Energy

Many kinds of jobs are available in the energy industry. Whether you’re interested in a management position, an outside field position, sales, engineering, or a technical job, you’ll find you have several options to choose from. However, keep in mind that there are a few elements common to all sectors of the industry. For example, one of the primary aspects all energy companies have in common is that they produce, transmit, or distribute energy in a specific form. That means that workers in this industry, no matter what their job, also have a common goal: to provide that energy as efficiently as possible at a price that customers can afford. This goal impacts every job in the industry, from engineers, to economists, to environmental scientists to architects, to technicians, to service providers, and customer service personnel.

Consultants

Over the last few decades, the demand for energy service consultants has increased dramatically. As energy costs have risen, and the number of alternative energy sources has increased, more large-scale energy consumers, as well as individual consumers, have turned to experts to find out how to decrease their energy consumption and their utility bills. This has led to tremendous growth in the consulting sector of the industry. These consultants work with energy consumers and assess their current energy usage and needs. Then they conduct research and develop a plan to improve energy efficiency and, over the long-term, reduce demand and the client’s energy costs. Some consultants work for companies that develop energy-saving technologies and programs. Consultants usually work a regular business day and week, but may sometimes have to meet with clients during the evening or on weekends to assess all aspects of their energy demand cycles. Working conditions are usually good; consultants work in an office, although on-site visits may require travel and exploring less comfortable environments.

Customer Service Personnel/Administrative Workers

Customer service representatives answer calls from customers and try to help them solve problems or answer their questions. Or they may resolve a billing issue, provide advice on reducing energy usage, offer payment plan options, or start, transfer, or end service as the customer requires. Other administrative workers at energy companies may process customer bills and payments, call customers who are delinquent in their payments, or maintain company records. Depending on the type of company, most customer service/administrative workers are able to work during regular business hours in a comfortable, indoor environment, although some companies may staff a call center beginning at 6:00 a.m. through 10:00 p.m. At companies with many customers, this department can be very busy and the work fast paced. Some customers are difficult, so these jobs are for workers who enjoy working with people. Companies that transmit energy to customers may require customer service reps to work during power outages, even if the outages are during the weekends or evenings. Additionally, many large utilities now integrate sophisticated customer relationship management computer tracking and modeling systems that analyze contact experience and work to model the interface toward customer sentiment analysis and other sophisticated algorithms.

Professional Service Positions

Energy companies require people who are skilled in recruiting employees, providing accounting services, or performing marketing or public relations tasks. Energy producers, distributors, and providers depend on professionals in a variety of fields. For example, human resources professionals recruit and hire employees or develop benefit and compensation packages, while attorneys provide legal and regulatory advice. Although it can depend on the job, most of these professionals work regular office hours, indoors. The environment can be fast-paced and stressful when facing deadlines.

Field Service

Field service workers are employed primarily by energy service providers. These workers go on service calls to customers’ residences or businesses to verify meter readings; check furnaces, hot water heaters, and other devices connected to electric or gas service; shut off or turn on service for customers who are moving in or out of a property; and many other tasks. Field service workers may spend most of their time in customers’ premises, but they also frequently work outside if meters and lines are located there. They must be prepared to work even in bad weather with extreme cold or extreme heat. Field service workers can also be called in to work to restore customers’ service when there are outages, including during ice storms, windstorms, thunderstorms, earthquakes, brush fires, and catastrophic accidents, and they may be expected to complete an increasing number of service calls or restore service quickly. This may result in job stress and physical peril.

Line Crew

Line crew workers are usually employed by energy service providers. They are responsible for a variety of service and maintenance functions. For example, if a new subdivision is being built, the line crew installs the transformers and lines required to provide the new neighborhood with power. Line crew workers also replace downed lines and poles or replace overhead electrical lines with underground lines. These workers usually don’t interact with customers unless a customer approaches them as they work. Line crews spend all their time outside, in many different types of weather conditions. They are the primary crews responsible for restoring service during a power outage, and they are assisted by field service workers. Line crew workers are highly skilled and trained and take a lot of pride in their dangerous and meticulous work. After a natural disaster, line crew workers are sent to the disaster site to help restore power to affected communities. For example, when Hurricane Maria caused heavy damage to Puerto Rico in 2017, approximately 6,200 line workers were sent to the island to help repair transmission and distribution lines.

Technicians

Each sector of the industry hires various types of technicians. For example, engineering technicians provide research and development for power plant, substation, transmission, and distribution engineering projects. At nuclear power plants, instrument technicians inspect, repair, and adjust controls, equipment, and fuel, while nuclear monitoring technicians collect samples and test for radiation levels. Every sector of the industry hires maintenance technicians, who maintain the equipment and keep it operational and performing as efficiently as possible. The common characteristic among each of these technicians is specialized technical knowledge and ability with the type of energy or equipment with which they work provided through specialized, continual training. Technicians usually work inside a plant or building, where the conditions are stable, and the temperature is controlled. They may work various shifts, including evenings or weekends, but overtime is unusual. Technicians’ jobs can be stressful under certain conditions, such as when a piece of equipment breaks down or they are behind on a task or project.

Engineers

Many types of engineers work in the energy industry, and sometimes several different kinds of engineers work within a single sector. The key to efficient energy production and distribution is quality engineering. Therefore, engineers are vital employees in the energy industry. One type of engineer that is hired by most sectors of the industry is the environmental engineer. This engineer, sometimes also called a risk engineer, performs research to determine the impact a specific energy construction project will have on the immediate and downstream environment. Another type of engineer, the electrical engineer, develops and designs electrical projects that could be as small as a single home service or as expansive as a generation plant or transformer station. The engineer must calculate the power needs of all users that will draw power from the equipment and ensure those needs are met. The nuclear engineer designs and develops nuclear power plants, while the solar engineer provides the same services for solar energy systems. In general, engineers will find they spend as much time outside as they do inside, since they must travel to construction sites to inspect them and gather information. Once the engineer has the information he or she needs from inspecting the site, the rest of his or her work is performed in the comfort of the office. If the engineer has several projects on the board simultaneously this can be stressful, but for the most part, engineers work regular hours and enjoy good working conditions.

Scientists

Many sectors of the energy industry hire scientists. Scientists in the petroleum and natural gas industry may help locate supplies of these fuels in the earth and determine how the company might access this supply. Other sectors, such as nuclear energy, hire nuclear physicists for projects such as designing improved nuclear core reactors. In most cases, energy producers hire scientists, not the companies that distribute and deliver energy to customers. Scientists often work in teams with engineers and construction crews. They must apply their expertise to solving problems or designing projects. Although scientists may have to travel and work on-site or outdoors, most of the time they work regular business hours in a comfortable work environment. Depending on the type of scientist and sector of the industry, they may also spend more of their time in a laboratory rather than an office.

Power Plant Workers

In the past, almost all of the electricity used by residences and companies was generated through power plants run by using coal and natural gas combustion, nuclear reactions, or water power. Today, solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy have become part of this mix. Each of these plants hires workers to run and maintain the generating plants, to keep them performing optimally, and to ensure that they are operating safely. Typical jobs at plants include operators, maintenance crew, safety specialists, computer analysts, supervisors, and others. Plants operate 24 hours a day so some workers are required to work evenings and weekends. However, employees usually work eight-hour shifts with infrequent overtime. Some of the jobs can be high-pressure, since an error could result in serious injury or harm to the employee and others. Most work is completed in a temperature-controlled, indoor environment, and travel is unusual.

Control Center Workers

Each utility has a central control facility that monitors and schedules generation and delivery of bulk power into and out of its territory on an interconnected grid. Employees working in this center must ensure that there is always enough power available to meet customer demand, and to reduce generating capacity when demand lessens. These workers may be required to work nontraditional hours, since centers are covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means working evenings, weekends, and holidays. These jobs can also be considered high stress, since errors in judgment can lead to brownouts or other serious consequences.

Sales/Marketing

The energy industry may not employ as many sales and marketing workers as some other industries do, but there are opportunities for people interested in this aspect of business. This is especially true as the use of renewable energy grows in popularity and sales and marketing workers are needed to explain these systems to potential customers and clients. Sales reps work with clients (government, university, institutional, K-12 education, industrial, agricultural, etc.) to meet their energy needs. Some reps may help large-scale clients reduce their energy requirements by installing more efficient equipment and systems. Marketing reps create a company image and brand messages that they then communicate through different media channels. They design all company material that the public sees, from signs to brochures and advertisements, Web sites, e-mails, social media such as Twitter messaging and Facebook pages, as well as events and sponsorships. A significant amount of travel may be required, but these professionals work primarily during regular business hours in a comfortable office environment. Each utility and energy technology company employs a group of highly skilled sales engineers who continually visit potential customers and meet and speak at industry and community conferences. Some marketing or sales reps may find it stressful to meet sales quotas or marketing deadlines.

Energy Brokers

After the government deregulated the electric and gas utility industries in the late 1990s, those companies were allowed to sell future electric and gas supplies to utility companies or large industrial customers. The country’s energy infrastructure is a series of interconnected regional grids governed by federal regulation but managed and operated by independent system operators, another possible career choice. Energy brokers offer this energy for sale via a digital “trading floor.” They work as the intermediary between suppliers and customers. Suppliers can earn additional income on surplus energy, while customers can buy their energy at reduced prices. Since energy costs, prices, and the demand for energy fluctuate on a daily basis, brokers’ jobs can be stressful.

Surveyors

Energy companies may hire surveying companies or in-house surveyors to provide surveys for construction projects. Surveyors take exact measurements of a construction site, including its elevations, contours, and natural boundaries. They provide this information to engineers, who must have it as they design the projects. Surveyors work outside in all types of weather conditions. They may find that they are required to work some evenings or weekends, to avoid heavy traffic at some worksites, but for the most part, these workers will work regular daytime hours.

Managers/Executives

Managers and executives are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company as well as its overall direction and performance. Typically, higher-level managers and top-level executives experience more job stress and pressure, since they are accountable if something goes wrong. It can also be a tough balancing act when the executive must keep the company’s primary constituents happy: stockholders, customers, and employees. They may work longer hours than other employees, but usually work during normal business hours. Often managers and executives have to travel to oversee or handle projects at different locations or to meet with large customers or other stakeholders.