To become a control and instrumentation engineer, one must earn an undergraduate degree in engineering, gain relevant work experience, and develop skills in designing machines and writing control software. High school students should focus on science, math, and computer programming. Certification and on-the-job training are often required, and continuing education is important. Engineers work in various industries and may become independent consultants.
To become a control and instrumentation engineer, you must start in college and earn an undergraduate degree in engineering. Instrumentation engineers build, assemble, and maintain monitoring and control systems and machines for use in a variety of industries and processes. After attending college, the next step is to gain relevant work experience and develop the skills specific to control and instrumentation engineering, such as designing machines and writing control software.
The education path to becoming a control and instrumentation engineer begins by focusing on science, math, and computer programming in high school. When choosing an undergraduate college to attend, you can thoroughly investigate the school’s engineering program and ensure that it has the courses you are interested in and that there are opportunities for learning in the business field outside of the classroom. Internships are a vital part of a college engineering experience as they allow a student to gain the work experience desired by employers before graduating. It might also be a good idea to have a part-time job at an engineering company or office that allows you to gain even more experience to add to a resume in order to be competitive when applying for your first full-time engineering graduate degree. . Certification to become a control and instrumentation engineer may be required, as is required in some regions, and is usually a process that involves working a set number of hours in the field, along with a standardized exam.
The skills needed to work as a control and instrumentation engineer include the ability to write custom software applications and computer programs that allow a machine or system to function as needed to achieve a goal. In addition, it is important to be familiar with the operation of basic machine systems and industry tools used to repair, install, and maintain industry equipment. Engineers work closely with each other in a team-based work environment; therefore, communication and teamwork is often an essential skill required to become a control and instrumentation engineer. Problem solving is also an important skill, as approaching a problem and coming up with a solution is one of the main functions of any engineer’s workday.
Most of the specific knowledge and skills needed to become a control and instrumentation engineer are learned during on-the-job training. Continuing education is an important part of being a control and instrumentation engineer, as the field is constantly evolving and advancing. Many companies will support an engineer in achieving higher levels of education while still actively employed, such as earning a master’s or doctoral degree. Places that employ control and instrumentation engineers include construction companies, telecommunications companies, manufacturing companies, and the aerospace industry. Engineers may start out working for a company but choose to become an independent consultant who hires out to many businesses.
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