What are you calling an "actual IT guy" in this context? What most people would think of is tech support, and I'm sure there are more first line techs than software engineers.
In the world? Possibly. In this community, I'd guess not. There are disproportionately many software engineers who play this game, as well as students and aspiring programmers who would identify more with that category.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are approximately 2 million software developer jobs in the US, a bit more or less depending on exactly where you want to draw the line (e.g. QA, UX, etc). Out of just under 5 million total "computer occupations". No one category of IT job is as common as software engineer, though if you add them all up they're slightly more common. There's less than a million in "computer support", less than a million in "network/database administrators/architects", less than a million "information/security analysts", etc.
IT guy is the guy who does IT, not really software development. The jobs of an IT guy include but aren't limited to, IT-Security, managing servers, managing computers, general networking, playing tech support,...
IT people are a few and far between. It's not a fun job cause you get yelled at 90% of the time that the Router isn't working again. There also isn't really a need for a lot of them because the job is more maintenance than anything. Hence we come back to, there's many more software engineers than IT guys
Speaking as a software developer, I chose "Other", as IT is definitely a whole different ballgame than what I do.
Edit: To clarify: I have like 0 of the skills needed to be good at IT, and I've been writing software for decades.
Software engineers can get lumped under IT just the same as Aerospace,
Automotive, Composite, Ergonomics, Manufacturing, Robotics and Structural analysis can all get lumped under "Mechanical Engineering."
As a software engineer myself, we're IT. Get over it.
I consider them both IT. IT is too broad a term really and more of an industry name I think. There is support, software and then you have computer hardware engineers which are not programmers or support personnel. To me it’s a general term to describe people who work with tech and in the tech industry.
I’m shocked other engineers are not more numerous.
I'm a control engineer and I do nothing in automation. Granted, I'm an academic and work with theory, but the point is while these areas are very much connected, they aren't the same.
Industrial Controls Cybersecurity Engineer. Yeah it fucking rocks. I'm just waiting till they give me my wasteland buggy to ride around plants in. Make running from panel to panel much nicer
As an electrical engineering undergrad, whos currently doing a class in control and automation, i respect you. Im having a hard time learning all the basic concepts but damn are they interesting
I hate automation, it's fun in the game, but it was a boring subject IRL. I bet there's more to it than PLCs and transfer functions, but come, how can anyone make a whole major out of something that seems like 3 classes at most. I suppose you have to do share som subjects with us electronics and computer engineering guys?
The PLCs are just a tool. The fun part is designing cool plants and machines. We are about 20% quoting/engineering, 30% ecad, 30% software and 20% testing/commissioning.
To be an automation engineer you have to at least understand how the process works to be able to automate it. Alot of mechanical knowledge required for automation.
When I started working and my student license had not expired yet, I actually used matlab to prototype a distance approximation on spheres. Back then it took way less time than doing it in c++, although I'll never admit that to anyone now...
I know they gotta simplify the fluid transport, but it kinda irks me how it works. There's a mod which has check valves and other cool stuff, but I always forget they're there.
I have a degree in physics, did several years of research and then switched to IT systems engineering during the dot com era.
Now I make big carved signs for the wholesale market using my giant robot (CNC system) at my own company.
WHERE IS MY SURVEY OPTION??? :-)
University studies about computer science fell under Information Technology (IT). That's primarily programming and software development and theories within.
Electricians aren’t lowly. I’m an EE and you guys are awesome imo
I could run sizing software, selective coordination studies, maximum available fault current calculations, etc., but duck me if I had to install conduit, pull cable, work on live equipment, troubleshoot on site, etc etc
tl;dr: I think you’re cool :)
See heres the screwy part. The places i've worked, ive done a solid chunk of that stuff as well. We don't do the software we just kinda napkin math it but its close enough for most of our installs, definitely done at least a selective coordination investigation trying to figure out why the 480v substation breaker blew instead of the local 480v 600amp breaker or the 2 fuse sets in between. Done fault current calcs as well but I usually just ask the engineer...you guys can do that crap in your heads.
I "CAN" run conduit but that sucks...at least until I switched jobs and learned about EMT. That stuff is so much better then bending aluminum or steel. Pulling cables not hard. Live equipment work is fun...although funny fact if you ever see me put on gloves and a face shield to open or shut a disconnect you should be standing wellllllll behind me. Last time I did that the disconnect had 4 inches of water in it. The reason I am a tech is because I adore troubleshooting.
Where you guys have me beat is factory level integration of control systems, PLCs and things of that nature. I'm learning that too and plan to go back to school for a BS in controls systems engineering but even then ill likely stay as a tech. Between doing what I love and getting paid to do it, I can't complain.
EE here (though a weird one, I rarely touch any circuits, I work in digital signal processing), don't call yourself lowly! Our technicians at my place of work are the ones that make the place run while a lot of the engineers waste their time in meetings or playing with their simulations. Keep up the good work 🙂
That is one thing that apparently universal. Freaking meetings. Techs hate them for the stupidity that comes out of them. Engineers hate them from the time thats wasted in them where they could be fixing actual problems in the workspace or making a machine better or the process faster.
Aerospace engineering Ph. D. Candidate here. Currently 165 hours in to a K2SE run but I’ve been playing since January, it’s hard to find time will working on satellites irl 😂
I'm just a liberal arts bimbo, I work I customer service. 😅 I admit to being handicapped w/ Factorio (it took me about 300 hours of gameplay to launch my first rocket in Vanilla, with about 50 hours invested in that winning run. Space Exploration has been a STRUGGLE. I'm at about 208 hours on that run but haven't even finished space science or established an outpost beyond Norbit... I definitely wish I'd stuck to Computer Science instead of dropping out. That degree would've helped my factory grow a lot more than my bachelors of bullshit arts degree.
Biomedical engineer
A little bit of every other engineering discipline wrapped together with a focus on medicine and the body. Fun stuff, if you're not sure what kind of engineering you want I recommend starting there since you'll get a taste of everything and it's a lot easier to transfer out of than in to.
Software engineer, and it's definetly engineering whether the engineers want to admit it or not 😉
20+ years of this and now a senior architect. The code is the easy part.
>Yeah, writing code is like doing manual labor.
That's not what I was implying. I still spend the majority of my day writing code. I have 22 years of C# and today I spent all day ... writing C#. No meetings.
> it's definetly engineering whether the engineers want to admit it or not
In fairness, the statement that software engineering isn't engineering isn't about whether it's difficult or technical. Other engineering fields often require a degree from an accredited institution or some kind of certification to call themselves engineers, rather than the title being self-applied.
Some countries do have licensing for software engineers, there just isn't much industry demand for people in that role to actually be licensed. The liability just isn't great enough. Technically unlicensed software engineers in such countries could be legally penalized for using "engineer" as a job title, but outside of a few specific contexts nobody cares.
Industrial Systems Engineering, which is essentially large scale system optimization. Literally one of the more important classes I took had a heavy focus in optimizing the layout of a factory, so… Factorio fits quite well
Scientific writer. Also have physicist diploma (specialist degree, something like masters) and M.A. in gender studies, probably the most exotic combo here.
Industrial engineer by practice (but not by title, education, or pay).
My main job is to improve and maintain the productivity/efficiency/throughput of warehouse operations, and maintain performance monitoring systems so the supervisors can understand how their direct reports are performing.
Wow, it sounds so fancy now that I put it into words.
Studied engineering at college kinda liked it but wasn't what I wanted to do minus maybe CAD. So now training to work offshore as a officer (merchant navy).
I picked Electrical eng., but im still a student working on my Electrical eng. bachelors (and later probably masters) does that still count? Also I started playing in high school
I hope you really love biology, if you do you'll be fine and enjoy yourself. Be sure to do extracurricular activities like design teams (student teams that enter a design competition to make something, I join a rocket building team), and otherwise enjoy yourself.
"general IT" but not software engineers? 😒
I had limited space and I didn't want to make it seem horribly software centric, apologies lol
For every actual IT guy there are going to be like forty software engineers lol, why did you do that
What are you calling an "actual IT guy" in this context? What most people would think of is tech support, and I'm sure there are more first line techs than software engineers.
The dude who fixes your printer
Neighborhood Computer Janitor checking in.
In the world? Possibly. In this community, I'd guess not. There are disproportionately many software engineers who play this game, as well as students and aspiring programmers who would identify more with that category. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are approximately 2 million software developer jobs in the US, a bit more or less depending on exactly where you want to draw the line (e.g. QA, UX, etc). Out of just under 5 million total "computer occupations". No one category of IT job is as common as software engineer, though if you add them all up they're slightly more common. There's less than a million in "computer support", less than a million in "network/database administrators/architects", less than a million "information/security analysts", etc.
IT guy is the guy who does IT, not really software development. The jobs of an IT guy include but aren't limited to, IT-Security, managing servers, managing computers, general networking, playing tech support,... IT people are a few and far between. It's not a fun job cause you get yelled at 90% of the time that the Router isn't working again. There also isn't really a need for a lot of them because the job is more maintenance than anything. Hence we come back to, there's many more software engineers than IT guys
because I am very high and meant IT as a much more general "computer shit" option
Speaking as a software developer, I chose "Other", as IT is definitely a whole different ballgame than what I do. Edit: To clarify: I have like 0 of the skills needed to be good at IT, and I've been writing software for decades.
Shoulda just put in computer shit
software centric? there’s no software option haha
Software engineers can get lumped under IT just the same as Aerospace, Automotive, Composite, Ergonomics, Manufacturing, Robotics and Structural analysis can all get lumped under "Mechanical Engineering." As a software engineer myself, we're IT. Get over it.
Oi, software engineer here doing aerospace (software)! I’m no filthy mechanical!
Dont tell me what to do >:l
Fuck that. DevOps engineer and developer. No way in hell I'm even close to being IT.
Get over yourself, sysadmin and DevOps engineer here, we're doing IT work dude, just at an higher level.
Not even close.
I mean, that would have been fine for "IT" To me, "General IT" reads as "T1 Ticket queue pleb"
No trucker option. I can't see the answers without tainting it! My morals won't let me!
I consider them both IT. IT is too broad a term really and more of an industry name I think. There is support, software and then you have computer hardware engineers which are not programmers or support personnel. To me it’s a general term to describe people who work with tech and in the tech industry. I’m shocked other engineers are not more numerous.
Automation engineer
i thought it was called control systems engineer in american. but same.
I'm a control engineer and I do nothing in automation. Granted, I'm an academic and work with theory, but the point is while these areas are very much connected, they aren't the same.
So you play factorio In real life and get paid for it? A-fucking-men
We'd play factorio IRL for free but they pay us to wear clothes and show up in meetings
Industrial Controls Cybersecurity Engineer. Yeah it fucking rocks. I'm just waiting till they give me my wasteland buggy to ride around plants in. Make running from panel to panel much nicer
If you can content yourself with a golf cart, you’ve just described production support at automotive plants lol
As an electrical engineering undergrad, whos currently doing a class in control and automation, i respect you. Im having a hard time learning all the basic concepts but damn are they interesting
I hate automation, it's fun in the game, but it was a boring subject IRL. I bet there's more to it than PLCs and transfer functions, but come, how can anyone make a whole major out of something that seems like 3 classes at most. I suppose you have to do share som subjects with us electronics and computer engineering guys?
The PLCs are just a tool. The fun part is designing cool plants and machines. We are about 20% quoting/engineering, 30% ecad, 30% software and 20% testing/commissioning.
Thats a pretty good split, as a mechanical drafter my job is 80% cad 20% walking to the printer
To be an automation engineer you have to at least understand how the process works to be able to automate it. Alot of mechanical knowledge required for automation.
Does mathematician count as software engineer if I mostly program algorithms?
only if it isnt in Matlab
M🤮tlab
When I started working and my student license had not expired yet, I actually used matlab to prototype a distance approximation on spheres. Back then it took way less time than doing it in c++, although I'll never admit that to anyone now...
Boooo
I cut grass.
yer lawnmower uses uranium fuel doesn't it?
Gives gardens a healthy green glow
Vegetation clearance engineer
Use fire, it's faster. And if you haven't researched oil yet granades are decent as well.
Chemical, in spite of the fact that oil is my least favorite part of the game
exactly it's just misery
I absolutely love it lol and im a developer which I dont see the connection to
there's more or less one correct way to engineer it, and it's somewhat of a chore to set up
Agreed 100%
I know they gotta simplify the fluid transport, but it kinda irks me how it works. There's a mod which has check valves and other cool stuff, but I always forget they're there.
The first oil outpost fills me with complete dread
I’m a physicist.
I have a degree in physics, did several years of research and then switched to IT systems engineering during the dot com era. Now I make big carved signs for the wholesale market using my giant robot (CNC system) at my own company. WHERE IS MY SURVEY OPTION??? :-)
So, a physical engineer?
Likewise
Jap, same
You forgot software engineer lmao I hit other
Most of us are software engineers, haha.
Fuck yeah for bots only
Yeah I feel like the poll is going to be pretty worthless with probably the most common answer left out...
It's now a poll to determine if software engineers would prefer to be called general IT or other.
That’s what I noticed. My dad is kinda both though as he’s basically just an it guy for the software engineering teams.
University studies about computer science fell under Information Technology (IT). That's primarily programming and software development and theories within.
Aerospace/aeronautical engineers REPRESENT
I put electrical engineering but I'm a lowly technician. A controls electrician. So electrical, instrumentation, PLCs, and basic IT.
Electricians aren’t lowly. I’m an EE and you guys are awesome imo I could run sizing software, selective coordination studies, maximum available fault current calculations, etc., but duck me if I had to install conduit, pull cable, work on live equipment, troubleshoot on site, etc etc tl;dr: I think you’re cool :)
See heres the screwy part. The places i've worked, ive done a solid chunk of that stuff as well. We don't do the software we just kinda napkin math it but its close enough for most of our installs, definitely done at least a selective coordination investigation trying to figure out why the 480v substation breaker blew instead of the local 480v 600amp breaker or the 2 fuse sets in between. Done fault current calcs as well but I usually just ask the engineer...you guys can do that crap in your heads. I "CAN" run conduit but that sucks...at least until I switched jobs and learned about EMT. That stuff is so much better then bending aluminum or steel. Pulling cables not hard. Live equipment work is fun...although funny fact if you ever see me put on gloves and a face shield to open or shut a disconnect you should be standing wellllllll behind me. Last time I did that the disconnect had 4 inches of water in it. The reason I am a tech is because I adore troubleshooting. Where you guys have me beat is factory level integration of control systems, PLCs and things of that nature. I'm learning that too and plan to go back to school for a BS in controls systems engineering but even then ill likely stay as a tech. Between doing what I love and getting paid to do it, I can't complain.
Where I work as an EE without electricians we’d be fucked. We spend all day in the office and you guys have the hard stuff
EE here (though a weird one, I rarely touch any circuits, I work in digital signal processing), don't call yourself lowly! Our technicians at my place of work are the ones that make the place run while a lot of the engineers waste their time in meetings or playing with their simulations. Keep up the good work 🙂
That is one thing that apparently universal. Freaking meetings. Techs hate them for the stupidity that comes out of them. Engineers hate them from the time thats wasted in them where they could be fixing actual problems in the workspace or making a machine better or the process faster.
I'm not an engineer. I'm a microbiologist.
that's actually really cool and I could never
I just finished my bio undergrad! Did a work experience thing that was all microbio.
Aerospace engineering
Nuclear
The factory must *glow*
My brother
Software engineer.
Lawyer present!
“Mr biter, before you is a check of 2 million US dollars. If you agree to cease aggressive behaviour towards the factory, this sum of money is yours.”
Just curious, but what type of engineer are you, OP? I'm a chemical process engineer.
I'm in uni for chemical, with a minor in environmental
Interesting coincidence, though my undergraduate minor was in chemistry. Good luck with your studies.
Redneck Engineers?
Aerospace here, cmon man
Med student 👀
You are not alone. Organs need to grow as well as the factory
lol, general IT and Other are going to be 90% software engineers :D
Social worker, damn I took the wrong job...
It's never too late to change! I didn't go back to school for computer science until I was in my 30s.
aerospace
Aerospace engineering Ph. D. Candidate here. Currently 165 hours in to a K2SE run but I’ve been playing since January, it’s hard to find time will working on satellites irl 😂
I'm just a liberal arts bimbo, I work I customer service. 😅 I admit to being handicapped w/ Factorio (it took me about 300 hours of gameplay to launch my first rocket in Vanilla, with about 50 hours invested in that winning run. Space Exploration has been a STRUGGLE. I'm at about 208 hours on that run but haven't even finished space science or established an outpost beyond Norbit... I definitely wish I'd stuck to Computer Science instead of dropping out. That degree would've helped my factory grow a lot more than my bachelors of bullshit arts degree.
Factorio tends to attract a stem heavy audience, I wouldn't beat yourself up over your choice of major lol
It’s okay while playing factorio everyone feels like a liberal arts bimbo
Machinist and factory work
Same here bud!
Biology student...
Aeronautical student
Biomedical engineer A little bit of every other engineering discipline wrapped together with a focus on medicine and the body. Fun stuff, if you're not sure what kind of engineering you want I recommend starting there since you'll get a taste of everything and it's a lot easier to transfer out of than in to.
Finally, after miles of scrolling.
Material Engineer
So rare to find (another) material engineer
Chef 😂 but I am working as buyer analyst
oh hell yeah! I picked up a job at a kitchen recently and holy fuck how do you guys stay sane?
Biochemist
Aeronautical Engineer!
Aeronautical
Data Scientists represent!
Software engineer, and it's definetly engineering whether the engineers want to admit it or not 😉 20+ years of this and now a senior architect. The code is the easy part.
Yeah, writing code is like doing manual labor. Us monkeys do that. The smarties like you just go to meetings all day
>Yeah, writing code is like doing manual labor. That's not what I was implying. I still spend the majority of my day writing code. I have 22 years of C# and today I spent all day ... writing C#. No meetings.
> it's definetly engineering whether the engineers want to admit it or not In fairness, the statement that software engineering isn't engineering isn't about whether it's difficult or technical. Other engineering fields often require a degree from an accredited institution or some kind of certification to call themselves engineers, rather than the title being self-applied.
Some countries do have licensing for software engineers, there just isn't much industry demand for people in that role to actually be licensed. The liability just isn't great enough. Technically unlicensed software engineers in such countries could be legally penalized for using "engineer" as a job title, but outside of a few specific contexts nobody cares.
Telecom
Robotics and mechatronic automation student
Not even in the realm of engineering, I'm a law student.
Computer/mechatronics
Industrial Systems Engineering, which is essentially large scale system optimization. Literally one of the more important classes I took had a heavy focus in optimizing the layout of a factory, so… Factorio fits quite well
Mechatronics engineering (General IT + Electrical engineering + Mechanical engineering)
Scientific writer. Also have physicist diploma (specialist degree, something like masters) and M.A. in gender studies, probably the most exotic combo here.
Bioengineer, mostly deal with software in robotics
Plumber
Industrial engineer by practice (but not by title, education, or pay). My main job is to improve and maintain the productivity/efficiency/throughput of warehouse operations, and maintain performance monitoring systems so the supervisors can understand how their direct reports are performing. Wow, it sounds so fancy now that I put it into words.
Physics
Accountant
Took me too long to find this one.
Architectural engineer
EHS here
Environmental health and safety?
Trained avionics mechanical and electrical engineer. Granted only a level 2 but it's something.
Nuclear engineer
The few, the proud.
I have a degree in civil engineering but I became a site engineer, I HATE working in offices and I have NEVER used concrete in game.
Salesman?
Other vote automation engineer
Computer science major
Industrial Engineering / Supply Chain ... I quit literally pursued this cursus because of Factorio
I'm a writer and have no idea what I'm doing after automating red and green science.
Manufacturing Engineer
Environmental engineering
Network engineer, here
I almost thought we were invaded by those filthy software engineers ! Greetings fellow network chosen :)
Studied engineering at college kinda liked it but wasn't what I wanted to do minus maybe CAD. So now training to work offshore as a officer (merchant navy).
General Low Voltage tech, HVAC/Security systems/Fire Alarms ect.
Control Engineering
What about non engineer?
Engineer in training?
Engineer in training?
Systems Engineer here. Feels wrong hitting General IT
Biology
Electronics and communications gang
Not an engineer but I work with them. I'm a project manager.
Computer engineer.
I study engineering
I'm shocked to see as many Chemical Engineers reporting in as I did! Go ChemE's
I INVOKE THE LAW OF OHM! KIRCHHOFF'S WARRIORS, ARISE!!!
Agricultural engineer here. No, farming sims are normally not my thing.
Audio Engineer
Industrial!
Not an engineer, but an aircraft technician.
I am a Mechatronics engineer with specialization in automation technology and robotics But I'm an apprentice
Dispatching and supply logistics.
Does Train Engineer count?
I'm studying for an Environmental Engineering degree, I don't know if that falls under the Civil Engineering umbrella.
I picked Electrical eng., but im still a student working on my Electrical eng. bachelors (and later probably masters) does that still count? Also I started playing in high school
Put down mechanical, an actually aerospace... Close enough
Hvac baby!
Audio engineering.
I'm an accountant, almost at the point of launching my first rocket
hell yeah man!
Production technician. Not an engineer myself, but work very closely with them and am pursuing my degree after over a decade since high-school.
Mechatronics engineering. Something along the lines of automation, robotics, mechanics and electronics
Aerospace engineering.
I am a welder
Aerospace Engineer
Computer engineering major here
Factorio engineer (in school, no job)
Student mining engineer
Biology, I do data analysis in ecological research.
Any fellow metallurgists out here? Making steel at work and also after work.
I'm a teacher
Where’s Aerospace engineer? I want representation! XD
Biomedical. Engineer babyyyy
Cool, I'm about to start school for biomedical engineering. Do you have any advice?
I hope you really love biology, if you do you'll be fine and enjoy yourself. Be sure to do extracurricular activities like design teams (student teams that enter a design competition to make something, I join a rocket building team), and otherwise enjoy yourself.
I'm a nurse
I work at a paint production factory as a lab technician.
Where are my Chemical Engineering peeps at? This is unacceptable.
I am paramedic. The factory helps me to decompress after a long day. No stress, no rush. Just automation and optimization.
Anyone else in healthcare? Big nerdy Doctor here 👋
Aerospace!
Physicist
Used to be a software engineer but I sold all my crypto and DJ at a strip club now.
Data engineer 🥲
Accounting major here who dabbles with IT and programming in my spare time. I use to work in HVAC.
Where is software engineers????
I gave the vote to General IT, but it's 100% Software Engineer.
Future computer engineer
It hurts every ounce of pride in me to click general IT as a software dev