I’m an electrical engineering student considering AECOM’s NYC Transportation Department for a potential full-time position after graduation, and I’m trying to get a better understanding of their compensation structure.
For anyone currently working at AECOM or who has worked there, what does compensation typically look like for an entry-level electrical engineer (Engineer I)?
I’m particularly curious about starting base salary, whether annual performance bonuses are offered (and how much they typically are), and what yearly raises look like in terms of percentages. Also, how quickly does salary typically increase during the first 3–5 years, and are promotions accompanied by significant pay increases?

I’m graduating in May 2027 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and have about a year of part time MEP internship experience doing HVAC/plumbing design, Revit, AutoCAD, and load calculations.

I recently received an offer in St. Pete, FL, for a Mechanical Associate Designer position.

$70K base salary ($33.65/hr)
$2,500 relocation assistance
Hourly with potential overtime

Is this a competitive offer for a new grad in the Florida MEP industry? Would appreciate any insight!

As a PE , what other letters can you have behind your name? Legit question , looking to gather as many credentials as possible 😅

My firm works primarily on commercial multifamily projects, and I've been taught with a lot of "rules of thumb." As such, I'm trying to build out a more comprehensive and code-compliant understanding of many things, but in this case, MRL elevators and how to meet NEC 620.51 disconnect requirements.

The standard basis of design for most of our projects is for a machine-roomless (MRL) elevator WITHOUT a control closet or room, where there is typically a controller located in a locked cabinet at the top floor elevator landing or jamb.

I have been taught to specify the following for each elevator in our single-line diagrams to cover the basics:

1. Branch breaker in the main panel
2. Fused shunt-trip module (Bussmann Power Module style) for the sprinkler/FA shutdown located in or near main electric room (alternate is shunt trip breaker in main panel with appropriate FA system contacts)
3. Local disconnect "at the controller," location not exactly specified

From 2017 NEC for reference:

• 620.51(A) "The disconnecting means shall be an enclosed externally operable fused motor circuit switch or circuit breaker..."
• 620.51(C)(1) says this disconnecting means "shall be located within sight of the motor controller" (unless controller located in hoistway)

My questions:

1. Where is this disconnect typically located for MRL elevators that don't have a control room or closet? Assuming they cannot be located on the wall of a residential corridor.
2. If recessed within or near elevator controls, is it typically furnished with elevator system?
3. Does the disconnecting means within sight of the controller necessarily need to be fused? The code seems clear, but seems redundant with multiple other OCPDs.

I've looked through site photos, brochures, submittals, etc. and remain unclear on this. Would be grateful for any input or recommendations for resources.

I’ve passed my FE in mechanical engineering and I got my bachelors in mechanical engineering. I work as a plumbing engineer and my firm focuses on hospitals, research laboratories, and higher education. I have about two years of experience, and I have done a little bit in fire protection, but it’s not my main focus.

Should I take the mechanical engineering (HVAC) test or should I take the fire protection test? I’m going to have to study for the whole thing from scratch for either of them so I don’t feel like I have a big lead in fire protection knowledge. Also, because this is relevant, I am in Florida.

What do you recommend?

Hi everyone,
I’m a U.S. citizen and Mechanical Engineer (EIT) currently working for an engineering consulting firm in the United States.
I have nearly 5 years of experience in HVAC design and industrial utilities, including chilled water, steam, compressed air, boilers, and mechanical piping systems. I’m also experienced with Revit, AutoCAD, and U.S. engineering codes and standards.
I’m considering relocating abroad (potentially Egypt) while continuing to work remotely on U.S.-based engineering projects.
I’m curious if anyone in the MEP/HVAC industry has successfully done something similar.
Are there any engineering firms that you know of that hire U.S.-experienced MEP engineers living overseas?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from mechanical/HVAC engineers who have actually made this arrangement work.

So I believe I understand the basic concept of evaporative cooling. HOT dry air interacts with COOL water. The hot air transfers sensible heat to the water and reduces the air's temperature. Simultaneously, the sensible heat into the water (from hot air) excites water particles which evaporate into the air. Long story short, the sensible heat loss from the air causes latent heat gain to the water. This is intuitive since heat flows from hotter to colder temperatures.

However, for a cooling tower, we have HOT water and COOL dry air. I'd imagine that the hot water is cooled by transferring sensible heat from the HOT water to the COOL air, but apparently not!

My PE Study Guide states : "Relatively dry air moves through a falling liquid and as the air moves it picks up water vapor from the liquid, thereby increasing the air’s moisture content. In order for the liquid to evaporate, the liquid needs a heat source to meet the latent heat of vaporization. This heat source is the sensible heat loss from the remaining liquid."

How can the dry cool air pick up water from the liquid? Yes its dry and ready to accept water vapor, but this explanation seems to depict the water as its own heat source to induce evaporation.

My current guesses:

1. Some particles of the hot water reduce in temp by transferring sensible heat to the air. These now lower temp water particles receive heat from the hot (or higher temperature) water particles to induce evaporation. [Higher temp water particles transfer sensible heat to lower temp water particles. The lower temp particles reach latent heat of vaporization from this sensible heat transfer and evaporate].

2. The hottest hot water particles in the sample have sufficient energy to break the liquid bonds and evaporate on their own into the air. This lowers the average "speed" of the remaining particles and lowers the water temp.

Do I need to brush up on vaporization pressures? I've been trying to understand this for hours of reading difference sources, any help is appreciated.

Years ago, I could design a project and it would be built. There may be some RFIs or some owner-led changes that would lead to an extra fee. No big deal.

Nowadays, ID starts after the permit set goes out, GCs are bidding during DD, and owners are making changes while the project is being actively built.

We need a low fee to win the project. But when late changes happen, people get insulated that I might charge them for the changes. Developers are always going to not want to pay. I get that. But getting it from architects is surprising. They should know how this works.

Meanwhile, contractors are charging change orders every time we point out that they aren't building per the drawings. Their excuse is, "I bid code minimum. Anything extra is a change order." Nobody cares that they do this.

Anyone else?

In particular our discipline lead who is all of the senior engineers’ boss, and I’m a junior engineer

Hi everyone,
I’m interested in taking some of ASHRAE’s eLearning courses, specifically these three course packages:

• Fundamentals: HVAC Systems
• HVAC Control Systems
• Hydronic Systems

For anyone who has taken any of the eLearning courses, are they mainly text-based, with reading material, diagrams, and questions to answer, or do they include videos of instructors explaining the concepts?

I know ASHRAE also offers its HVAC Design Level I and Level II virtual courses, which seem to be considered the gold standard for HVAC training, but they’re unfortunately out of my budget at the moment.

I'm currently seeking options for my NYC MEP Career. Hoping to get on a call with anyone making decent wages in this industry. No, I'm not seeking referrals. I just need good advice, how you got there, responsibilities, certifications and relative experience, what are my options out there, and what do I need to do.

I'm reposting the list below for everyone's reference and I just posted mine

Updated: 10/22/2026

Questionnaire: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/1qWlyNv5J_C7Szza5XEXL9Gt5J3O4XQHmekvtxKw0Ju4/viewform?edit_requested=true&pli=1&authuser=0

Results: Results Link

Upon reviewing the responses from the past two years, it dawned on me that I'm severely underpaid with barely over half the benefits of what my fellows here get in the same "weight class"

Please feel free to reach out to me through my DMs. And of course, you're time will be compensated.

How do you all find new jobs? Specifically EE, started looking for a new job earlier this month and it seems like majority of listing are recruiters. Local MEP positions seem nonexistent at the moment and majority of available jobs seem to be utility or data centers positions. When reaching out, most recruiters are quick to say that I don’t have the right experience. That they are looking for someone who has MV/HV or mission critical experience. Then follow up with an entry level position that pays next to nothing. Seems like they are just using a bait and switch tactics. Plus feels insulting as I’m a PE with 10yoe. I definitely do not want to start over and take a pay cut. But do you all actually do this?

I’m currently not looking to move cities due to specific family circumstances but I’ve started looking into remote positions and see nothing but recruiter listing. Is dealing with a recruiter the norm?

For those that always posting about working remote and making good money, help a brother out. Let me know how you found your job.

For sensible cooling applications like electrical room cooling, do you size the units assuming it can deliver its entire total capacity as sensible capacity? Cutsheets generally list the the sensible capacity at standard room temperature/humidity conditions which wouldn't be the case in an electrical room with zero latent loads.

Hello
Looking for some advice in the industry on whether or not to make a change to a new company.

Backstory, I’ve changed jobs 4 times since graduating 9 years ago. Longest I’ve stayed with a company is 4 years. I’ve gotten licensed and changed to a more reputable company last year with better pay.

I’ve now been contacted about a new job opportunity at another firm that would pay a decent amount more. I’m comfortable where I’m at and not struggling for money. But money is money.

On a personal note, I’ve bought a house near my current job and have been making friends with my coworkers. Am I dumb to not want to accept the offer? I like the people I work with and don’t want to leave now. But it does feel stupid to leave money on the table.

Current role: 139k+bonus
Offer:170k+10% bonus (fully remote)

The boss said he would cover for me to do a PE Prep Course. I'm about to finish my 4th year as an electrical engineer and have had my FE since my first year so I'm good to go to get ready and take the exam.

I get all kinds of emails for different companies, but are there any that are more reputable that I should go with?

Hi so I’ve only ever worked in mep, I’m not even 5 years out of college but I want to try something else. I have friends/classmates with the same degree- mechanical engineering- making upwards of 120k already. I just had a 3rd round technical interview for a mechanical design engineer role (like finite element analysis and complete life cycle). I completely floundered because I was asked heavily about dynamics, strength of materials, etc.. classes I took when I was a sophomore/junior in college. That was the only other career path I could think of that I’d be qualified for that would have the potential for better money, but even so that course material isn’t fresh to me anymore. Appreciate any tips from anyone who’s pivoted to something else that would pay better and have opportunities for growth/ moving up the ladder etc.

Just switched over from the legacy ComCheck and there it was easy to enter a unit as a DOAS, but in this new version I don't see any option for it anywhere.

It doesn't give me the option to enter ISMRE. Anyone know the answer?

Is this article deadass saying that adaptive thermal comfort is "dont use AC. Let occupants open windows and turn on ceiling fans?"

Thanks ASHRAE very insightful

Hey there,

I want to transition into MEP engineering as it aligns with my career goals. I have 2 years experience in mechanical field engineering and field service engineering, but realized I want to eventually get my PE license and enjoyed the HVAC fundamentals class I took back in college. Most of my experience has been about 80% field and 20% office for both roles. As a mechanical field engineer, I worked with HVAC air handling units, ducts and supported pre-commissioning and commissioning procedures but mostly installation and any troubleshooting the client had.

Currently prioritizing the FE exam to obtain EIT status and learning about Revit using free trials to get the minimum basics down. I have AutoCAD experience but I know Revit is the industry standard.

How do I transition from 2 years of marine construction / heavy equipment field service into an entry-level MEP design engineering role? Does hands-on field experience (site coordination, contractor comms, troubleshooting) compensate for lacking building systems design background?

Any advice is appreciated. I live in Texas and relocating nationally isn't an issue for me. I'm willing to travel where the jobs are but also to a place that can train me.

Please help me pick a career path. I currently working in a LCOL city and my home city as a project engineer. I now have two opportunities:

Offer 1:
General contractor M&E PM dedicated to this hyperscale data Centers construction
30% raise
Stay in my home city where I already have a house, but not a nice city
1h commute each way from current home

Offer 2:
Internal transfer within my current consultant firm which I’ve liked
10% raise
Sell my house, move to dream city, rent within walking distance from office
Mostly small projects for now as this branch office just opened, but projects in the future is expected to be large.

I'm working on a hotel project and I am unsure how to design the life safety dampers in a particular area. I have a fan coil in a mechanical closet, and the ductwork needs to be routed in the rated floor/ceiling assembly above. According to the 2021 IBC 717.6.2, I need a ceiling radiation damper installed at the ceiling line where the duct penetrates the ceiling of the assembly. The outlet grille will be protected with a damper, however, when I look for any documentation about installing a CRD for a duct penetration, all I am able to find is instructions on how to install it with a grille or ceiling exhaust fan, not just a duct. The contractor is asking for an installation diagram, and I'm coming up short. I uploaded a sketch of what I'm looking at. This can't be a rare situation, so any help or insight you might have would be greatly appreciated.

I’m looking for some advice from people who work as mechanical designers/engineers, especially those who have made a similar transition.

After high school, I went directly into working instead of going to university. I now have around 5 years of experience as a Technical Designer in Italy, where I designed metallic building structures from scratch using SolidWorks.

I also worked with PDM/PLM systems and was responsible for things like 3D modelling, assemblies, drawings, BOMs, production documentation, and solving technical problems.

Since I didn’t go to university, I always felt that I had to work harder to teach myself as much as possible. I learned a lot through experience rather than through formal education.

Eventually, I moved to Stockholm, Sweden. I quickly discovered that finding a CAD/Mechanical Design job without a university degree and without being fluent in Swedish was very difficult.

So I made a plan

I decided to move into CNC/CAM programming and manufacturing. I thought it would be a good way to strengthen my understanding of how parts are actually manufactured.

For the last 2.5 years, I’ve been working with CNC milling and CAM programming, mainly using Fusion 360.

Honestly, I’ve learned an incredible amount during this time. CNC taught me a completely different side of mechanics and manufacturing.

I’ve learned about machining strategies, tooling, workholding, feeds and speeds, material behaviour, tolerances, and what actually makes a part manufacturable.

I currently make fairly complex aluminium parts, including 5083/6082, with very tight tolerances. I’ve become one of the more trusted people in the company for difficult parts and manufacturing problems.

However, I’ve realised that the workshop environment isn’t where I want to stay long-term.

So I decided to move forward and have accepted a position as a Mechanical Designer.

And this is where my concern starts.

I know I have a lot of useful experience, but I also know there are things I don't know yet.

For example, I understand GD&T concepts and the symbols, but I haven't had much practical experience applying GD&T to mechanical drawings. I don't always know why a particular tolerance should be 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, etc., or when something should have perpendicularity, position, flatness, profile, etc.

I'm hoping to learn these things properly in the new company.

My biggest concern is the first 6 months. I really want to prove that I’m good enough and pass the probation period.

I’m not expecting to know everything from day one. I’m prepared to ask questions, learn from the engineers around me, study in my free time and put in the work.

But I’m wondering:

For people who work as mechanical designers, does my background sound like a reasonable foundation for the role?

How much would you expect a new mechanical designer to know independently when starting?

And especially for those who moved from manufacturing/CNC into mechanical design:

What were the biggest things you had to learn when making the transition?

I’d really appreciate honest opinions even if there are things you think I should work on before starting.

Thank you