December
There is a decided difference in the way the ISA is seen by the members. Some see it as a group of engineers and technicians who work in the industries that use instrumentation. Some others think that the main thrusts of the Society are in automation and control. To me, those are almost the same, as one requires the other. Though there is wide use of software in the business, there is an even wider use of hardware to do the tasks to run the plants and the manufacturing facilities where “stuff” is made.
What’s your line?
So, what about you and the industry you support? Lately there has been a tremendous interest, and activity, in the liquefied natural gas business. There are lots of plans for liquefaction plants as well as receiving terminals. Though most of the units will be built “offshore” in places like Qatar, Angola, Algeria and Indonesia, to name a few, many of the receiving terminals will be located in the United States, where the demand for energy fueled by natural gas is high. If you work for one of the many power companies in Texas, there is no doubt, at least in my mind, that the supply and demand market of the natural gas business will affect your future. So, where will you, as an active ISA member, turn for the technical support you need? Where else should you look but the Power Industries Division of your Society. POWID can be the answer to most of your questions about the latest technologies related to the power business. Of course, the Chemical and Petroleum Division, Chempid, is also interested in what is happening at the world’s refineries and chemical plants, so if you are not a member, maybe it is time to give some consideration to membership in that group.
Quick, call the Doctor!
On other fronts, if you will, look at the advances being made in the pharmaceutical business! Spend one evening watching television and you will be bombarded with advertisements for everything from Allerest to Zantac. And some of the ads don’t even tell why the treatment might be necessary. You are supposed to ask your doctor if “Brand X” is suitable for you, and if it is then maaybe it will be prescribed. One of them goes so far to warn you that if the results don’t change after four hours, call your doctor or the emergency room! I wonder what the members of the Food and Pharmaceuticals Division, FPID, think about that solution? One of the more active Divisions, FPID sponsors a lot of technical programming at the annual ISA conference and its members always keep up to date on the latest in instrumentation and controls activities affecting their industry.
Now, here is the question.
So, what should you do to advance your career in the instrumentation, controls and automation field? Sure, you can continue your good work as an engineer or technician wherever you are now, but that may be where you are, technically, in five or ten years. If you want to really get ahead in this rapidly changing industrial world, you need to get involved with one or two of the more than twenty Divisions of the Society. I’ve only given you a bit of insight to three of them and there is a lot more to learn. For more information about any of the Divisions drop and E-mail to Laura Crumpler at ISA headquarters and she’ll put you on the right track, the track to a successful career in this ever-changing and expanding instrument business.
L.M. "Dutch" Keen, P.E.
Section/Division Liaison
