[TheCapn]

This is a discussion that is much larger than what's available in a comment section like this. But I agree with you wholeheartedly.

I think part of the thing is Software Engineers haven't been a thing for as long in the industry. I'm the only Software Engineer I've met doing controls. My supervisor has a CS degree and an Electrical Technician diploma, but never another SE.

Second is I think up until recently, the work done by Control Systems has been what's capable of an EE or ME so having a SE hasn't been necessary. I've been with my company for 10 years now, and in that time I've watched the evolution of what my clients are seeking in terms of requirements to their systems.

I primarily work in Agriculture or Food Production. 10 years ago my projects were assembling plants and getting their motors to start, with the required protections then some rudimentary automation to align paths and ensure flow.

Today? I'm building traceability systems to report on exactly which truck load was the origin of contamination for a railcar shipped months later. Or integrating production data to ERP systems. Adding MES capabilities to track downtimes and optimize production usage. Generating tools to do root cause analysis on events... It's a different world and the skills of a Software Engineer haven't really been a super important role for quite a while.

I think the mindset is shifting, but it is slow.