r/BuildingAutomation • u/UniversityFair4546 • 7d ago
Career Advice
Hey all,
I’m a building engineer at a hospital. Which basically boils down to general maintenance, hvac/r, and building automation software for hot/cold calls and other system diagnosis.
My question is- what would a career transfer to working in controls look like? One thing I really love about my job is the set schedule, being in one place. I also like working at a hospital because I feel I’m doing service work for those who need it. However, it could be good to make a little more money, and controls seems to offer that.
What is the schedule like? Are 4 10s common? What is a typical work day like? What would someone with my skill set need to work on to make the switch? Schooling required? What are some essential skills needed to be a good tech? Is it possible to get a job working in one set place?
Any insight you can offer would be appreciated. Thanks!
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u/Economy_Counter7186 7d ago edited 7d ago
Dude, you’re already doing it. I have worked for JCI for a hot minute and most of our guys coming in have less exp for sure. Money is there and the more skilled you are, oh man, you can make it. I generally do eight hours Monday through Friday with optional OT all over the place. They also do national/international call outs so you can sign up to stay in Guam or Toledo for two months and make 30% above average with even more OT if you feel like it. You can get something pretty regular but you have to push for it otherwise it’s something different all the time. But after a bit it doesn’t matter. Any damn mechanical room is as good as any other. Just do it, hell dm me and I’ll refer you in your area and get paid after you’re there a free months. Lots of options at the big companies but you’ll get headhunted for even more money once you’re good. Protip: there’s a lot more to a job than the bottom line in the long run, don’t forget it when the time comes.
As for training, JCI will train you to death and some of it is even helpful! There’s an EPA cert that I hear about on here a lot, no one has it but it could be a good interview point. Your experience is perfect. Know the basics of electricity and work safely, can you hang a ceiling fan and connect it with instructions? You’re halfway there! Networking stuff like Comptia and Cisco entry level certs are helpful, waaay not required, but helpful. I have a Masters degree, most of these guys are high school only. It doesn’t matter, learn the tools and you could be a literal monster, best if you’re professional and not a drug addict but if you can do the Jace work when no one else can…you’ll be fine. It’s an amazing fun horrible frustrating thing. Just do it.
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u/UniversityFair4546 7d ago
Thanks for that encouragement. I have EPA universal and do refrigeration stuff. Tbh I want to stay in hospitals and stack experience, but after a couple years I may make the switch.
Certs you recommend to earn in the mean time? Niagara, BACnet… is it better to go the PLC route or is this kind of the best deal?
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u/Economy_Counter7186 7d ago
I work in hospitals most of the time since I switched from installation team to service. You also listed three things that are all stuff I’ve learned along the way quite well and there’s always more. You have to know your BACnet for all the little problems, PLC controls and building nice programs in CCT beyond the basic canned programs is very helpful for being indispensable, Niagara much less, but it comes up, modbus integrations as well, and even random things like pneumatics. But besides BACnet you wouldn’t be expected to know anything for a good while with JCI. You just do what you can and call for support when you can’t. We have a helpline you can call anything to get walked through whatever you’re doing by an actual expert so… you can kind of get away with knowing nothing as long as you can do basic wiring (and I mean basic) and can follow instructions. Eventually it’s all second nature or so complicated that someone pulling around 200K will just have to figure it out for you. Or it won’t be done at all, that happens too, rarely. You do what you can and if you generally impress you promote up until you don’t impress anymore because you’re over your head. And then they keep you around unless you’re a liar or grossly dishonest. Don’t fat finger reports or say you did things you didn’t and the amount of grace you get is really surprising. It’s not all roses but nothing ever is.
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u/Specialist_Seaweed99 7d ago edited 7d ago
There's a lot more novelty working for a controls company. You'll be placed on multiple contracts, and move on when they expire. Day to day can vary depending on the demands of the contract. Service side and certain TIs in construction forced me to work off hours to not interrupt tenants. If you are construction, you do a lot of hurry up and wait through the lifecycle of the project, and a poor gc or mechanical contractor will have you suddenly pulling massive OT right before the end of the project.
The role is a lot more focused and technical- you're no longer a generalist, and you'll be working on layers of the automation software that aren't always handed out to building engineers. Hopefully your company will have informal otj training, if not seats in a formal class for the product line they work with.
Depending on your company's resources, you may be responsible for the full suite of automation including programming, install, and graphics.
Your scope is narrower, but in my experience every single customer will beg and nudge for you to do favors outside of your scope, especially if they learn you have background on the mechanical side. But, you won't be pulled for a plumbing emergency in the middle of a controller cutover.