Investment in the transmissions system is continuing over here, mainly because there's no real alternative other than to lose parts of the network. A few new-build CCGTs are in construction further south and should enter service within the next year, fuelled by Russian gas. The nuclear programme seems to be gearing up but in doing so it is stealing staff from the allied industries who can't afford to lose the engineers they have. The real engineering for nuclear new-build will be done overseas, in either France or the US I suspect. Hopefully reactor construction won't take place in China, although the thought will no doubt have occured to the accountants trying to save a few pounds.
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If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!
Man if there's a shortage of engineers in power then that's where I want to go! It's hard to change paths though. I'm 50 and stuck fixing broken power supplies and crap. Never thought I'd be able to paint myself into a corner after having a BSEE but it seems I have.
To hear stories of people who can't find a job in there profession, could be a statment of bad ecomoney, or it could be a statment of bad learning.
But truthfuly, not everyone who gets a degree is worthy of that degree. These people need to find jobs there they can't hurt other people, like engineering sales.
The "engineer" who couldn't engineer and ended up in sales meets with the "engineer" who schmoozed and smooched his way up into procurement, and between the two of them they wheel and deal and I end up trying to make some kludged up monstrosity work while they play golf and pat each other on the back...
I was hired about 2 years ago with a Utility in Canda (almost fresh out of my 6 year university program). The company I work for has been on a hiring frenzy the past 2 years. Hiring 100+ for the past three years. I have to say it is strange not feeling any turn in the economy whatsoever. I've even gotten a couple raises, while my buddies working for oil companies have had their bonuses and raises squashed.
It seems like universities have neglected power engineering for a long time. Considering the new technologies available just around the corner in P&C (my field) and the opportunity to move up with all the retierments it is an exciting time to work in Power.
Head Hunters are welcome to msg me via this forum ;-)
oldfieldguy, I feel your pain. It's sort of like having to fix your bosses mess that he made when he was doing your job.
Or that 20 year old thing that has never worked, but is just hanging around.
Have you heard, "trust us we're XXXXX", from a salesman?
An update on my original post that started this thread. New article at the same science website. Again, the source is the IEEE quoting Labor Bureau statistics. The new article also mentions Civil, Mechanical, and Software engineering unemployment numbers.
If you take a career path like I did of being in the field for 14 years installing radar systems you never develop things like design, testing, all the fricken s/w packages that everyone wants you to know and have used for at least 5 years. All you did was physically assemble the radar and then do a lot of trouble shooting to fix everything. You also don't know any other engineers because you've been removed from the office for so long. I started when I was 30 (BSEE) and am 50 now. I still work in an environment fixing things and never learn anything new. Most of the courses in college are so general and theoretical that it's almost a waste of time/energy for me to take them to make up for this lack of experience. I hate my job and would leave for another in a heartbeat but no one wants an engineer with the experience I have (or lack of). Especially at 50. I've sent my resume to hundreds of places and no interviews. Not even within my company, big ole Northrop Grumman, can I get an interview. They have me at this satellite location 20 miles from the main plant (which employs thousands) so I can't network. Been to career counseling where I work, ask friends what to do, and get no answers. I'm very frustrated. As far as brains go I'm somewhere in the middle, not super-smart but not dumb. Soon I'll need a therapist.
My personal experience is that EE power distribution positions in the western USA were held for too long by the older generation, that should have retired or otherwise moved on, from about 1980 through mid 90's.
Since then it seems I have seen more opportunity and it seems the opportunity will get even better as many of the previous generation now in their 70's simply cannot be expected to work much longer.
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