Recession Raise/Bonus

[Flyer_PE]

To be fair, the plant hours vary from site to site. If the plant is well managed, it's not so bad. Problem was, we weren't all that well managed as evidenced by all the 'help' we had from the NRC the last couple of years I was there.

 

[rppearso]

I hear some talk of power plant engineering, I am slowing starting additional classes towards a EE, how is working for a power plant utility. It seems utilities engineering is easier to find jobs in these days but you have to have the right degree for it.

 

[Chucktown PE]

I hear some talk of power plant engineering, I am slowing starting additional classes towards a EE, how is working for a power plant utility. It seems utilities engineering is easier to find jobs in these days but you have to have the right degree for it.

It's awesome. I make $14 billion dollars a year doing it.

 

[FLBuff PE]

I hear some talk of power plant engineering. I am slowly starting additional classes towards an EE degree; how is working for a power plant utility? It seems that in utilities engineering it is easier to find jobs in these days but you have to have the right degree for it.

Corrected.

 

[Flyer_PE]

Working in power plants is the same as anywhere else. You get paid for what you bring to the table. You won't make a ton of money without first paying your dues.

 

[FLBuff PE]

Working in power plants is the same as anywhere else. You get paid for what you bring to the table. You won't make a ton of money without first paying your dues.

How much are the dues? Does one require a seed money job to pay said dues?

 

[Dexman PE]

Working in power plants is the same as anywhere else. You get paid for what you bring to the table. You won't make a ton of money without first paying your dues.

How much are the dues? Does one require a seed money job to pay said dues?

Some dues can be paid while wearing knee-pads...

 

[Flyer_PE]

^For me, it was doing a whole bunch of what we called 'slug-work'. I've spent more than just an hour or two hauling hoses and routing test leads around the primary containment vessel. Lot of hot, sweaty work wearing anti-contamination coveralls and hoping like hell my shorts didn't get confiscated at the radiation monitor on the way back to the dress-out area. It was a real fast education on exactly how things work/happen at a power plant though.

 

[rppearso]

^For me, it was doing a whole bunch of what we called 'slug-work'. I've spent more than just an hour or two hauling hoses and routing test leads around the primary containment vessel. Lot of hot, sweaty work wearing anti-contamination coveralls and hoping like hell my shorts didn't get confiscated at the radiation monitor on the way back to the dress-out area. It was a real fast education on exactly how things work/happen at a power plant though.

That sounds like non engineering work, was this like a college summer job, you certianly were not doing this as a PE or experienced person.

 

[FLBuff PE]

That sounds like non-engineering work. Was this like a college summer job? You certianly were not doing this as a PE or an experienced person.

Corrected.

 

[Flyer_PE]

That's what entry level engineers used to do at power plants. You get assigned jobs that force you to go out there and get dirty as hell. In the mid 90s, factoring in OT, I was grossing a little over 100k in years with both a Spring and Fall refuel outage. You work enough consecutive 12-hour days and you can put a little in the bank. Life was pretty much work-sleep-repeat but the money was good.

 

[mrt406]

I hear some talk of power plant engineering, I am slowing starting additional classes towards a EE, how is working for a power plant utility. It seems utilities engineering is easier to find jobs in these days but you have to have the right degree for it.

It's awesome. I make $14 billion dollars a year doing it.

That's it? Man... you should really jump to another position for a fatty 250% raise.

 

[Dark Knight]

^For me, it was doing a whole bunch of what we called 'slug-work'. I've spent more than just an hour or two hauling hoses and routing test leads around the primary containment vessel. Lot of hot, sweaty work wearing anti-contamination coveralls and hoping like hell my shorts didn't get confiscated at the radiation monitor on the way back to the dress-out area. It was a real fast education on exactly how things work/happen at a power plant though.

As a PE I was doing a lot of that, without the anti-contamination coveralls, but you know how is the life of a RTE. It was the best experience of my life. Grew a lot as a professional and as an engineer. I would love to go and do it again but I do not have the same energy I used to have.

 

[Dexman PE]

I prefer field work. I'm actually looking forward to managing a bridge replacement project which is supposed to kick-off early next month. It's surprising how much you learn as an engineer from the field instead of alway sitting in front of your computer working in CAD.

 

[FLBuff PE]

I prefer field work. I'm actually looking forward to managing a bridge replacement project which is supposed to kick-off early next month. It's surprising how much you learn as an engineer from the field instead of alway sitting in front of your computer working in CAD.

That's one of the reasons that I'm happy about not being in land development anymore. All I did was CAD work all day, every day. As a geotech/environmental engineer, I get out in the field a lot.

 

[rppearso]

That's what entry level engineers used to do at power plants. You get assigned jobs that force you to go out there and get dirty as hell. In the mid 90s, factoring in OT, I was grossing a little over 100k in years with both a Spring and Fall refuel outage. You work enough consecutive 12-hour days and you can put a little in the bank. Life was pretty much work-sleep-repeat but the money was good.

Working that much OT for only 100k is not really that much money (maybe it was better money in the very early 90's), now if that was your base 40 hr pay and you raked in over 200k in OT then we would be talking (like mechanical designers make on big projects with all there 1.5 OT 60-80 hrs a week), otherwise I would just take the 40 hr office job and take the 20k pay cut. I generally dislike any sort of field work and have never worked in the field, I was hoping utilities work had office based engineering work as well.

 

[Dleg]

You should maybe look into investment banking or software programming or something. Engineers design, troubleshoot, and service things that are actually used in real life. Whether it's a power generation system, a highway, a treatment plant, or an oil rig. If you don't enjoy the process of paying your dues doing long hours and field work, that's one thing. But you will never get any respect if you don't do it. I personally would not hire or work with an engineer who had no field experience, or was unwilling to do it. That kind of person would make a lousy engineer, in my opinion.

Which is why I say you should look for a job that has absolutely nothing to do with being outside an office. Like, for instance, certain kinds of software engineering, investment banking, full-time student, uh..... I really can't think of many others.

Work is called "work" because it's not easy, and it usually involves producing something useful for the community you live in or society at large. This means you will need to get away from the desk and into "reality" once in a while. I've held back from commenting on your posts in the past, but you really do seem as clueless about Life as everyone bashes you for.

 

[Flyer_PE]

Working that much OT for only 100k is not really that much money (maybe it was better money in the very early 90's), now if that was your base 40 hr pay and you raked in over 200k in OT then we would be talking (like mechanical designers make on big projects with all there 1.5 OT 60-80 hrs a week), otherwise I would just take the 40 hr office job and take the 20k pay cut. I generally dislike any sort of field work and have never worked in the field, I was hoping utilities work had office based engineering work as well.

You seem to think there's an easy path to your idea of a "fatty" pay-check. I hope you're prepared to be very disappointed. You're a still wet behind the ears, snot nosed, whiny little brat that hasn't the first clue of which he speaks.

 

[Road Guy]

Success comes before work, only in the dictionary...

 

[Santiagj]

That's what entry level engineers used to do at power plants. You get assigned jobs that force you to go out there and get dirty as hell. In the mid 90s, factoring in OT, I was grossing a little over 100k in years with both a Spring and Fall refuel outage. You work enough consecutive 12-hour days and you can put a little in the bank. Life was pretty much work-sleep-repeat but the money was good.

Working that much OT for only 100k is not really that much money (maybe it was better money in the very early 90's), now if that was your base 40 hr pay and you raked in over 200k in OT then we would be talking (like mechanical designers make on big projects with all there 1.5 OT 60-80 hrs a week), otherwise I would just take the 40 hr office job and take the 20k pay cut. I generally dislike any sort of field work and have never worked in the field, I was hoping utilities work had office based engineering work as well.

Utilities do have office based engineering. What most people are describing is power generation work. I work on the distribution side which is regulated in the state I work in. However, I do have to go out into the field but not as much as others are describing. I work in substation engineering doing structural and geotech work. The amount of time I spend in the field depends on on a lot of things. If I did a good job designing/engineering then I won't have that many field visits and also smaller substations are usually built with less hickups. For example I tend to do few field visits for our standard distribution 34-13kv substations but alot more for anything 115kV and above. We do not have 69kV in case anyone is wondering. So I would say on average I go out in the field 1-2 times a week or 10% of my time. The pay is good and so is the atmosphere and the work life balance (in most instances). The only thing that I dislike is the storm duty. I am on call 2 weeks out of a 9 week rotation period. If a storm hits the system and cause a lot of outages then the storm crew is mobilized. My storm assignment is a patroller. To sum it up I look for downed wires and assess storm damage. It is not engineering work and I get paid a flat rate for anything above 40 hrs which is less then what I make an hour. That is the only instance in which I can make OT since I am a salaried employee. When a storm hits its all hands on deck. Yes I do hate working storm but its a necessary evil.

Everyone has to pay their dues. Also going out into the field is part of engineering. You have to be able to build a raport with the crews where they respect you and trust you. Their lives are in your hands. If you do not have that respect you will not go far. Utilities are all about teamwork and having the Utility mindset. Its tough to even get an interview. I know first hand that after interviews hiring managers and HR ask themselves "Will this person fit in?" You do get paid well but the people who they look for are not motivated solely by money.