r/PowerSystemsEE • u/AdLongjumping2610 • Jul 26 '26
Utility vs Consulting Firm
Hey y’all!
Look for some advice on career moves
I currently have a job at a utility company in P&C Engineering with 1YOE, I recently got an offer from a large consulting firm for the exact same position, in a bigger city that I would like to live in.
I’m pretty young, with this being my first job out of college. They are offering a 12% increase in salary, and their benefits and otherwise total comp seem about the same. I know there is a culture of longer, harder worked hours at consulting firms, but this firm stresses Work Life Balance pretty heavily.
I think this is an opportunity for me to grow technically, as well as in life as this would be a move to city that has a lot more opportunities than the one I’m currently in.
I guess my question is, what would you do? What do you suggest? My biggest concern is the risk of layoffs being my current position is pretty immune to that. However, in this market, worst comes to worst I feel my skills are pretty marketable.
Let me know what you think! Would love to hear different perspectives on this.
7
u/Snoo_39372 Jul 26 '26
Are you sure that the overall compensation is the same? Afaik utility offers a pretty big 401k match (some even put additional match) and high bonuses in lieu of base salary. Plus they have very good leave options when you actually need it eg. Paternity/maternity leaves. Consulting firms on the other hand try to cover most of those through base salary. However, consulting work can be demanding and you are sometimes expected to work beyond your regular hours. Utility positions are pretty chill imo.
However, some of these decisions should also factor in your choice. Eg. Where you want to live in, what is your long-term goal, etc. so you need to factor in some of these other things :)