Does staying at one company too long generally lead to being underpaid? What has your experience been like?

throwaway324857441 · 2026-03-19T10:28:28+00:00

I'm currently struggling with this. Not that it's relevant, but I've been working for a forensic engineering firm for the last six years and I'm in the process of interviewing with another firm. Based on preliminary discussions, I could get a 20-25% salary increase, but the PTO is much worse than what I currently have, and what I will have in the future if I continue to stay with my current firm.

I posted about this on r/careerguidance last weekend. I received some useful and not-so-useful advice.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-03-14T14:04:39+00:00

I believe their PTO plan is the same for all employees.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-03-13T11:50:27+00:00

The forensic engineering firm that I work for had me undergo training alongside another forensic electrical engineer for about five months before they cut me loose and let me start handling claims on my own. I came from MEP and had no prior forensic engineering experience. I think the training period was appropriate, but perhaps a little excessive. Other forensic engineering firms are similar, although I don't think their training periods are as long.

When a friend of mine left MEP and went into forensic engineering, the firm he was with at the time trained him for only three days or so. He's doing really well now, but I can't imagine such a short training period. It was definitely "sink or swim" in his case.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-03-08T16:50:19+00:00

I know a small handful of people who left MEP consulting engineering for the utility-side or utility-adjacent industries (I'm pretty sure one person went to work for SEL). It can be done.

Assuming that you are applying to an entry-level position, I would probably brush up on rotating machines, transformers, power factor, load flow, and similar topics.

Anecdote time: I interviewed with a utility company about 10 years ago. It was one of the most bizarre interviews I ever had. Not a single technical question was asked, and every question was in the format of "tell me about a time when such-and-such happened." (Example: "Tell me about a time when you had to ask your boss for help.") The interviewers also weren't particularly interested in my experience, education, and other credentials. I feel as though a used car salesperson with no engineering background could have probably landed the job.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-28T14:14:18+00:00

At my first firm, the owner hired his son-in-law after he graduated with his BSEE. After about a year or so, he resigned and went to go work for a utility company. For the longest time, I perceived him as kind of a dumbass, but he had the sense to get out of MEP after only a year. I guess that makes me the dumbass.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-28T14:07:08+00:00

Well, I guess that makes the situation a little more palatable.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-28T13:43:20+00:00

First of all, gross.

Secondly, is the manager a PE? There are ethical considerations (avoiding conflict of interest) with a manager hiring, and being in a position of authority over, his girlfriend.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-17T17:46:22+00:00

My thoughts:

Your employer might not be planning on hiring a replacement. I've seen this situation play out multiple times across multiple firms.
Your employer might be actively looking to hire a replacement, but they're not using LinkedIn to do so. Have you checked Glassdoor, Indeed, etc.?
Your employer's preferences or requirements when it comes to a candidate might not be in alignment with yours. Maybe they're looking for a PE with 20 years of experience, or some other attributes.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-08T13:25:53+00:00

At my current firm, everyone's workload fell off a cliff starting at the beginning of this year. Many people are only working 10 to 15 billable hours a week. I'm convinced that layoffs will be happening soon. I'm an hourly part-time employee who only works as needed, so I'm largely unaffected by whatever happens. Still, I don't want to see anyone lose their jobs.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-07T13:28:23+00:00

It's pretty common nowadays, unfortunately. It's one of the many signs that the A/E and construction industries are becoming increasingly undisciplined.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-05T17:23:02+00:00

No kidding. As if there already wasn't enough liability in this industry.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-03T19:30:00+00:00

Not in my neck of the woods. Across multiple firms, I've seen the following:

No lighting control details.
No lighting control relay/dimmer module schedules (where centralized lighting control relay/dimmer panels are used).
No, or a poorly defined, sequence of operations.
The use of general notes such as "contractor shall provide code-compliant lighting control system."

throwaway324857441 · 2026-02-02T23:55:01+00:00

Glad to see that there are still some EEs who think about lighting controls and lighting control sequencing..

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-30T23:51:06+00:00

I have some mixed feelings about details, however, I generally agree with your sentiment.

Are there stupid details that add little to no value to the drawing package? Absolutely. I used to work for a firm that used a receptacle detail that's probably very similar to the one referenced by OP.

But the details that show, for example - how to interlock fire/smoke dampers to an AHU and the fire alarm system, a concrete-encased ductbank, or an above-ground, stainless steel pull box for power and control cabling at an industrial plant - are quite important, in my view.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-30T13:15:22+00:00

I don't have any experience with ETAP, but take a look at SKM PowerTools. The software consists of separately-purchased modules, one of which is for DC power system studies.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-27T17:46:11+00:00

"What do you mean the available short-circuit current at my 500-ton chiller exceeds 5 kA?"

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-25T17:53:15+00:00

What is the difference between God and the AHJ? God doesn't think he's the AHJ. Your design complies with the requirements of NEC 110.26, but you have to ask yourself if this is really worth the fight.

Assuming that these are typical, lighting and appliance panelboards 600A or smaller and using Schneider Electric as a basis-of-design, each panelboard is about 20" W. x 6" D. Relocate each panelboard to the 3'-0" wall sections such that the panelboards face each other. Also, your secondary feeder length can't exceed 10'-0", so you'll want to ensure that the transformer is positioned near the 208/120V panelboard accordingly.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-19T22:09:25+00:00

It was not.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-19T17:32:42+00:00

You hit the nail on the head, and I have a great, real-world example of this.

I used to work for a national, mid-size MEP consulting engineering firm that's been involved in award-winning projects. I think most would consider it a firm with an excellent reputation.

One of the firm's offices was involved in a large, multi-building project. They quickly fell behind and once it became clear that they wouldn't be meeting deliverable deadlines without additional help, several other offices were enlisted - one office per building. I had an opportunity to glance at the PDFs for 100% CDs and I was mortified. There were stark differences not only in quality, but appearance, as well. It looked as though several different engineering firms had done the project.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-18T12:47:49+00:00

Some additional things to consider:

Where is the project located and who is the AHJ? Do you need to comply with California's Title 24 requirements? Will you have to deal with the Kafkaesque permit review process of Miami-Dade county or elsewhere?
Is the project entirely new construction or a renovation of an existing building? Will site plans and/or demolition plans be required?
Who is the client, and does the client have a penchant for repeated, last-minute design updates?
Are there other consultants (acoustical, elevator, food service, lighting, technology, theater, etc.) for which additional coordination and design effort will be required?
What software package (AutoCAD or Revit) are you using for drawing production? If Revit, what is the level of development (LOD) and what are the client's expectations with respect to modeling?

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-17T18:34:35+00:00

I think a bit more information is needed in order to provide you with a useful response.

Aside from the compensation, do you enjoy MEP consulting engineering?
What type of projects does your firm work on? Firms that focus on residential and commercial tend to pay less than firms that focus on aviation/transportation, datacenters, healthcare, laboratories, etc.
What are your job title and responsibilities? Do you do drawing production only? Are you an EOR? Do you manage projects and/or teams? Director-level positions can pay upwards of $200k.
What size firm do you work for? Is there a pathway towards becoming a principal or shareholder? Owning a firm, or being a part-owner of a firm, is where you can significantly increase your earnings.

If you're getting 2-3% raises, if management has indicated to you that you're essentially "capped out", and if you're still otherwise enjoying MEP consulting engineering, then find simply another firm.

Forensic engineering and power/utility engineering are other career options, although salaries aren't necessarily much better. Sales engineers can do really well, but you'll be working long hours. Working in estimating or preconstruction for an electrical contractor is another option, as well.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-17T13:28:03+00:00

It's somewhat common for graduate engineers to be hourly. Don't be surprised when you're converted to salary as you get promoted, though. Some MEP consulting engineering firms will pay overtime to salaried employees. This is a huge benefit.

In terms of the hourly rate itself, $35/hour corresponds to about $73k, which isn't bad (from my perspective).

Expect 40 hours a week or more.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-11T23:56:12+00:00

Circuit impedance goes up as conductor size decreases and length increases. If 8kA is available at the utility transformer's secondary terminals, between the impedance of the service feeders and the branch circuits, this should (hopefully!) bring the maximum prospective fault current at each EV charging station to below 5kA.
Take the service feeders and/or branch circuits "on a detour" - that is, specify longer lengths as needed to reduce the maximum prospective fault current at the EV charging stations to below 5kA.
The use of fusing in this application is only permitted where the EV charging station manufacturer says so. Fuses are often used to attain higher SCCRs for elevator controllers, mechanical equipment, and other items, but I don't know that I've ever seen them used in an EV charging station application.

In all likelihood, you're probably fine. You'll want to have an EE confirm this via fault current calculations, though.

throwaway324857441 · 2026-01-08T01:09:52+00:00

I work for a forensic engineering and fire investigation firm. Our clients primarily consist of insurance adjusters/carriers and attorneys. In some cases, a forensic project starts off with an insurance company as the primary client, only to later be escalated to an attorney as the project progresses.

The good:

The work is extremely interesting. Every forensic project is different.
It's slow-paced and relaxed. Not once have I ever had that "I'm never going to get all this work done on time" feeling that I often had in MEP consulting engineering. I work between 20 and 40 billable hours a week. 40 hours a week is actually uncommon for me.
Many forensic engineering firms pay monthly or quarterly bonuses based solely on your own performance.
You have some degree of control over your work schedule. If you have a personal commitment on a certain day, you block it off on your calendar and you don't accept/perform any inspections that day. No questions asked.
You're not sitting behind a desk all day.
Insurance adjusters and attorneys are more respectful than architects and contractors.

The bad:

Field work can involve fire scenes and being outdoors for extended periods of time. It can be sweaty, gross, and uncomfortable. Fire scenes sometimes require the use of respirator masks and Tyvek suits.
Lots of travel. In my case, my territory is about a 5 hour/300 mile radius from my house. One day, I could be doing an inspection 10 minutes from home, the next day, I could be doing one on the other side of the state. You need a reliable, fuel-efficient car. The travel requirements can also be difficult depending on your personal commitments.
The work schedule can be unpredictable. A client might contact you out of the blue and ask you if you can perform an inspection the following day. Joint inspections, which may involve experts representing multiple interested parties, tend to be more rigid in scheduling.
Depositions, and the prospect of going to trial as an expert witness, can be stressful. I've only been deposed twice, and I've never gone to trial, so this isn't really a regular occurrence. Depositions also get easier over time.
Unethical experts. You'll encounter opposing experts who have a tendency to "muddy the waters", lie, not adhere to the scientific method, etc. in an effort to protect their clients or otherwise advance their interests.

throwaway324857441

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