- You will learn the specific skills, tools, and steps needed to start a career as a automation controls engineer.
- Hands-on practice with PLCs, SCADA, and industrial networks is essential to get hired.
- Entry-level roles, internships, and targeted certifications accelerate your progress.
- A clear resume, practical projects, and continuous learning keep you marketable in this field.
If you want to know how to become a automation controls engineer, this guide breaks the path into clear, practical steps you can follow. You will get a mix of education options, technical skills to learn, project ideas, and job search tactics so you can move from zero experience to your first role. Read on for concrete actions you can take this week and over the next year.
Step-by-Step Guide
Understand what a automation controls engineer does
Start by learning the core responsibilities so you know what employers expect and why the role matters to manufacturing and facilities. Controls engineers design, program, and test control systems that run machines, collect data, and keep processes safe and efficient, so understanding the scope helps you pick the right learning path.
Research typical job postings and note recurring requirements such as PLC programming, SCADA familiarity, PID tuning, and industrial networking. Read three real job descriptions and highlight technical skills, software names, and years of experience, then compare those to your current skills to make a targeted plan.
Expect to see a mix of software and hardware tasks, and be ready for on-call troubleshooting in many roles. Avoid assuming the job is only coding, many positions require wiring checks, panel layout basics, and collaboration with mechanical or instrumentation teams.
- Save three job descriptions that match your target location and level, then extract the top five technical requirements from each.
- Watch one day-in-the-life video or interview with a controls engineer to hear real-world daily tasks.
- Make a simple checklist that maps your current skills to common job requirements so you can measure progress.
Get formal education or a focused certificate
Choose an education route that fits your time and budget, like an associate degree in electrical or mechatronics, a bachelor’s in electrical or control engineering, or a short technical certificate in automation. Formal programs provide core theory such as control systems, circuits, and signals, which makes later hands-on learning easier and helps with employer screening.
If a full degree is not feasible, enroll in targeted certificate programs or bootcamps that teach PLC programming, industrial communications, and HMI design. Look for courses from community colleges, technical schools, or vendors that offer labs or simulator access, and pick options that include practical assignments and a final project.
Balance theory and practice so you can explain concepts and also show tangible work. Avoid only taking theory classes without any lab time, because employers will prioritize candidates who can demonstrate practical control system work.
- If cost is a concern, start with community college courses in electrical or automation and add vendor-specific training later.
- Check course syllabi for lab or simulator hours and prefer classes that include a final hands-on project.
- Ask instructors or alumni how often their graduates find entry-level automation roles to gauge program effectiveness.
Learn the technical skills for how to become a automation controls engineer
Focus on the core technical skills you will use daily, including PLC programming, SCADA/HMI configuration, control theory, and industrial networks like Ethernet/IP, Modbus, and ProfiNet. Knowing common programming languages such as ladder logic, structured text, and basic scripting in Python or C helps you integrate control systems with data tools and test benches.
Use vendor manuals and online labs to practice PLC ladder logic and structured text, and complete small projects like controlling a motor start/stop sequence or reading sensor inputs and logging them to a file. Study PID control basics and tune a simulated loop so you can explain how you adjusted parameters and the effect those changes had on system behavior.
Expect to learn multiple vendor platforms, because many facilities use equipment from different manufacturers and interoperability matters. Avoid only reading theory, pair each concept with a concrete exercise such as writing a ladder program or configuring an HMI screen so you can show real work in interviews.
- Start with one PLC family and one SCADA package so you can build depth before expanding to other vendors.
- Practice writing and commenting your ladder logic like production code so it is readable to other engineers.
- Keep a lab notebook or digital log of exercises and results to reference in interviews and on your resume.
Build practical projects with hardware and simulators
Hands-on projects prove you can move from theory to working systems, and they give you material for a portfolio and interview stories. Use low-cost PLC starter kits, microcontrollers with industrial shields, and free simulators to assemble projects such as a conveyor controller, temperature control loop, or data-logging station.
Follow a project plan that includes requirements, block diagrams, wiring diagrams, code, and test results so you can present it clearly to employers. Record short videos or create step-by-step documentation that shows the system running, the code you wrote, and how you diagnosed problems during testing.
Expect repeated debugging, and treat troubleshooting as part of learning rather than a setback. Avoid projects that are only theoretical, employers value working demonstrations and documented lessons learned from failures as much as successful builds.
- Start with a small, complete project you can finish in a weekend to build confidence and a quick portfolio piece.
- Use open-source hardware or low-cost PLCs to keep costs down while gaining real electrical wiring and I/O experience.
- Document failure modes and fixes so you can demonstrate problem-solving in interviews.
Gain hands-on experience toward how to become a automation controls engineer
Apply for internships, co-ops, technician roles, or contractor positions to get real-world exposure and mentorship from experienced engineers. Entry-level roles like automation technician or instrument tech often include tasks such as wiring panels, running tests, and assisting with PLC code changes, which build the exact skills controls engineers need.
Network with local industry groups, join online forums, and connect with controls engineers on LinkedIn to learn about openings and ask for informational interviews. Offer to take on short projects or volunteer work for small factories or labs, because these experiences create references and concrete examples you can include on your resume.
Expect early roles to involve routine maintenance and incremental programming tasks, and treat these as opportunities to learn plant processes and constraints. Avoid waiting for a controls engineer title, focus on accumulating relevant responsibilities and documenting outcomes that show growth.
- Apply broadly to technician and junior controls roles and tailor each resume to highlight relevant projects and lab work.
- Prepare short stories about specific fixes or test results that saved time or reduced downtime, and quantify impact when possible.
- Join local chapters of professional societies or meetup groups to meet hiring managers and find unadvertised positions.
Prepare your resume, interview answers, and keep learning
Build a resume that highlights control-specific accomplishments, like PLC programs written, panels wired, PID loops tuned, and projects completed, and place those near the top in a concise format. Include links to a GitHub repo, project videos, or a PDF lab portfolio so employers can verify your hands-on work quickly.
Practice interview questions that cover troubleshooting scenarios, step-by-step debugging, and explaining control logic decisions with clear cause and effect examples. Plan continuous learning by scheduling quarterly goals to add a new vendor skill, a certification, or a complex project, because the field evolves and practical currency matters to employers.
Expect technical interviews to include whiteboard logic or live debugging, and prepare by walking through code and wiring diagrams out loud with a peer. Avoid generic resumes that list skills without context, show specific results and the tools you used so hiring teams can see immediate relevance.
- Create a one-page project summary for each major build with objectives, your role, tools used, and measurable results.
- Prepare a short script for common troubleshooting stories using the situation, action, and result format to stay concise.
- Schedule recurring time each week for hands-on practice so your skills remain sharp while job searching.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Pro Tips from Experts
Keep a public portfolio with short videos and annotated screenshots so hiring managers can verify your work in under two minutes.
Set up a small test bench at home with a basic PLC, a few I/O modules, and sensors to run repeatable experiments for learning and interviews.
Learn how to read electrical schematics and write clear I/O lists, these small skills separate good candidates from the rest.
Becoming a automation controls engineer is a stepwise process of learning core theory, building practical projects, and gaining real-world experience. Start with one clear objective, such as finishing a PLC project or securing a technician role, and use that momentum to expand your skills and portfolio.
With steady practice and targeted networking you can move from beginner to hireable in a systematic, trackable way.
Step-by-step guide: Become an automation controls engineer
1.
- •What: Complete an associate or bachelor’s in electrical engineering, mechatronics, or control systems. An associate (2 years) can get you entry-level roles; a bachelor’s (4 years) improves hiring odds for engineer titles.
- •How: Focus coursework on circuits, control theory, digital logic, and programming. Take lab classes with PLCs, sensors, and motor drives.
- •Pitfalls: Skipping hands-on labs reduces employability. Avoid online-only theory without hardware practice.
- •Success indicator: You can wire a basic control panel and write a ladder logic program that starts/stops a motor.
2.
- •What: Master at least one major PLC family (Siemens S7 or Rockwell/Allen-Bradley). Learn ladder logic, function block, and structured text.
- •How: Use vendor free trials (TIA Portal Starter, RSLogix/Studio 5000 trial) and practice on simulated or educational PLCs.
- •Pitfalls: Trying to learn many platforms shallowly. Focus depth-first then broaden.
- •Success indicator: You can download a program to a PLC and debug I/O faults.
3.
- •What: Learn Python, C basics, and industrial networks (EtherNet/IP, Modbus/TCP). Understand TCP/IP, subnetting, and VLAN basics used in plants.
- •How: Complete small projects: log sensor data to CSV via Modbus, or script CSV parsing with Python.
- •Pitfalls: Overlooking cybersecurity principles for ICS networks.
- •Success indicator: You can read PLC tags remotely via Modbus and plot results.
4.
- •What: Assemble test rigs with encoders, proximity sensors, solenoid valves, VFDs.
- •How: Use a lab bench: wire sensors to a PLC digital input, tune a VFD for motor speed control.
- •Pitfalls: Ignoring proper wiring practices and safety relays.
- •Success indicator: Motor speed is stable under load and safety interlocks trip reliably.
5.
- •What: Build operator screens, alarms, and historical logging using Ignition, Wonderware, or FactoryTalk View.
- •How: Create a demo HMI showing real-time tag values, alarm conditions, and trends.
- •Pitfalls: Poor alarm design causing nuisance alarms. Use clear priorities and limits.
- •Success indicator: Operators can acknowledge alarms and retrieve 30-day trend data.
6.
- •What: Get practical plant experience on commissioning, troubleshooting, or maintenance teams.
- •How: Apply to manufacturing, food processing, or utilities; emphasize lab projects and PLC skills.
- •Pitfalls: Accepting roles without learning opportunities. Choose roles with mentorship.
- •Success indicator: You lead or fix a control loop that reduces downtime or scrap.
7.
- •What: Obtain industry credentials: ISA CCST, Siemens, or Rockwell certifications. Consider PID tuning or safety instrumented systems (SIS) courses.
- •How: Prepare with vendor courses and practice exams; book proctored tests where required.
- •Pitfalls: Buying certificates without hands-on competency. Pair study with real projects.
- •Success indicator: Certification on resume and ability to perform certified tasks independently.
8.
- •What: Create a GitHub repo with ladder/ST code examples, HMI screenshots, wiring diagrams, and project descriptions.
- •How: Document outcomes with before/after metrics (e.g., reduced downtime 25%). Attend ISA or local user groups.
- •Pitfalls: Vague portfolio entries. Include clear problem statements, steps, and measurable results.
- •Success indicator: Job offers or interviews citing portfolio items.
Actionable takeaway: Aim to combine formal education, platform depth (one PLC), and 6–12 months of hands-on plant work to qualify for entry-level automation controls engineer roles.
Expert tips and pro strategies
1. Focus on one PLC family first, then add another.
Mastering Rockwell or Siemens deeply often lands you the first job; add a second platform within 6–12 months to double your marketability.
2. Use simulation before hardware to iterate quickly.
Factory I/O or vendor emulators let you test logic and HMI screens in hours instead of days on the bench.
3. Learn structured text for complex math.
When implementing PID cascades or recipe mixing, structured text reduces lines of ladder logic and simplifies maintenance.
4. Standardize naming and documentation.
Use tag naming conventions like AREA/MACHINE/DEVICE (e. g.
, PACK1/MTR_A/SPD) to cut troubleshooting time by 30%.
5. Keep a lab kit for rapid prototyping.
A $400 kit with a low-cost PLC, VFD, and sensors lets you reproduce issues at home and prove concepts to employers.
6. Automate testing with unit-test style checks.
Create scripts that toggle critical I/O and validate responses after downloads to prevent configuration regressions.
7. Prioritize cybersecurity basics early.
Implement separate engineering VLANs and change default passwords to reduce incident risk before deployment.
8. Measure ROI for every project.
Track metrics like downtime minutes, energy kWh saved, or scrap percentage—quantify impact to justify upgrades.
9. Use version control for PLC code.
Tools like Git with exportable project snapshots prevent loss and enable rollback after failed deployments.
10. Shadow maintenance during commissioning.
You’ll learn practical failure modes (sensor chatter, cable faults) that rarely appear in textbooks.
Common challenges and how to overcome them
1.
- •Why: Classroom theory rarely covers messy wiring and field noise.
- •How to spot: You can write code but freeze when wiring terminals or reading schematics.
- •Solution: Build a bench rig with a small PLC and VFD. Practice wiring common faults and restoring operation. Prevent by scheduling weekly lab sessions.
2.
- •Why: Plants use different brands; knowledge doesn’t always transfer directly.
- •How to spot: Job requires a specific vendor certification you don’t have.
- •Solution: Learn one vendor deeply, then use free trials and online docs to map concepts across platforms. Prevent by documenting differences as cheat-sheets.
3.
- •Why: Old programs lack comments and wiring diagrams.
- •How to spot: Unknown tag names, unexpected interlocks.
- •Solution: Reverse-engineer incrementally: map I/O, label tags, and create one-line diagrams. Prevent by enforcing documentation standards on new builds.
4.
- •Why: Bad limits and lack of priorities overwhelm operators.
- •How to spot: Operators acknowledge many alarms daily and ignore them.
- •Solution: Reclassify alarms, set delays for transient conditions, and add suppression logic. Prevent by reviewing alarm settings quarterly.
5.
- •Why: Incorrect tuning causes oscillation or slow response.
- •How to spot: Control variable overshoots or takes too long to settle.
- •Solution: Use step tests to extract gain and time constants, then apply Ziegler-Nichols or IMC tuning; validate with load tests. Prevent by documenting tuned parameters and ranges.
6.
- •Why: IP conflicts, bad wiring, or incompatible baud rates disrupt comms.
- •How to spot: Intermittent tag updates or timeouts.
- •Solution: Use network diagnostics (ping, Wireshark), check cable terminations, and implement fixed IP planning. Prevent by labeling network ports and running baseline tests before commissioning.
Actionable takeaway: Address knowledge gaps with deliberate lab practice, enforce documentation, and measure control performance to prevent common failure modes.
Real-world examples of successful automation careers and projects
Example 1: Bottling line PLC upgrade — 30% downtime reduction
- •Situation: A beverage bottling plant faced frequent line stops due to outdated PLCs and manual changeovers (6–8 stops/day).
- •Approach: As lead engineer, I replaced legacy PLCs with a modern Rockwell ControlLogix rack, standardized I/O modules, and created recipe-driven HMI screens for changeovers.
- •Challenges: Migrating live operations required phased commissioning and rollback plans; wiring documentation was poor.
- •Results: Line stoppages dropped from 7 to 2 per day (≈70% reduction in unplanned stops), changeover time decreased 40% (from 10 to 6 minutes), and scrap reduced by 18% in the first quarter.
Example 2: Water treatment plant SCADA modernization — 25% chemical cost savings
- •Situation: A medium-sized municipal plant used manual dosing and paper logs, causing over-dosing and chemical waste.
- •Approach: Implemented an Ignition SCADA system connected to PLCs via Modbus/TCP, added flow and pH closed-loops, and deployed trend-based alarms.
- •Challenges: Integrating diverse field instruments and calibrating sensors under varying water quality.
- •Results: Dosing accuracy improved, chemical consumption dropped 25% annually (savings ≈ $45,000/year), and compliance reports automated, reducing staff time by 20 hours/month.
Example 3: HVAC building automation for an office tower — 18% energy savings
- •Situation: An 18-story office tower had disparate BMS panels with no centralized control.
- •Approach: Consolidated BACnet devices into a unified controller network, implemented schedule optimization, and added occupancy-based setbacks.
- •Challenges: Coordinating vendor firmware differences and maintaining occupant comfort during tuning.
- •Results: Energy use intensity declined 18% year-over-year, payback period for the upgrade was 2.8 years, and tenant comfort complaints decreased by 60%.
Actionable takeaway: Quantify project metrics (downtime minutes, dollars saved, percent energy reduction) to communicate impact and accelerate your career.
Essential tools and resources
1.
- •What: PLC/HMI programming suite for Siemens S7 controllers.
- •When to use: If targeting European/global plants or Siemens installations.
- •Cost/limits: Free trial available; professional licenses can cost $1,000–$5,000.
2.
- •What: Rockwell Automation's PLC programming environment.
- •When to use: For North American industrial manufacturers using Allen-Bradley PLCs.
- •Cost/limits: Trial versions exist; full licenses typically require vendor purchase or employer access.
3.
- •What: Platform for SCADA/HMI, historical logging, and MES integrations.
- •When to use: When you need cross-platform dashboards and unlimited tags.
- •Cost/limits: Free trial; production license costs vary by modules.
4.
- •What: 3D simulation environment to practice PLC logic with virtual sensors and actuators.
- •When to use: Rapid prototyping and testing without hardware.
- •Cost/limits: One-time purchase ~$99–$300 depending on edition.
5.
- •What: Track PLC/HMI project exports, scripts, and documentation.
- •When to use: For code management and rollback capability.
- •Cost/limits: Git is free; private repo hosting (GitHub/GitLab) has free tiers.
6.
- •What: Industry-recognized certification for control systems technicians and engineers.
- •When to use: To validate field and calibration expertise.
- •Cost/limits: Exam fees vary by level; require experience for eligibility.
7.
- •What: Educational PLC (e.g., Siemens LOGO! or Allen-Bradley Micro800), sensors, and a VFD.
- •When to use: For hands-on practice and portfolio demos.
- •Cost/limits: Kits range $300–$800.
8.
- •What: Structured courses on control theory, PLC programming, and networking.
- •When to use: To fill knowledge gaps and prepare for certifications.
- •Cost/limits: Many free courses; vendor certification prep typically paid.
Actionable takeaway: Combine one vendor tool, a SCADA option, a simulator, Git for versioning, and a $400–$800 lab kit to accelerate practical skill development.