Manufacturing
How to become a PLC Programmer
From maintenance technician: every step, how long it takes, and the credential it earns.
- Time to get there
- 1–3 years
- Typical pay
- $72k–$100k
- Starting from
- Maintenance technician
Pay is an estimate of typical US entry-level pay for this role and varies by state, employer and shift. The timeline assumes you are starting from maintenance technician and includes any licence or programme legally required, not just course length.
See PLC programmer jobs open nowThe route
Work in maintenance first
Nearly every controls programmer starts by troubleshooting the machines they later program.
Course that covers thisIndustrial Maintenance & Reliability: PM, PdM, TPM and RCMUdemy · around $69.99Learn ladder logic on real hardware
Allen-Bradley dominates North America. Buy or borrow a trainer and write programs.
Course that covers thisJourneyman Electrician Exam Practice TestUdemy · around $19.99Learn HMIs and industrial networks
The operator screen and the network are as much of the job as the logic.
Take a controls role
Plant controls engineer or systems integrator. Integrators travel, plants do not.
- Browse jobs now
Destination
PLC Programmer
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