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Job outlook for controls designers in the United States
Are controls designer jobs in demand?
Controls designer job and salary trends over time
Controls designer jobs over time
Controls designer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,773 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 2,024 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 2,131 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,219 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,232 | 0.00% |
Average controls designer salary over time
Controls designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $91,944 | $44.20 | +1.9% |
| 2025 | $90,260 | $43.39 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $87,806 | $42.21 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $87,361 | $42.00 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | $84,822 | $40.78 | +1.0% |
Controls designer jobs by state
Most common states for controls designers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 253 | 36% |
| 2 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,261 | 18% |
| 3 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,089 | 15% |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,187 | 14% |
| 5 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 798 | 13% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 555 | 13% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 404 | 13% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,668 | 12% |
| 9 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 688 | 12% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 160 | 12% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 625 | 11% |
| 12 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,062 | 10% |
| 13 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,021 | 10% |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 680 | 10% |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 605 | 10% |
| 16 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 316 | 10% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 203 | 10% |
| 18 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 532 | 9% |
| 19 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 312 | 9% |
| 20 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 91 | 9% |
Most common cities for controls designers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southfield | 2 | 3% | $104,730 |
| 2 | Aliso Viejo | 1 | 2% | $103,208 |
| 3 | Midland | 1 | 2% | $104,294 |
| 4 | Chandler | 1 | 0% | $93,675 |
| 5 | Saint Petersburg | 1 | 0% | $74,111 |
Controls Designer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of controls designer experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
California State University - Fresno
California State University - Fresno
University of Alabama at Birmingham
San Diego State University
University of Utah
Old Dominion University
University of Central Florida
Wright State University
What Controls Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: The most important skill is the ability to learn new things, and especially to unlearn things you “know” after evidence demonstrates that these things are not true. Learn how to analyze information. Your intuition, simulations, and results should all be in alignment. If they are not, then dig deeper. Learn the terminology and jargon specific to your company and your projects. Spend time reading. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by new software.
What Controls Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Min Song: Communication skills and innovative thinking skills. As emerging technologies continue to be complex and multidisciplinary, it’s important to be able to communicate with professionals in diverse disciplines. Taking robotics, for example, the electrical engineer must be able to work with mechanical and biomechanical engineers, computer engineers, software engineers, artificial intelligence experts, cognitive scientists, system engineers, etc. A person will be able to generate innovative ideas only if the person has a complete and comprehensive understanding of the entire system and can work well with other individuals with a range of expertise.
What general advice would you give to a Controls Designer?
Hovannes Kulhandjian Ph.D.: Negotiate Your Starting Salary: Research industry salary standards and be prepared to negotiate a competitive starting salary based on your qualifications and experience. Pursue In-Demand Skills: Develop specialized skills and certifications that are in high demand within the industry. This can make you more valuable to employers. Seek Opportunities for Advancement: Look for roles with potential for growth and advancement within the company. Express your interest in taking on challenging projects and responsibilities. Leverage Internships and Experience: Demonstrate your value to employers by showcasing your internships, projects, and relevant experience. Stay Informed: Keep up with industry trends and market conditions. Staying informed can help you position yourself for better opportunities and salary increases.
What will help Controls Designers increase their earning potential?
Hovannes Kulhandjian Ph.D.: Stay Curious and Keep Learning: The field of electrical engineering is constantly evolving. Stay up to date with the latest advancements and technologies through continuous learning and professional development. Build a Strong Foundation: Focus on mastering the core principles of electrical engineering to provide a strong foundation for your career. Network: Build professional relationships with peers, mentors, and industry experts. Attend conferences and seminars to expand your network and learn from others. Gain Practical Experience: Look for internships, co-op positions, or entry-level jobs that provide hands-on experience. This practical exposure will help you apply your knowledge and stand out in the job market. Develop Soft Skills: Communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills are crucial in any engineering role. Cultivate these skills to work effectively with others and advance your career.
What Controls Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Aaron Stillmaker Ph.D.: I think that in the next 3-5 years electrical engineering jobs will start to require more programming, especially scripting languages like Python, and artificial intelligence. Machine learning is becoming prevalent in many fields, and likely most prevalent in electrical and computer engineering. A baseline understanding of the theory of machine learning is something that all electrical and computer engineers should have when entering the job market.
What Controls Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Arie Nakhmani: Electrical Engineering has always (from its inception) been a good profession to enter, but now it is better than ever. Now everything is becoming Electrical Engineering, and the world cannot survive without it even for a few days. Electrical Engineering is the most necessary profession for the survival of modern society.
What general advice would you give to a Controls Designer?
Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineers solve problems by skillfully applying mathematics and science. Electrical engineering classes are challenging at college, and electrical engineers must embrace lifelong learning to remain at the top of their skills. In the end, seeing the results of their work in a finished product is a rewarding experience.
What will help Controls Designers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineers solve problems by skillfully applying mathematics and science. Electrical engineering classes are challenging at college, and electrical engineers must embrace lifelong learning to remain at the top of their skills. In the end, seeing the results of their work in a finished product is a rewarding experience.
Florian Solzbacher
Department Chair, Professor, Elect & Computer EngineeringUniversity of Utah
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
What skills stand out on Controls Designer resumes?
Florian Solzbacher: Examples of having applied the knowledge gained in their studies to practical examples of solving engineering problems that require the combination of skills and at least some understanding of system engineering aspects are important signals that graduating engineers are ready to be productive in a real-world setting are always important. Obviously, participating in projects that address current "hot topic" problems, e.g., in robotics, AI/machine learning, power systems, biomedical applications, or that resonate with specific problems an employer is currently working on, will raise a student's profile.
Supplemental skills, such as Entrepreneurial or business training, can enhance and differentiate a student's resume. This shows that an engineer is not solely focused on the core technical engineering skills but does have an understanding of the driving forces and their interaction in a real-world business setting, that are not only part of the design requirements for a product (e.g., design to cost), but also often drive the selection of technical solution paths, after all, every development and product has to make business sense. Imagine two young engineers proposing a solution to their manager for a new product: one maybe even over-exceeds the technical requirements, but the development and/or manufacturing and servicing effort and cost is significantly higher than a colleagues solution that may only just about reach the requirements, or maybe even compromise on some specifications, but that is far cheaper to develop, make and service and that may allow entering a far larger market- chances are very high that the business may decide to go for the "inferior" solution from a technical point of view, that is, however, the better product. This supplemental skill set is a significant competitive advantage to have as an engineer.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Controls Designers?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: My take on this is what I've seen with my wife's work in industry, which suggests that the industrial landscape is going to be increasingly equipped for, and open to, remote work. I think that the implication for graduates is that they may need to be flexible about working within a geographically distributed team. If company deciders feel that someone is worth employing because of a unique skill set, then they would typically be more willing to hire that person even if unable to make it to work regularly, if that is feasible given the nature of the work; some work, such as hardware testing or industrial production, may not lend itself to remote contributions.
Nonetheless, for those areas that accommodate geographically distributed activity, such as software development, graduates can expect to interact with team members all over the US, possibly all over the world, if someone is deemed unique enough to hire despite living abroad. This places a high premium on the ability and willingness to work in a heterogeneous team, where not only will members look different, but also have myriad accents in their English, which will also impose a certain adaptability and tolerance to team members.
A related impact could also be that global hiring will make it easier for multi-national companies to hire a portion of their talent in countries where wages are lower and motivate US-based engineers to seek out graduate degrees in order to increase their competitiveness and employability at US salaries.
What type of skills will young Controls Designers need?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: One skill that is timeless is the ability to communicate effectively, such as taking a complex design process and distilling it into intuitive slides or reports that lend themselves for senior managers to process in order to come to a decision. An engineer who has that ability will always have some tools in his/her toolbox that makes that individual attractive to a company and to the local technical ecosystem, thus a ripe target for headhunters who willing to champion them to companies looking for top talent. Moreover, speaking and writing well also comes with a vital component of diplomacy, especially in the context of increasingly distributed company workforce: the ability not just to get on with colleagues from different parts of the world, increasingly heterogeneous in terms of gender and possibly sexual preference, but embrace them for who they are. This is often maps to opportunities to travel, as some collaborations lead to meetings face to face, post-covid.
This embrace of heterogeneity is even more relevant in that technical problems being solved are increasingly multi-disciplinary, so that an engineer may need to interact with biologists, physicians, clothing or furniture designers, mathematicians, lawyers, and so on: in my own case, I have to wear a multitude of different hats, while recognizing someone who is a perfect fit for one of those hats when I meet that individual, and making the most of that opportunity to build a truly competent team. Engineers must be able to hold a meaningful, respectful conversation with any of these counterparts, not just discuss code or circuit design. I would advocate that they spend time reading, to maintain their vocabulary and stay abreast of the world around them.
Another one that I advocate is the ability to tap into a revolution that has occurred in parallel with the advent of Internet and cellular technologies, these past 30+ years: the explosion of open-source software tools. I am a committed proponent of open source, as a former contributor to them while previously employed at Kitware (a pioneer in this area, behind VTK, ITK, CMake, and myriad others). I see job ads in Indeed.com that specifically ask for the ability to work with these tools, since they save work and make it possible to produce a prototype in much less time than developing it completely in-house. This ability does not just presuppose the ability to program at a competent level, but other abilities: the ability to track bugs that not be in the calling program, but in the open-source software library itself, the willingness to get answers in the community of developers, the eye for details that extends to graphical processor units that result in accelerations an order of magnitude or better, and so on. These go way beyond writing a self-contained algorithm. Hardware designers may also have similar tools, based on broad standards, Arduino, and the prevalence of 3D printers that make it possible to physically replicate digital models.
Finally, a vital skill is the willingness and ability to keep learning, while embracing revolutions that take place at breathtaking pace. The latest one is the reliance on deep neural networks (DNNs) to synthesize algorithms that can learn and adapt to their data, with much faster performances than feasible with the previous algorithms that DNNs have replaced. The point to make here is not to embrace neural networks in a proximal sense, but that we cannot anticipate what will come next, downstream of DNNs. Graduates of 2021 have to be willing to keep their curiosity and work ethic enough to be responsive to the next wave of technologies, and embrace them for the opportunities that they represent.
Maria Jacob
ProfessorUniversity of Central Florida
Department of ECE
What experience really stands out on Controls Designer resumes?
Maria Jacob: Well, this is a too general question to answer. It totally depends on which job you are applying. Is the graduate going to the industry or research? Is the job for testing, designing, coding? What will stand out will depend on this.
However, if I really have to choose one, I always thought that one of the most important things you can learn is to work in a multidisciplinary group. Then, if before graduation a student can have an internship either in the industry or in research that will definitely stand out.
What general advice would you give to a Controls Designer?
Fred Garber Ph.D.: I think the primary question, in the minds of those who are yet to graduate or are still searching, is in regard to the strength of the technical job market, especially the local job market. But you are in a position to definitively answer that question.
In you article, I would ask that you address the following:
Number of employers looking to fill and number of job offerings in the region (by engineering and computer science major) compared to last year and to the previous five years.
Any noticeable differences in job descriptions Zippia is receiving relative to work environment, benefits, starting salaries, etc.
Many of our soon-to-graduate students would be very interested in these quantitative and qualitative comparisons. Additionally, vast numbers of potential students would benefit from such information to guide their career choices.