Working for MEP firm?

[jnam82]

Hello everyone,

I'm doing a little career research and was wondering that it's like to work for a MEP or AE firm? I know this is pretty broad question but I just wanted to get the ball rolling as my internet connection is limited (i'm using library account because I recently moved for new job).

I'll check back on this thread everyday to ask more specific questions. Thank you for your responses and insight.

 

[PEDARRIN2]

It depends on the type of clients the firm has.

It depends on the number of employees - and also how many disciplines are under one roof (is it just MEP or are there also civil, structural, architectural)?

It depends on the structure of the firm (do they have discipline specific teams who farm out the individuals or are the teams multidiscipline so you work with the same people on all the projects)?

The list could go on. I have worked for three different MEP firms in the last 8 years and they ranged the whole spectrum. I like the one I am with now the best, though.

 

[jnam82]

what sets your current firm from the others?

is it good to have multidiscipline team?

are you mechanical?

My co-worker who used to work at one of the consulting firms said it was basically a sweatshop. Is this true for many of the engineering firms?

 

[PEDARRIN2]

I like it because it is large which means that when there is something I am unfamiliar with, there is typically somebody who has dealt with it before. They do a lot of mentoring so that is a plus.

I think it is good to have a multidiscipline team because you get used to working with the same people. Now that can have a disadvantage also if the personalities don't work well together.

I am considered mechanical.

MEP firms can be a sweat shop. You can work a lot of hours and not get paid very well. I think it can be due to the size and the mismanagement/bad forecasting of future workload. I know of a couple of those. My firm has its times where there is a lot of work to do and some complain that the pay is low. I don't think so.

Working for a larger company allows for flexibility of workload. When one team is light, they can help other teams. When one team is busy, they can farm work out to other teams.

 

[jnam82]

Can you describe what mentoring is like? How closely/often do you work with your mentor? What do they teach/guide you and what issues do you go to them for help on?

I majored in ME as well. What are your responsibilities? I imagine some of them are heating/cooling loading calculations, and duct sizing.

What tools/softwares do you use?

How many hours do you typically work in a week and what is the salary like (if you don't mind disclosing that information) for entry/mid/and late positions?

This probably depends on the personality of the individual but which path do you think is better? (salary/career satisfaction wise) Techical or management? Which path did you choose and why?

 

[PEDARRIN2]

Mentoring is when a more experienced engineer/designer looks over your shoulder and helps you to use your education to gain experience. He helps you with layout and thinking in 3d. He helps you to manage your time, balance multiple projects. He periodically reviews your work and generally looks over your shoulder.

I do the plumbing/fire suppression part of the MEP so I don't get into the duct and heating/cooling. But I do size equipment and piping and lay out the systems and piping.

There are not a whole lot of software for the plumbing side. I use some vendor made sizing programs, but I also do my own calcs to verify their results.

I generally work about 45 hours a week unless there are deadlines or things like that. I have worked up to about 70 hours in a week, which includes some weekend time. I have also worked evenings because of software issues. The salary for engineers is roughly $20-$29 per hour, which I have been told is low, but my company gives a yearly profit sharing which would equate to about $1-$2 per hour more.

I personally like/chose the technical side. It is personality. I could not deal with having to be responsible for managing all those personalities, squables, etc. Also I would not be a good "salesman" of the company's services. The technical side limits you a bit on salary, but the responsibility is less. You are only responsible for your design, not the whole thing.

 

[SAK9]

As already pointed out,most MEP firms are sweatshops.A few reasons could be:

construction industry lacks the discpline of other industries

MEP firms work on a fixed fee.

Due to the indiscipline of the industry most projects are handled inefficiently.

I would suggest you stay away from traditional MEP firms for the above reasons.EPC firms(engineering,procurement and construction) like Bechtel,Jacobs,KBR,CH2MHill,Parsons work on an hourly reimbursable basis (ie the more work they do the more they get paid).They work mostly in the industrial,infrastucture and defence sectors where projects are handled more efficiently.Therefore there is less work pressure on engineers.Even if they need to work afterhours,they are paid overtime since their fee structure is on an hourly reimbursable basis.

However if you like to work on large commercial/retail projects,you get that opportunity only with a A/E firm

 

[PEDARRIN2]

I am only slightly familiar with Jacobs and the individuals I have talked to from there seem to have been in a sweat shop type of environment. That might be the particular office they worked for, though.

With the exception of the industrial, isn't infrastructure and defense type projects a government managed project? From a previous life and some current projects, working on government managed projects were not very efficient.

Even though in my company, we work on a fixed fee, we get paid overtime after 40 hours. If I had to work more than 40 hours in a week without overtime or some other type of incentive like flex time, I could see how that could be considered a sweatshop.

I think you can have a "sweat shop" type job wherever you go. Some places you just perspire and some you sweat like a pig. It is all up to what you will accept. But isn't that the case no matter what you do?

 

[EddyC]

SAK9,

I've directly worked for one of the firms that you named and interfaced closely with one of the others. I found that they were no different than a small MEP firm, and in some cases were even worse. Now this may not apply to those firms as a whole, but it was what I saw.

 

[jnam82]

SAK9, why does the construction industry lack the discipline of other industries?

Which industries have good disciplines?

How do you tell the difference between traditional MEP firms and EPC firms? What's are the differences besides the reason you listed above?

Can you guys recommend any books/softwares/resources I should try to get familiar with for this industry?

Should I join ASHRAE? If your interested in this industry you should join right? also to make your resume look good...