When we hear the word technology, what comes to mind as what drives it? The answer to that question is simply power.
Power has helped us in our daily lives, from transportation to having electricity in our homes and offices; power helps us run some devices in the office and industries, indeed power is very important.
As a result of the very important role power plays, especially power generation, there are many career paths one can go into and become successful and also many employment opportunities.
We see the pressing need for workers in renewable energy, because the world wants to go into green energy to avoid ruining the climate and protect the earth.
In this article, you get to read some of the employment opportunities that are available in the power industry as well as their annual salary. All you have to do is keep reading.
What Is Power Generation?
Power generation is simply the creation of electricity through energy sources.
There are a lot of natural sources of generating electricity. These natural sources can generate renewable and clean energy that we can use to carry out our daily tasks.
As mentioned earlier, the world wants to move into Green electrical generation, and the sources where it can be created include biomass, low-impact hydroelectric projects, solar, wind, biogas, and geothermal.
These natural sources of electrical energy have so many benefits, which include keeping our environment safe as it helps to reduce the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gasses in the air.
Is Power Generation a good career path?
Power generation is essential for our day to day activities and for this reason and more it is worthy career path.
For your businesses, industries, churches, and even your homes to carry out activities smoothly, it needs electricity; it needs power. Many job opportunities in power generation have sprung up because of technological improvements.
In power generation, there are wide range of opportunities for you, like programming, engineering, and even manual labor. Not to forget, many of these jobs pay very well.
These employment opportunities are not just limited to the above, as more opportunities will spring up or continue to spring up because of people’s increase in demand for renewable energy sources.
Now let us look at some of the benefits you can get when you choose to venture into careers in power in power generation:
- You get the chance of influencing the creation of new, favorable energy sources that are environmentally friendly.
- You can get the opportunity of influencing factors, including situations of the economy, security of energy supply, and community health.
- You have the opportunity to get rewarding employment opportunities.
- You also have the opportunity of getting access to global movements with large followers.
Nevertheless, all prospective workers, be they beginners in the field, junior employees, or even top executives, must meet specific educational requirements and have a certain level of expertise.
If you are searching for a job that will pay you well, and offer you bonuses, and high-ranking positions, then go for power engineering jobs. The good news is you can easily get these jobs in Canada as they are in high demand there.
Why Choose A Career In Power Generation?
Due to the vital role played by power generation in our daily lives, selecting professions within this sector can be very rewarding.
The power generation industry has wonderful advantages you’ll enjoy, but it still has a wide range of skills it requires to function well. Below are some of the advantages you will enjoy.
- Expanding industry. Since green and renewable energy alternatives have been introduced, the power sector has been growing rapidly in many regards. As a result of this growth, you can rest assured that your career choice will also lead you to long-term work stability.
- Variety of options. You also have a wide range of power generation options you can choose from, such as solar, wind gas, and oil amongst many others. Another good thing is that if eventually there is a shift in business, which is a skill that you were able to develop in one trade, you can transfer it to another.
- Good salary. On a worldwide scale, power generation is important for our survival and well-being, which is why the salary you will be paid is high. No matter your rank in this field, the salary will be really good, and there’s always room for improvement.
- Effect on our environment. There are some effects or modifications that generating power can cause to our environment. This is why as someone who loves the environment, as you are generating brain and renewable energy sources for power-generating industries, you have the opportunity of finding ways of curbing the adverse effects it will have on the environment.
How Much Does A Power Generation Engineer Make?
In the US, the typical salary for an engineer in the power generation industry per year is $83,561 or $40 per hour.
The yearly income of the bottom 10 percent of workers is less than $49,000, while that of the highest 10 percent of workers is greater than $140,000.
What Exactly Does It Mean To Be A Power Generation Engineer?
Those who work on equipment and devices such as refrigeration units, boilers, compressors, and generators are those we call power generation engineers.
The engineers ensure that the industrial systems are working or operating safely and effectively as they should and they are also in charge of the maintenance of these systems.
For the engineer to complete his duties successfully, there are certain kinds of skills that he is supposed to have to be a power generation engineer today.
How To Get A Job As An Engineer In The Generation Of Power:
You will first have to put into consideration the level of schooling you should have before you can venture into power-generating industries.
About 65.8% of workers or engineers working in power-generating industries have their B.sc, according to a study.
In power generating industries, the highest attained level of education is a master’s degree, and it is possessed by about 8.2% of the engineers in the power generating sector.
Irrespective of the fact that most of the engineers in power generating industries have a BSc or Master, don’t let your diploma from high school or your GED change your mind, as you can still get a job in the industry.
You should also know that if you are trying to use your diploma, it is important that you should measure in those areas that relate to the industries.
In addition, the experiences you have gained from working in other industries can help boost your chance of getting a job in the Power generation industry.
It is also important to Note that many of the engineers in the power-generating industries have previously worked as electrical engineers or electricians.
Career Opportunities For Power Generation Engineers:
As you look for different strategies on how to search for a job, it will be very helpful if you look into different career paths that are open to your current work.
Let’s say that you started working as an electrician. It is possible that you can move over to two positions where you are in charge of maintaining and supervising the work of other workers.
If you put in enough work and your job or position, you’ll be at an advantage of advancing to the post of the head or chief engineer. Below are some job opportunities you can put into consideration when going into power generation:
1. Power Engineer:
Power engineers make sure that the equipment that is used are inspected, always tested regularly, and repaired or fixed when bad.
A few other employment duties are:
- Organizing both the creation and use of energy.
- Take a look at the company’s effective utilization of its energy sources.
- Keeping reports of the energy usage of each department within the organization.
- Finding out good suggestions for energy-saving measures.
2. PLC Programmer:
A PLC programmer builds a model, implements it, and evaluates the performance of PLC device management programs.
Other employment duties include:
- Identifying and repairing issues so as to minimize any related downtime that can arise immediately.
- Assembling and managing each technical documentation for the programs.
- Taking part in the installation process of machinery under the control of PLC.
3. Maintenance Engineer:
Various equipment and machines are maintained so that they do not develop faults, or even if they do develop faults, they are corrected, and this is carried out by the maintenance engineer.
Additional tasks include:
- Establishing and maintaining maintenance plans.
- Finding the damaged parts of equipment or machines.
- Ensuring replacement parts are available.
- Investigating the causes of downtime and making efforts to prevent those causes.
- Communicating with the heads of departments, engineers, and producers of machines or equipment.
4. Electrical engineer:
The task of an Electrical Engineer include
- Taking care or managing or electrical related issues
- Seeking help for developing software.
- Constructing technical documentation for application solutions.
- Hiring engineering and technical assistance.
5. Design Engineer:
Engineers in this sector are responsible for the completion of designs both in digital and paper form and for providing documents for construction.
Additional tasks include:
- Figuring out ways to reduce the cost of production, weight, and other aspects, as well as problems with production, and finding solutions to those problems.
Education And Certification Requirements For A Career In Power Generation
You are expected to know the educational and certification background that the power-generating industry requires if you are planning to work there. As a result of the diversity of the industry, what it requires can vary.
- For the engineering Fields, a BSc is a requirement. Most of the students in this line of career path mostly chooses electrical or mechanical discipline. However, if you have an associate degree that relates to the profession, you can be employed.
- The cost of venturing into the power generating sector is less expensive because most of the beginner-level jobs in this sector only need your high school certificate or your GED.
- If you have expertise in power distribution, electrical distribution, and transmission, you will be able to stand out from the crowd. A good understanding of the job roles will help you if you are planning to venture into the renewable energy sector.
FAQ
What are the strategies to improve power generation?
The methods we can use to improve the generation of power include:
- spending up the progress of technology
- Reducing the prices of technology
- Making policies that will lead to the creation of new markets and possibilities
- Making the cost of electricity encouraging
What is a power strategy?
The Power strategy consists of three procedures. Prewriting is the initial stage, and it involves organizing and planning duties before writing really starts. Following this stage is the writing phase. After this stage follows the last stage, which is the Post writing stage, where you edit and revise the stages.
What are the six methods of producing electricity?
We have the pressure method, the heat method, the chemical method, the light method, the frictional method, and the magnetism method.
What skills do you need to be a power engineer?
In order to be a power engineer, there are some skills you need to get. A good power engineer has to have good communication skills; you should be able to have good problem-solving skills, should be creative, and also be able to multitask.
Conclusion:
Choosing to go into power generation as a career choice is a good choice.
Electricity is very important, which we now know as it can boost the economy and help improve the environment.
The world is now trying to see how to generate electricity in such a way that it does not have too many negative effects to the environment. Meaning that there are wide range of opportunities for you if you choose to go into the power sector.