is this a good opportunity?
is this a good opportunity?
(OP)
Hi,
I have a career decision to make. I have an option to work for a twenty something employee electrical engineering outfit that's not in a major engineering city (but is in a very nice city), and whose specialty is doing high voltage (up to 287 kv) transmission line design and substation design to connect industrial electrical customers to the grid. It also does some studies, but I think this is a minor part of its work.
My background is in engineering physics , and although I have some experience in controls and instrumentation, I don't have much in power distribution, hence my uncertainty about how to evaluate this. My other option is to work for a large EPCM specializing in niche subjects in the oil industry.
Advice? Is this engineering type work or technologist type work? Some of the projects the company has done are listed below.
200 MVA step up substation, design and control. Liaison with utility for 115kV connections.
Changed out the 13.2 kV switchgear for connection to new generator. Upgraded existing 15 Mega Watt generator protections.
69kV Substation.
230kV Substation & 69kV Transmission Line.
115kV Substation.
I have a career decision to make. I have an option to work for a twenty something employee electrical engineering outfit that's not in a major engineering city (but is in a very nice city), and whose specialty is doing high voltage (up to 287 kv) transmission line design and substation design to connect industrial electrical customers to the grid. It also does some studies, but I think this is a minor part of its work.
My background is in engineering physics , and although I have some experience in controls and instrumentation, I don't have much in power distribution, hence my uncertainty about how to evaluate this. My other option is to work for a large EPCM specializing in niche subjects in the oil industry.
Advice? Is this engineering type work or technologist type work? Some of the projects the company has done are listed below.
200 MVA step up substation, design and control. Liaison with utility for 115kV connections.
Changed out the 13.2 kV switchgear for connection to new generator. Upgraded existing 15 Mega Watt generator protections.
69kV Substation.
230kV Substation & 69kV Transmission Line.
115kV Substation.






RE: is this a good opportunity?
On the other hand I think this type of substation/transmission design work is likely highly commoditized and regulated, an thus less interesting.
RE: is this a good opportunity?
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: is this a good opportunity?
B) I think there is hardly anything routine about HV work, but I agree it is highly regulated. I know one PE who made a transition from industrial control systems to that line of work and said he was bored, but I never thought much of him as an EE. Another ex coworker PE friend left a company that made solid state controllers as theor chief design engineer to work for a utility doing HV transmission work, he thinks he died and is in heaven! As he sees it, every day presents a new challenge. The point is, to each his own.
I think your assessment about the scarcity of people in that line of work is correct, if I had it to do over again I would go that route.
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