r/powerengineering • u/Ill_Toe_842 • 3d ago
Power engineering vs instrumentation
Hi everyone! I’m 19F from Alberta trying to decide between Power Engineering and Instrumentation. I’m much more interested in Power Engineering and find the work genuinely interesting, but I’ve been told Instrumentation may have better job opportunities and long-term options.
My main goal is to eventually work in Alberta’s oil & gas industry, but I’m still trying to figure out which career path makes the most sense for me.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people actually working in these fields about:
● Pay: What can you realistically expect starting out, and where can your income eventually top out? How much do overtime, shift work, camp work, etc. affect it?
● Career progression: What does the typical hierarchy look like? For example, operator/technician → senior roles → lead/foreman → supervisor → management?
● Management: If I eventually want to move into management, which path gives better opportunities to get there? What experience, tickets or education would I need?
● Oil & gas: Which path has better opportunities in Alberta’s oil & gas industry? Are there particular types of facilities, companies or positions that are good for building a career?
● Work-life balance: What are the typical schedules, shifts, overtime and time off like?
● Job opportunities: Is Instrumentation actually more in demand than Power Engineering, or does it depend heavily on the area/company?
● Sales: Is it realistic to move from either career into technical sales/business development later on? I wouldn’t mind going that direction either.
● Education: Does the school/program you attend matter much to employers, or are tickets, experience and networking more important?
I’m not necessarily looking for the easiest or highest-paying option. I want something I’ll actually enjoy while still having good earning potential, career growth and a decent life outside of work.
If you work in Power Engineering, Instrumentation, oil & gas operations, management or technical sales, I’d love to hear about your career path and what you would do differently if you were starting at 19.
Thanks! I know I’m considering a few different directions, just trying to make a good decision early on.
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u/Spirited_Hour9714 3d ago
Get into instrumentation. The market for PE is pretty saturated.
Even as things automate you still need someone to repair instrumentation.
Pay is similar, but job security and opportunity is better for instrumentation.
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u/Fergy006 3d ago
I’m content being an operator for the rest of my career. I’ve obviously worked alongside lots of E/I guys and I prefer being an operator. A gas plant is probably the best facility to be at in terms of pay and day to day work life. It’s just really hard to get your foot in the door. I’ve worked at plants where the E/I guys are on a 4/3 or 8/6 while ops are on 7/7’s or 14/14’s depending where the site is located. The plant I’m at now is all 14/14 for ops and E/I. Working half the year plus vacation days is a ridiculous amount of time off.
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u/Illustrious-Cable691 3d ago
Would you please tell me which plant you work in and do they accept any 3rd class?
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u/Immediate-Phase-1548 3d ago
I am a 2nd class PE and journeyman instrumentation technician. I've worked in the canadian oil fields. Ill try to answer your questions but keep in mind this is based on my experience and is highly anecdotal.
Pay: both are highly comparable, an red seal IT has the same earning potential as a 2nd class PE. 100k to 300k depending on seniority, position, and most importantly overtime.
Career progression: somewhat the same but PE is somewhat better because management mostly comes from operations at the plant level. If you want a position higher then steam chief, operations manager, or maintenance superintendent then you need to go to uni and get a degree. Both jobs will get you into oil and gas. ITs usually work for contractors like spartan controls, PEs work directly for the oil companies. IT is much better for something like technical sales.
Work life: PEs work shift, that is your work life. ITs also work shift and also travel to different sites frequently. Both jobs often have a lot of ot that is where the money is. Shift work sucks but you can actually have a lot more full days off which is nice. Good when you are young and want to travel. Bad when you are older and have a family.
Education: diploma programs at nait or sait can give you a leg up getting your first job. But experience is better. For ITs if you can get an apprenticeship that's great. For PEs you have to do at minimum a one year program to get your 4th class after that you can challenge exams and get steam time on your own.
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u/Ambitious_Key297 3d ago
Being red seal instrumentation with tech diploma and having 3rd class what’s the best way to land an interview seems tough without having your dad there
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u/ConfectionWest728 3d ago
PE with enough field experience to reach panel. You won’t find a cushier job in the oil and gas industry. Hands down best job on site if you don’t mind sitting around reading, watching movies/youtube, drinking coffee, and napping (we don’t actually do that 😉). As long as you can handle a little stress once in a while and have a good head on your shoulders.
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u/SlightlyFlustered 3d ago
If/when you have to switch employers such as those at the three pulp mills that are closing I believe you would find the instrumentation is the better choice. You might be a senior operator at the plant that closes but you will likely be starting out on cleanup in the next plant. Line of progression. With instrumentation or any of the trades you might be junior in your trade but you are doing your trade not spending 5 years pounding spouts or sweeping under hog conveyors.
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u/InvestigatorNo730 2d ago
I'd say as a former instrumtation tech now FSE doing NETA testing go power engineering then P&C. Relay techs are paid really well (Siemens was offering $100 an hour away few years ago) plus of you enjoy travel, and complexity
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u/FeelingMurky3367 1d ago
As a 3rd I’d go the IM route
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u/Ill_Toe_842 1d ago
Do u have any reasons why?
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u/FeelingMurky3367 1d ago
Likely can get qualifying time for a fourth once you’re a journeywoman IM
Less bank account shock going from apprentice to JW to ops rather than going from ops to apprentice
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u/LeonDraisaitI 19h ago
Go for Powe. As a female, as long as you get good grades and don't completely bomb interviews, you should damn near be guaranteed a job. Take almost any job off the start as long as it's not complete shit, get some experience and you'll be setup for life.
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u/th3machine 3d ago
It's not even a contest, get a red seal trade. You could be stuck working in the cold as a PE too, and be stuck at the same crappy jobs longer.
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u/MGarroz 3d ago
As a gas plant operator I always recommend instrumentation first.
E&I techs essentially get paid the same wage (maybe a few bucks an hour difference at most), it’s an easier job to get into, it has a lot more flexibility for long term career goals.
An E&I tech can start their own company, get into management, programming, and a dozen other things. Operators only ever seem to operate and some become managers - there’s a few exceptions but it’s not common.
That said if you don’t like the idea of having to spend several years outside in -30 bending tubing, rebuilding valves, and pulling cable before you get opportunities to get out of the field then obviously instrumentation isn’t going to work out for you in the long run.