Also called: Automation Engineer, PLC Programmer
Programs the industrial computers (PLCs) that run factory lines, theme park rides, and water plants.
You program a bottling line so 600 bottles a minute get filled and capped, then troubleshoot on the factory floor when a sensor misreads.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in electrical engineering or associate in automation with experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, 2-year college, Apprenticeship. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Industrial Automation (associate).
Growing faster than average. Strong demand from manufacturing reshoring.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI drafts PLC code, but designing safe control systems and commissioning lines on-site stays human.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, Electronics or robotics CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.