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Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

Is this your company?

Good company, but still a family empire. - Field Applications Engineer Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Employee Review

3.0
Dec 21, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I spent less than 5 years at SEL and I enjoyed my time there. "Most" people (I'll talk about the rest in the cons section) are very friendly and they have a great work environment. I was a Field Application Engineer and get the freedom to choose your own work, what relay do you like to support the most, how many app guides to write vs teaching, etc. They buy you Friday lunch, which might not be a big deal, but at least you're getting "free" food on Friday. You also have the opportunity to write papers and get exposed to the power industry at conferences.

Cons

This company is 100% employee-owned, but that does not matter, Ed still does whatever he wants and if you even consider speaking against his ideas then you get immediately fired. The salary could be better (it's slightly below industry average) and the bonus is a joke (My last year's bonus was roughly $1,100 minus taxes), and Ed's excuse for not giving a good bonus is because he spends all the money in making new buildings and buying jets. There is no real growth path, and you pretty much have to be one of the "chosen" ones to move up in the company. I mentioned that most people are friendly, but some higher-ups are rude and you really can't complain to HR, as HR is owned by Ed and his friends, if you don't mind dealing with these people, or sucking up to them, then don't count this as a con. Finally, if you ever want to move to a different position then you might have to relocate to Pullman, which is in the middle of nowhere and flying there takes a whole day. Finally, there is so much work to be done because they don't hire enough people, so keep that in mind, you'll be working weekends, staying late, and all that overtime is uncompensated.

Explore other reviews about Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

5.0
Jul 2, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good work culture and benefits

Cons

Less other location options other than Pullman

4.0
Apr 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Right job for some people. If you buy into the koolaid and are passionate about the power industry this can be an incredible job for you. The benefits are pretty great. I really enjoyed my coworkers, all of them feel human and are earnest. You can live quite cheaply in Pullman. There is an incredible amount of job security. SEL boasts they've never done a layoff. Additionally their ESOP distribution is generous - though it takes 6 years to fully vest. There is a lot of things I really admire about the company and the culture.

Cons

Comp is lower side. A lot of people are hired out of college and have only ever worked at SEL so sometimes I feel like there is a bit of an echo chamber. Small town. I really struggled with the initial allocation of 12 days PTO. 17 after 2 years is much easier. As a SWE, the company feels very catered to their power engineers. Company is very traditional in its values, people wear suits to work. Seems like the timeline for promotion is quite slow for SWE compared to other companies. I see a lot of friction when lower level engineers trying to advocate for changes; though I do think that the conversations with leadership happen in good faith.

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