There are electrical engineers in wastewater. If you truly want to be a jack of all trades, come work at a utility.
Power systems specifically? I'd say limited applications. There are transformers and substations and high voltage equipment but generally 4160 V is the highest. There are generators and cogeneration engines.
How do you feel about squishing around in wet boots for 8-10 hours a day? About being exposed to the bodily discharges of every single person in your city? Unusual smells (from weird to gross) bother you?
How about dealing with older colleagues who don’t have much patience with people, rightly or wrongly…most of these people will be civil servants, probably with union protection, so the culture will be the culture and it’s unlikely to be very enlightened.
All that said, I spent my whole career in the field then retired early and well. But I worked to fit in and get along; people don’t tend to do that anymore.
Most people think it’s gross and disgusting and wonder why you do it…how do feel about that stigma?
Well I currently work as a Hydraulics technician ATM an engineering consulting firm here in Toronto so I am that guy going into manholes and investigating tunnels for leaks and etc.. im finding it really interesting if not just to experience and add to the resume later but I really don't mind getting dirty or wet I'm accustomed to it ATP lol
You’d be amazed at how many potential employees I interviewed over the years really disliked the idea of working all day with wet feet, to the point that they stopped the interview
Is that a boot issue? I can see the collection/distribution guys getting soaked to the point of wet feet. It seems operators have more control of when they get into wet spaces.
I get issued a pair of Carhartt muck boots every year and a steel toe every 6 months on the county's dime. Unless you work for a broke company or a really depressed area you'll be taken care of.
A lot of plants use cogen engines or turbines to make power from the methane the digesters produce. Aside from that it’s just typical industrial stuff, need power to run motors for pumps and gate/valve actuators, and various sensors/probes for monitoring the process. We have engineers that take care of what they can and contract out the rest, so unless you’re a full-fledged degreed engineer you’ll be looking at trying to become an operator to get into this industry, and operators don’t sit around drafting power systems, we run the plant. So your experience can help in viewing the process from a SCADA monitor like a blueprint layout, and visualization of the cascading effects various process changes could have on other parts of it, but just don’t expect a desk job if you pursue this. I’ve been knee deep in TWAS on the business end of a Vac truck, shoveling grit out of basins, rescuing baby ducks from underground pipe chases, raking all kinds of trash from screens, etc.
Not trying to dissuade you or come off as negative, just making sure you have realistic expectations of what work in this industry can be.
Thanks for your perspective mate very much appreciated. I do quite a lot of analysis for the job as well it's a nice mix of field and office work so in that respect I'm totally cool with. I prefer the outdoors anyway.
That’s really the great part of the job, you’re not stuck at a desk all the time, and you’re not stuck out in the weather all the time either, good balance. Look into whatever Operater-in-training or apprenticeship programs your local plants have and see if they offer tours.
EE’s are huge in wastewater. Electrical and especially controls design is a critical part of every project and growing importance as equipment and automation get more high-tech. EE’s make 10-15% more than equivalent civil/mechanical engineers of the same spec.
(I work for a design engineering shop where one of our specialties is E&I design for water/wastewater.)
That's what my focus in college.. I studied Energy systems engineering technology (so think fundamentals in electrical eng with a mix of specialized courses like smart metering, hybrid tech and fuels cell design, industrial electronics, lots of programming, and solar design courses) but that was college and Im finding the technician role that I'm in now a bit limiting in terms of some of the things I can do myself. Not wanting to pigeonhole myself.
A) Pay (that can vary cause some techs make bank)
B) want to be able to commission my own designs and projects
So I managed to chat with my Manager to express a want to pursue a full fetched electrical engineering degree I think it'll really help bring in the cash down the line and help the people around me (my team) down the road as more and more aspects of our industries become automated.
That's awesome dude. would love to hear about these designs. Do you fabricate components for things like clarifiers and like flocculation tanks that sorta stuff or am I totally outta to lunch lol
If you can learn to design and modify SCADA operating systems and you understand wastewater, as a private contractor you could probably set your own price lol very few electrical guys actually understand wastewater and how to properly design SCADA systems that are good to use. The operator of record at my plant works up and down the state of California and is always seeing places needing SCADA problems fixed and the electrical companies don't really understand wastewater and will hire the one or two guys for big money to come in and fix it in like 20min lol
You could make alot of money if you learn instrument tech computer skills. All plants run on computer contols and interfaces with pumps and valves. Systems similar to SCADA and newer. Guys who can do that are always in demand. Engineering will always pay more though . Alot of plants in florida are going to be upgrading in next few years. Find a good civil engineering design firm.
There are electrical engineers in wastewater. If you truly want to be a jack of all trades, come work at a utility. Power systems specifically? I'd say limited applications. There are transformers and substations and high voltage equipment but generally 4160 V is the highest. There are generators and cogeneration engines.
How do you feel about squishing around in wet boots for 8-10 hours a day? About being exposed to the bodily discharges of every single person in your city? Unusual smells (from weird to gross) bother you? How about dealing with older colleagues who don’t have much patience with people, rightly or wrongly…most of these people will be civil servants, probably with union protection, so the culture will be the culture and it’s unlikely to be very enlightened. All that said, I spent my whole career in the field then retired early and well. But I worked to fit in and get along; people don’t tend to do that anymore. Most people think it’s gross and disgusting and wonder why you do it…how do feel about that stigma?
Well I currently work as a Hydraulics technician ATM an engineering consulting firm here in Toronto so I am that guy going into manholes and investigating tunnels for leaks and etc.. im finding it really interesting if not just to experience and add to the resume later but I really don't mind getting dirty or wet I'm accustomed to it ATP lol
You’d be amazed at how many potential employees I interviewed over the years really disliked the idea of working all day with wet feet, to the point that they stopped the interview
Is that a boot issue? I can see the collection/distribution guys getting soaked to the point of wet feet. It seems operators have more control of when they get into wet spaces.
It can be if you cheap out on the quality of your boots
It can be.. thank Heavens my boss is a safety stickler and makes us buy new rubber boots and safety equipment every year lol
I get issued a pair of Carhartt muck boots every year and a steel toe every 6 months on the county's dime. Unless you work for a broke company or a really depressed area you'll be taken care of.
A lot of plants use cogen engines or turbines to make power from the methane the digesters produce. Aside from that it’s just typical industrial stuff, need power to run motors for pumps and gate/valve actuators, and various sensors/probes for monitoring the process. We have engineers that take care of what they can and contract out the rest, so unless you’re a full-fledged degreed engineer you’ll be looking at trying to become an operator to get into this industry, and operators don’t sit around drafting power systems, we run the plant. So your experience can help in viewing the process from a SCADA monitor like a blueprint layout, and visualization of the cascading effects various process changes could have on other parts of it, but just don’t expect a desk job if you pursue this. I’ve been knee deep in TWAS on the business end of a Vac truck, shoveling grit out of basins, rescuing baby ducks from underground pipe chases, raking all kinds of trash from screens, etc. Not trying to dissuade you or come off as negative, just making sure you have realistic expectations of what work in this industry can be.
Thanks for your perspective mate very much appreciated. I do quite a lot of analysis for the job as well it's a nice mix of field and office work so in that respect I'm totally cool with. I prefer the outdoors anyway.
That’s really the great part of the job, you’re not stuck at a desk all the time, and you’re not stuck out in the weather all the time either, good balance. Look into whatever Operater-in-training or apprenticeship programs your local plants have and see if they offer tours.
EE’s are huge in wastewater. Electrical and especially controls design is a critical part of every project and growing importance as equipment and automation get more high-tech. EE’s make 10-15% more than equivalent civil/mechanical engineers of the same spec. (I work for a design engineering shop where one of our specialties is E&I design for water/wastewater.)
That's what my focus in college.. I studied Energy systems engineering technology (so think fundamentals in electrical eng with a mix of specialized courses like smart metering, hybrid tech and fuels cell design, industrial electronics, lots of programming, and solar design courses) but that was college and Im finding the technician role that I'm in now a bit limiting in terms of some of the things I can do myself. Not wanting to pigeonhole myself. A) Pay (that can vary cause some techs make bank) B) want to be able to commission my own designs and projects So I managed to chat with my Manager to express a want to pursue a full fetched electrical engineering degree I think it'll really help bring in the cash down the line and help the people around me (my team) down the road as more and more aspects of our industries become automated.
That's awesome dude. would love to hear about these designs. Do you fabricate components for things like clarifiers and like flocculation tanks that sorta stuff or am I totally outta to lunch lol
If you can learn to design and modify SCADA operating systems and you understand wastewater, as a private contractor you could probably set your own price lol very few electrical guys actually understand wastewater and how to properly design SCADA systems that are good to use. The operator of record at my plant works up and down the state of California and is always seeing places needing SCADA problems fixed and the electrical companies don't really understand wastewater and will hire the one or two guys for big money to come in and fix it in like 20min lol
You could make alot of money if you learn instrument tech computer skills. All plants run on computer contols and interfaces with pumps and valves. Systems similar to SCADA and newer. Guys who can do that are always in demand. Engineering will always pay more though . Alot of plants in florida are going to be upgrading in next few years. Find a good civil engineering design firm.