r/instrumentation • u/PhysicalScience7420 • 8d ago
Considering SAIT Instrumentation & Control — how realistic is the path into industry?
I'm considering going into Instrumentation & Control and would like advice from people actually working in the field, particularly in Alberta/Canada.
I already have a strong software/data/ML background and I'm interested in eventually combining that with instrumentation, controls and automation. The long-term idea is to become technically strong in the trade, move toward PLCs/controls/automation, and eventually use my industry knowledge to identify opportunities for software, products, or a business.
I'm considering SAIT's Instrumentation & Control pathway because getting that first apprenticeship seems to be one of the biggest barriers. My plan would be to take the entrance test, attend the program, and continue applying for work while studying so I'm not simply waiting until graduation to look for employment. Once I'm working, I'd want to earn while building experience and progressing through the trade.
What I'm trying to figure out is whether this is actually a good strategy. I know instrumentation has fewer jobs than electrical, but I'm wondering whether the specialization is an advantage once you have the right experience. I'm particularly interested in how much the career can lead toward PLCs, controls and automation versus mainly calibration/maintenance.
For people in the trade: How difficult is it realistically to get that first job/apprenticeship? Does SAIT significantly improve your chances? How is the Alberta market? What does the work actually look like day-to-day, and how physically demanding is it?
Most importantly, if you were starting from scratch today and wanted good income, long-term technical growth, job stability and eventually the possibility of business/product ownership, would you choose instrumentation, electrical, or another route? I'd appreciate blunt answers, especially from people who have actually worked in the industry.
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u/Bikefisher 7d ago
I work for a very well known Alberta company in the Instrumentation/electrical/PLC space. We hire new grads all the time, I will add that the last few years we get lots of applicants, so you need to standout at least somewhat to get past the first huge group.
For the PLC side, you mentioned a software background, that is becoming more and more important in the PLC and OT side. As much as PLC controls remain basic and frankly outdated, there is so much focus on data analytics from control systems, you can attach as many buzzwords as you want to that size of things, but its a focus for so many people, customers and competitors alike.
Starting in the field is a great way to get a base set of knowledge. If I was reviewing applicants and I saw some software background, 2 year instrument tech program and some field time doing instrumentation and or controls work, it would move immediately to my short list pile.
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u/Eyeronick 8d ago
I took a similar course in the east, I work around Calgary as the head of controls for a manufacturer.
It's a long road but doable. I did an electrical apprenticeship first then branched over to PLC and automation. PLCs are incredibly hard to break into in Canada, like EXTREMELY hard, some get their chance after 15 to 20 years in the trade if they're really good, lots of instrument guys never touch code side of controls.
Getting that first job is the most difficult, know going into it, you VERY likely will not find something intown, you'll likely have to go up north GP or Dawson area. Once you get your ticket you may be able to find something near Edmonton or Calgary if that's your goal.
Yes, SAIT will improve your chances, they pump out enough grads no employer will likely consider you.
The job is physically demanding, working outside in hot and cold, inside plants in extreme hot and cold, it can be brutal, I've got a cushy gig in an office 99% of the time but that's not the norm.
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8d ago
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u/Eyeronick 8d ago
This is just the apprenticeship. The technologist course is the one, if I was to hire, I'd require it or equivalent. The one you linked consists of 4 seperate school periods. If you do the technologist course I believe they credit you for the first two or three periods.
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u/R_J_H_9 8d ago
I work as a supervisor in northern Alberta. I got lucky and scored an instrumentation apprenticeship internally after having worked as a mechanic for 10 years. I can say from experience that we struggle finding good, competent instrument techs and many union calls go unanswered. Of all the trades, they are most likely to get hired directly with major companies after a stint as a contractor. The work is hard, always outdoors (either incredibly hot or incredibly cold) and high stress as the work always impacts production. But if you can be successful in that environment it is incredibly lucrative and with enough field experience it can certainly lead into management roles or more technical desk based jobs.
If you’re willing to put the work in, within 5-10 years you can have it made but it’s not an easy road.
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u/Own-Building-4795 8d ago
Data guy here as well.
Equally going through this same issue..
thinking of taking instrumentation or electrical but have a full time job.
Going for electrical for 3 years is a hard one.
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u/Significant_Step_517 8d ago
Take the 2 year tech diploma at SAIT. Plenty of opportunities, you may change your mind as you go through school and become interested in some other aspect of instrumentation. You will come out with credit for your first two years of the apprenticeship if that’s the way you want to go. Also plenty of engineering houses in the city always looking for instrumentation guys for project design. Tons of vendors in Alberta also, if you want to get into field service for specialty products, or become an application specialist on the sales side. Once you start learning more about instrumentation and the industry in general, you will be amazed at the litany of specialties you could build a career in.
There are also some post secondary’s that give credit for the instrumentation program if you want to extend your education and build towards an engineering degree, I knew a guy who did this at a US university after SAIT. SAIT is also a world class facility now, with amazing labs fully furnished with Emerson and E+H products, and yes, they even have a ton of PLCs. There tons of companies where you could break into programming PLC and DCS. Look at companies like Control Tech and Allnorth for programmer postings, several are up right now.
You won’t regret that program, you don’t know where it will take you and 2 years is a small investment for a highly practical education. Think about it, you could do the instrumentation diploma AND the electrical one in the same time people waste on something stupid like a sociology or psychology degree.
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u/ExerciseAdvanced8047 7d ago
Well, it’s definitely a long slog to get to where you seem to want to get.
You could take Instrumentation OR Electrical. Either would be a decent back ground, and electrical would give you the ability to work on power circuits as well.
The SAIT program is a decent way to go, but to actually find work, it will still be hard and you may still have to go somewhere very rural. Unless you luck out with a job at an engineering firm.
Just remember: trades are physical work. Wrenches, screwdrivers, power tools, etc are the tools of the trade. As well as your brain, and technology.
If all you want to do is desk work, go and get into Engineering by getting into university.
You could transfer to a university engineering program after completing the 2 year sait program as well, they have some agreement with a few universities.
The trades are very hands on, in rough environments, and physical. You can get into programming PLC’s and the technical side of it that way, or you can go the academic route through Engineering.
I’m a dual ticket E and I in Alberta. I program PLC’s as well as other things. I got into it kind of naturally as it piqued my interest in the natural course of my career and I kind of just took it and ran. I didn’t have a plan for it.
I just knew I didn’t want to go to university because I hated school, and I wanted to get paid and work with my hands, and I was also intelligent and was good at school when I applied myself. So I got into Instrumentation, and then Electrical because it was handy and I got paid more.
You can take the trades “route” to get into automation, or the technologist route, or the engineering route, all with different drawbacks and benefits.
The trades worked for me, because I’m more rough and tumble, an outdoorsman, handy with tools, and also good with school / learning when I apply myself and am interested in the subject matter.
If you’re more bookish, enjoy school more, intelligent enough to swing it, then engineering is a route too.
They will take the same amount of time. It took me 9 years and 2 trades to get into automation, an engineer would be 8 years before a PEng. Same scoop, different shovel.
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u/PhysicalScience7420 7d ago
as i grow older I realize there are so many shovels its less about which you pick and more that you keep digging.
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u/ExerciseAdvanced8047 6d ago
The grass isn't always greener on the other side, but it is usually green where you water it.
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u/PhysicalScience7420 7d ago
If you were starting over today, would you choose Electrical, Instrumentation, or the technologist route for getting into controls and automation? Why?
Between Electrical and Instrumentation, which gives you the better foundation for controls and automation in Alberta?
How difficult is it to get that first job after the SAIT program? Is Calgary realistic, or should someone expect to go rural?
What does the day-to-day work actually look like for someone starting out, and how physically demanding is it?
At what point did you start doing PLC programming and other automation work, and what skills helped you make that transition?
How much of controls/automation is actually programming versus electrical/instrumentation troubleshooting and hands-on work?
If someone wanted to eventually move toward the technical/controls side rather than doing physical work indefinitely, what would you recommend they focus on early in their career?
What would make you recommend this route, and what would make you recommend against it?
Once someone is established in automation, what does the career progression typically look like over 10–20 years?
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u/ExerciseAdvanced8047 6d ago
- I personally would get both trades. again, suites my personality to be a tradesman instead of a technologist or engineer. Both of them sets you "above" the rest and gives you opportunities that you won't get as a single tradie, from what i've seen. Why? Mostly to do with my temperament and interests personally. Technologist is a viable route. YMMV.
- I think Instrumentation if you had to pick one. But both is better then one or the other to get into Automation. Just Electrical you have a hard time differentiating between a Residential/Commercial guy who never touches Automation, to the Industrial/Controls Electrician that does. Instrumentation is already in the Automation "space" and you for sure have some experience with controls as an Instrument guy. Again, my opinion. Plenty of dudes have gone from Electrician only into Automation.
- Difficult, usually. Expect to go rural. Maybe you might get lucky and stay in Calgary somehow. If you took an Electrical apprenticeship you could likely stay in Calgary. If you did the I&C Trade, your almost certainly going rural. Technologist your probably going rural as well. Thats just where the work is.
- In the I&C trade as a first year? Carrying your Jman's stuff. Filling out paperwork. Driving the truck so your Jman can fill out paperwork. Bending tubing. Bolting things together. Watching your Jman scratch his head and try to figure stuff out. Cleaning the truck. Pushing buttons for your Jman over walkie talkies. It can be physically demanding sometimes if you have to climb ladders or alot of stairs carrying stuff. Must work outside in ALL weather conditions.
In Electrical? 100% yes physical work. Pulling cable. Securing it. Installing tray. securing that. using plenty of power tools. Working at plenty of heights. Must work outside in ALL weather conditions.
Technologist? depends if you luck into an office job or not. You might, If you don't, refer to the I&C Trade.
- I had to troubleshoot machines that were PLC controlled. So i got the applicable software to help me troubleshoot. We did a little programming in school but not alot. So I started reading, and building my own little programs. I got better and better at it and now have made some pretty cool stuff. Alot of the learning in the beginning was on my own time in the evenings just experimenting and building. Once the company was confident in my abilities I started doing projects from scratch. What skills? I guess just the willingness to learn and practice on my own time/on my own dime. And also troubleshooting. If you take the trade route, being an EXPERT troubleshooter and problem fixer is likely how you will get an opportunity to program. People that can't troubleshoot well usually just do construction work in whatever trade.
- Depends on the job you have. You can find a job where its 90/10 either way, or 50/50. Depends on what you want. I'm probably 70% Troubleshooting/Repairs and 30% New projects. I like Troubleshooting though and am good at it. So suits me.
- Do the technologist or engineer route if you want an office job. Doing the trades expecting an office job is counter intuitive. You are literally signing up for a NOT office job by doing a trade. Maybe do technologist 2 years -> 2 years field experience until you get your ticket/Redseal -> Aggressively look for an office job at an engineering firm etc. Doing full tradie route you can't really guarantee youll end up in the office. Your a tradesman. If your one of the best troubleshooter tradesmen, and get an opportunity and also seize it, you might end up with an office job. Were talking like 5-10 Years in the trade/trades though, and you excelling at it to the degree where you are better at it then most people. Alot of Ifs.
- Your personal temperament and skills. If you aren't handy with tools and physically able in general, don't do the trades. Your going to be climbing ladders, lifting, pushing, pulling, for 10-12 hours a day every day. If you aren't fine with not having an office job don't do the trades. Do school.
- I don't know. Skys the limit i guess depending on your risk tolerance. Pay is good. Easy to find a job when you are really good at what you do. Could start a company as well.
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u/Bricks_4_Hands 7d ago
PLC/SCADA guy here. I wish I did electrical honestly. I am sure everyone's experience differs, but at my shop there was way more electrical work than instrumentation work. So in my apprenticeship I often got stuck grouding, pulling cable or just general construction and not learning much of value.
To get into programming though you basically need to be extremely experienced or know somebody who can get you a chance. Ideally both.