A few days ago, an engineer in the field of automation left a message in the background:
In the first few years of working, my skills improved rapidly, and my income increased significantly each year. However, by the fourth or fifth year, I felt like I was doing similar work year after year, and my income only increased symbolically each year. The biggest increase in income came from earning subsidies by increasing the frequency of business trips. If things continued like this, it would be really difficult to buy a house and settle down on my own.
In fact, he is not the only one with the same problems and confusion. He only represents a microcosm of a large group of automation engineers whose income seems to have increased, but in reality, they have reached the "income ceiling".
In the long run, if you perform the same tasks day after day throughout your career and your skills don't stand out, you're likely to be eliminated. What's even more frustrating is that when you dedicate countless years of your youth and time to your work but don't gain a strong sense of accomplishment, you gradually become a liability to the company. I believe every engineer can relate to this.
Today, we'll discuss the income ceiling for PLC engineers:
Data shows that the average salary of a PLC engineer is only 8,100 yuan. This means that only about 48.7% of engineers earn more than 10,000 yuan per month, and only 4.8% earn more than 20,000 yuan. PLC engineers' income stagnates here. For engineers working in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, the pressure to achieve a stable and prosperous life in these cities with this income is considerable.
In other words, the current societal assessment of PLC professionals' income levels is at this level. If the conventional work pattern continues, it won't be long before their salaries reach their ceiling. After that, no matter how much effort they put in or how many overtime hours they work, they're simply trading time and their lives for money.
More seriously, in the middle of their career, due to personality or other reasons, they may encounter a bottleneck in their personal development. At this time, they may be forced to accept job adjustments or even leave their jobs. Their income will also begin to decline, and although it may rebound later, it will be difficult to return to its peak. Towards the end of their career, they may experience a significant decline.
Many engineers are introverted. So when you reach a certain age, if you don't have outstanding technical skills or other abilities to support you, you will inevitably become a burden to the company. This is why there are rumors about a certain large company laying off employees at the age of 34.
That wasn't actually a layoff; it was an adjustment to revitalize the organization's technical capabilities. No company wants to voluntarily lay off employees with strong work skills, a high sense of responsibility, and 10 or 20 years of rich experience. It's just that their maximum potential value is what it is, and unlimited salary increases are impossible. Looking further ahead, imagine a 65-year-old PLC engineer retiring. Will their pension be able to support a decent retirement? The thought alone sends chills down your spine.
So what causes the income ceiling for engineers?
When undertaking a project, the initial investment is so large, the construction period is so long, and the payment cycle is so long. Every step involves taking a cut, so how much net profit is left? The boss has the power to decide on profit distribution, and to maintain the company's long-term operation, they will definitely need to distribute profits comprehensively. Therefore, it's not hard to understand how much an engineer's actual annual take-home pay is.
Unless you have exceptional technical skills that give you more say in profit distribution, allowing you to take a larger share, it simply means others will take less; the overall picture remains the same. However, because your income increases significantly, other team members' incomes will inevitably not increase as much, leading to a lack of motivation among team members, sluggish business development, and ultimately impacting your own long-term income.
Therefore, the income ceiling for PLC engineers is determined by the characteristics of the industry. To break through this ceiling, the key is to leverage existing resources and capabilities to create more value.
However, resources and strength are limited for both businesses and individuals. If they continue with traditional business models, the fundamental ceiling on revenue may remain unchangeable. To achieve a breakthrough, there may only be two methods:
1. It is about actively planning for one's own career development.
2. Utilize existing resources and strengths to explore more sources of income.
As a PLC engineer, I'm constantly traveling and working overtime. Just finishing my assigned tasks leaves me barely enough time and energy to explore new income streams or pursue side hustles. So what can I do? Perhaps the best solution is to actively plan my career development.
How can one develop their career to raise their income ceiling and make themselves more valuable?
There's always a way out. Raising your income ceiling isn't easy; you might need to improve yourself in the following three areas:
1. Adapt to technological trends: For PLC engineers, a holistic view of technology is essential. This requires continuously updating one's knowledge framework to prepare for deeper technical advancements. Don't get bogged down in a single technical point; broaden your perspective. This will bring a completely different learning and skill improvement experience.
2. Be bold in expressing yourself: Having knowledge but being unable to articulate it makes it difficult to create added value. If you only focus on working without daring to express your opinions, not knowing how to clearly explain them, or how to best present them, you will inevitably weaken your influence.
3. Quick Thinking: We often hear people describe someone as quick-witted, even able to come up with a way to make money. You might scoff at such a person, thinking, "What ability does he have? He's just bragging." But if you calmly analyze the situation, and see how someone leverages their quick thinking to integrate resources and create incremental value, it demonstrates that there is market demand for their products or services.
Of these, skills 2 and 3 are more difficult to learn and require engineers to gradually correct and cultivate them through habit. However, skill 1 can be mastered through deliberate training, allowing engineers to keep up with the company's technological trends.
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