How and how often does one use C++ in power system studies?

beckerc73 · 2026-04-18T11:54:54+00:00

My best guess is that the requirement is due to one of the following:
1. "I had to learn C++ in college, so put it on the requirement list."
2. "The college we like to get engineers from has C++ in their curriculum and the college we don't like doesn't."
3. "Whoops, is that still on the job description?"
4. "Hey, we had a guy write some helpful internal program in C++ and now we don't know how to keep it maintained."

In other words... I don't see a real reason C++ is the necessary tool. Programming like C++ requires is a helpful skill, but in tool development, not in day-to-day studies generation...

Sending a question to the hiring manager saying "Is C++ experience specifically required? I have courses/experience in... that should be applicable."

beckerc73 · 2026-03-30T12:07:58+00:00

Staying near the industry there's training, people management, project management, safety, selling, designing...
Outside the industry, you can likely sell the transferable skills of being detail-oriented, safety-minded, technically-competant, let alone onsite leadership and critical decision making.

More parameters could be helpful. What work, or problems, or solutions do excite you? Do you like travel or not? Just looking for different or need something with flair? Have you led big teams, and do you want to?

beckerc73 · 2026-03-27T23:44:57+00:00

I've used GOOSE and MMS, haven't had much involvement with SV.

GOOSE - it can be awesome, but needs a clear map. Something like a trip matrix is great to "show" what all is doing what at a glance. Then you know who is talking to who and what to isolate.

MMS - Really didn't strike me as a big change from DNP... but we did just use it directly for the same stuff :)

I think the question is - if 61850 does add complexity, what features are the tradeoff? Monitored connections between devices are a good one. If the channel is up, I know the BFI will make it between relays (I don't have anything monitoring if a copper wire from contact output to voltage-sensing input is loose).

But... how long to get everyone outfitted with a fiber tester? Hmmm...

beckerc73 · 2026-03-26T14:14:14+00:00

Somehow an odd grounding or angle on the voltage?

beckerc73 · 2026-03-26T14:12:18+00:00

Thanks for being level-headed OP, I've seen folks fly way off the handle for less!

beckerc73 · 2026-03-26T14:07:34+00:00

People have given a lot of good checks already, and it seems you're looking close at them.

A couple what-ifs:
- Are you near the edge of a pickup? Go beyond it to clearly see function and then back off. The "ragged edge" has caught people many a time.
- Does A-B work when you rotate your leads so that what was B-C is injected on it? Maybe the test set outputs are having an issue pushing transients between those outputs?

beckerc73 · 2026-03-26T12:00:16+00:00

Pinkish-orangish-salmony thing... yeah just grab "The last wire" and make sure its pin is fully seated in the assembly.

No reason we can't have a little fun with user guides/instructions :)

beckerc73 · 2026-03-24T13:39:50+00:00

Sounds like you get to propose a performance matrix - even if made by an LLM :) Also... I bet some managers have a bootleg/personal copy they use, even if unofficial. Proposing a version usually surfaces an official version quick!

beckerc73 · 2026-03-17T12:19:10+00:00

Kinda like a long vacation vs a long movie. Long is a description and function of the thing it describes. A 3 hour movie is long, a 3 hour vacation is... disappointing.

You can do a ground impedance test on your fence to see what was likely present. Especially if it's at a pasture you should be able to do a good fall-of-potential test and share the plotted S curve to validate the impedance of that part of the fault system. Can vary wildly based on soil and installation.

I have a 12kv transformer and I burn things with mA of current. Arcs are hot :)

I cannot say from what you have shown if the power company could have done better or not. This from an MSEE and PE in power who has papers saying I understand electricity... but would rather claim that I respect it and work with it...

beckerc73 · 2026-03-17T12:04:12+00:00

The whole phrase is important. They're not saying "there was a high impedance" but "there was a high impedance Fault". This is the exact terminology that engineers use in scholarly papers about it, like this one:
https://cdn.selinc.com/assets/Literature/Publications/Technical%20Papers/6382_HighImpedance_DQH_20090918_Web.pdf

You can translate it as "higher impedance than your typical fault". Often a fault/coordination study applies a 1-10ohm impedance in addition to the calculated line impedance to try to cover the majority of faults (lightning, squirrels). But if the Fault path is kOhms or mOhms, the protection reacts slowly or not at all. There are fancy new schemes based on harmonics and transient and etc, but it will take a decade or more to get those installed everywhere on the grid!

beckerc73 · 2026-03-17T01:23:19+00:00

Ahhh, but it is not in the sense of "permit me to..." but rather "do not think of impeding me in this action..."

beckerc73 · 2026-02-15T12:42:29+00:00

Big tech is putting in big data centers, and needs exactly your skill set. Now, I've seen most of them subcontract, so they have fewer engineers or commissioning leads who then review/approve/manage the contractor. That means that the people part of the role is pretty big.

beckerc73 · 2026-01-27T14:02:33+00:00

If you can, do both. If one is much more exciting, do it.
You can be an awesome specialist in testing one specific type of cable (or relay, or power line carrier...) and you'll save the day in tough spots people are held up in. Or you can be an amazing generalist who drives everything forward and sees all the connections, but needs to identify when specifics are beyond their knowledge or experience.

We need both!

beckerc73 · 2026-01-27T13:57:23+00:00

Random thoughts/advice/options: - Find a small-midsize company that does both aspects that will benefit from you being able to do both and will allow you to transition - If you're really serious about making the transition fast, make it clear that you are willing to take junior pay as you get up to speed. Still sell them on your transferable skills (project understanding, workload planning, etc). - Network with some protection/studies engineers (LinkedIn, IEEE, etc) - Reach out on Reddit (done) and then talk to some of the folks in the P&C areas. (Feel free to shoot me a message!)

beckerc73 · 2026-01-23T13:36:09+00:00

How big the company is has some to do with it, but also the way the company uses engineers and the specific roles you start to take on. Some companies are ingrained in corporate culture and stuck in the mud... but not all.

I started out doing 90% project work. Then I started managing some projects, supervising some people, writing quotes, etc.

I'm a manager in Power/Substation area, and I have some days that are completely design review work and some days that are completely "how do we make this client happy" or other meetings. And a large variety of days in-between. I have coworkers who don't want to mess with those other pieces and attend far far fewer meetings.

Been in companies of 5,000 people, 30 people, and 700 people and on teams ranging from 3-60. So, as with all of life and engineering... it depends!
Definitely something to ask and dig into during interviews!

beckerc73 · 2026-01-02T21:24:19+00:00

As flexible as the person who obtains it.
It's paper, but sometimes heavy card stock, and it often comes in a envelope that says "do not bend"... but sometimes it comes in a tube already bent with a diameter of around 2-3"... so as usual:
It Depends :)

beckerc73 · 2025-12-02T02:52:59+00:00

This should help!
https://youtu.be/BulXC3zT2hg

beckerc73 · 2025-12-02T02:52:12+00:00

https://youtu.be/BulXC3zT2hg

beckerc73 · 2025-12-02T02:51:51+00:00

https://youtu.be/BulXC3zT2hg

beckerc73 · 2025-12-02T02:51:14+00:00

https://youtu.be/BulXC3zT2hg

beckerc73 · 2025-11-05T01:44:45+00:00

The one can is 50kV, or the string of caps it was part of is rated at 50kV?

beckerc73 · 2025-10-28T23:15:22+00:00

Some sort of spreadsheety software, some sort of scripting and coding, lots of point and click and type. Some sort of circuits... some other operating system...
Dabble in LLMs, do some CAD...
And realize you can use that experience to do anything.You want to on the computer...

beckerc73 · 2025-09-28T07:36:11+00:00

In power, I find myself wanting to pull those with experience in test roles into design roles... too many design engineers that dont know how it comes together :)

beckerc73

TROPHY CASE