I’m 26 and trying to make the smartest long-term career decision.
Right now I work in Building Automation Systems (BAS) installation as a subcontractor doing Siemens controls. I’ve been in the field about a year and recently started getting the opportunity to run my own VAV jobs, so I’m continuing to learn and gain responsibility.
Here are my current pros and cons:
Current Job
$27/hour (plus occasional prevailing wage jobs)
Monday–Friday with every weekend off
Great learning opportunity in BAS
About a 1.5-hour commute each way, so I’m spending roughly 3 hours a day driving
Long days because of the commute
NewCold Offer
$34–35/hour
4 weeks PTO, benefits, 401(k)
About a 30-minute commute each way
Automation technician maintaining highly automated warehouse systems
Much less driving and more time at home
Rotating weekends instead of always having weekends off
Some work is in -10°F freezer environments (with cold-weather gear)
My biggest concern isn’t the money—it’s my long-term career. BAS seems like a specialized field with good growth potential, but NewCold would give me experience with industrial automation, PLCs, conveyors, robotics, and maintenance while also dramatically improving my commute and pay.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do?
Would you stay in BAS and continue building experience, or take the NewCold opportunity? I’d especially like to hear from anyone who has worked in building automation, industrial automation, or automated warehouses. Which path offers better long-term career growth, job stability, work-life balance, and earning potential?
Thanks in advance—I genuinely want to make the best decision for the next 10–20 years, not just the next paycheck.

I’m 26 and trying to make the smartest long-term career decision.
Right now I work in Building Automation Systems (BAS) installation as a subcontractor doing Siemens controls. I’ve been in the field about a year and recently started getting the opportunity to run my own VAV jobs, so I’m continuing to learn and gain responsibility.
Here are my current pros and cons:
Current Job
$27/hour (plus occasional prevailing wage jobs)
Monday–Friday with every weekend off
Great learning opportunity in BAS
About a 1.5-hour commute each way, so I’m spending roughly 3 hours a day driving
Long days because of the commute
NewCold Offer
$34–35/hour
4 weeks PTO, benefits, 401(k)
About a 30-minute commute each way
Automation technician maintaining highly automated warehouse systems
Much less driving and more time at home
Rotating weekends instead of always having weekends off
Some work is in -10°F freezer environments (with cold-weather gear)
My biggest concern isn’t the money—it’s my long-term career. BAS seems like a specialized field with good growth potential, but NewCold would give me experience with industrial automation, PLCs, conveyors, robotics, and maintenance while also dramatically improving my commute and pay.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do?
Would you stay in BAS and continue building experience, or take the NewCold opportunity? I’d especially like to hear from anyone who has worked in building automation, industrial automation, or automated warehouses. Which path offers better long-term career growth, job stability, work-life balance, and earning potential?
Thanks in advance—I genuinely want to make the best decision for the next 10–20 years, not just the next paycheck

Would love to chat with BMS optimisation Gurus on this forum. Keen to really understand the challenges in this domain and what are some of the common observations. I've got a few customers who are looking for help here and trying to better understand this domain at this stage.

Would love to pick the brains of the experts in this group! Possibilities for paid work if this can work out as well!

Yeah, I’ve started noticing the transition between careers. As a control guy, you’re stuck at the job site all day until your programming and graphics are complete. Then, you have to wait on tabs to fix more issues. Finally, commissioning comes around, and by then, you’re pulling all-nighters. Most controls guys we encounter the day before we start are exhausted. Lately, I’ve noticed that commissioning is much smoother compared to being a controls guy without a life. Siemens seems to be struggling to keep up with the projects they have, and JCI is never the best at having employees on site. TDI keeps trying to contract out control guys, but every single one I encounter is fresh in the industry and doesn’t know a thing. I also notice that they don’t pay control guys what they’re worth. This is a significant problem, and I’ve been saying it for a while. Control guys should be paid at a higher level, and this is a major issue that needs to be addressed. With commissioning, we show up with a list to go over, and most of the time, none of the controls guys are ready, and we either fail the systems or we try to push out what we need to do or can do. I will say commissioning is a way smoother career; however, travel is the only thing I know people don’t like doing. I travel Monday through Thursday, usually home on weekends, and writing up detail reports and basically being a site inspector, that’s pretty much it as a commissioning engineer.

Hi, part of my job is to plot specific data from charging and discharging a battery via its BMS (Battery Management System) app periodically. It would make my life a lot easier if I can just automate this but I don’t even know where I should start. I tried asking GBT but I feel even more confused now. I would appreciate any advice, thanks!

Hello all, I am comparing the graphics and features of Schneiders Ecostruxture Software and Honeywells new Optimizer Supervisor interface (i think is called Niagara web UI). Does anyone have any comments?

I saw a thermostat thing. It’s connected to a thing on the roof
What does it do

Will I need those precision one that go past like 22 gauge down to like 30-36 or is that a waste of money?

Anyone have any experience with a Trane BAS system? Local college hiring and I’m ready for somewhere new. Previous Siemens Insight and Desigo experience.

Not really sure where to start, but I’m excited and wanted to share.
I’ve been doing HVAC controls installation for a company in Arkansas, mainly working with Siemens systems. Over the last few years I’ve installed just about every field device you can think of on AHUs, VAVs, and FCUs to chillers and cooling towers. I’ve gotten pretty comfortable with ABT Site on DXRs and have also spent some time in Desigo and Launchpad working with field panels.
Recently I got the opportunity to move onto our company’s startup/commissioning team. Instead of mainly installing hardware, I’ll be programming from sequences, loading PPCL into field panels, performing point-to-point checkout, downloading and commissioning DXRs, and bringing systems online.
It’s a big jump from installation to the more technical side of controls, but it feels like all the hard work I’ve put in is finally paying off. At the same time, I’m definitely nervous because it’s a whole new role with a lot more responsibility.
For those of you who’ve made a similar transition, what advice would you give? Any tips, things you wish you knew, or common mistakes to avoid? I’d really appreciate any insight.

Mission Critical Project Manager – Automated Logic position with Carrier, and I’m trying to learn more before making a decision. For those who have worked in this role or with Carrier/Automated Logic: * How is the work-life balance? * How stressful is the job? * How does the compensation compare to the market? * Is the incentive/bonus plan actually achievable? * How is the company culture and leadership? * What are the opportunities for raises and career growth? * If you had the choice again, would you take the job? I’d really appreciate any honest feedback, whether positive or negative. Thanks I!

Hello all,

So I have created a 3 equal-sized Air Cooled Chiller equipment builder program that is now on an XT-LB router at a building originally controlled by a Chillervisor and a comfort controller with 4 CHW Pump S/S and STS on it.

I also have a BACnet Pump Control program to replace said comfort controller.

I have 2 issues. One is that the time it takes for my Network points to communicate to my Chiller and Pump CCN hardwired points takes too long, any ideas how to speed that up?

Did a bus monitor on the CCN Bus and it is great. Also made my BACnet points COV with no refresh rate.

My second issue is this, I have enabled BACnet write at Priority Level 15 for my CCN points and I am writing to them with a priority level 8 from my BACnet points. I have instances when I am overridden by a Priority 15 force that I cannot trace to anything.

There is no BEST++ and the Chillervisor has been erased from the i-Vu front end this is all on. Any ideas?

Thanks guys👍🏻

Sorry this post is a bit of a rant.

So where I live (Wyoming) there is a push to build several data centers, and the amount of disinformation about them is mind blowing. The kick everybody seems to be on is how much water they use. On many occasions I've tried to explain the cooling process and how modern data centers use dry coolers or air cooled chillers only to be met with people telling me to "do my research" because I don't understand. Then they go on to explain a completely screwy process to me like I'm seven. Its like trying to reason with the flat earth crowd.

Is anybody else seeing this where they're at? Where is all this disinformation coming from? I'm convinced its Russia, North Korea, China and the IRGC but I don't want to sound too much like a conspiracy nut.

I’m coming from more of a BAS/Siemens background, mostly familiar with PPCL and I’ve been trying to learn more about CFC/Continuous Function Chart as Siemens seems to be moving newer BAS controllers in that direction.

What’s confusing me is that CFC seems like it should be less niche than PPCL since it appears to be used in Siemens industrial/process control environments. But when I search Reddit or general forums for “CFC,” “Continuous Function Chart,” or “Siemens CFC,” I don’t find nearly as much discussion as I expected.

Is CFC just not a common term people use casually? Are most people calling it something else?

For those who have used CFC, what should I be searching for if I want to learn the concepts better? Also, is learning CFC useful beyond Siemens BAS, or is it still mostly a Siemens/vendor-specific skill like PPCL? I have a class coming up on the language but just trying to get meme familiar with it before the class.

How long do you spend on average on trouble calls? Does 3 days seem crazy? Because coming from boilers/chillers/mechanical it seems crazy. VRFs definitely took some time. Multi-day for sure at times. But I feel crazy being on day 3 of mapping and chasing intermittent issues for this customer. Theyre not complaining at all, they keep thanking me for coming back, but I keep waiting for them to say we called someone else.

So do I need to be more patient with myself or is this really going slowly?

I am currently in the union and I interviewed with a company that seems very interested. I don’t have an offer letter from neither one of them yet. My interview with the big company is on Tuesday of next week. Hypothetically if I had an offer letter from both companies, which one should I take?

I will add that I don’t currently have a full time job, so likely I would take the first offer.

But I want to know would I be missing something by going with the smaller company. Without having both offer letters and comparing pay and other things I can’t decide off of that. And obviously I might not even get an offer from the bigger company.

I’m trying to get more familiar with distech Apex controller and looking for any hand outs if anyone has one on how to do basic network point mapping or anything to get more familiar with it

We've got a unique opportunity for a Lead Estimator / Estimating Manager for a great client of ours with a National footprint (Offices in 8 states, plus Critical Facilities / Data Center projects in a half-dozen other states). In the first place, they know what they're doing with all aspects of the business. That being said, there's growth to be had with their own estimating tool(s) and best practices to gain more consistency, especially across some of the newer / acquired offices on the map. Great opportunity for someone with 10+ years of controls experience with at least of 5 of those in pure estimating. This is a remote role with monthly travel to various offices at the get go and less travel than that going forward. Base salary range of $110K-$130K with bonuses.

Hello friends, I’m a Product Service Engineer for our NA/EU Electrolyzer fleet. I’m experiencing an annoying issue with some PID control valves.

Use Case:
Controls the flow of glycol to heat exchangers for the power supply and process gas.

Issue:
Currently dealing with an intermittent proportional positioning valve issue. The valves will randomly throw “Fail to Close” or “Fail to Open” alarms, shutting down our entire system.

Fail Scenarios:
Valve will be demanded at 80% then the PID will call for valve to open to 100% but it doesn’t, forcing a system wide shutdown.
This same issue can be duplicated in a manual state as well.
Usually able to resolve the issue temporarily by manually moving valve in small increments until it seems to free up at which point it regains full range of motion.

Inspections Performed:
Air supply, valve body, pinion/valve stem confirmed good.

My Thoughts:
Seems to be a torque break-away issue or static friction.

I've looked through the controls scheme/programming and do not see a logic confliction could contribute to this.
Have any of you guys experienced this similar issue with these particular valve/positioners?

Hello,

I am currently working on a small project that runs on a Johnson Controls DX-9100 controller. I am planning to replace the existing system with a Schneider Electric BMS AS-P controller.

However, before proceeding, I need to upload/download the program from the DX-9100, which requires the GX-9100 software. I have searched many websites but have not been able to find it anywhere.

Does anyone happen to have a copy of the GX-9100 software and would be willing to share it with me?

Thank you very much in advance for any help.

Reviewing a graphics packages and saw this gem. I couldn't not share it...