Career Crossroads: Senior Management Track vs. Commissioning Specialist / Independent Business
I’m at a career crossroads and would appreciate advice from people in power engineering, commissioning, project management, or technical service businesses.
My background is in electrical power engineering, mainly substations / power systems design: schematics, protection and control, HV/MV equipment, transformers, switchgear, and coordination with contractors and clients.
I’m considering two paths:
**Option 1 – Employee / management track**
Stay as an employee and gradually move from engineering into project management, then possibly senior management in a large electrical contractor or engineering company.
Pros: stable income, clear career ladder, lower risk, good salary potential.
Cons: corporate politics, less technical specialization, less independence, salary ceiling, no guarantee of reaching senior roles.
**Option 2 – Commissioning → independent business**
Move into electrical commissioning/testing, gain hands-on field experience with substations, transformers, switchgear, protection relays, cables, grounding, troubleshooting, etc., then later become independent or build a small specialized commissioning/testing business.
Pros: practical niche expertise, independence, higher upside if business succeeds, harder to replace or commoditize.
Cons: site work, travel, irregular hours, expensive equipment, harder to build reputation, higher risk, competition from established companies.
My goal is to maximize long-term earning potential while building a valuable and defensible skill set over the next 10–20 years.
For those with experience: which path has better risk/reward — senior management as an employee, or becoming a commissioning/testing specialist and eventually independent?