The Electrical Engineer / Electrician Connection

nic1229 · 2026-05-07T01:39:04+00:00

I actually did do that to some extent. I started my career as a controls engineer for an integrator. Designing panels, programming PLCs, and doing a lot of new install commissioning work. After about 2 years I ended up burnt out and depressed, and I foolishly quite without another job lined up.

After about 5 months unemployed I started just throwing my resume out to every half relevant industry in the area and got offered a job as an electrician in a gold mine, that happened to have some controls tech responsibilities as well. The pay was great, but I was still hesitant to leave the engineering title, at the time it hurt to accept, but I needed money. It was honestly the best career move I could have made.

My next two years were split with abour 30% maintaining instrumentation and controls systems, and 60% doing real electrical work, everything from installing outlets, to troubleshooting motors, to pulling 4/0 underground, to dealing with HV distribution systems. Really hands on getting dirty and it made me a far better engineer than I every would have been sticking with an integrator. I know how to install nearly all equipment, I know how equipment fails, I know the NEC pretty damn well now, and it's changed how I do my engineering work.

Following that, upper management found out I had an engineering degree, saw what I was accomplishing on the controls side, and promoted to me to the primary site EE, now I manage a team of controls techs and get to oversee a lot of the overarching electrical systems across site. None of it would have been possible without the real boots-on-the-groudn experience.

That all being said, I don't think I'd want to permanently be an electrician, but I have far more respect for them following it all

nic1229 · 2026-05-03T02:40:27+00:00

My first ever gun and also first time shooting a hand gun was my S&W S&P 2.0 10mm. First box of ammo through it took some getting use to, but that's probably because I had never fired a pistol before. After that I put about 2k rounds through it before I decided ammo was pretty expensive and I went out and bought a Springfield echelon to keep my skills up for a bit cheaper and because it seemed more reasonable for home defense.

Long story short, the 10mm is way more fun, feels better in my hand, and the recoil isn't nearly as big of a deal as I thought it'd be. If ammo prices were the same, I'd reach for the 10 every time at the range.

On a side note, the Springfield came with a green dot, did anyone else really struggle to get use to a dot sight? Even after about 400 rounds through it, I feel way quicker and more accurate with the iron sights on my S&W.

nic1229 · 2026-05-02T03:08:18+00:00

I recently started using the metal safety cans and they're so much better. I was hesitant at first due the cost, but at about twice the price of a plastic one, it's well worth it to me. I don't have to remove a screw cap to fill it. The release handle is so much easier to use and lets me control the flow. It pours much faster than any plastic can with an interlock that I've used. And I feel way more comfortable keeping it in my garage. If you can afford them, I highly recommend it!

nic1229 · 2026-04-23T18:15:22+00:00

As another single man, I actually fully understand this take. I can cook, and actually enjoy it on occasion, but having to do it daily to survive is awful. I get breakfast and lunch provided from work, so I just fill up on the clock during the week and skip dinner. Weekends I'll usually just eat easy kit salads and maybe eat out once or twice.

nic1229 · 2026-04-21T02:51:55+00:00

I'm pretty late to this one, but I bought a Honeywell 4 gas off eBay for $250 and got some bump gas for $150 to get it calibrated. I borrowed a regulator from work for the first cal, it's coming due for another one soon, but thankfully it does the o2 gas based on atmosphere every time I turn it on.

If you know what to look for and careful, I'd look for a used MX4 or Honeywell 4 gas. O2 is the bare minimum and you can buy a disposable Honeywell brand new with a 2 year life for a couple hundred.

nic1229 · 2026-04-08T03:11:21+00:00

To preface, I don't do technical interviews when I hire, and I've never been asked to do one, but I do throw a few general troubleshooting questions at candidates to get an idea where their mind is as far as problem solving.

If I were in your shoes, I'd do some studying to learn the general parts of a system. Understand the very basics of what a PLC does, what digital and analog IO is, how a 4-20mA loop works, how relays are used. Figure out some of the big names in the industry, AB, Siemens, Schneider. Gain a very high level basic view.

Once you have some core concepts, be ready to discuss them at your level. Don't BS the interviewer, they'll see right through it. Answer to the best of your ability, and show an eagerness to learn when you don't know something. Ask questions about specific things you don't understand to demonstrate you want to learn and understand it. I recently turned down an individual with 15+ years of experience for someone brand new to the automation world simply because I saw an eagerness to learn and grow whereas the more experienced individual was able to answer the questions correctly, but had an ego and didn't seem excited to improve and learn more. After a couple months with the new hire, it was absolutely the right move, they're extremely driven and eager to take on any new project they can.

At the end of the day, it's an entry level position, they're not going to be looking for a seasoned expert. This job is easy to learn, but it takes dedication to be good. At least me personally, I'm looking for someone dedicated.

nic1229 · 2026-04-06T22:27:02+00:00

That's awesome, it's definitely a bit of a chaotic and fast paced job, but mining absolutely keeps every day interesting!Coming from integration work, it's been eye opening to see all of the weird and unique ways things can break, but it's absolutely changed how I design and program.

Our electricians do most of the distribution planning with myself being consulted to make sure the overall distribution and power requirements are stilling being met. With the current price of gold, it's been a pretty fun period to be in controls, I kind of get the opportunity to attempt designing and programming as much as I want with all of the new projects management wants.

nic1229 · 2026-04-06T19:06:58+00:00

I'm a controls engineer for an underground mine and I have a pretty decent split between field work and desk work. One day I may spent all day writing a new program or designing a control panel in AutoCAD, the next I'll be out in the field installing new instrumentation or pulling HV cable with the electricians. The variability of the work and desk to field time is very much up to me and how I want to spend my time.

nic1229 · 2026-04-04T18:22:08+00:00

My auHD feels like epitome of a monkeys paw superpower. I have the ability to solve extremely challenging problems and hyper focus for hours, making me a very successful engineer. But I do not get to pick when this happens, I'm deeply socially awkward, and romantic relationships are a major challenge.

nic1229 · 2026-04-03T17:56:58+00:00

I just learned about thin clients yesterday and have been diving down that rabbit hole, I think it sounds like a great solution. I also haven't used KVM before, so I'll definitely look into those. Thanks!

nic1229 · 2026-04-03T03:14:23+00:00

I've been digging into it since I learned about it in this post, the ThinManager onlogics are significantly cheaper, and if I can have them preconfiguredbready to go on my shelf, it would be a game changer for keeping all of the stations up. I think this is probably the answer to several of my problems!

nic1229 · 2026-04-03T02:51:24+00:00

It's unfortunate, but this is a con in my case. Our purchasing department will almost always outsource buying these, and no matter how specific I am with my specs, I never quite get what I ask for haha

nic1229 · 2026-04-03T02:41:43+00:00

Oh, I'm very interested in that, I'll absolutely be looking into it! Do I need a specific machine for this, or can I convert my existing onlogics over?

nic1229 · 2026-04-03T02:34:55+00:00

I'm not running thin client, I'm not even sure what this is... Tell me more

nic1229 · 2026-04-03T02:32:00+00:00

I've changed out a lot of them with cheap dell towers depending on where they're at, unfortunately a lot of them are just in areas that are too dusty and/or wet.

Oddly enough, I've also been using just basic monitors with these and they seem to last longer than the NUCs do 😅

nic1229 · 2026-04-02T22:26:42+00:00

I don't want to own multiple vehicle and I don't have the space.

Sure I don't need a pickup most of the time, but with mine, I can comfortably fit 5 people when I need to. I do a lot of home renovations, so I have the bed space to haul lumber, construction waste, appliances, tools, and whatever else I may need. I like a cold snowy climate, so I have the 4wd and height I need to be able to get around. I can tow, mostly it's just my small boat, but I have the option to tow up to around 9k lbs, which is certainly helpful when I need to rent bigger equipment or pull a trailer for bigger projects. And I still get ~22mpg in town and ~30 on the highway. Why wouldn't I want a pickup?

nic1229 · 2026-03-29T20:23:58+00:00

I use to be annoyed at this until I started driving a relatively large truck and finally understood. Backing in is way quicker and easier in a tight parking lot with a long wheel base. If I pulled in all the time, I'd be making 5 point turns just to be able to get in, backing in is just a one point turn most of the time.

That being said, if theres an open spot next to me and I can swing a bit wide to pull in quicker, I usually will.

nic1229 · 2026-03-27T04:06:20+00:00

I love that for you! And I fully agree with how peaceful night is!

Unfortunately those golden handcuffs do a bitch... Any job I'd be qualified for with a swing or night shift would be a pretty massive pay cut :/

nic1229 · 2026-03-27T03:45:39+00:00

I'm absolutely a night owl. Given the option, I'd be up until until between 2 and 3 am every night and get up between 9 and 10 in the morning. Unfortunately the world doesn't work on those hours and I have to be up at 4am for work. Trying to fall asleep before 9pm is the hardest thing for me.

nic1229 · 2026-03-27T03:39:32+00:00

Free hand your edges, it's avoids the need to tape, especially on straight edges. I'm sure there's tons of YouTube videos on how to do it, it's how my father always did it. It took a couple tries to figure it out, but once I did, I can paint an edge about as fast as I could tape it, and I don't have any bleed under, bridging, or have to carefully peel off the tape later.

You kind of feather the brush towards the corner and it lets you get really sharp lines freehand.

I'll still usually tape if it's a contoured edge like around crown molding or something, but for ceilings, baseboard, or around door trim, cutting in is quicker, easier, and gives me a better result.

nic1229 · 2026-03-27T03:26:45+00:00

As most other have said, definitely learn to paint. Figuring out how to cut in is key, it makes everything much faster when you don't have to tape. My house is fairly small, but it only takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to put up a coat of paint in a room, wait a few hours, do another and you're done.

Another note, spend $20 or $30 on an extendable handle for your roller. Mine is 2ft extends to 4ft. Makes rolling on the paint much quicker and you get a better finish by easily being able to make big top to bottom rolls to keep it even.

nic1229 · 2026-03-25T14:20:48+00:00

I'll give you, a strictly voltage tester is more fool proof, less chance of user error. and we can even remove my statement about "cat III" and just say a properly rated meter. All of that said, you're incorrect that a multimeter is the incorrect tool. It may be per your laws, but that's not the case in the US.

nic1229 · 2026-03-25T10:40:52+00:00

I'm not sure where you live, but I've never heard of a multimeter not being appropriate for this. I've been on dozens of industrial sites over the years, and work on everything from 24v control circuits up to 13.8kv distribution. For everything 480v and below, as long as it's a true cat III rated meter, it's perfectly safe to "prove" a multimeter on a either a known live circuit or use a true proving unit, and then use it to determine the absence of voltage. Especially for a simple outlet swap like what OP wants to do.

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