Best schools to learn ICS

[arpus4KM]

Most any 4-year STEM program for sure. From the multiple, "less than ideal" hires that I've been a part of, I would NOT hire any Industrial Automation/Controls Engineer that did not have a 4-year STEM degree. Moving forward, that will be the very first filter for the resumes to pass through, at least with me anyways. Secondly, they MUST HAVE a passion for coding!!! It must be something that they love to do. I don't just mean ladder logic. I can teach anyone ladder logic. I'm talking about common textual languages like C++ and Python, even MATLAB if that's what you learned in school because that can port easily to other textual languages. They MUST know and LOVE coding!!! I'm sick of getting these "ladder logic" only guys and that's all they can do. One trick ponies. When I show them something in a textual language, they instantly go dumb. Controls Engineering is WAAAAAYYYYY MORE than just understanding basic electrical and how to navigate a ladder diagram program!!

If it's up to me, our next hire for Controls Engineer will be a software engineer.

please no more software engineer types. They may work out for the first few machines that get pumped out of a building, but down the road when a part is hard to come by, or the machine needs to be modified it becomes a problem.

I say this because software guys tend to write and copy/paste blocks of code to do certain tasks, and they'll end up making it such a custom application that it defeats the purpose of using a PLC in the first place.

Ladder logic isn't just basic instructions anymore anyway so i feel that point is a bit off nowadays. Ladder is still a much preferred way to visually identify issues within a machine.




My opinion as to why regular Coding like C++ or python is not the way to go for PLCs is because they are in a changing environment that requires troubleshooting back to physical problems. If you've ever seen someone try to deciper how a circuit works on a PCB without a print, then you would probably understand why it's so difficult for programmers to understand their own code they wrote just 5 years ago.


Computer coding is like PCB circuits, whereas PLC Ladder logic programming is like a circuit board with a bunch of relays and modules all wired together with terminals... to put it bluntly, in a way describing how easy it is for an outsider to deal with it.

But thats just my opinion.

 

[Elons_Musk]

I'll just throw my two cents in... With inflation it might be 7 cents now.

I got my start as an instrument technician, and I had a knack and interest in PLC's. Got fortunate enough to get pushed into them because we lacked onsite technical guys. Then moved companies and got a BS in Comp Sci.

I wouldn't recommend Comp Sci as a starter, but those guys can work out if they have a background with the hands-on real-world components in the industry.

Honestly, any school that has a decent engineering program will be adequate. 90% of school is proving that you have the ability to learn. In this field, that ability is key, because like everyone else mentioned, the tech is changing/evolving rapidly. Most STEM degrees will give you a foundation for what is necessary to build off of in the future, but job to job and site to site, you can't rely on a school to provide you with the know-how when it comes to working on whatever flavor of PLC/DCS that they use. Ladder logic may be ladder logic, but almost every manufacturer has a different way to use it and different tools at your disposal. That being said, it even changes between iterations of the same company.

As an example, in RS Logix 500, you can program comfortably with the knowledge that rung 005 will be analyzed before rung 007. Then you move to RS Logix 5k and think it's the same, just faster and with more flexibility, but then you realize its asynchronous.

I just say all this to tell you that, for the most part, getting a solid foundation in physics and mathematics is a great start. Most engineering schools also offer classes that dive into the foundational concepts of control and control theory, which is also great; but don't worry so much about which school you go to. Just make sure its accredited, and you look into which company or industry that you would like to get into, because a lot of companies have a specific group of schools that they recruit from. The remaining 99% of info that you need will be discovered/learned on the job.

 

[busarider29]

Ive hired a few computer science guys and they havent worked out. They can code but have no clue about the end devices, etc. They also seem to want to work where they are writing custom programs from scratch and not work within the confines of commercial programs.

With everything that is involved with Controls Engineering, I've come to learn that finding that "perfect" candidate that understands electrical, coding, networking, and everything else in this field, is just likely not going to happen. I have to be willing to make a compromise. So, if I have to make compromises, the candidate will have a 4-year STEM degree and they will have a passion for programming. The rest of it I can either teach them (ladder diagram, industrial networks, etc) or I can do myself or have skilled trades (electricians) do. I cannot teach someone Python, C++, VB, etc.... These languages/technologies are not going away in our field and in fact, are becoming more and more prominent. The candidate either has to know these already, OR have a real interest and passion to learn them. That could mean willing to put in the extra time on their own to learn them. We have so many applications here that use some sort of textual language. Some of our front end (HMI) are written in C#. We have Python and C++ scripts that get called from the PLC programs, etc....etc. The Controls Engineer has to be able to support these things. If all one wants to do is fiddle around in some ladder logic code and wire up a panel once in a while, then go enter into a skilled trades apprenticeship (electrical) and stay over there. But that is not Controls Engineering.
The 4-year STEM degree program requirement is because I've seen too many times already that the guy that came from skilled trades doesn't understand the basic math involved in Controls Engineering - algebra and ratio math. So not even college level math they don't understand. That is something the person would have learned and have a good understanding of if they have any 4-year STEM degree. One can not do this job without understanding some of this basic math. Recent example is where I coded in a simple algebraic polynomial expression that maps drive speeds to setpoints. The controls engineer that came from skilled trades has no idea how it works. Not a clue. That is just one example of several. Again, I can't teach someone the math or the programming languages. One has to have an understanding of these things already the first day they walk in the door.