Lots of IT people cut in Columbus
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I wonder if AEP will learn from the mistakes in Spain yesterday. It appears that renewables were providing 60+% of the load and not enough of the base load from traditional sources. They had very little dispatchable load and the systems triggered an automated shedding of power. Within minutes, it was lights out.
Give me a coal plant any day over wind and solar.
As far as farming the “large, difficult, major distribution engineering projects out to OECs” statement, I can say first hand that most OEC’s (contractors) will have someone with less than a year or two of industry experience writing those jobs up. As an OEC, your main focus is maintaining a 100% billable rate. There is 0 incentive to get the jobs written quickly. I have yet to meet anyone down stream, work flow wise, that believe OEC’s turn out quality work.
It's all easy if you are a super genius, which the average AEP engineer is.
Yeah, customer design stuff is fairly easy, AEP does that all internally, they generally farm a lot of the large, difficult, major distribution engineering projects out to OECs. I guess it depends on perspective, someone I knew who was in the business for 30 some years did transmission, distribution, and substation engineering over the course of his career. He said that Distribution was the biggest pain in the butt and Transmission was the easiest in his opinion. All three are different and probably have their pros and cons
Distribution customer design “engineers” jobs can be done by most any one half way competent. They don’t deserve or need to make as much as any engineers doing very intricate work. I hate to say that but it’s true. Their job is valuable, just anyone could do it almost.
Internally at AEP, most of the Distribution Engineers fall under the title of Technician, they do design engineering(deciding the layout of a project and loading of poles, size of distribution transformers etc...)ranging from small customer projects to Major Projects that are miles long complex Reconductors. There is a job posting for it right now in Three Rivers, MI on Glassdoor. I'd say that posting is the simplest and easiest Technician role at AEP and it's a role for Customer Design projects. There are other Distribution Engineers who decide the scope of work and primary wire size of a project. They are mostly under the title of "Engineering Technologists" or "Engineer". There are “Engineers” involved in UG Networking. There maybe slight variations of this across OpCos
I don't know what distribution is doing but over in transmission (where the big dawgs are) we don't mix and match designers and engineers. They are completely different jobs with different responsibilities.
Quallifications dont matter at AEP. If you have a connection with the uppers, they will remove the qualification.
Well I know "Technicians" and "Designers" who do a better job than many "Engineers". Technically they are all engineers if they are doing engineering work like Design etc... If the high school guys are better than the "Engineer" at the job I don't see why not use them, most knowledge that is used is learned on the job anyway.
It's always the people with this weird chip on their shoulder about engineers who have the most misconceptions about what an engineer does. You seem to be making the case that our engineers are unnecessary and can be replaced by designers. I'd go one step further, why not replace the designers too and just hire bright high school graduates who took a CAD class? It's all just a job title anyways right? Let's see what the regulators think about that. You should email Bill about this great cost-saving idea you have. It would be a great way to slash salaries. I mean what is an "engineer" anyways? They aren't doing REAL engineering.
People here don't understand that an engineer in most circumstances is just a job title, unless you have a Professional Engineer license. Lot of "Engineer" positions can be done by "non-engineers". Now most people with "engineer" in their job title at AEP and its OECs have a degree in one of a few select engineering disciplines. Though there are people at AEP mostly in Distribution, who have engineering degrees whose job title is still one of Technician. But AEP and its OEC's employ people in the exact same engineering roles who don't have degrees in engineering and call them "Technicians" or "Designers". Those people make about 10k less than those who have a degree doing the exact same job. For example a person with the title "Distribution Designer" may make 80 thousand per year while a person with the title "Distribution Engineer" may make 90 thousand per year even though they do the exact same thing.
The real problem in attracting talent, what happened to the old talent? AEP has been around for 100 plus years, there should br a pipeline of talented employees.
The problem is, employees dint have a shared value in the company. Leaders do not value their employees and it shows. Every company requires a team, how that team feels about their employer matters in execution of mission, retention, and on boarding.
I've said from the start that Bill is a complete mo--n and that the hybrid schedule was an extremely valuable tool in AEP's toolbox to attract talent. He threw that away for no discernable reason.
Bill wants top shelf engineers to sit in Columbus traffic for 2 hours a day all for that sweet $61k a year salary.
Are these job listings relics from 2015? It’s almost laughable how outdated they seem—both in terms of requirements and compensation. With AEP touting its $54 billion capital plan and ambitions to modernize the energy grid, you’d expect their job postings to reflect the urgency and competitive edge needed to meet today’s standards.
Skilled engineers are incredibly sought after, yet these postings come across as disconnected and uninspired. If AEP genuinely wants to recruit skilled engineers, they need to rethink their strategy. These postings fail to communicate a forward-looking vision or competitive appeal—traits essential to recruit top talent.
It's clear that AEP’s leadership, particularly Bill, the CEO, is struggling to adapt to the realities of today’s energy market. His approach seems rooted in outdated thinking, which is reflected in these job listings. If he wants AEP to be at the forefront of grid modernization, aligning the salaries and requirements with current industry expectations should be a priority. Right now, the disconnect sends a message that the company—and its leadership—is not in tune with the demands of the modern workforce.
Saw that on LinkedIn today. Give them credit for trying.
We are seeking skilled engineers to join our team across various locations. AEP is committed to a $54 billion capital plan to meet increasing energy demand. Your expertise is essential to help us build the energy grid of the future.
📍 CENTRAL OHIO
Project Engineer: Bachelor's degree in engineering and six years of experience, or a master’s degree and four years of experience. Based in Columbus, OH. $96,110-124,940 https://lnkd.in/eJRgRuNg
Station Engineer: Bachelor’s degree in engineering and eight years of experience, or a master’s degree and six years of experience. Engineering work to support substation projects. Based in New Albany, OH. $112,869-146,730 https://lnkd.in/eprkDVqq
Geotechnical Engineer: Bachelor’s degree in engineering and eight years of experience, or a master’s degree and six years of experience. This role is focused on coal combustion residual compliance and supporting new projects. Based in Columbus, OH. $112,869-146,730 https://lnkd.in/epuHWftb
Environmental Engineer: Bachelor’s degree in engineering and eight years of experience, or a master’s degree and six years of experience. Based in Columbus, OH. $112,869-146,730 https://lnkd.in/en64_qhc
📍 OKLAHOMA
Engineer Associate: This is an entry level position for new graduates with a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. Based in McAlester, OK, RELOCATION AVAILABLE. $61,647-77,057 https://lnkd.in/eT-cjiPy
📍 MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Transmission Planning Short Circuit Modeling Engineer: Based in Columbus, OH, or Tulsa, OK. This role is open as a range between entry level Grade 5 ($61,647-92,468) and Grade 9 ($112,869-180,592) to be determined by experience. https://lnkd.in/eriGfdhT
Station Engineering Design Standards Engineer: Based in New Albany, OH, Roanoke, VA, or Tulsa, OK. This role will work with a team creating and maintaining substation standards supporting designs from 12kV through hashtag#765kV. $112,869-146,730 https://lnkd.in/ejWFFa56
You're right. In fact when you look at it like that, we might be making too much. I could definitely take less and do without a few things if it helps the shareholders.
$65,000 a year in the Columbus area is not serf status. Median income of an individual living in a typical Columbus suburb is like $60,0000. Median Household income is 100k. I agree that 65K is kind of low for new engineers in certain fields, but median pay nationwide for engineers of all types and experience is only 90K
That is awesome - good for you all and hope it works out!
Billiam and Bobert have been pretty open with Transmission that they were looking into salary adjustments for us. Of course they made it sound very wishy-washy and that they were "conducting market research" but it isn't a secret that engineers at AEP are underpaid at the lower levels. Earning $65k a year in the Columbus area is serf status, good luck ever owning a home on that.
That probably means they are going to bump up the salary of people that they can't afford to lose. In hopes that it will stop or slow the bleeding. Can't hurt to try.
Postings on LinkedIn daily for full time remote engineering positions are not helping AEP. I was contacted twice this week and I am not even looking. I left several months ago.
lol what does “mid cycle adjustment” mean?
Mid-cycle adjustment rumors are floating around.
Brian Tierney was on CNBC yesterday and he strikes me someone AEP messed up with by letting him go years ago. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree but I'd rather have Brian than Bill right about now.
Time is the one thing that you can never get back. Would you go back and tell your younger self not to take a job with AEP. I know I would not, I would still take the job some 30+ years ago. I would however, tell him to save every last dime he could do that he could leave without fear of putting a financial strain on the family. Need to look at the long term and plan for it. I'm no Dave Ramsey (I don't believe all of his cr-p) but cutting out a few things and getting a car that gets 40+ mpg vs 18 would have been worth it. Little things like that would have let me invest a few hundred dollars a month that I could use now to leave and not look back. As it is, I'm "stuck" at my age and have to stick it out for a few years before I can leave unless they have another buy out next year. Last one was just not enough.
I know it stinks for a lot of folks but you're not alone, the majority of people are in the same life raft.
The truth is, we are a means to other peoples' wealth. I have the most awful manager. I've known this for the last 5 years. But transferring to another department is impossoble unless your current manager suppports your change. If you are a work horse in your current position, they don't want to lose you. And suddenly the buzz word this year is KPI's. The pmr goals for my team barely scratch the surface of the tasks we do. But these goals were the easiest to measure. Is there a work place where managers actually promote their employees? When the manager spends little time advocating for their team, doesn't advocate for promotions, uses every opportunity to brag about self to higher ups. Another manager is a pro at "fake it to you make it". They rewrote the management job description to remove college education & experience requirements & reposted position for 2 days so the fake would qualify. But I can't find another job right now that will pay same for my years of experience! I know, stop whining! On top of all the MANY CONS of RTO, the uncertain times in federal govt & economy, fear of additional workforce reduction if the company's 2.9B deal isn't approved, etc. its really difficult to find the drive to be a best employee. It just feels like the Great Depression 2.0, only this time we all are 1.5 decades older and have more to lose and less time to bounce back.
I truly hate this company. Never would have imagined I could be brought to this point.
The one thing I have learned with my first year away from AEP. Time is precious. I can never get my time back. I spent to much of my time beleiving in AEP and the leaders their. I am greatful for the experience, wish it would have been better for me and my family, but that time is gone. There are a lot of other companies that do what they say they will do. My path now i much more brighter than it was with AEP. Take the risk if you got a good offer.
It's so over.
"worry about things like building fires, active sho-ter drills, or workplace harassment." The only fire at home is the one in the burn pit. The only active sho..ter drill would be me in the back yard plinking away at cans. The workplace harassment, I might be guilty of if the wife is home before the kids get home from school.
I had a friend of mine who wanted to get to a point in his life that 24 to 30 hours at McDs could cover all of his bills with a little left over. After that, only dipping into his savings when needed. He was almost there when he quit and went to a smaller firm for less money but they only needed him 4 days a week. No mortgage, small house on a small plot in a county that has lower taxes than those surrounding Franklin.
Should have followed his example.
Driving responsibility and accountability down to the lowest employees, provokes the question, why are the people above us better compensated when they are unencumbered by responsibility and accountability?
Most of us can’t afford the same conveniences that they can with their salaries. Private jets, hired drivers, housekeepers, nanny’s, lawn services, private chef’s- etc etc. in addition to our commutes, and 40+ hours of butts in chairs at uninspiring office buildings, we have to do ALL of the rest ourselves with the time leftover. Leaves us exhausted and burnt out.
Yes! You totally nailed it. That’s exactly why I’m starting to think it might be time for a serious life reevaluation —because owning more of my time and energy is beginning to feel way more valuable than just chasing or keeps “more money.”
I’ve been seriously evaluating whether I’m in a place where I can afford to earn a bit less in exchange for more ownership over my life. I’ve come to truly appreciate the slow mornings, the lack of traffic, and the calm that comes with working from home.
I’m more productive, more focused, and far less distracted. I love that I only have to manage my emotions, not absorb everyone else’s energy. I feel safer—not having to worry about things like building fires, active sho-ter drills, or workplace harassment.
And when the day ends, I’m already home—just steps away from dinner or a peaceful walk to decompress. It’s honestly opened the door to what feels like the first truly balanced chapter of my life.
I have determined the real reason they want us back. It’s not tax breaks or sunk cost of real estate, or culture, or innovation from serendipitously bumping into coworkers in the office. It’s not about performance, productivity, profitability, or wanting to work in an office that is filled with people because it just feels nicer. The COVID lockdowns forced companies to allow employees at all levels to WFH. For the first time ever millions of everyday knowledge worker bees had the comfort, autonomy and flexibility previously only held by executives and entrepreneurs. Gently ease into the work day in your home office, with a good breakfast, in comfortable athletic wear, and set the tone and order for your day without distractions; instead of rat-racing to the office through grueling traffic, with time only to maybe scarf down some cr-p to keep you going if that, wearing uncomfortable business clothes you had to stay up til midnight the night before ironing, arrive at the office and immediately start getting dumped on from all corners before you’ve even had a chance to log in. Knock out a major deliverable earlier and better than planned and then take that extra hour you saved to get to your kids soccer game on time or run a personal errand, instead of having your value and contribution solely based on your butt being in a seat all day, regardless of what you’re actually doing. Take a call on the treadmill, or from the hospital so you can sit with your dying father for awhile instead of desk-sitting and driving and stressing yourself into an early grave and spending more time with coworkers than your family. The little people were elevated and the people at the top have gotten sick of sharing that wealth. It’s like a sumptuary law. Put the peasants back down where they belong.
A lack of humanity breeds a lack of humanity and when you receive in return what you have deliberately demonstrated to your fellow humans, don't play the victim. Have the courage to own the poor example you have set as leaders.
What motivation. Work for a company that does not value employees, nor their customers. Raise prices for EPS value only. Should be on AEPs mission statement.
What happens if they dont get their rate increases? Will they cut 10 percent of the work force? I see constant reorganizations in the future. AEP will never be the same. Their is not an executive left that has the demeanor or leadership ability to bring the cimpany back even if Bill would retire and Ichan moved on.
The major influencer on the board was an advisor of the current pres of US during his first term. This company wants more positive or favorable regulatory outcomes...so it makes sense that the company is towing the line in step with the feds.
Can I say the company doesn't give a sh...it about the employees rate payers, period. They only care about Wall Street and themselves. It's obvious Bill doesn't care, he has no hobbies, his only focus is to increase EPS and you can only do that in a few ways. He's taking the easy route by hitting employees and the rate payers first with reduction in benefits and higher rates.
As both a rate payer and employee, I have to do a cost analysis staying with the company, right now, it's showing me a negative return. How disheartening it's been to watch this company go down the tubes in the past 5 years. Covid didn't cause it, leadership did
Sounds like you priced yourself out.