senior systems analyst

engineer

section manager

project specialist

senior specialist

Con Edison

I have been working in the Con Edison IT area for several years. I have worked very hard and have received the maximum yearly bonuses for my pay grade over all 12 years. While the bonuses are very good the raises are limited due to the fact that the regulators limit the company's profitability by capping electric, gas and steam utility rates to its customers.
In my opinion, in order to advance your career at Con Edison, like in most places its not really all about how technically good you are. The emphasis here is to make yourself visible to upper level Management by making significant presentations, volunteering your own time towards promoting company goals, always keeping your Management in the loop to make them aware of what's going, helping the customers, making zero IT mistakes that are significant to users etc. So providing that you follow these guidelines and are likeable by upper Management you will be promoted for sure.
You just cannot be the type of person who works incredibly hard, gets the job done on time with quality every time effectively and efficiently without significant Management involvement - in this scenario it is unlikely that you will be liked since you do the job 3 to 10 times faster than everybody else and are a significant threat to all your coworkers. Further, your Management are not involved and are not getting credit and/or visibility for your great successes. You will get glowing yearly and mid-year reviews and you may comment  to Management "if I am this great per the reviews every year, how come I never get promoted ?" Of course you will get an answer that was just not mentioned in the glowing review feedback. However, if you love the job then you invariably accept this situation even if you know that all the people around you have been promoted for doing less than you and have been involved in failed projects. Sometimes one wonders what the culture is. Does one need to be visible in overcoming significant failures in order to be promoted ?
Please do not misunderstand. I believe that Con Edison is the very best company that I ever worked for with the best co workers. I have been financially well rewarded for all my efforts. Its just that without any promotion it seems that nobody ever appreciated all the great results that I achieved in IT and all the 24/7/366 support I provided with essentially no back up. I may be the one at fault here in not being promoted as I focused all my efforts on just getting the job done very well as quickly as possible.
You know how good you are when everybody who you never heard of comes to you for help and somehow everybody knows you but you don't know them!
It would have been nice to have been promoted on my last day with the company. I volunteered to leave because the company was in the process of outsourcing all the IT functions that I loved to do.
Sadly, I feel a bit hurt about this lack of a promotion. It would have been the icing on the cake on an awesome career at this company. I still cannot figure out to this day how all those others who got promoted were even remotely better than me in all that I accomplished for this great company.
Notwithstanding the promotion issue I would not do anything different in hindsight since I always did my very best and many still say that I am one of the fastest IT developers that they have ever seen.
The only real regret I have is that I had no choice (since I loved IT work) to leave the company since they no longer needed me for any IT related work.

•	Involved in the full life cycle of application development in Java as peruse case specification.
•	Involved in multi-tiered J2EE design utilizing MVC architecture (Struts Framework), Hibernate and EJB deployed on Websphere Application Server connecting to an Oracle database. The Application is designed using J2EE technologies based on Spring MVC architecture
•	Responsible for RFW (Request for work) analysis and implementation. 
•	Responsible for design and development of various screens and also responsible for leading some developers in my team
•	Modified application flows and the existing UML diagrams. 
•	Developed JSP's in conjunction with JavaScript and AJAX to make the HTML pages more user-friendly and interactive. 
•	Done installation and Administration of IBM MQ series on NT environment Build code and deployed it using Apache Tomcat. 
•	Performed J2EE application deployment using JBoss application server on Windows and Linux
•	Worked on Struts Framework and developed action and form classes for User interface.
•	Configured action mappings and the form beans in the struts-config xml file.
•	Implemented internationalization using struts.
•	EJB components are deployed on the Web Logic Integration with MQSeries using JMS. The database was Oracle.
•	Used JSPs to create the front-end screens for the module.
•	Enhanced the mechanism of logging and tracing with Log4j.
•	Implemented RESTFUL web services. 
•	Responsible for developing web services with Spring, Apache CXF, JAX-WS, JAXB
•	Rich authentication and authorization features ensure access to application is fully controlled with sophisticated and dependable security.
•	Involved in development of presentation layer using STRUTS and custom tag libraries. 
•	Implemented Persistence layer using Hibernate to interact with Oracle.
•	Developed the test cases for unit testing using JUnit.
•	Developed Ant script to generate EJB Home and Remote Interfaces and also to build all the projects

I had three consecutive summer internships at Con Edison, so I'll focus on the internship experience rather than the full-time experience. I applied online for the first one and had a phone screening and interview. Afterwards, they just asked me if I wanted to work there again for the next two summers and I said yes.

I'll start by saying that the ceiling for quality intern assignments is higher than most places, but unless a massive project is lined up for an intern when they start things can be a bit slow. Even if you ask, there might not be something available for you after you finish the first few assignments they give you. At that point, an intern might be spending entire days waiting for assignments to trickle in or for things to do. While I never truly felt this myself, I've heard from others that an internship at Con Edison felt like they were being paid a lot of money to do nothing. 

On that note, the money you can make as an intern, while secondary to the experience you're getting, is great. I've been able to avoid the "broke college student" life in college and I think Con Edison helped with that. 

Corporate culture can be summed up like this: there's a lot of competing mindsets when it comes to the energy industry at Con Edison, but the heart of the company and its employees is certainly in the right place. Cross-department collaboration and meetings are all over the place at Con Edison, which is great for interns to get to know more of the company. The exception is probably HR. Con Edison's HR department is what I like to refer to as an absent-minded savant. I've had equal amounts of frustration and genuine satisfaction while working with them. Once an interview, start date, medical screening, etc. is scheduled they're absolutely seamless, but getting things scheduled (particularly when you have to call them instead of the other way around) can be a bit of a mess. My best advice is to be patient. It might feel like pulling teeth initially, but once things get moving they (usually) stay moving.

My one crew would consist of a large cable pulling vehicle and the other vehicle would be the cable lugger on it would be the cable you would install in the underground system. All of Manhattan is a underground confine space work area. The work area above the ground is congested with traffic and people coming and going. We have to make our safety setup advanced traffic notification and have access to both locations . One for pulling and one for feeding the cable .We perform our pre entry safety checks before entering the underground manhole preinspect for safety and to locate the cable for removal or the duct for installation. My mechanics would layout the technic they would use and what the job goal was. Using point to point radios both ends would be in contact with each other. The job would proceed and they would complete the paperwork. Finally moving on to job number two and start over again. The size of the vehicle are a problem to move from job to job weight height size and blind spots. I have a second crew so I leave crew one and go to my next crew and repeat the cable performance. Check the crew for safety procedures manhole entry confine space and safe pulling operations' in the underground system. Perform safety inspections and check productivity. After a while I would repeat and return to crew one and two all day long.

The key is to get into the right group within the company that will focus on individual growth and not manage the group like they are still working with nuclear power plants. On paper Con Ed is all about work-life balance and excellent culture. However, that is all up to the manager's discretion. I've heard comments such as 'Work/Life Balance is only for people with kids', 'allowing people to change roles within the two year time period promotes individualism', and 'we are really trying to avoid people from gaming the system'. It is a very scared mentality that with its rigidity squashes any creativity. On the other hand, within other groups people love Con Edison and don't experience the same rigidity and micromanagement. Also, while they do offer an excellent Tuition Aid program, be careful that they don't verbally agree over the phone that your program is covered, and then after getting into the program they go back on their word and then when you try to appeal to upper management they say things like 'why would we pay for your education when we don't know if you're going to stay here long-term?', even though the policy claims to begin as soon as you begin employment. Unfortunately, the culture certainly lacks any trust, and while it is necessary to avoid losses/fraudulent behavior etc, it creates a very unnecessarily stressful environment.

A typical day would consist of entering fuse sheets that has errors on them and I would have to get in contact with the inspectors or supervisors to get the correct information. Then it turns out smoothly...sometimes.

I have learned my job very well by paying attention to my surroundings, getting to know the people I interact with and asking questions. I know a lot about Gas Operations,the purpose of different pipe sizes and the different pipe materials that have to go into the ground, why pipes have to be changed. I have learned different programs that will help me in the future.Patience...

Management are a pretty swell group of people. I have a great relationship with my manager. There really isn't a hard part of the job because you learn as you go and become accustomed to the work. One thing is when a worker repeats the same errors on the sheets I have to work from. 

I really enjoy when a worker actually paid attention to their previous mistakes by not repeating the same mistakes. I will call and tell them they have done a wonderful job and that makes them happy! Emailing and calling workers on a daily basis has gotten to become a relaxed communicational spirit between us. I enjoy it...but I am working at Con Edison through a contract and do not know when that will expire. I am seeking a Full-time position.

I started work at 715 a.m. at that time we had our daily job briefing which took about 15 to 20 minutes. We will then get all the supplies we needed to complete our daily work, then we will head out to the field. The majority of my work day consist of driving and locating addresses, we worked in teams of 2. My partner and i would have a list of addresses we would have to go to and try to collect payments on their past due electric bills. If we were unable to collect a payment, we would then try to gain access to the electric meter where we can disconnect the electrical service. We meet alot of unhappy customers, who will sometimes call the cops on us or sometimes even let their dogs out on us. Although that can be frustrating sometimes, I felt that was the most enjoyable part of the job, meeting people of all different cultures and personalities. If we got into any problems we would call our supervisors for further assistance. My supervisors were the best, they would come meet us anytime we called them. At the end of the work day my partner and I will make sure the money we collected for the day was correct and we turned it into management. My coworkers were always supporting me and I will always support them, we were a team.

Working for Con Edison was the greatest internship I could have imagined. The huge variety of departments allowed me to work with so many different kinds of people. The networking options were incredible. Having the option to go through all the steps in different projects allowed me to experience all the important parts that are played by different groups. The work environment was always so engaging, and everyone is very familiar with interns so they welcome any questions and inqueries. The only reason why I didn't want to work for them full time is because, they don't have work in my area of study. They are more of an electrical engineering company, and don't really have the kind of constriction that I'm looking for. other wise, they are a great company. A typical day at work includes, a lot of spreadsheet work, conference calls for project updates, talk with coworkers about questions or steps that must be taken from updates on the call. The hardest part of my job are doing tedious tasks that take absolutely no brain power, but they are vital parts of some projects. The most enjoyable part is when you've done all the research for a product that you know can help your department both economically and work efficiently, and then it actually gets done.

Con Edison can be a great place to work, if you understand your job and become a go-to person. Generally you're seen as an asset which can give you job security. However career advancement is difficult even impossible if you do not have a network of high ranking employees mentoring you. There is a program in Con Edison where they hire young people right out of college with good grades to become managers, with the thought these young people can become the next executives. The majority of the current executives came through this program, as a result preferential treatment is given to them. They have lowered job expectations, and generally given more time to learn the job, as a result mistakes, even major ones are forgiven. The issue is many of these young college kids are leaving Con Edison, after they get experience. So the company is overreacting by giving them even more preferential treatment. This is now showing in the hiring practice's. It's almost impossible to apply for and get a promotional job in Con Edison if you're not in contact with the hiring manager before applying. Many times promotions are already planned and the job interview is just a show.

Over my 13 years there has been an obvious push to replace permanent employees with contractors or keep the company employees coming and going so they never reach top pay. They're currently letting the overhead department whittle down to almost nothing to justify replacment of the remaining, overworked employees with contractors to the public service commission. The contract raises do not keep up with new York inflation or cost of living increases. Company policy changes on a whim often with little thought of the long term impact. Safety policies are either directly reacting to an egregious oversight that resulted in injury, or an overly ambitious engineering decision that does not translate realistically to work practice. Everything this company does is to increase profits. The slightly higher pay compared to surrounding utilities does not off set the fact that you won't be able to afford to live anywhere that isn't a 2-3 hour commute from from your work location, which likely won't have parking. If you want to be a brainless utility worker just apply to the one where you live.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior systems analyst 36 salaries reported	$115,000 per year
Engineer 4 salaries reported	$125,000 per year
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Project specialist 23 salaries reported	$122,283 per year
Senior specialist 68 salaries reported	$108,801 per year

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