5 Reasons To Pursue An Engineering Career In Electrical Distribution
“Nobody gets an engineering degree to work in electrical distribution.” At least that’s according to Elliot Paulsen, Van Meter’s Field Services Manager (and engineer). After all, engineers want to design bridges, buildings, electric cars and space shuttles. So why do Paulsen, and other engineers, continue to work at an electrical distributor like Van Meter? Should more engineers consider a career in distribution? Check out these five reasons to pursue an engineering career at an electrical distributor like Van Meter, and see if it could be a good fit for you.
Toni Etten, Aaron House and Elliot Paulsen
1. YOU’RE A SOLUTIONS PROVIDER.
When Paulsen was in kindergarten, he wanted to be a mountain climber or an engineer, and only one turned out to be realistic. As you may have guessed from his quote above, he never pictured himself working for an electrical distributor. In fact, when he left an engineering field job to join Van Meter in 2015, he planned on coasting through an easy job for a while. What he found instead was constant challenge and validation.
Paulsen can be more creative and enjoy his job more at Van Meter.
“At my old job, it would take a year or two to finish a project. Here, I was helping people every day by finding a solution they could implement and replicate over and over,” he said.
Paulsen has a saying about engineering that goes, “You will only be successful when you get used to banging your head on the wall.” Sounds fun, right? But the challenge is what makes his job so rewarding.
“I came to realize I’m not just working at an electrical distributor. I am a solutions provider.”
2. YOUR WORK WILL VARY FROM DAY TO DAY.
He also came to realize that no two days are the same. An engineer at a distributor could work on anything from automation equipment for quarry mining applications, to industrial robotics, to circuit breaker sizing and panel design.
Toni Etten, Solution Architect at Van Meter (and electrical engineer), said the variety of challenges she faces makes her job more rewarding.
“The solutions I provide depend on the challenges our customers want to solve,” she said. “You never know what you’re going to get into and who you’re going to help each day, so it’s been fun.”
That doesn’t mean she has to be an expert on everything. It’s always a team effort to deliver the best solution.
Paulsen said, “There’s a supportive culture here with a lot of knowledgeable people in different industries. It’s a great place for someone out of college to discover what they like to do.”
3. YOU CAN DEVELOP AND ADVANCE YOUR CAREER.
Aaron House was one of those fresh-out-of-college students who found his calling at Van Meter. After interning with Van Meter while he was still in college, House joined the company full time in 2017. Throughout his time at Van Meter, he has quickly grown as an engineer and leader.
House has grown from a Van Meter intern 10 years ago to the leader of Van Meter’s Packaged Power team.
House started as an Automation Service Specialist performing Installed Base Evaluations for customers. In his free time, he learned more about motor control centers (MCC) from the MCC team and eventually became an MCC Product Specialist.
“I’ve always appreciated Van Meter’s willingness to let people move around if they’re not in the right role,” said House. “It’s about creating an environment where you’re comfortable having that conversation with your leader, and I’ve always felt like I can do that here.”
When House expressed his desire to be a people leader early in his career, Van Meter gave him opportunities to develop leadership skills. He was an intern coach, helped with recruiting at Iowa State University and completed the Leadership for Five Seasons Program in Cedar Rapids.
“They’ve never hesitated to let me develop my skills, and when a leadership opportunity presented itself, I felt prepared,” said House. “I really appreciate their focus on career development.”
Now, as Van Meter’s Packaged Power Manager, he’s finding satisfaction in helping others on his team thrive and perform independently like he was given the opportunity to do.
4. YOUR REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE IS VALUABLE
“They value our boundaries. Van Meter complements my lifestyle. It doesn’t dictate it.”
- – Elliott Paulsen, Field Services Manager, Cottage Grove
Not all engineers in distribution get started right out of college like House did. Etten worked at a discrete manufacturer for 22 years before becoming a solution architect at Van Meter. While her degree is in electrical engineering, she was able to work in various departments like quality, controls and IT.
“Once you have an engineering degree, opportunities open because people know you can learn and adapt quickly,” she said.
The variety of experience gave her a different perspective she can use to help customers solve the challenges she once faced.
“I couldn’t have done this job without my previous experience, and I wouldn’t have the same appreciation for Van Meter either. It’s a really great place to work.”
5. YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE.
What makes it a great place to work for Etten? This is the first time since college that she hasn’t had an on-call phone that could wake her up in the middle of the night. Paulsen has had a similar experience.
While he never envisioned working for a distributor, he certainly doesn’t miss the grind and pressure that comes with being an engineer in the field. In his past field job, he traveled all over the world, worked holidays and weekends and got calls in the middle of the night several times a week.
“I had to change my ringtone after every project because I had PTSD from waking up to it three or four times a night,” he joked.
Now, Paulsen has weekends and holidays off and no late night calls. He said he gets to be more creative and really enjoy what he’s doing to support customers without the round-the-clock pressure.
FIND AN ENGINEERING OPPORTUNITY AT VAN METER
Could you see yourself becoming an engineer at Van Meter? Visit Visit Van Meter’s careers page to learn more about the company and see open positions or internships. If you would like to discuss a job opportunity, please contact Van Meter’s recruiting team or provide your contact information in the form below.