Average Salary Info

[DragonRider]

I can't seem to find any information for the average salary of a controls technician. Does anyone have a link they can give me. I've already tried CareerBuilder.com and MonsterJobs.com. Thanks

[codewriter]

What location?

[DragonRider]

.

[codewriter]

Using Payscale, in that area, the average is 45k a year.

[DragonRider]

What job title did you enter?

I can't seem to find one call Controls Technician or HVAC Controls Technician.

[osiyo]

I can't seem to find any information for the average salary of a controls technician. Does anyone have a link they can give me. I've already tried CareerBuilder.com and MonsterJobs.com. Thanks

Geez, you ask rather broad questions, don't you?

This is a question that seems to pop up quite regularly. The problem is, I don't think there is really any sort of accurate or meaningful answer to it.

One of the problems us that there really isn't any such thing, some official classification by some widely recognized authority, as to what the heck a "controls technician" is as concerns duties, responsibilities, type of work, required education and/or license/certification, and so forth.

There are "controls technicians" who do controls, but who don't do DDC type controls of the type one might associate with names like TAC, Distech, Circon, and so forth.

There are "controls techs" who are primarily electricians or HVAC service techs, whose knowledge and primary work is in electrical or HVAC mechanical system, but who do some limited controls work (as in DDC type controls). There are controls techs who do primarily installation, commissioning, and testing ... but little to no programming, system planning and design, etc. There are controls techs who do mostly programming. Other controls techs who do mostly system design and layout/planning. Plus some who do it all.

Then there are some who're non-degreed technicians ... holding down engineering positions. And degreed engineers doing work which I'd consider technician level.

Then there is the issue of union as versus non-union workers. Large companies as versus small. Stable companies with good reps who've been in the business quite some time and who'll still be in the business 10 years from now ... as versus fly-by-night outfits who're jumping into the controls business but who may fail at it next year or the year after.

<Shrug> Among hourly workers, I personally know guys who're NOT beginners, who KNOW what they're doing, who're GOOD at what they do ... who're making from $18 to about $36 and hour. Median for the union guys, journeymen with 10 years or better, probably ranges $26 to $30, depending on union. In THIS area, where I live and work.

That's not counting benefits, obvious and not so obvious, possible bonuses, overtime, etc. ie I have a non-union friend who's making about $20 an hour. Not that great. But essentially he has an unlimited checkbook (company checkbook) for buying parts, tools, whatever. What he wants, they let him have. And they're always sending him off to this or that school. And he can pull as much overtime as he can stand. <Shrug> So he likes where he works and is unlikely to move just for an increase of a few dollars an hour. With some companies I know, the controls techs can also collect a "finders fee" for bringing in a new contract/customer. And/or get "performance" incentive bonuses based upon various criteria. Such as maintaining an average gross profit per job above N%. Or maintaining a high "on time" and "within budget" job completion rate. Etc and so forth.

And finally, beware of numbers. For instance, if someone says they're making $60,000 a year in the Minnesota Twin Cities area, what the heck does that REALLY mean?

Is $60,000 a year good in New York City? Cost of living there, on average, is 80% higher compared to the Twin Cities. OTOH, Phoenix has an average cost of living about 6% less than the Twin Cities. Fargo is 11% less. Jackson Mississippi is 16% less. Los Angeles is 26% more. And so forth.

So ask, but beware of placing too much reliance on the numbers you get.

My advice, decide whether controls is something you are really interested in and would like to do. If so, hop in and get your feet wet. If yah like it, stay at it and work your way up.

If yah don't like controls work .... no matter what somebody pays yah, you're not going to be happy. This is the sort of job which, if you don't like the work; it really, Really, REALLY sucks much of the time. It isn't necessarily physically difficult. But I've known more than just a few guys who've gotten prematurely grey, had heart attacks, mental breakdowns, took up drinking more adult beverages than is good for them, etc. If yah don't like this kind of work, it can play havoc with your mind.



Among salaried workers, whom I know, it'd work out to be about the same based upon a 40 hour week.

[DragonRider]

Would it help if I narrowed the field down a little?

Mainly DDC controls with a little access control thrown in.

I do or have done installation, commissioning, testing, programming, system planning, design, graphics and training.

Non-union small company that's been around for a while.

10 years experience in DDC controls from the ground up excluding sales. (I can't stand salesman :) )

The benefits include some darn good insurance, I set my own schedule, and can basically do whatever I want as long as the job gets done.

[DragonRider]

oh and I'm currenty an hourly employee

[simsd]

Very well put Osiyo.

[crab master]

But I've known more than just a few guys who've gotten prematurely grey, had heart attacks, mental breakdowns, took up drinking more adult beverages than is good for them, etc. If yah don't like this kind of work, it can play havoc with your mind.

Damn I am getting prematurely gray, I drink more adult beverages and I've often thought about just running a hot dog stand. Future isn't looking too good?!? :mad:

But I really like what I do - most of the time. :D

[codewriter]

I disagree, what we do is not hard, far from it, its actually pretty simple, as long as your not trying to do everything at once or have more work than one should handle, no reason for it to turn you gray early or cause you to drink. Its the PEOPLE we must deal with that could end up driving us insane... ;)

Got a call the other day from a new firm who took over management for a building I installed a system in years ago, seems the new engineer figured he would jump out the heatpump loop boiler since he had not yet got a username and password setup for him. Needless to say things did not turn out well. So the new management figured I may warranty the 200+ heatpumps that he distroyed because "my system did not keep this from happening". HTF! is a system going to keep some idiot from removing my device and physically jumping out wires? Funny! I contacted the building owner and explained what happened, guess the new management firm will be getting a nice bill...

[osiyo]

The benefits include some darn good insurance, I set my own schedule, and can basically do whatever I want as long as the job gets done.

Well, heck ... sounds like pretty good benefits to me. I like it best when I'm just handed a job and it's left up to me to get it done.

Anyway, within the overly wordy first post I made is the answer to your question from me. For THIS area, among those whom I know. Union, $26 to $30 an hour. Non-union, $18 to $25.

The above numbers probably being good for the majority with considerable experience. Let's say 10 years. DDC work, or a combo of DDC work and HVAC or electrical/electronic.

For those holding a title of "Engineer". Probably $50k to $75k, depending on experience and background. Usually salaried. Usually have some additional incentive by way of some sort of "bonus" system. Most, whom I know, constantly complain of long work days, never getting all the "comp time" they're promised, etc.

In this area, the business seems to be competitive enough so that those who might command a significantly greater pay rate are few and far in between. There isn't anything like a shortage of good talent in Minnesota. And among the native born, few have any inclination to move elsewhere.

I saw this when I worked for a major national telecom. They were always trying to recruit the best talent they had from within their Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota territories and convince them to relocate to the corporation's larger markets in California, Texas, Florida, etc. And were surprised at just how hard that was to do. The upper midwest areas I mentioned had a rep and proven record for exceptionally high individual productivity, technical savvy, etc. With the result that the telco corporate branches in those areas had the best performance (profit margin) rate within the entire corporation. Problem being, that in shear numbers of people (prospective customers) the areas discussed just aren't all that populous. So "corporate" started a deliberate campaign to recruit people from in-house within those areas and try to get them moved to bigger markets. Hoping to increase productivity and profit margin in those bigger markets.

Didn't work nearly as well as hoped. Not even close. They got turned down far more often than they found someone who'd take up the offer. Even the promise of larger paychecks or promotion proved ineffective, for the most part. Even when the corporation went thru one of those "restructuring" exercises that corporations seem so fond of, and eliminated jobs and positions in the upper midwest states I mentioned, and offered to relocate and employ workers now without a job to those other areas. The majority of the newly jobless elected to stay where they were at, or close ... as in an Iowa guy moving to Minnesota, and to look for other work ... even at lessor pay, rather than to move away. Even when significantly greater pay was offered.

Chuckle, the main corporate office even sent out a big time personnel specialist with an advanced degree in human behavior and sociology who held a "seminar" where she got several hundred of us together to ask why in the world it was so durned hard to convince people from our area to move elsewhere. Especially given the offers of more pay, promotion, etc. She got answers, but I'm not so sure she actually understood them.

Point being ... IF you consider moving to a new territory because yah get an offer of more money. Consider it carefully. Actual dollar amounts earned are not everything in life.

For instance, I live amidst farm fields, with goodly wooded areas within a short walk. I can go hunting just by stepping out into my yard. Come spring, I'll be tilling up just about an acre for my "kitchen" garden. And End of April thru end of September the wife and I will spent most every weekend, holiday, and vacation day at our little lake place. Fishing, boating, and spending time with our friends. The lake we go to is uncrowded enough so that often we'll not see anyone else close enough, while in our boat to make who they are or even what sex or race. The small town restaurants and stores we favor are such that we are personally known to the staff and we know them, and greet each other by first name. I make "enough" to do these things. And they're things I truly enjoy and look forward to.

So .... I'm screwed. I could probably make more money. In fact know I can, have had the offers. But would have to go elsewhere. Which ... I'm not about to do. Would even accept a smaller paycheck, if necessary, in order to stay here. The folks I work for know this. So aren't exactly compelled to offer me more money. Pretty much know I'll accept "enough", as long as enough is sufficient to pay the bills and buy some bait, with a bit leftover.

Just some thoughts.

[control$]

"Actual dollar amounts earned are not everything in life."

Good call..hard to find the job with a low bullsh*t to pay ratio.
I've worked in New York, LA, Jersey and found the pay about the same but the cost of living on left coast is much higher. IMO
Funny the biggest b*tch I hear in LA is the traffic. But I never hit the breakneck speed of 35 on BQE either.
Pay doesn't = quality of life.

[ddcfan]

took up drinking more adult beverages than is good for them, etc. If yah don't like this kind of work, it can play havoc with your mind.

Do RockStars, Monsters, RedBulls and FullThrottles count?

[orion242]

Ditto. Dealing with idiot customers with a positive attitude can demand the most of a person. Without booze, I would be suicidal after some days.

I currently have a customer that insists on shutting down his cast iron boilers every night. Tried to explain the issues, his answer "It's my system I can do what I want” Trying to explain just pisses him off major. No problem, give me an ok on your sequence in writing.

I’ll be laughing when the boiler rots out in the next few years.

Don't ask about his master sequence for VVT control!

[vbhvac]

When you asking this type of question you sort of asking "how much are you going to pay me" during interview. And despite the fact that it is not interview, before getting really usefull answer you should tell a lot more about yourself, before asking this question.

[osiyo]

Do RockStars, Monsters, RedBulls and FullThrottles count?

LOL ... I wouldn't know. I'm not sure what those items are. I THINK Redbull is supposed to be some sort of energy drink. No clue about the others, can't say I've ever heard of em.

I'm not much of one for drinking softdrinks and the like. I might have a dozen cans of soda in a year. So I don't keep up on such things and don't really ever look in the drink sections of a store to see what they have.

Coffee, tea, and water pretty much cover my idea of something to drink. Occassionally a beer on a hot summer day at the lake. Maybe a brandy on a holiday. I'm not much of a drinker, of adult beverages. Used to be. These days, mostly I'm the sober driver (and resident bouncer) if there is a party and things get out of hand.

Lately, I've even cut down on my coffe drinking. I'm down to 2 or 3 pots a day.

I prefer my coffee cowboy style. (BTW, I could ride a horse before I learned how to ride a bicycle. I'm originally from the back hills of Oklahoma) Pound of coffee, gallon of water in a big pot. Boil vigorously over high flames for 30 minutes. Toss in a horseshoe. If it sinks ... add more coffee and boil some more. :-)

[codewriter]

"Lately, I've even cut down on my coffe drinking. I'm down to 2 or 3 pots a day."

LOL! I'm proud of you! Only 2-3 pots... ROFL!

You know, if water could burn, it would taste like coffee... yuck! (IMHO!) ;)

I gave up caffeine all together, thought it would slow me down, but I still have insomnia... go figure...

[trane tek]

Damn I am getting prematurely gray, I drink more adult beverages and I've often thought about just running a hot dog stand. Future isn't looking too good?!? :mad:

But I really like what I do - most of the time. :D

Hair? Did y'all say HAIR? Must be nice to have some! ;)