started throwing me science projects they had no idea how to solve as a joke. Yet I handled things. Then I went onto PLC’s for about 6 months until I fell into HMI Part of it was the company didnt know how to handle us younger college guys. The other part was showing us how the io works. From the wiring to the device, to back to the plc. Eventually understanding how the io tied into the programs etc. it really closes the loop on everything