Have you ever worked at a packager/fabricator?

[Hero_X]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you have experience working as an engineer/EIT at a packager, like a compressor packager or a pump packager.

I have a few questions for you:

What are your working conditions like?
What is the pay like?
Were you able to get a job in an EPC/Client after working there? Or did you become specialized and stuck?
Was the experience good? Was it worth it?

Please share your experiences. Thank you!

[USED1]

Worked there doing what type of job, receptionist, IT, engineer. Knowing that would be a little more helpful.

[Hero_X]

Whoops I missed that. I meant worked there as an Engineer/EIT.

[rinny]

As an EIT I'm still working for a packager and it's great. Learn a lot of technical knowledge, get thrown to the coals yet still have some mentorship. Deal with a lot of big customers and any time I do I be sure to give them the best service because when you're looking to go elsewhere they'll remember this. Pay is decent, not complaining, benefits are average, atmosphere is busy but really, who doesn't like it like that? They love to send you to training, so travelling is occasional. Having the shop at my fingertips allows for a mental break and let's me learn from everyone involved.

The only thing I don't like it's sometimes it's so busy that is like running from fire to fire and I feel like I don't get as much time as I need to do the best job that I can.

[rinny]

Double post

[lof]

Done both, and below are my answers

What are your working conditions like?
Adequate, but not fancy/stellar. I worked at an independent packager/fabricator. Generally standard office hours, but plush offices/state of the art technology/etc are not as common as they are at larger EPC/clients. Depending on size of packager, you may only be one of few engineers vs an EPC where there will be several engineers. (I preferred the latter as there is more expertise to bounce ideas off of.) Will echo the comments that atmosphere is really busy.

What is the pay like?
Below average to average, depending on the company.

Were you able to get a job in an EPC/Client after working there? Or did you become specialized and stuck?
Yes - got a job at a large EPC after. Interviewed with my future boss that valued the practical experience. Previous position had lots of client contacts which was useful when looking for future job opportunities. Would definitely not say that I got stuck.

Was the experience good? Was it worth it? Pros - good hands on experience, seeing things being built and being part of that experience. Cons - not as much engineering (design work, etc) as one may prefer. May or may not be a con depending on what you are into. Smaller company vs. larger company. At packager production is most often priority vs engineering being treated as production support staff.

Are you a recent grad looking for career path, or current EIT just curious for different options?

[Hero_X]

Current EIT lookking for different options.

Thanks for your input!