<p>Its been years since I have looked into colleges. I am doing that right now since I have twins how will be seniors in high school this year. So I don't have any recommendation of school for you.</p>
<p>However, I have close to 30 years working in this type of field. Before someone may help you out with a college, I would suggest first focusing in on what type of work within this field you ultimately want to do. There are many possiblilities. I will list some for you</p>
<p>My Master's and PhD is in controls (Mechanical Engineering at Purdue) and I heard several faculty members there say that UIUC was the best for controls, with MIT a very close 2nd.</p>
<p>I've always imagined being a project manager, but that's because I don't know exactly what I want to do yet and that seems like a logical progression. As a curiosity, from your knowledge and experience, which positions and what types of companies are the most lucrative to work in with a degree in controls? </p>
<p>In your experience(s), have you ever felt like it was tough finding a job? Do you think getting a masters is enough if I only want to go into industry, or would you recommend a PhD?</p>
<p>About the schools: It seems like all of the top schools in engineering that you guys mentioned are good bets. However, if I do decide to stay in California, which schools have you heard are the best and why? I'm very curious as to why one of my friends with an almost perfect GPA almost went to UCSB but ultimately decided to stay in Berkeley (for controls). Have any of you heard of UCSBs reputation as a graduate school, particularly in their controls program?</p>
<p>From my experience of working with a major control manufacturer for many years, I can say that Sales is King. Working on the sales side has its rewards of overall shorter hours, more recreation time with the customer, and higher pay. However there are also more risks that come with this job. If you want to stay technical, or work for an OEM or end customer, you will typically work longer hours, and may or may not get compensated for that time. If you choose working on the technical side, including project management, (again based upon the job, company, and a lot of variables) you may also have more to considerably more out of town travel. I would also suggest spending time first obtaining your PE rather than a PHd. Most consulting jobs that deal with municipalities or government dept's require a PE.</p>
<p>UCSB's ECE program is most famous for their research programs related to electronic devices and materials (more specifically III-V compound semiconductors). When it comes to this research area, they are definitely in the top 5 in the country. However, their controls program is also good. I think you should look at the UCSB ECE and ME departments and contact any faculty who you think are interested. Also, if you are at Cal, talk to your professors. They can give you good advice about UCSB.</p>