Discussion on the career path for instrumentation engineers in chemical plants?
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This post was last edited by frankqe on 2010-2-2 08:08. What will be the career path for instrumentation engineers in chemical plants? I graduated with a degree in automatic control and have worked in instrument maintenance at a large state-owned petrochemical company for eight years, progressing from an ordinary instrument technician to an assistant engineer and then to an instrument engineer, while also handling the instrumentation tasks for several different production units. What will my career hold in store in the future? What are the best prospects for someone working in this industry? I hope everyone can share their own paths to success, so as to provide guidance for me or other individuals who are just starting out in instrumentation work and help us avoid taking unnecessary detours
I don’t know. I’m still figuring out what to do there; automation companies, design departments, testing companies – I guess those are all essential
Go to some large equipment manufacturers for debugging or to work on systems? Companies that deal with compressors, in particular, are great options
Actually, you have many options – it depends on the kind of life you want to lead. If you stay at your current company, you might soon become the deputy head of the instrumentation department and pursue a career in technical management; but once you reach the position of head of instrumentation, that’s basically the end of the path, as instrumentation is considered an auxiliary field. If you switch to a design institute, it’s unlikely that you’ll be engaged in design work; more probably you’ll work in the construction department there, working on projects outdoors throughout the year. If things go well, you could become a project manager after several decades, and earn a good income. Switching to an instrumentation company or an engineering firm to work in technical services and on projects can result in significant differences in income; it depends on the opportunities available. Switching to sales offers broad career prospects and high earnings, but it’s extremely demanding. In short, those of us in the instrumentation field always have a tough time; having skills is what truly matters.
I really don’t know where to go? Lost in confusion. My situation is similar to the original poster’s, but in the end I didn’t even manage to become a technician. I really want to change careers, but I can’t let go of the attachment I’ve had to this field over the years. In depression, lost and wandering. Waiting for someone to give guidance.
It’s valuable that you have so much hands-on experience; you can do many things – you can work at design firms or work on projects and such. May I ask, as an engineer, how much is your monthly salary? I graduated two years ago and am working at a private design firm. I think I won’t dare to do design work anymore; could I work in a factory instead?
I’ve seen relatively few examples from design to on-site maintenance. However, larger companies have departments such as project management; factories like ours have units like a technical department, so there should be options available.
Is it possible to get a managerial position in a smaller private company?
You could consider working in sales at automation companies, or in instrument systems at general contracting firms.
Those in charge of control systems can definitely manage the factory’s production processes; in fact, they might even be better at it than those who specialize in process management. It depends on the company. There isn’t much future potential for those who work on process management either – when moving from one production unit to another, they’re still considered newcomers. As for leadership positions, there are only a few available, and someone has to hold them, right? Hehe.
Hehe, if the salary is okay, I’ll keep working