No One Will Save Me?

I entered the controls engineering field at 40 years old.

Not because someone opened a door for me—because I forced one open.

Before that, I spent nearly 20 years on the front lines of manufacturing as a production supervisor and department manager.

I learned what machine downtime really costs. I stood shoulder to shoulder with maintenance teams, troubleshooting problems at 2am when everything was on the line.

But moving into controls? That was a solo climb.

No one handed me a roadmap.

No one could tell me exactly where I’d end up.

No one was there to soften the fall when I made mistakes (and I made plenty).

No one saw the small, quiet victories—like the first time I solved a problem I didn’t even think I could handle.

This photo was taken in England. That mess of wires and that laptop? That was my desk.

I spent 3 months there, commissioning machines, troubleshooting software and hardware, and earning every inch of experience.

I didn’t vacation in Amsterdam.

I earned my way to Amsterdam by showing up every day in places like this.

This isn’t about being handed something.

This is about earning it.

You can do this! It wont be easy, you will do most of it alone. But if you stick with it, if you don’t give up.

You will earn it!!

Written by: Paul Godines

#EarnedNeverGiven #ControlsEngineer #EngineeringLeadership #AutomationExcellence #PLCProgramming #IndustrialAutomation #LeadershipInTheField #LogixMindset