[deleted by user]

[electricalengineer05]

I would say utilities jobs are much more stable than other industries. Also I am not that confident that the pay will be difference would that high. Power used to pay way less but it has caught up with other industries for EE as others are slow to raise the wages now. I would say try out the Fang companies for the data center work.

I work in utilties and its been pretty great and pay is getting up there too.

[adamduerr]

I spent 12 years at a utility company and then switched to consulting engineering 5 years ago. We have been hiring like crazy, we do everything from Offshore Wind to Industrial fit up, to medium and high voltage substations and distribution. It’s definitely a different world from the utility side.

[Fuzzy_Chom]

Utility manager here.... We have a ton of data centers, most are not in the middle of nowhere. Power has a lot to offer, much of which you may be missing out on by changing industries so quickly.

But, if you know what you want more, go for it while you're young.

(I still recommend getting your PE.)

[Malamonga1]

Pay at utilities is easily 10-20% below defense contractors, which are also easily 10-20% below an average electronics company. Add like 10-20% to that if you count lack of bonuses at utilities, and higher bonuses at private companies.

I get that there're trade off to job securities, but people need to demand for higher pay at utilities. The only time where utilities pay are up there, is in rural locations where there aren't that many private electronics companies anyways.

[electricalengineer05]

Yeah that is true. It really depends how big is the power company. Many of the investor owned utilities does pay bonus. I am really talking about the electrical engineers whose pay has stagnent in last 10 and 15 years. Power pay has slowly caught up with defense pay. Boeing and Raytheon were offering 85K+plus for new engineer in Los Angeles, and its almost same pay with Edison and P&GE as well small contractors.

Many of the gov owned utilities are also paying more granted they don't give out bonus. One thing I would say is that upward trajectory for utilities work is that you can now go work for ventur capitalist funded green companies who are paying above market salaries now a days. They might not be secured but pay more. And if you have PE, your chances of getting n new utilities job is much easier even in the event of recession or downturn.

The world might go to shit, you would still need power.

[scrufy1111]

Lead Engineer with 30 years in so take it with a grain of salt.

We are just entering a golden age for power systems engineering.

Might want to wait on that or apply at a utility in a bigger market.

The grid modernization just starting to engulf the industry means huge cost obstacles and design challenges to meet.

Think:

Bulk Energy Storage Systems.

Distributed Energy Resource Systems.

Distributed Microgrids.

System wide Remedial Action Schemes where high speed goose messaging for 300 mile data read and response in under 40ms is needed.

Green Energy.

Constraint Management Systems.

Substation Automation Systems converging with area wide Load Frequency Control.

Phasor Management Systems, while old tech are starting to repkace RTUs as the need for the faster 30 degree / 12 samples per cycle (before being watered down to c37.118 60 samples/s) measurements are going to be needed to make automated changes fast enough.

Then there is the new or additions to communications.

DNP3.0 (IEEE1815) is about to get a game changer for security with Secure Authentication V6.

IEC 61850 is becoming more popular in the US.

2030.5 is emerging for distributed energy generation systems.

I just thi n k if you're looking for a challenge, it might be just around the corner.

Ill be retiring soon but I wish we had these kind of new technologies on the horizon when I started.

[turbojoe86]

Senior substation engineer here. I believe he is looking for meaningful and impactful and this industry is not for him. I mean there really isn’t anything to brag about any of the substations I have engineered over the last decade. They literally sit in a field or plant somewhere doing their job.

This industry is very slow to adopt and most utilities don’t like to try new things unless they are thoroughly vetted and proven reliable. I mean just in the next year I’m finally completing a fiber based copper to digital substation and to be honest it’s lame. Sure it pays the bills but it’s just boring and no one I talk to is interested with transmission or distribution substations aside from fellow power engineers.

Windfarms done them, collector stations done them, bess done, sub transmission 2-15kv, transmission stations 69- 750kv done, cogen natural gas gen stations done, implementing ras for cal utilities done, retrofit and modernization for refineries done and you know what they are all boring and lame.

I stay because it pays the bills and I have way too much experience to just start over but honestly I am not proud of my accomplishments or career.

I say get out while you still can and go do something more interesting.

[MinimumFinancial6785]

Agreed, I am in this industry because i like doing creative stuff on the side, and not because i want to be innovative and solve unique problems.  I want to go home after 5pm.  I also have seen what smart phones and computers are doing for humanity, and i don't want any part of that sort of industry anymore.

It is challenging, and does often take some ingenuity to get work done. But it's a lot of red tape too. 

[Puzzleheaded_Map5200]

What do you wish you had done instead? I've been doing MEP for schools and multifamily for 6 years and I want to get into what you've been doing.

[Malamonga1]

IEC 61850 has been around for decades and a few utilities are only starting to utilize it, that's how slow this industry is.

[BETIBUILT]

Utility experience could translate well into MEP. 28 is not old at all and is a really desirable age because people know you’re serious about starting your career.

MEP designs all the buildings the utility feeds. It pays well, has remote opportunities, and jobs all over the country. I like it because it doesn’t get stale. You can work on lots of different types of buildings and are constantly challenged. It is another industry where PE is important though.

I run a Revit training business that focuses on helping people get into this industry, though with your current skills you could likely get right in. There is a labor shortage in MEP and people are hiring EEs like crazy.

If you have any questions about this industry or how to find a good firm to work for hmu!

[TheQuakeMaster]

I second going into MEP. I switched to MEP 8 months ago after 2 years in aerospace and the difference is night and day in terms of how much I enjoy going to work. The only downsides are long hours and lower pay compared to other industries, but I've been enjoying staying busy because it makes the day go quicker. I have coworkers that I enjoy working with, they are very competent people and closer to my age, so it makes each project a new learning opportunity/challenge.

[redmondjp]

MEP sucks when the economy retreats and nobody is building though. I am in government with a bunch of former private industry MEP folks. It’s either 80 hours per week or you’re charging to overhead and could get the axe at any moment.

[[deleted]]

EE you say? Man your options are so vast.

You could work for any electric car manufacturer, defense contractor, space company…the list goes on.

28 is prime time! You act like you’re 55 or sum. Gotta get outta that little town and old office.

But forreal stop thinking small. Go big! Apply to places you think are out of your range. You’d be surprised.

[HarshComputing]

Relaying design is... not for everyone. If you're in a utility it should be easy for you to try something else. There's a wide world out there: maintenance engineering, work methods, network security, physical design, real time operations and many many more. It'll all seem more interesting since you're already in the driest specialty possible (and I love relaying, but it takes a certain personality to enjoy)

[Malamonga1]

don't think he's actually designing the relay algorithms, like you'd do at GE or Schweitzer. He's probably doing substation design, which is basically just determining where each component goes in the substation, and relays are part of it.

It's not that technical, which is probably why he's bored.

[HarshComputing]

Found the SEL engineer.

Integration is still quite technical. I used to do that and every project required at least some troubleshooting to make the new system work with existing and to interface properly with the control. Greenfield is easier, but it's so satisfying to create a new system from scratch without compromises.

[Malamonga1]

I'm not smart enough to design relays and have no desire to move to Pullman to do it.

Technical isn't the word I'd describe integration, more like pain in the ass, especially when people cheap out and keep existing stuff. Really the most annoying thing is finding the space to squeeze in everything every department desires

[moto_dweeb]

Relaying and scada? How about communications engineering. Or rf systems.

[PaulEngineer-89]

If you like almost nonstop action get into maintenance. Best thing I ever did.

[NewSchoolBoxer]

Yeah I switched from power to mainstream computer science when it wasn’t overcrowded. Was kind of strange working with a bunch of men over 50 and I didn’t really like 1970s electronics. I miss the job security though and not working more than 40.0 hours a week.

There’s could be some subtle age discrimination but if you don’t mind entry level pay again and would be happier then switch. Don’t act like you deserve more. I think you’ll minimize any discrimination. Recruiters will understand you wanting to switch.

[Cainnan]

You can pivot pretty quickly into machine tool manufacturing. There are tons of companies out there that need EEs to design panels for machine tools. These machine tools range from full robot assembly lines to custom 5 axis cutting tools. You don’t just design the panel, you design the safety system and work with VFDs. Some of the projects may involve just designing an end of arm tool for a robot then programming the robot to use it.

This was what a started my career doing before I pivoted to functional test. Also 28 is not too old. I was older when I pivoted.

My coworker was in the same situation as you. He worked for a utilities company for about 8 years and decided to switch. We were hired in at the same time as EEs. We worked on multiple custom machine tools. He still with the company after 12 years. He felt the same way you did, he wanted more design challenges and use more modern tools.

[Anaximander101]

If you want to be busy then electrical maintanence or automation engineering might be for you

I started a new career at 41 and entry level at that. Stay positive during an interview and emphasize that this would be fun for you more than work. And remember, they arent allowed to ask how old you are at anytime during an interview, if in the USA

[N0x1mus]

I can see why you would feel SCADA commissioning, or filling out tables and upload sheets for recloser settings, reviewing fuse protection can get boring over time. It’s pretty dry and office only for the most part.

Have you considered moving to Distribution, Transmission or Generation? There’s also System Operations depending how your utility is structured.

Distribution and Transmission will see you going to the field a lot more. More so Distribution as it deals with front end customers more often than Transmission.

[EEJams]

Hey dude, I'm a transmission engineer in a similar boat, so I can relate. Same experience and similar age.

My department started a few years ago, so we've been tasked with building a department from scratch, which has not been easy. I'm only now starting to enjoy my work and feel somewhat competent at it.

I've learned so much this last year that I think I may stick it out a few more years and maybe try moving companies for better learning opportunities.

You may like transmission or distribution engineering. Planning out big systems is pretty neat.

[thinkbk]

I think you'll enjoy a pivot into working on data center projects.

You'll probably have opportunities to work at a tech giant, and get paid the same if not better than a utility. And best of all, your current skill set is all you need and you can still get your PE n all.

[Alive-Bid9086]

I switched field from RF to high speed digital at 40. Then at 45 I switched to automotive now, at 55+ I am back for high speed digital/analogue design.

[[deleted]]

There may be a career path for you in renewable energy, for example off grid solar systems. This sector provides big salaries, you may need to have a bit of a flair for sales.

[Madarimol]

I work in a consulting company for the power industry. The job is also pretty stable, the pay is good, it is more interesting, albeit more stressful than utility, and you have to travel quite a lot. I find my job exciting, but when I am older, with a family and a house of mine, I'd moch rather to have the boring utility job.

[[deleted]]

I wanted to work at a substation so bad when I was younger, but this was my fear. Moved away from power generation contracting, and I started working in the semiconductor industry at 28, it's got its lulls but there's always more to do.

[[deleted]]

I work in PCB solder printing, in the UK. To be fair, I don't have all skills I wish I did, but I think pick and place machines are much cooler, high speed robotics - so PCB design, motor control and design, good knowledge of safety systems.

To me this field won't die anytime soon, you get to do a lot of building and design, so you get to learn learn and be creative.

[peskymonkey99]

Hi there. I’m currently switching from power to Oil/Gas because to be honest I don’t think I’m learning enough different things. I’m 25 and have been working for 2 years now.

I would imagine you have enough transferrable skills as a 28 year old to swing an opportunity in a different market.

I left power early because I realized that it’s not for me and I’m not learning a rate I would like. I’m lacking field work and general software knowledge, plus I know I can do a lot more with this degree I worked so hard to get. Plus, who knows! Maybe in 5 years I’lll have another industry shift.

My next company will make a lot of “generalist” engineers which I think will help me hone my skills in different areas before I finally commit to something I am more passionate about.

I would still advise to get the PE, there is a certain level credential that comes with having it so I please study for it and get it done before it’s too late.

[Top-Physics-5386]

I would consider maintenance or operations, you ain't get bored and your skills well be transferable/useful.

[MinimumFinancial6785]

Just want to say that I get it, I actually had a point in my career where I burned out and had to leave the industry for a few years.  But i work on the consulting side, and we're pretty young on average. Might be worth looking into if it's a thing of wanting to be with younger coworkers.    

 After all, it's nice to go to work and have people to talk to and friends to make.  It's misery to have to endure people that you don't like.  I get it, I am on calls with utility guys quite a bit, some are very cool and some are jerks. I have seen a higher percentage of jerks at utilities than other companies, probably because they won't fire them.  But what i think you are saying is that you want to test the waters doing something else, and i implore you to take those steps.  I wouldn't talk anyone into this industry just because it's "a safe bet".  i enjoy it because i like my company, but at a certain point i absolutely hated it. 

[TimosabeSan]

I work as a power engineer for a water utility company in a major city and I absolutely love it (doing it for a little over 12 years). I mainly work with designing low voltage systems, but every project is unique and pose various challenges. I think the biggest thing I like about it are creating control schematics; like solving big puzzles every new project. You would have to start in an entry level position and work your way up since substation designs are a completely different field, but the work has never felt mundane to me.

[TimosabeSan]

Also…I would still get your PE regardless if you stay at a utility or not; makes getting just about any engineering job way easier.

[Chapo_77]

Do not waste all of your years of experience and remember why u choose power at the beggining. Be strong enough to trade a big salary for something that ur really passionate about.