OT: Career change

Hello PLC talk members!

My friend is thinking of switching from being an industrial electrician to a power engineer, primarily due to the large pay difference and relatively high demand here in Canada. He already works shift work and is not opposed to it.
However he does not know what it would fully be like.

Is it hard work?

Lots of physical work (IE physically demanding)?

Stressful (both mentally and physically)?

Would someone who for the most part enjoys electrical work enjoy that career?
(Trouble shooting, tinkering with different systems/ things, computer aptitude things, PLCs, Factory Talk etc..)

Is it in your opinion a smart move?

What is it like in later years as you move up and complete your different classes?

Is it dirty work?

What are the good days like? and the bad?

if you have any input or opinions either from the above questions or not it will be valued highly, thank you !

I'm rather surprised that people didn't take this post and run with it, but it's likely because there are lots of threads here already that answer similar questions.

I'm not sure if you're referring to the literal *power engineer*, which means that he would specifically work at a utility company that generates electricity for distribution, or if you generally mean more along the lines of a controls engineer in an industrial setting as we work with the power systems of automated hardware, among other things.

However, I can generally answer some of your questions and you can follow up with more details if you wish.

First off, show him google. He can find a lot of information about the details of any career by using a search engine.

Engineering work is hard sometimes and somewhat stressful most of the time, just as industrial electrical work can be. It's not hard to add a button to a panelview screen, but it is hard to solve an intermittent timing issue in a production process that only happens once or twice in a shift.

Whether or not the work would be physically demanding relies entirely on the specific job, and usually, any job posting will outline exactly how physically demanding the position is. This is like asking if people are fast in foot races. Are we talking at grade school recess or in the Olympics?

I don't imagine there is a reliable causal effect between people that enjoy electrical work (as an electrician) and people that enjoy electrical engineering work. You're supplying examples ("Trouble shooting, tinkering with different systems/ things, computer aptitude things, PLCs, Factory Talk etc.."), so the question should simply be directed at your friend as to whether or not he enjoys THAT.

Is it a smart move to move from electrician to engineer? If you can do the job and enjoy it, then moving from any position that pays less to any position that pays more is usually a smart move.

As far as later years, I can't help. I'm still a youngin. I've been doing controls work for almost 10 years. I feel like I've learned about 1% of what I want to know in that time, and it's my fervent hope to reach 2% before I retire.

Is it dirty work? Also depends entirely on the job location. You could literally be a controls engineer in a clean room (no static/temp extremes etc) or you could be one in a meat rendering plant. Automotive suppliers can be pretty clean depending on what they are producing, but I have had an operator smack my rump before.

The good days are busy but successful. The bad days are either the slow days or the days where you bash your head against the same issue for hours straight and make no progress. It's EXTREMELY important to be stubborn and driven in your quest for answers in this field. People that give up easily should stay away.

I would tell your friend to do some research into the job he wants. The internet is basically an infinite source of insight. If he has any more specific questions, he could also make an account on this forum and ask or read through old threads.

Also, after reading through all the questions, I realize exactly why people didn't pick this thread up and run with it

Agreed.

LoganB said:

The bad days are either the slow days or the days where you bash your head against the same issue for hours straight and make no progress. It's EXTREMELY important to be stubborn and driven in your quest for answers in this field. People that give up easily should stay away.

Click to expand...

Just want to underline this good point, well made. I think this is largely why I like my job and my colleagues on the other hand are glad they don't have to do it (they do mechanical and electrical engineering, I'm the only full time controls guy in our small company)

Toine said:

I'm the only full time controls guy in our small company)

Click to expand...

That's awesome. I wish I could find an end user that was around my family that would hire a full time control's guy. I spend most of my day helping maintenance instead of doing substantial PLC programming and I miss it. I really would enjoy working for an OEM more but I can't travel that much with small kids.

Also, being I’ve been around quite a few electricians, let me say this...

Electricians can have a very successful career with just knowing how and following rules and requirements. They don’t have to understand anything. Now this isn’t all, there are exceptions everywhere.

People in this field will struggle if they choose to go with, “this is the way it is, I don’t understand why, but I really don’t need to”. You have to really make understanding the first priority.

Micoo, Hi. I was an industrial electrician for almost 30 years. Started out in the IBEW and of course did a lot of construction. What started me thinking was being on a grating outside in minus 15 terminating a motor or running 4" rigid by yourself, while the controls electricians ("Twidgets") were in the DCS room terminating ("prima donna terminators" is another name we used) sitting on bucket, listening to music and were at 70 degrees. Go figure. The best move I ever made was going to work for a large water utility that used all PLC (A-B), had a SCADA system, lots of analog, and hundreds of 5kv motors and motor controls/starters. So I learned PLC, instrumentation, troubleshooting, re-wiring and how to work with medium voltage.
I also worked a few years in Alaska in seafood processing, and referencing your post about "dirty", well, I guess dirty isn't an apt word (we're talking food, here), but odors, sights, sounds. Reference posts about meat rendering plants from some of these guys. (Dead animal plant)
I'm well past where most guys want to retire, but I can't sit at home. I work for an integrator, have a lot of office time (which I really like) and go do my own start-ups and de-bugs on my projects. I don't want any more physical labor (4" pipe) and I'm not into working outside too much. I would say troubleshooting is number one task, then programming; I write almost everything from scratch. I just wish I was proficient in more platforms. Lastly, you can't give up. It may take a day or two when you're stuck, tech support can't help, you've searched the forums, the plant personnel are looking at their watches, but you'll get it and it will feel really good.
Also, I lived in Windsor for 2 years and I have an Ontario Inter-provincial Red Seal 442-A license and a Michigan Journeyman's license. Tell your friend to NEVER give up any licenses or certs. Hope this helps, good luck.

saultgeorge said:

...It may take a day or two when you're stuck, tech support can't help, you've searched the forums, the plant personnel are looking at their watches, but you'll get it and it will feel really good...

Click to expand...

except when the problem is solved when someone in production notices a loose connector, and plugs it in... then you feel really dumb...

But yeah, it's a great sense of accomplishment when you do solve those tricky problems

Just want to point out to others, as I'm also in Eastern Canada, that around here, "power engineer" is used fairly interchangably with "process operator". Are you asking about it in that context? I assume you are, because you're referring to completing different classes (Class 4 through Class 1).

Power engineer in my current world (electrical utilities) usually means an EE that works on electrical power generation or delivery systems. In some other context, it means boiler operator. Very different things.

I almost got my boiler license in Iowa at one time.

LoganB said:

That's awesome. I wish I could find an end user that was around my family that would hire a full time control's guy. I spend most of my day helping maintenance instead of doing substantial PLC programming and I miss it. I really would enjoy working for an OEM more but I can't travel that much with small kids.

Click to expand...

It is, and I love it. I consider myself lucky to have found this job. It is way closer to home than my previous job and so much fun. Feels like I'm allowed to play Lego all day long and on top of that I get paid. Couldn't ask for more.

Toine said:

It is, and I love it. I consider myself lucky to have found this job. It is way closer to home than my previous job and so much fun. Feels like I'm allowed to play Lego all day long and on top of that I get paid. Couldn't ask for more.

Click to expand...

Sounds familiar. Previous company (1 hour drive one way) shut the doors. Spent 2 months laid off receiving 60+ BS emails from head hunters for jobs I wasn't qualified for. Since I had recently moved to this area, I was not familiar with what industries where in the area. Out of desperation sent my resume to 4 local companies, current employer called the next day to set up an interview. To summarize they where going to be looking for a controls engineer in the future, but when my resume came there way, and I was local (10 min drive), they changed their minds.
Loving everyday, so far I've been sent to Mexico City and the UK, we sell globally so who knows where else I might get to see.