Have you ever wanted to start something, but didn't know where to start?  I have.  One of the things that frustrates me the most when when starting anything is not knowing what questions to ask.  The saying is true; "The more you know, the less you know."  To me this means that the more you learn about a subject the more you find out how little you actually know.

So, where do you start?  This is a hard question.  It's hard because the field is so broad.  I've come up with a few bullet points to help you get started.  This is not the end-all be-all list, but it should get you started.

Inventory your interests.

Controls Engineering, and Automation is an insanely massive field.  What this means is you need to understand that you really can't specialize in everything.  Setting that expectation up front will keep you from getting depressed and stopping your journey due to feeling like you are never going to "get it".  No one is ever going to know everything there is to know about automation.

You can, and should become familiar with a large amount of the field. In-fact, you really need to start with obtaining a large breadth of understanding. Why?  Because the more you are familiar with, the more you will understand what you like doing and what really doesn't interest you.  Being aware of this helps you develop a plan for moving forward.

Identify the Core Concepts.

I am a HUGE advocate of learning concepts.  I've learned over time that not only will I never learn everything, I don't need to.  Learning, and I mean truly LEARNING, the core concepts of the subject you are interested is analogous to a tree growing a large root system before branching out.  The tree, much like your career, needs have a very solid foundation.

A good automation engineer uses a plethora of disciplines to perform their craft. Not only do you need to understand electricity, pneumatics, and hydraulics you really need to understand physics, logic, and how the sequence of operations all work together to create an end product that performs a very specific task. Just from this statement it should be obvious exactly how large this field is and how important concepts are. Understanding the fundamental concepts of electricity, pneumatics, or hydraulics and being able to apply them to not only their respective fields but to the other fields allows you to take something you specialize in and understand how other things work.

Research with intention.

When I say research with intention, I mean research a specific subject and attempt to fully understand it. There are times when you just need to know a superficial amount about a subject. Which is fine, but when it comes to concepts you really need to take the time to research the subject with the intention of mastering it. This allows you to grasp other topics related to the subject with ease later on. So, how do you research with intention?

First, regardless of the subject you choose start with the the basics. For example, with electricity, don't start trying to understand how to do advanced things like Fourier Transforms, Laplace Transforms, or Root Locus analysis of control circuits. Start with Ohm's Law. Understand the relationship between power, voltage, resistance, and current in simple DC circuits. Understand, what happens to the circuit when values change. Identify things like, symptoms of opens and shorts. Once you truly understand how all the components are related add other factors such as frequency. Then you can start to understand capacitance, inductance, reactance and how they affect power voltage.

Second, learn to utilize search engines. It is absolutely unreal how much information is available today. Your ability to perform "Google-fu" will not only help you when you are researching to learn about a new subject, it will be a life saver once you actually get into the field and start working. I can't count the number if times I search for information when working. I learned a long time ago that I don't need to know everything, I just need to know how to find information and apply it. I believe you should strive to do this too. It's good to be able to regurgitate facts, but work is more about applying what you know than knowing it.

Third, learn how to ask questions. Asking questions is an artform in itself. I know this sounds silly, but learning how to ask a question properly is important because it shows the questioned that you are serious about learning. I've been asked many times a question like, "How does a PLC work?" While this is a question; it's a really broad question. When asked a question like this you really don't get any sense of what the questioner knows, or where you should begin. Therefore, give your resource some context. For example, "I understand PLCs are used to control a machine, and that you have digital inputs, analog inputs and matching outputs, but I don't understand why you need them. Can you help me understand why you would use an analog input over digital input?" This question gives the questionee some background information and is very specific. It allows for a more tailored response. Also, if you are asking this question in person; have a notepad and writing utensil handy and take notes! It shows your informant that you are actually trying to learn, not just catch a free ride.

Lastly, mind your attitude. This means never be afraid to say you don't understand. This can be really hard for some people. Ego's can get in the way and people are often afraid to look like they don't know something. The sooner you can swallow your pride and admit to yourself and those around you that you simply 'don't know' the sooner you can really start learning. Don't take this to mean that when some says something that you think is false that you should just keep quiet. Speak up, but do it in a tactful way. Most people don't like to be corrected, they are much more receptive to a question that challenges their thought process and their ideology.

Find Groups, Mentors, and Mentor others.

Books and search engines will take you a very long way, but if you want to supercharge your learning journey and get in the fast lane to understanding... You really need to find people with similar interests. The groups that you find should be comprised of a wide range of people. Experts all the way to novices. What I found was that once actually found people to talk to, not only did I learn a lot from the people who knew more than me; I learned more from the people who weren't as knowledgeable as me. It is really humbling to start a journey of discovery, and then have someone look to you as a mentor. Understanding a subject well enough that you can explain it to someone else is an awesome feeling. Not really the knowing, but being able to answer someone's question in a way that you get to see them understand the topic. It really is the best feeling.

When I started my journey, the internet wasn't around yet. I did a lot of learning by reading books and experimenting. The drive to understand how something works is the most powerful tool in your toolbox. It is also a tool that cannot be taught, at least not by someone else. It's a tool that is innate; however, it can be honed. Anytime you are working on something and you come across something you don't know, or that you want to understand better make a note of it. Then come back to that notebook regularly and and research the topics that you noted. Today, however, there are many forums available to find like minded people who share the same passions as yourself.

Practice!

Most importantly, simply practice. Practice will introduce you to one of the most valuable skills you will ever develop. Troubleshooting. Why is troubleshooting the most valuable skill you ask? To paraphrase a professor I had in college. "If you want to make money learn how to make something. If you want to make a LOT of money, learn how to fix things that others can't." This phrase stuck with me though. Troubleshooting, or the skill of figuring out why something isn't working as expected really helps to round out your knowledge. It's one thing to understand how something works well enough to draw it up and fabricate it. It is quite another to understand something well enough to quickly identify where, and why something isn't working.

Speaking of "why". This is probably the single most important question to ask. Children are really good at asking this question, parents tend to get frustrated with it and end up squashing the desire  for children to ask why. This is unfortunate, because this driving question will take you to whatever you want to know. Industry uses this question to identify the root cause of a problem. The process, known as the "5-why", leads you to the root cause because when asked in succession leads you down the course of actions that cause a problem to happen. Once identified the actual problem can be fixed which then eliminates the issue, and makes the process more robust.

I hope this gives an insight to how to get started. It doesn't apply to only automation, or controls engineering. It is more life advice for anyone who wants to learn something new and succeed. If you can't find any groups around you and would like to join a group of people that have similar interests, feel free to join us on Discord.