cashier

engineering intern

engineer

customer service representative

project manager

SoCalGas

I've been with SoCalGas for over 9 years.  

Pros:

- Good benefits-- however, not the best; you have to pay for medical, dental when many companies cover 100%.  They don't.  

- They do match 401k up to like 6% and they have cash balance which is similar to pension.  Very few companies offer this, so it's a critical benefit.

- Job Security.  There have been no layoffs here in my tenure; however, there were layoffs at the parent company, Sempra in 2010.  And they're constantly looking at "doing more with less"... so one day there may be, who knows.  However, I truly think that Senior Management at SoCalGas at least would not resort to it unless it was their last resort.  There's a project in the company now underway where they're looking at ways to cut back.  However, I don't think it will result in layoffs

Cons:

- Workload/Resources: Some departments are pathetically under staffed, under resourced and under appreciated.  And Senior Mgt doesn't want to hear about it.  In turn, some people in this company feel very overwhelmed in their jobs with the immense workloads, deadlines and time demands placed upon them.  I would say this especially goes for Directors and Engineers.  The expectations that are being placed on some folks is just unrealistic and they have no choice but to suck it up because most are terrified to speak up and risk retaliation or their jobs. 

- Management.  As stated in my opening statement, there are some AWFUL managers in this company.  The way they appoint leaders is ridiculous.  You constantly see people being placed in roles where they have zero experience and are not close to being remotely qualified.  Clickies and fan clubs everywhere.  They appoint Directors by asking current Directors to nominate folks in their groups that they feel have the potential.  Most of the time, these are folks that are not remotely qualified.  And they don't subject anybody in management to any level of psychological analysis or screening to ensure they're mentally fit and capable of managing people which is purely psychological.  However, with that said, there are also some great managers.  But it's a very mixed bag.  However, your success in this company will be hugely dependent on your supervisor.  They can make or break you.  And if you land a bad manager, good luck because HR is good for nothing (and painstakingly slow to do anything).  They are only here to make sure the company is not breaking any laws and to cater to the Directors and managers.  They could care less about employees.  

- Telecommuting.  This is probably the biggest issue in this company.  They say on their career website that one of the benefits is a telecommute option for "certain positions".  Telecommute is solely at your manager's discretion.  Some managers are OK with it and understand the importance of work life balance and focus on the work product and not if you're at your desk every time someone comes by.  However, since this is a utility, as in most, progressiveness and change is so painstakingly slow and there are still old school folks around here who have dated styles of management.  And until they phase out through retirement in the next 5 to 10 years, this will continue to be an issue.  So if telecommuting is an accommodation you need (and, trust me, you will), make sure to address that before you step in the door by clarifying the work remote policy for the department.  Also, be aware that managers report to Directors and there are some departments in the company where old school Directors will place tall orders out of the blue that may be beyond their control.  As an example, I came into a job where telecommuting was permitted on a regular basis and it was only after coming in that the Director placed stringent restrictions on it.  So be prepared for something like that to potentially happen if there's change in management and the new manager/director does not support.  This is why people in this company get VERY uptight and on edge whenever there's changes coming in management/leadership for their respective groups.  

Overall, I have been lucky because I worked for a good boss for my first few years in the company.  Not great, but she was very mentoring and protective of me.  However, I also inherited the worst boss I've ever had.  Now I work for a great manager; however, there are some big issues in my current department.  

Given the Aliso Canyon crisis that consumed hundreds of people for months and has undoubtedly influenced the company's future (many of those changes still remain to be seen), they seem to be re-bounding.  The stock price is climbing and it's at an all time high, it's a very stable company.  It's just absolutely CRITICAL that you know exactly what you are getting into and what the expectations are where you land.

This company can provide decent compensation in the benefits including 401k, pension, medical, sick, vacations. Some of their benefits may be better than employed in the government agencies as a comparison. Every department would have a different work schedule depends on the actual needs. That will be missing out on some important periods with friends and even family members because of working shifting hours, potentially creating family and marriage relationships problems. Remember, their pay is including this time inconvenient, simply said, they bought your private time. Besides contracting employees, the company is mainly divided into two employment types, union-represented employees and management employees, and come with a different treatment. 

Most of the union-represented positions in the company are based on seniority and hired internally at the beginning. More years served in the company will be easier to get into the ideal position. Many employees started their careers either as Meter Reader, Call Center Representative, or Service Technician. The hard skills training for instance of basic computer use, plumbing, HVAC, mechanical, electrical, basic building codes (plumbing & mechanical area (IAMPO) ), mark & locate transmitter use, hand tools using technique, etc. help apply for the job; however, the company coordinates job training internally in their facility located at Pico Rivera and San Dimas. The training is long and the rules are very strict and not allowed to miss any days of the classes even in an unforseeable situation. It made the company losing lots of talented trainees during the training period, spending additional time and dollars to fill up the vacant position. 

The labor relationships are varied. Networking relationship is very important for promoting to management positions in the company. Some supervisors or managers are not suitable for the leadership role with poor personalities, lack of logical thinking, professionalism, or management skills. The company gave out lots of authority to their management employees, it may be unfair treatment to the union-represented employees through retaliation, management employees abusing authority against their unfavorable subordinates. It is seldomly that the company admitted the mistake made by the management. The union mostly focusing on the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) contents instead of the management conducts in the company, and the union members are not that active than the past after a few previous leaderships administrations. 

The challenge in the industry recently will be electrification and climate change. There may be more and more energy resources replacing fossil fuels in the future. Some renewable energies are more efficient, convenient, and safer for users. Although natural gas service is still reliable, in the meantime, other renewable energies resources are in progress of their improvement and start become universal. Simply means many of the natural gas appliances may not need servicing, pilot relights, leak test, parts replacement, etc. In addition, there are ongoing local code changes for banning the use of gas appliances, that may cause some jobs eventually and skills to become eliminated. Always remember, gear up yourselves as well other than the company develop your skills.  

The company has a long standing history of retaining many of their employees until retirement. They pay very well, benefits are good, and the hours can be flexible depending on the position and department. They do a lot of charity work and encourage employees to participate by matching some donations. As a means of a maintaining morale, there is always some sort of company event taking place anywhere within the company or some departments just get together on their own, after work hours.

Unfortunately, the company has gone through some recent changes in which longtime employees were offered retirement packages to make room for a new generation. It's also no longer what you know but who you know when it comes to career advancements. Reason being, they highly encourage employees network internally as a means meeting new people and maintaining a working relationship. While it's not officially looked at as a means of advancing within the company. It's no coincidence that you see the same people being favored over others or being promoted. I see this more in their Downtown Los Angeles offices.

It's also a known fact within the company that management is required to post positions but the chances of getting the job by your own merits are about 60/40. Management typically has someone already in mind and therefore waits for that individual to apply, goes through the motions of doing interviews and then gets the person they initially wanted. Their jobs postings also lead you to believe that prior work experience plays a factor as you becoming a potential candidate but that's not true if you don't have a degree. They rely heavily on employees with college degrees and would rather choose a recent grad with zero experience, over a current employee with some experience. HR is unfortunately a joke and that's also widely known within the company because of their inability to properly screen candidates. You'll see the same job posted multiple times before it ever gets filled. I know this because I've spoken to hiring managers and supervisors about this issue.

They do hire people from temp agencies but those for the most part are 1 year positions. On the off chance you're considered exceptional. You may get offered an Employee Contract (EC), which means you're an employee of the company but your position is reviewed every year for renewal. Management could convert you to a permanent employee but it's highly unlikely since they view an EC position as something that will eventually get outsourced or be faded out. So for those without a college degree. I would highly recommend you apply for their Customers Service positions since it's one of the best ways getting your foot in the door without a degree. Plus it's a union job and management doesn't mess with those positions. After working their for a certain period of time. You can move around within the company and even into management. One of the benefits to being a represented employee is that you can go into management (which is none union) but return to a union position within five years. You can't do that if you come in as a non union employee.

On a side note, they also monitor social media for any mentions, good or bad. It's internally known that you don't bad mouth the company on social media if you don't want the powers that be to question you about it.

A typical day is setting up my hardware at a shared desk and logging into all the programs I need in order to do my job. I am assigned bases/territories within our district to manage the employees in said districts. I monitor work that has been routed to employees and shift work around to meet priorities of each work order which can vary in time requirement for completion. I am constantly re-balancing work as emergency orders drops in from the call center. I answer phone calls from field employees and call customers if requested by the field. The pace of my day can vary throughout the day and can be very demanding. I am communicating all day to field employees via computer and telephone. As well as accepting phone calls from local Fire Departments when they request our presence on emergency situations. I am responsible for documenting emergency incidents that occur in the field regardless if the gas company is involved as a direct result to document that we took quick action to secure our facilities. Something is always going on and I'm there to help facilitate that the right person and equipment shows up to get that job done.

Management can be a joke at times, it's really a hit or miss. The environment is bureaucratic which prevents productive change from occurring. There are a lot of new people in management and thus everyone is trying to implement their new bright ideas which adds pressure to your workload. This company is split up of union (represented) and non-union (management) employees, thus working on the union side can be tedious and annoying. You are paid the same wage of your co-worker who doesn't work as hard as you, and lousy employees linger around a lot longer than they should which brings morale down. Moving up the company on the union side is based on seniority and moving up the management side can be perceived that it is based on who you know rather than actual ability. It can be demoralizing trying to work your way up in this company and honestly if you are a self-starter and very motivated this company will be stifling. 

The hardest part of my job is that it can be very demanding and working with varying levels of personalities can be exhausting. The most enjoyable part of my job is collaborating with field and office personnel to conquer the work the day presents. It can be really challenging but it's satisfying meeting the time constraints.

Would get blue prints from contractor's or cities. Would review these blueprints to see if there was any convicts with The Gas Co. main lines.
Would make up and send our paperwork to the "Field", so that they would "potholes" over the gas main to see how deep it was. When I got the paperwork back I would determined if there was a conflict with the contractor/city projected job. I would go the job site to gather more information that would help me to plan the job. I would then drop by the contractor's/cities office and introduce myself with the designer of their job. After getting what I needed. I would have the sketcher's make up a basic sketch for me. After I got the basic sketch back. I would draw up the final sketch. I would then order the material, parts and special parts needed for this job, with the use of my computer. I would a times would have a order a special part I would have to contact the proper company who made the special part I needed. I would then contact USA (Underground Service Alert), permits and dispatcher, so I would know when the proposed job would get started.
I got along with all my supervisor's and co-worker's. If there were any problem I would encounter I would contact with my Lead Planning Associate or Supervisor. And from time to time I would call up on my fellow Planning Associate's for help. There were at numerous times I would ask for help from my Lead Planning Associate I wouldn't get it and this happened to often. I was very unhappy with how I was treated when I would need some "real" help and I would rarely got it.
Again I enjoyed going out to the "Field" to get some more information and going to the contractor/city engineer's about their projects. Still got great respect from these engineer's and seem started friendships.

I worked at Socalgas full-time (More than 10 years)
Pros
Great pay/ benefits. Great, Fun co-workers and Customers.  Energy Tech Residential ( field tech) position enjoyable...your own boss in field. Position (in field with Customers) requires using all your senses and engaging your mind--as a sleuth-- to drill down in solving the Customer's actual cause of request. Consistent Management practice of bringing left over food-goodies (after their meeting) to the employee meeting room--was unexpected and unnecessary... but very classy.
Cons
Best to leave brain on stand-by at the morning meeting. Management style is authoritarian, top-down, maintain the status quo at all costs, yes-man, falling dominos-- school of Management. Management despises change and improvement. Speaking up on need for continuous improvement, improving processes and calling attention to waste in operations--will flag you for retaliation. Disingenuous 'Code of Conduct' -- is for show only--- Machiavellian. Lack of employee growth and development by culture where highest virtue is....'staying under the radar'. Company lags its peers in safety because safety is politicized. Promotions not based on merit/ best and brightest are not promoted-- fast-track to promotion is based on abilities as a loyal yes-man who will back their boss....unconditionally. Stress problem at Company caused by Management bureaucracy.
Advice to Management
Arrogance and maintaining the status quo doesn't work in 2018. It's all about the Customer-- DeNile is not just a river in Egypt fellas! Company sorely needs....Deming ( " Continuous improvement....product and service" ), TPS (kaizen) & Lean Six Sigma.

Pros
Tl;dr: Great company to get work experience and a solid amount of money as a student. Also a great company if work isn't your life, and you simply want a chill and reliable job. Would not recommend to people who are type A people, who want to stimulate their minds, and/or make money hand over fist, 
 
 For interns specifically:
 -Pay is very generous. Usually above $25/hour.
 -Interns are integral members of the team, and do actual design work comparable to that of teammates
 -401(k) is nice, appears to have a 1-year vesting period
 -As a year-round intern, people were flexible, and I could adjust my schedule freely as long as I got my work done. 16 hours was the minimum, but some interns chose to work as many as 32, and on some weeks, significantly less than 16.
 
 Company as a whole:
 -Work-life balance is great, including for salaried FTEs
 -Internal promotions and promoting from within. 
 -Very reliable job; an "iron rice bowl"
 -FTEs have very, very good benefits. 
 -Work-From-Home is the norm, and doesn't seem to be going away.
 -Big teams. You can go on vacation for 2 weeks and there will be people who can cover for you.
 -Minimal Diversity and Inclusion issues
-Very good benefits that partially offset less-than competitive pay

Cons:

-There seem to be far more interns than FTE openings. 
 -You're definitely a cog in the machine
 -Work is repetitive 
 -FTE pay isn’t very good. Benefits, while good, do not make up for relatively low salaries
 - Mediocre employees climb up the same as great employees. A good employee might carry some mediocre employees, but still get paid (and promoted) the same. 
 -Despite being a big company, promotion paths are murky and not well defined.

•	Plans and manages all contract related activities and processes associated with the procurement of high-value/high-risk goods and services. 
•	Responsible for supporting multiple Category Managers within the portfolio. 
•	Leads and collaborates with Business Unit managers and support staff, as well as cross-functional teams within Supply Management and throughout the organization. 
•	Manages very high-value/ very high-risk contracts, evaluates supplier proposals, leads negotiations and the development of contract award recommendations, and establishes and maintains favorable supplier relationships.
•	Prepares contract-related documents; recommends contract awards based on justifiable evaluation criteria; develops supplier proposal criteria and evaluation tools, evaluates supplier proposals; negotiates contracts; establishes contract attributes, remedies, and options; drafts special contract language; leads and identifies supplier alliance opportunities; resolves conflict between suppliers and company; mentors and trains lower level contracting agents and support staff.
•	Conducts Industry and Supplier Analysis using: Excel pivot tables, Bureau of Labor Statistics Indices, SWOT Analysis, Porters Five Forces. These tools assist with understanding the various industry structures, industry trends, industry cost structures, general purchasing trends for forecasting, Cost Analysis and Benchmarking to source Construction Service Agreements.

Working as a Project Manager at SoCal Gas has been an insightful journey. The company, a prominent player in the utilities sector, offers a dynamic work environment with ample opportunities to handle significant projects. One of the prime aspects I cherish is the focus on both professional growth and sustainability, reinforcing the balance between business objectives and environmental responsibilities.

The team at SoCal Gas is composed of dedicated professionals who emphasize collaboration and transparent communication. As a Project Manager, this has been invaluable, helping in seamlessly driving projects to completion. The robust training programs and access to cutting-edge tools ensure that we remain at the forefront of industry trends and best practices.

However, like any sizable enterprise, there can be occasional challenges with bureaucratic processes, which may sometimes lead to delays. But these hurdles are overshadowed by the company's commitment to employee welfare and continuous learning.

In conclusion, being a Project Manager at SoCal Gas is a role that promises growth, challenges, and the satisfaction of contributing to a future-focused and responsible organization. I would recommend it to anyone looking to further their career in project management within the utilities sector.

Working as a ETR ( energy tech residential) for many years can be challenging. There is always something to do and new experiences. You will be fixing gas appliances and lighting pilots at people's homes, detecting gas leaks, and building meters with work given to you through the I phone. You will route your work based on the orders and the time frame given. If you miss your order time frame you need to fill out a report or your supervisor will talk to you. Once you complete an order you need to input all the info. If you miss something important your supervisor will talk to you. This job is very detail orientated. there is ALOT of policy and safety to go over. Once you get your policy down it's not too bad. It can take about 5 years before you are good at it. New policies and changes happen often and there are a lot of grey areas that can get you in trouble. When you get home you will always have stories to tell, good and bad. If your having problems at this job, it's not too hard to look for another job in the company that pays just as well but with less pressure. In the wintertime you will be working 10-12 hr days

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