Hey everyone,

I’m moving to Canada in a few months and planning a career change. I have a degree in industrial engineering, an MBA, and was doing a master’s in computer science before realizing it wasn’t for me. I’ve worked in factories for 10 years, mostly in office jobs.

After researching trades, I settled on heavy equipment tech (HET) last year and have been studying for a few months. Originally, I ruled out power engineering because I thought the job market was oversaturated. But after talking to a power engineer, I’m reconsidering and need some advice.

What I’m looking for in a job:

• Remote work – I’m happiest working in small industrial towns or middle-of-nowhere job sites.
• Lots of overtime – I’ve worked two jobs most of my adult life, sometimes while studying full-time. I just like working a lot.
• Shift work – I thrive on shift work and feel my best working nights.
• Constant learning – I enjoy getting certifications and learning new skills, and I’d love to be in an industry that rewards ongoing education.
• Job security – I’m tired of worrying about jobs getting outsourced or replaced by AI.
• Good money – I don’t mind putting in the work, but I want it to pay off.

My original plan:

Get a 2-year HET diploma, then Red Seal (4 years), then work up north in Alberta doing 7x7 or 14x14 shifts. That could mean around $190K–$250K a year—great money, but it takes 6 years to get there, with the years before that making considerably less, and jobs at that level depend on who you know.

Now, I recently learned about a 3-year power engineering program that includes steam time, meaning I could graduate as a 2nd Class Power Engineer (instead of starting at 4th or 5th). That seems like a big advantage since 3rd Class is seems to be the entry level in most big plants.

My questions:

1. Should I go for the 3-year program and start as a 2nd Class, or take a 2-year program and start as a 3rd?
2. How tough is it to break into power engineering without connections?
3. After 6 years (studying + working), what kind of salary could I realistically expect if I go all-in, get all the certs, and take any job? In HET, I’d be looking at $75/hr base, $150/hr OT, plus a $35K housing allowance if I do shift work but not FIFO (e.g., living in Fort McMurray but working 14x14 or 7x7). Can power engineers hit similar numbers?
4. The most important question. Would you recommend power engineering to someone with my goals and job requirements? I just want to know if this is something I could do.

I’m willing to go anywhere and do whatever’s needed to make this work, but I also don’t want to waste time if this industry is just over saturated as I originally thought.

Any advice would be awesome—thanks!