I considered the IT industry but almost everyone on the Net says there isn't much of a future in it since it will al be out sourced outside the country... India, Russia, etc.
What abt PLC programming and automation? A good field to enter that wont shrink like IT has?
PLCs are used all over the place - in fuel terminals, airports, trains, ships, high-rise buildings, power plants - anywhere more than a few relays are required to control something.
Integration (ie. the connection of automation systems into plant IT networks) is one of the biggest growth areas there is, thanks to the Internet and "e-business".
There is great pressure on companies with existing PLCs and automation systems world-wide to streamline their processes and provide process information to their customers. If you can get into that I doubt you will ever look back.
PLC is a low level in automation system. More and more PLC systems need to be connected to IT systems, so it is better to learn something new not just PLC. I started using C# to implement Automation system some time ago. If you are interested, you can see a lot of C# source code in my web
The manufacturing sector is in a slump now, but should pick back up when the economy starts moving again.
Working with PLCs as well as other control systems, such as DCSs and the verious hybrid combinations should always have a future. Code for IT systems can be outsourced to foreign countries easily. Working on the controls in a manufacturing plant requires someone who can spend time in the plant with the equipment and people. That is much harder to outsource to a foreign country.
You should not only learn about the PLCs and other control systems but also become knowlegable about measurement devices, final control elements, drives, and the rest of the interface between the controls and the plant. This will depend upon the type of manufacturing you will be working with (paper, power, small parts, packaging, etc.)
Working in the plant with the controls for the process or equipment is "where the rubber meets the road". If the plant doesn't run well, nothing else matters.
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