is this a good opportunity?

[mrmojo]

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.

 

[mrmojo]

Oh, I should say that one of the reasons that I am attracted to this opportunity vs a more niche subject is that there is more of a market for engineers with experience doing this type of work, and the demand is probably more widespread than demand for something like pipeline hydraulics.

On the other hand I think this type of substation/transmission design work is likely highly commoditized and regulated, an thus less interesting.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Please select one of your duplicate messages, Red Flag it, and ask that it be removed.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[jraef]

A) I'm a bit surprised you are being offered the position with mo experience or direct training in that field, it's highly specialized and typically requires a PE license (assuming US here). But if they made you an offer, more power to you

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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