Your Goal – Your Path

In my last post I discussed my plans for the Automation Academy, a membership site related to improving skills and employment opportunities in Industrial Automation.

An important part of this site is to identify skills and certifications required to obtain different positions. The diagram above shows some typical routes from early education to various occupational fields.

As I have discussed this with friends and colleagues, I have realized just how complicated it can be to describe all the different ways people have arrived at their destination. For instance, in my case I went into the military, which gave me some training and skills that eventually led to college, then sales, then entrepreneurship.

Other elements not shown in the diagram above include project management, instrumentation techs, technical instructors, mechanics, component/circuit-board level electronics and more.

Please Help!

I need input from readers of this blog to identify the different jobs, certifications and training that helped you get to your goal. This may differ greatly around the world, for instance when I was young many of my peers learned how to work on cars. This leads to mechanical aptitude, which often leads to a trade skill. My wife, who is from Japan, said that no one she knew growing up could work on a car. Maybe no space, no tools, no interest or even no car.

Please tell me some of the skills, certifications or positions that relate to industrial automation that I may not have mentioned. Especially if you are outside of the US where I live, let me know more about your path to industrial skills!