Hi everyone! I'm a recent graduate specialising in industrial IT and automation. I have some personal projects and internship experience in FMCG manufacturing, but I haven't worked in a dedicated PLC/automation engineering role yet. I'm currently choosing my first full-time job in the field.

I'm optimising for salary growth, transferable technical skills for future jobs in Western Europe or USA, and opportunities to work on interesting projects. I'm happy to travel for commissioning when needed, just would not want it to be the main part of the job.

I'm considering these companies:

1. ABB / B&R
2. Process Automation Solutions (PAS)
3. Sécheron Hasler Group
4. MODIA
5. ESONIC
6. ICE Industrial Services
7. Tritium Systems
8. Bühler
9. SIDAT

Which would you choose, and what should I prioritise in my first PLC job?

I'm particularly interested in:

• Salary progression over the first 3–5 years.
• Technologies that are valuable internationally (Siemens, Rockwell, B&R, SCADA/DCS, robotics, etc.).
• Hands-on programming, mentoring and opportunities to grow into more advanced technical roles.
• A mix of engineering work and occasional commissioning trips.

I'd appreciate any advice or insights from anyone familiar with these companies, especially regarding which would be the best place to start a career in PLC programming. First-hand experiences from people who have worked there would be particularly valuable, but any tips or recommendations are welcome!

Thanks!

I’m 21 and live in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. I may be starting an Electrical Technician job through Volt in Red Oak. I’m coming in with no experience and want to use the opportunity to build a stable long-term career.
According to the posting, the duties include:
Installing, repairing, and maintaining electrical parts of industrial equipment
Reading schematics and technical documents
Performing quality inspections
Completing torque sheets and tracking tools
Following electrical codes and safety procedures
I haven’t started yet, so I’m still confirming how much is assembly versus actual troubleshooting and repair.
If I get the job, I’d like to attend school while working and finish a useful certificate or program in roughly 8–16 months. I need a schedule that works around full-time employment, preferably through an affordable school with financial aid options.
What would you recommend studying to build on this experience: industrial maintenance, mechatronics, electrical/electronics technology, automation/PLC controls, or something else?
More specifically:
Which training do employers actually value?
What job titles could I realistically target after completing it with about a year of this experience?
Are there specific schools or programs around DFW you recommend?
What should I make sure the program teaches before spending money on it?
I’m looking for a practical path toward steady employment, benefits, and room to advance. I’d appreciate hearing from people who have taken a similar route.

They seem to be private equity, and they are recruiting me hard for a direct hire position to integrate material handling systems for freight applications (think UPS, FedEx, Amazon, etc…). Deployments will be in just 8 days and it’s a 10 on 4 off schedule with Day 1 and Day 10 being travel days. It pays very well. And there’s apparently health care, but no PTO is available. Just unpaid time off. Again it isn’t contract to hire, or 1099.

I’m considering it but the accelerated timeline (interviews, drug test, MVR, etc… all within the next week) is intimidating considering I still have my current job and am hesitant to quit until I know more about this role I’m in the running for.

So does anyone here have experience working for this company?

Hello, we are looking for experienced PLC programmers and willing to pay $45/hr and up. We are experiencing hell with these staffing agencies just giving us people that don’t know what they are doing. We could use some help and need someone willing to travel between Texas, Arizona and Tennessee. We are more than willing to negotiate pay and travel expenses as well. We really just need someone experienced that’s willing to get in here and help us get this job done. So if you are a contractor and willing to travel and know what you’re doing please do reach out to me either through this post or you can email me here at Bcollins@cccmanage.com and we can get an interview setup and go from there thank you.

Hello, Does anyone knows if there is a UK website where I can find customers who want our services?

I’m finding it difficult to get work

Ciao sono un ragazzo che il giugno scorso si è diplomato in automazione in un istituto tecnico. Momentaneamente sto frequentando l'università di matematica applicata, tuttavia sento che sto "buttando" questi anni più importanti della mia vita sotto stress e senza alcuna indipendenza economica, perciò stavo pensando di prendere in considerazione alcune offerte di lavoro che ho ricevuto dopo la maturità e voglio inserirmi nel mondo del lavoro e nel mentre seguire dei corsi online certificati che mi permettano di aumentare la mia spendibilità nel mercato del lavoro. La mia idea è tangibile ? quali sono i migliori corsi in cui vale la pena certificarsi al giorno d'oggi ?

Hello, I'm a recent grad from a 2 year industrial maintenance with an automation diploma attached to that, I want to start getting into either service or intergation. I've tried getting a couple of different jobs in the field but it seems like my classes weren't fleshed out enough and I'm trying to gain some certs to fill in the gaps. For example, computer programming and BACnet were just touched in class, I've started doing the BACnet free online courses and Ill probably end up doing the MIT intro to computer science course. I also could go get a fanuc certificate as we did cover the basic operation course at school just never went through the process of getting it. Sorry if this is rambling. But yeah what do you guys think are integral classes or certifications for me to get.

I don’t have to travel often for work and it’s usually a week or two to go out commission a site. Work straight through weekends get done go home. Clear objectives and goals with maybe a few while you’re there side tasks. I got sent out on a 6 to possibly 8 week assignment and am wondering at what point I can start considering it BS. I don’t have kids, just a wife so I don’t think they thought twice also manager didn’t really give much choice or opportunity to object because things have been slower lately. The work is whatever. A fine gig if you were local which all the other employees including programmers are and they act like it. No week ends or late nights. Vague time lines little to no information on starting. Seems like the customer assumes I live here or something and make comments like this is a long term relationship like I am moving here. I am not. My wife is pissed and says it’s unreasonable and I partly agree. That’s a long time without stepping foot in the home I pay for and moved appointments and have to figure out prescriptions and stuff that adds up. Plus my wife is in grad school and is used to me picking up a lot of slack at home and is now beyond stressed and feels abandoned. Not even an offer of a tag out from management and possibly looking for justification in looking for a new job but I have (I thought) seniority here.

I forget the last time i went out for fun ,iam very tired to speak to customers and my pay is low Is there any other job i can move, i only know ladd r logic and scl

I recently changed careers. I have a bachelor's in manufacturing engineering then I went on to work on robotics for years. I know a bit about pretty much everything automation but I'm really only an expert in robotics. I left the robotics industry for controls to have more work life balance and less travel. My new job is basically controls for some niche equipment. So each product line has been developed by a different engineer who is probably retiring soon or has already retired. So the documention on how the programs work is a little lacking and it's difficult to get answers. I rarely get to work on a complete machine, I'm mostly trying to test panels not connected to anything. The problem is each panel is similar but different and needs to match up with the customers original equipment. I feel like I'm not getting enough support/direction/training/oversight from my bosses. I made some mistakes and missed a bunch of logic issues on my first panel. It got installed and it was a mess trying to clean it up remotely. I really want to avoid this happening again but I don't have any guidance on how to get better fast. I feel like patience with me learning is running out fast. What can I do to get better on my own faster?

Edit: I want to add that I like my new job and the bosses and co-workers and the company too. I'm just frustrated with my progress. So I want to come up with a self training plan.

I've been noticing a rising trend of layoffs across multiple IT companies in India-both big MNCs and startups. This seems to have picked up pace in the past few months.

What are the main reasons behind this sudden spike?

Is it due to global recession fears, Al automation, fewer projects from the US, or companies just cutting costs?

Would love to hear insights from people working in the industry or those who've been directly affected. How is this impacting job security and hiring trends in India?

Hello everyone, I am being given an opportunity at work to learn PLCs and motion controls through my work. But my issue is there is no guidance since there is no automation engineering going at my sight. I would be the first person on site to get this training in hopes of creating automation department in the future and building a team. I see this is an incredible opportunity and don't want to drop the ball on this.

I have been told to tell my directors exactly what trainings and/or test equipment I would need to get my learning journey started. I work a very large bio tech company and have asked engineers at others site where I should start. I have been getting split answers for learning Allen-Bradley with a test rig and going at my own pace vs getting direct training with Beckhoff.

I really want to nail this opportunity, so any advice on where I should would be much appreciated. Thank you !