Regarding the automation profession, there is a saying that "automation holds up the whole world".

This statement is not an exaggeration. Most of the industries we know have already realized a lot of automation functions. However, a wide range of professional applications and employment are not exactly equivalent concepts.

10 years ago, the automation major was definitely a big hit, but now it obviously can't keep up with IT-related in terms of popularity. However, don't be too pessimistic: in various colleges and universities, automation majors still belong to the majors with higher admission scores and better employment.

Today, we continue to combine the cases of career counseling to conduct a small science of the employment situation of various majors, and further analyze the employment situation of girls - what is the employment situation of automation majors, and how do girls plan their career development after studying this major?

(The picture comes from the Internet)

First of all, from an employment perspective, what is an automation major?

From the perspective of setting, it is closer to the application, so there is a certain intersection of discipline settings. Its close relatives also have many majors, such as computer science, communication engineering, instrumentation, microelectronics...

In general, the undergraduate automation major, mathematical physics + machinery + computer + power engineering + programming language, all learn a little.

Such a discipline setting is doomed to its employment, the applicability of the panacea, and its potential tragedy.

Next, I will talk about the employment direction of automation majors according to different schools and educational types.

Speaking of the employment direction of a major, in fact, it is inseparable from one topic, which is the school and education background of the major. In theory, of course, the employment prospects of well-known schools + higher education are better; but different majors, schools and education "endorsement power" are not the same.

For example, for English majors, whether you are a graduate of China Foreign Affairs University or a general school, as long as you have the blessing of relevant English proficiency certificates, the difference is not that big when you are applying for a job - whether you are an English teacher, a translator or a foreign trader Yes, as long as you have more English ability and social practice, you can be very competitive in finding a job, and it does not depend entirely on the school.

However, to be honest, automation majors are not so lucky, because there is no endorsement from other third parties as support, so if you study in an ordinary school, it will be a little embarrassing - there will be fewer opportunities for school recruitment, The quality of the companies recruited by the school is also average, and the competitiveness of job hunting in the market will be relatively weak.

Therefore, in the following analysis, we will distinguish between different types of schools and different educational backgrounds, and of course give specific suggestions.

First, the master of automation from 985 colleges and universities, the most ideal employment direction - the core positions of BAT and first-line technology companies.

For example, I interviewed the automation graduate students of Beihang University and other better schools in Beijing. Basically, their employment direction can be software or hardware. Specifically, there are the following types:

1. The direction of machine learning and data mining: Then, the companies that can enter are Huawei, BAT, iQiyi, Hikvision, etc. It can be said that it is Internet + IT, as long as it is needed by companies that use data.

2. Embedded development direction: companies that can go include Xiaomi, Huawei, INTEl, and Hikvision, such companies with hardware.

3. Robot development direction: companies that can go include Siemens, Huawei, DJI smart home, and wearable company products.

4. Industrial control direction: companies that can go include Siemens, ABB, GE, Hitachi, Panasonic, Mitsubishi Electric, and some heavy industries, including railways, ships, automobiles, and power companies.

5. Software development direction: that is to do programming, then where programming is required, including bank soft opening, China Unicom, etc. PS: A girl who was tutored in 985 school automation in the past two weeks told me that their classmates did a lot of tests, and they felt that the programming work environment was better. Some girls are now working for product manager positions.

In particular, it should be noted that the above five employment directions all have successful cases, but if further analysis is conducted, there are still difficult and easy distinctions:

Let’s talk about software development first. When applying for software development for automation majors, it is actually necessary to PK with students from computer majors and software engineering courses, which is actually a bit of a disadvantage. Therefore, if you graduate from an undergraduate degree in automation, it is very difficult to find software development directly, unless you have been learning programming languages ​​in your spare time.

Besides, machine learning is also more difficult for automation majors. Because there are many close relatives in this field, machine learning has requirements for system, software and hardware knowledge reserves. Automation majors are all successful, but if they are broad but not precise, they may not be able to compete with students majoring in computer and communication engineering.

In my opinion, the most direct counterpart is actually industrial control, but the working environment in the manufacturing industry is a bit worse, and the pay is not as good as the frontiers of IT (artificial intelligence and machine learning).

Although the automation major itself has the difference between the direction of industrial process control and the direction of embedded systems, from the perspective of employment, it is still necessary to plan your future direction in advance, and actively give yourself a career direction on the basis of this major. materials”, in order to stand out in the fierce competition.

Second, the employment analysis of undergraduate automation majors.

In theory, there can be various employment directions at the undergraduate level, but from my own tutoring experience, here are two very specific sharings that I hope can open up some ideas for you:

First of all, no matter what the school's name is, if you want to be an automation engineer after graduating from a bachelor's degree, then I would first recommend an automotive company. Why? Because the quality, equipment, lean, and safety standards of the automotive industry belong to the top of the manufacturing industry, it is best to be a vehicle, passenger car, or a joint venture, with a good workshop environment and standardized work processes.

Secondly, students who can endure hardships also recommend the research and development or after-sales of railways and heavy industries. Maybe you can't do research and development after graduation, but after-sales engineer is actually a very good position. I will go to Party A on a business trip for a long time. On the one hand, I will not fall behind in technology and I have been in contact with the front line all the time. I can accumulate professional experience. Last year, I tutored a boy who graduated from a bachelor's degree and went to a forging machine tool company to do after-sales service.

Third, if the undergraduate study is not so good or the school is not so good, the way out for automation students:

The first category, entering a medium-sized factory, is engaged in maintenance and engineering management. Although this type of company is quite different from that of automobiles, foreign companies and Huawei, it is also a solid job.

The second category, in large and medium-scale projects, is engaged in sales work. The salary of this kind of sales position is often higher than that of the workshop engineer, so it is a good professional peripheral for students who want better salary.

Finally, how about girls studying this major? And how do you plan your career development?

First, the good news is that compared with other high-paying industries, if the job search is in the fields of artificial intelligence, data mining, and software development, it will be relatively more friendly to women.

In the past two years, the girls majoring in automation that I have come into contact with, have indeed gone to software development. But as mentioned earlier, to take this road, you must PK with students majoring in computer science and software engineering, and your knowledge of cybernetics and hardware will not be enough in the software field.

Second, if the direction of entry is in the vehicle, heavy industry, railway system and other industries, the degree of professional correspondence will be better, but it is really not very friendly to women. After entry, they are generally more inclined to arrange women to enter administrative positions.

For example, I asked the HR of a state-owned heavy industry company, and he said that she welcomes female engineers, and then said, "Hey, but women's skills are indeed inferior to men's, and after giving birth, they are even more inattentive, and they have been trained for a few years. , we are also wronged."

The HR's statement seems to be more worrying, but in fact it also shows that it is not necessary to exclude female engineers. Therefore, the way to solve it is - if you believe in industrial control, then take a breath and rush forward. Last year, I tutored a girl in aircraft design from Beihang Airlines, and she was determined to become an aircraft. The job search process was indeed tortuous, but the girl was tough and tenacious, and finally found a good research institute.

Of course, foreign companies such as Siemens, ABB, and GE are relatively better, but not only have high professional requirements, but also English requirements.

Third, then, what are some more specific suggestions for girls who are studying automation?

First, at the undergraduate level, explore yourself well.

At the undergraduate level, around professional courses, think about engineering control, data mining, embedded development, artificial intelligence, and programming languages. Which one do you like to learn? Then you can lock which one is the key direction. Moreover, considering the properties of the panacea of ​​automation majors, after you have the intention of the direction, you need to strengthen your self-study before you can compete with the corresponding majors.

The second is, if you really can't get in, then plan as soon as possible at the undergraduate level.

Don't wait for graduate school and say I don't want to do engineering. If you feel that you are struggling at the undergraduate level, you should plan to change careers as soon as possible. A girl majoring in automation said to me: I have also studied hard, and I take self-study every day, and then my grades are ranked around 40%, while a student in our class goes to play basketball after listening to class every day, but returns to the first place. This shows that this girl is not good enough in this area (note that it is not that all girls are not good at it), then she will study English well, and do internships in winter and summer vacations. After graduation, she went to a foreign-funded machinery company to do marketing.

Third, if you like the profession, don't be swayed by traditional societal prejudices.

When I was in high school, the three subjects of mathematics, physics and chemistry were the best in the whole class, while English language was in the middle of the class. And since I was in high school, I heard my dad say: Girls can't do mathematics and physics, you can't do it in the second year of high school, and there is no advantage in the college entrance examination. And when I was in the college entrance examination, I had to lose three subjects in mathematics, physics and chemistry, otherwise I would not have been able to come to Beijing at all.

So, if you like this major, don't let the prejudice of "girls don't learn technology well" affect you. Just like the analysis of "the way to crack, that is - if you identify industrial control, then take a breath and rush forward". Luckily, we live in an era where more and more gender biases are being broken down to allow more choices for everyone.

I know it takes a process, but everyone's efforts are the driving force behind this, and that's what I've been working on. Next, what majors do you want to know? Leave me a message and I'll flip the brand.