Stationary engineers are specialized types of engineers tasked with operating the power equipment and other utilities at industrial and commercial buildings. Stationary engineers are commonly responsible for aspects such as the air conditioning, heating, refrigeration and other similar installations, tasked with their regular maintenance, repairs and other activities to keep them in a good operating condition. Most large-scale buildings have their engineers dedicated to a particular type of installation, such as stationary engineers working on the power installation, etc.
Getting hired as a stationary engineer requires, understandably, a degree in engineering – though the specific field of the degree can vary quite a lot, given the various types of specific duties a stationary engineer can be hired to perform. Often, stationary engineers are hired to work in teams, making it vital to have good teamwork abilities and the skill to work under pressure and be reliable towards one’s coworkers at all times.
A stationary engineer’s job pays moderately well, earning a salary of between $40,000 – $74,000 in most cases. The job can be heavily demanding on those who practice it, as it imposes various requirements in addition to the basic ones, and is seen by many as underpaid with regards to other engineering positions. Still, the ease of getting the job (with its broad range of accepted degrees) has lead to a good development of its market, and today the job is highly sought after and the market is saturated enough as well.