Pros: Opportunity to grow with the company Cons: Constant change
Pros
After working at several other firms and related-industries, I started at AES. At the time the Vancouver office was only a couple years established and there was very much a start-up feel - the two managing partners and a dozen employees. After proving I was capable, I was given more responsibility and bigger and more significant projects to work on. There was a lot of mentorship from the managing partners, we worked closely together. Over the next few years, the firm grew quickly - new clients, more projects, new office moves, more resources to help deliver projects, additional staff (including a lighting and technology team, technical experts). There was training both formal and informal, on a variety of subjects - electrical code, project management, leadership, even business development and Revit. 10+ years at AES and my role continues to grow and evolve in ways I never thought possible in the beginning, including becoming a shareholder. One of the perks of AES is that it is an employee owned firm and the partners have an open door approach. The company continues to grow - a new office in Kelowna last year gives staff options to live and work in the Okanagan. It’s no longer the same small company I joined, as it’s constantly evolving and improving (new services, new markets) and the firm continues to secure interesting and significant projects - that is what makes working here rewarding and why I choose to stay.
Cons
I admit AES is not for everyone. It’s not a small company and it’s not a large company… it’s a growing medium sized company which means there is constant change (new approaches to doing things, new systems, new people). This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. On the positive, it also means that people still have the agency to be creative in how they get work done. There are a lot of resources in terms of the caliber of people on staff. The most successful people are flexible and leverage the people and resources in the firm. If you’re someone who has trouble asking questions or asking for help then this might not be the place for you. There is decent documentation but there isn’t an instruction manual for everything. If you love tons of structure, a bigger firm may be more suitable. However, if you’re the type of person that likes a new challenge, isn’t afraid to take initiative, and want to be given the freedom to operate your projects as you best see fit, and have your say in the evolution of the firm, this could just be the place where you flourish.
