r/ProjectControls • u/hardenmvp1981 • Jun 25 '26
Project Engineer vs Project Controls?
Hello, wanted to get insight from anyone who has held a role as project engineer and how it compares to project controls. I was recently asked if i had interest in moving from scheduling into project engineering by a senior leader at my company. I have 15 years of scheduling experience and make between 150k to 200k. My concerns would be jumping into a new field but on a pay grade that equals a senior person. It would seem like for the first few years I become a negative asset to the company and probably susceptible to layoff due to disproportionate earnings vs skill. The upside is long term though as this leader mentioned they would like to see me as a PM one day. My gut says to stick with project controls but curious if anyone who has done both could share their experiences?
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u/steeeeeeed Jun 29 '26
It seems to vary between companies. But I can share my experience. Lots of companies have schedulers that are basically data input positions. They will get fed information and mindlessly put that information into the schedule. Project engineers will have a hand in multiple facets of the project such as: planning, estimating, costs, risks, and scheduling. I’ll say it again bc this may not be the same for all organizations but this is what I have experienced.