line supervisor

customer service representative

business analyst

engineer

analyst

FirstEnergy

I worked for several years at FirstEnergy and after being gone for over 3 months now working for a new company, I can say without a doubt that there are way better companies to work for.

I'll start with the pros, then end with the cons.

Pros

1. Compensation. There's no doubt that you will make decent money working for FirstEnergy. They pay their employees well. Yes, I agree you need to make money to support yourself. But when you're laying on your death bed, are you going to look back and care about how much money you made? I personally don't believe they pay you enough for what you have to deal with, but compared to the average salary it is above average.

2. Employee gym. I know not all FE locations will have an employee gym, but this was a huge plus at BV. You also had the freedom to exercise during your lunch hour as long as you were getting your work done.

3. Great friends. I made a lot of great friends during my time at FE. Although there were a handful of negative people, there were also lots of good, friendly people who I spent a great deal of time with outside of work.

Cons

1. Work/life balance. This was absolutely the #1 reason I left FE. Their work/life balance is horrible. Get ready for mandatory 72 hour work-weeks on nightshift during refueling outages and being on call every fourth week for no extra pay. And not to mention all of the holidays and weekends you'll have to work when there's an issue at the plant. It didn't matter what was going on in your personal life, you were expected to be there. And the kicker is you have to work 5 free hours during these long work weeks. So from 40-45 hours you get no extra pay.

2. Management. I did not particularly care for the management style at FE. The organization is very top heavy. There are a lot of supervisors, managers, and directors and not many workers. And you had to have a million meeting in order to get anything done. Most managers were running around like their hair was on fire without really getting anything done. Management did not really show much appreciation for the workers, which I think would go a long way.

3. Not much room for advancement. Unless you wanted to go and become a senior reactor operator (SRO) and work shift work in the control room, there was essentially no room for advancement at FE. They liked managers to have an SRO license. You could progress in the ranks in your particular position but if your goal is to move up the Corporate Ladder, be prepared to pay your dues by working shift work for several years as an SRO, and then they may consider plucking you out for a management position. 

4. Boring work. I did learn a lot during my years at BV, but it just didn't feel like real engineering work. At times I felt like a glorified admin. At my new company I'm actually doing real engineering work and using stuff that I learned in school.

At the end of the day, I would not recommend working at FE to a friend. I am truly grateful for my time there, but there are way better companies to work for.

My impression is that they pay you a lot to try to keep you there, so it can be hard to break away because of the money. But for me and my life, there are things that are a lot more important than money. And now that I'm in a job that has a much better work/life balance, I'm way more happy than I was when I worked at FE.

This job might be great for someone else. This was just my experience here and I hope it is helpful in helping you make a decision on whether or not to work here.

I was a contracted Customer Service Representative for about 9 weeks.  Training is hard.  You are in classes for about 4 weeks, then you go to nesting, which is when your classwork is mated with using the software, and applying what you learned while handling inbound customer calls.  There are a lot of rules because the power utility industry is heavily regulated and First Energy owns 10 operating companies across 6 states.  

The first thing to realize is that you are expendable, supernumeray and extremely short-term.  You are lied to and constantly told that as long as you a) have perfect attendence, b) a good attitude and c) work to improve, that managment will work with you to help you suceed and that there is a great opportunity to advance, a wonderful career and awesome benefits in your future.  

The problem is that this is the sizzle that gets you to commit to them without them having to follow up on it.  The reason you are being hired is extremly short term (helping with call volumes and handle times) and if lucky, one or two might someday, be eventually hired.  Most people won't be hired through no fault of their own. 

I was one of the unfortunately ones. Perfect attendence, worked every overtime offered, good attitude, excellent assessment scores, improving quality and performance scores and none of it mattered. As soon as the holiday rush ended, my staffing company called me just before midnight (woke me up) and told me not to come in to work, I was finished.  Never got to talk to any manager about why I wasn't good enough to be kept or worked with to be rehabilitated, which is what you would expect after 9 weeks of work/training and good performance. I worked hard and was angry at being treated this way!

A coworker got an email telling her not to come to back to work and she had the highest quality scores in the class.  There is a lot of croyonism and no manager is to be trusted.  Sure, they are nice enough to you and the work environment is good, but there is no stability and no trust.  There is nothing worse than working in a job that promises you a career, plays around with your livelihood and future and treats you in the end like a piece of garbage.  

In short, the temporary staffing arrangement allows them to get around the union rules and screw people over.  The only good news I can say that exists in this job is that your coworkers are top notch, the pay is good and you do get paid without drama and finally, you can get overtime. The rest is a big lie, so don't believe anything you are told.  You are hired short term as a temp to cover a call center's overage.  Nothing more and nothing less.  So if you want to work for ~2 months at $11 an hour, then this is your place. Otherwise I'd pass on it unless you think you can win the lottery.

I have worked for FirstEnergy at a nuclear facility for over 6 years in both Engineering and Operations. Simply put, you have control over your career based on how much effort you put in, your general attitude, and your ability.

I know people that love working for FE, or more specifically FENOC, and I know people that hated it. I think that the people who love it are of the "nuclear mindset" and are willing to work in a highly regulated, proceduralized, and precise industry. The ones who didn't enjoy, or outright hated the work, were those who couldn't accept the constant paperwork, oversight, and strong culture of following the rules to a tee. 

If you are considering working at a Nuclear Facility, you need to ask yourself if you are someone who is viewed as by the book, as precise, and are capable of constant reviews of your work. 

In Engineering, the entirety of your experience will be dictated by the above factors, and by your coworkers. I had an excellent supervisor and worked on an excellent team. I was sad to leave Engineering, but Operations was the next logical step in my career. The work was challenging, ever changing, and very rewarding. The company will give you as much responsibility, respect, and authority as you can prove you deserve. 

Your hours will be flexible, if you prove yourself capable of self-regulating and getting your work done. If you cannot be trusted to produce quality products, you should leave, and after a while, you will be forced to leave. 

In Operations, the structure is even more tightly regulated, and there is far less flexibility. That said, effectively everyone you work with is highly functioning, which makes the difficult work enjoyable. The mentality of Operations is very "military," for the better or worse - that's your opinion. 

Management is tasked with enforcing the procedures and processes that ensure safe and reliable plant operations. The Company's procedures are explicitly designed to ensure compliance with Federal Regulations. The only people who seem to have difficulties with Management are individuals who can't seem to understand that managers are tasked with enforcing the Nuclear Process so the federal regulators don't have to. 

I love the job. The pay is good, the work is never boring, and I respect those around me. I couldn't ask for a better place to work. The question a prospective employee needs to ask is, "Am I cut out for Nuclear Power?"

What is the best part of working at the company?
The employees you work with are the sweetest, kindhearted and understanding people you will ever meet; they are always there to help and walk you through the process you struggle with.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There is no and I mean NO work life balance as a contractor, you will be expected not miss, be tardy or leave early from work regardless of circumstances. You will be expected to in less than an hour notice work over by hours any day of the week. Trying to take off for emergencies is almost impossible, if you have anything going on in life you will see unempathetic superiors, and no scene of compassion from upper- management. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
This is a very high stress, fast paced environment, with little to no support. You have supervisors doing a million things, none of which will be productive to you or your career. You will be expected to learn new processes quickly and be very harshly reprimanded if you do not pick up process quickly. The teachers are great, but the amount of information they cram in to every agent is enough to break anyone. They are understaffed constantly, due to inconsistency in rules and procedures constantly. The burn out at this company is unreal working 10hr, 12 hr, and 16 hr days with no warning for days at a time plus weekends get brutal.  Working with the public is a mental hunger game in itself but having unproductive superiors to help with workloads, and leaders who don't lead or support their teams makes it almost impossible.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day is filled with constant confrontations, down-grading, and being verbally disrespected for hours at a time, from the time you walk in in the morning you will be broken and downgraded with no help from supervisors. You will deal with some of the most aggressive and threating clients demanding instant results with no proper training on how to hand the situations that arise and no support from upper management.

•	Developed a Win forms application in C# that manages the user roles, survey, rules and used it to pull out the profile placed from the SQL database using ADO.NET.
•	Develop enterprise web applications using MS .NET, ASP.NET MVC 4, C#, JavaScript based frameworks (JQuery, DOJO), HTML programming, XML, WCF, Silverlight/WPF, SQL Server technologies (T-SQL, SSIS, SSRS).
•	Gathering all the data with Requirements and creating User Story for Product Planning and Implementation in Product Backlog. 
•	Using web controls and third party controls.
•	Using Kind grid web controls for creating some functionality like Multiselect, listgrid view, radio button or action menu.
•	Using window services for web forum application.
•	Implemented Server side validations using ASP.NET validation controls.
•	SQL Server Integration Designed & Deployed Services (SSIS) packages for updating the List of signed and Unsigned     Participants in Insider Trading records from SQL database  to Excel.
•	Used Version control tool Team foundation server (TFS) 2012 for the entire development cycle.
•	Involved in design and development of ASP.Net Web UI Compliance application.
•	Using MS .NET, ASP.NET MVC 4, C# based frameworks HTML programming, XML, WCF,  SQL Server technologies (T-SQL, SSIS,    SSRS).
•	Using MS SQL SERVER 2012 for  writing stored procedure schema from database.
•	Participate in the complete software development lifecycle using Agile methodologies such as SCRUM, TDD and XP.
•	TFS 2012 Functions can be done by API by using Different Tools.
•	Managing Project at the Team Level and each team "Own" an Area.
•	Used N-Unit for testing and debugging different modules using Bug Tracker and Fiddler for debugging in the application.
•	Using c# Cases by Creation and Consumption writing Manual Test in Microsoft Test Manager to find and fix the Bugs.
•	Consumed the ASP.NET Web Services in WINFORMS user interface and Implemented data binding and Presentation logic using    C# and Validation

I've been in the utility industry 15 years. I applied for and accepted a position as a Construction Site Coordinator with this company. Salary was lower than I expected they refused to budge on it. I even offered to forgo the relocation assistance for higher salary. They did offer a 5k bonus and they have a annual performance bonus which COULD BE 10% of your salary (bonuses are not guaranteed), and a  relocation package. However, this all came with a 24 month repayment agreement. EVERYTHING was added to that agreement. Cost of relocation, signing bonus, home sale assistance and buying...You're looking at 50 to 100k that they could hold over your head for 2 years. Your employment is AT WILL so they COULD fire you for cause or without cause and COULD make you pay all that back. The relocation (realty company they use) will make ridiculous demands that you fix this or that on your home (My home is in great shape and worth over 450k) things that NO ONE would ask, because even though you list the home, find a buyer and negotiate the price, they are the ones who actually buy your home then sell it to the buyer.  They will low ball you on your PTO...Which is not just for Vacation...it's for sick time and anything else...According to their benefits package...you don't get 3 weeks until after 5 years. You don't get 4 until 15 years I  believe it was. They try to make it seem like giving you 3 weeks is a huge favor. Not when you have to use it for sick days or Doctors appointments. Try and negotiate more...they'll probably tell you no. I'd like to go one about other encounters I had while going through the entire process but it would be like reading a short story. In my opinion they're a very rigid and arrogant group...Which is ironic considering they've been under investigation and in trouble for buying elected officials. Luckily my former employer took me back. I never should have accepted an offer from these people. You may have better luck.

The company strung us along making us think that we would get hired in 3 months. Six months in and we were only offered a placement test that we had to read a 200 page booklet and had 3 sections to the test. The majority of the test was on things we did not learn outside of our Credit and Collections department. Once you failed the test you are told to bad and "it looks like your not getting hired". Temp to hire's are given 14 hours of personal unpaid time, no vacations, no benefits, no participation in some company things. Everyday we dealt with getting called vulgar and derogatory things by customers and are given two 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch to take a mental break. Supervisors are NEVER available when you have a supervisor call or any other issue you are not used to taking. When giving a Supervisor call back to a supervisor they only call a select few and never call the rest and we get stuck with the brunt of the anger when the customer calls back to complain more about not getting a supervisor call back. The turn over rate there is so high they had to bring in 8 new groups of 15-20 people in one month. Not a very good company to work for in my opinion especially when your temp agency complains about them as well and states that they " are almost out of people to send to them". The only enjoyable part of the job was helping customers in an emergency situation and making them feel their situation is very  important to us or helping a family keep their electric on and they are extremely grateful for my help even though they hate the company.

My position was at one of their nuclear facilities, everything we did was such an uphill climb.  Management has been selected to be ultra conservative based on years 'experience'.  In this case experience translated to old management practices and reluctance to upgrade even the most basic equipment to 2013 standards.

I would never recommend this environment for a young professional, it  will probably be detrimental to your career.

The regulatory environment surrounding nuclear power is so overwhelming (internally and externally) and management provided no buffer, this made it difficult to focus on the real issues.  I remember arriving at work one morning when an auditor was waiting to grill me.  This audit had been scheduled for months and not a single manager or supervisor informed me of it.

The pay was below average, the Union environment meant a major disparities in earnings.  The company had implemented pay cuts, wage freezes, and cut benefits (401k, pension, medical, dental) during my five years with the company.  Seriously, 2% match on a 401k, mandatory (unpaid) overtime, no bonus, etc is an insult.

The company faces major headwinds due to its inability to recognize the changing energy market.  Google it and see the plant closures and low demand in the PJM footprint.

In retrospect the only upside of this job was perception of job security at a nuclear facility but that has been challenged by multiple plant closures (again, google it).  I guess some of my co-workers made it tolerable but as a whole the personnel were tough to work with and culture was not positive.

This was my first job out of college, since that time I have learned a few things.  FirstEnergy Generation is a shrinking company, there is no way to sugar coat that.  I worked at a nuclear generating station and the regulation was simply back breaking.

The necessary upgrades an maintenance to the site were lost in a swamp of paperwork and bureaucracy.  Excessive spending on security and third party contractors is making the nuclear industry less economical, FirstEnergy is no exception.  After I left, a number of the systems I recommended for investment and upgrade failed (some catastrophically).

Day to day paperwork was the bulk of the job, when a technical analysis was needed; it was heavily influenced by management.  There were many instances where my work was edited.  Typically (but not always) I was notified about the changes but it was an environment where you don't really have a choice.  I found it was a 'fall in line or we will find someone who will' type of situation.  There were instances where they did have to find someone who would smile and say yes.

Within the company, I found different personnel were held to different standards, and the pay was NEVER proportional to the amount of work or responsibility.

Management was awful, never supportive, and always second guessing. Sometimes I felt members of the management team were not qualified to make the decisions presented, even after it was explained.

Union environment was detrimental to accomplishing anything, work processes slowed down progress, etc.

The 401k and benefits were cut three times in three years.  By the time I left there was only a 2% match on the 401k, pensions were eliminated, healthcare was barebones, bonuses were scarce (one in four years).

Typical day at work is 95% at your cubicle taking 100+ calls if its a Monday and at least 50+ during the other days. You go thru training and lots of it since this place is constantly changing. Everyone in the call center starts off as a temp to hire but don't get your hopes up because your hired in based on who you know and who likes you. Sometimes if your just good at your job. most temp positions should be about 6 months before they let you know if you if you'll be hired in but not this place. You could be here for a year or longer as a temp without getting a raise, no paid vacations, and no benefits all the while still being trained for other things than what you originally came in for. Management is okay, some people are really good but most are complete jerks. When asking for help, most mangers will just look at you as if you are unworthy with the exception of a few. There are some really awesome managers there so don't get me wrong. The most enjoyable part of this job is the end of the day. Be prepared to stay after your shift almost every day, for the most part just a few minutes which is nice because it is overtime. However, during big storms be prepared for long hours of working. I once worked from 9:30am til 1:30am and then had to be back for the 9:30-6 shift. It's ridiculous how much they are allowed to overwork you and that's all they care about it working YOU. The turnover rate is so high because this place is really for the hard, unfeeling, unbending person who really just wants to work and have a very poor work to personal life ratio. Be prepared, you've been warned. It's not worth it in the call center, perhaps somewhere else within this company but not there.

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