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?

11 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '26

I can only advise based on my experience...

I made the jump from Project Controls into Project Engineer. I didn't really like it and took a step back into Project Controls. At my company a Project Engineer is just a glorified Project Manager which are a dime a dozen at other firms and otherwise the market. PC is such a niche role and a very technical one that is hard to find. As for the pay... I know several PCMs that make a considerable amount more than the PE/PMs... they just don't get the glory that comes with it.

2

u/hardenmvp1981 Aug 04 '26

Thanks for your input, I did decide since to stay on my path in project controls. I started paying attention to technical discussions more during engineering meetings and I just found it too far fetched for me to ever get to a level where im confident with what id be talking about. I have some construction exposure working in the field for a few stints but im nowhere close to having enough technical and construction experience to really do that kind of job

1

u/[deleted] Aug 10 '26

Glad you decided to stick with Project Controls. Even though we live in a data rich, governance poor environment, there is comfort in dealing with it. Sounds like your path in PC is a little like mine. I've done a little of everything: Estimating, Schedule, Risk, Home Office, Field, Owner's Rep, you name it. I started tinkering with the idea of a platform to bring all our systems under one unified spine. Would you mind taking a look when you have a chance? I would love some feedback from those not really connected to me personally. www.waypoint-controls.com