To become a control systems engineer, you’ll need three things: post-secondary education, relevant work experience, and passing the job interview. Control systems engineers are in charge of overseeing the installation of large production systems. Water management equipment, power transformers, and central vacuum systems are all common examples.
This is a rewarding career for people who are mechanically inclined, detail-oriented, and have excellent interpersonal skills. They are usually employed by either an engineering services firm or a production machine supplier in the manufacturing sector. To ensure a smooth transition to the on-site engineering team, they must use project management and engineering skills in this role.
To become a control systems engineer, you must first complete an engineering-related post-secondary education program. Control systems engineers come from a variety of engineering disciplines, but the majority are mechanical or production engineers. To work in this position, you must have a professional engineering designation (P.Eng). To earn this professional designation, you’ll need to take additional courses and pass a written exam.
High school calculus, algebra, physics, technology, and English courses are required for admission to an engineering degree program. The best schools require a personal essay, interviews, and references as part of the application process for these programs, which are extremely competitive. Because this is a professional program, the tuition for becoming a control systems engineer is higher than for a bachelor’s degree.
Engineering and project management experience are two areas of related work experience required to become a control systems engineer. Control systems engineers typically have at least 10 years of manufacturing experience as a production or mechanical engineer. Standard engineering projects or a consulting service can be used to gain project management experience.
It’s important to remember that project management experience can be gained outside of the engineering field. Managing a large project for a volunteer organization like Engineers Without Borders, local community organization projects, or engineering school projects are all possibilities. Management is a skill that is best learned by doing.
Take the time to prepare for the job interview during the process. Make a list of common interview questions and prepare your responses ahead of time. Take your time and provide the best possible answers to all of the questions. When working to become a control systems engineer, many engineers find that taking a public speaking or presentation course is extremely beneficial.