Written by Kaitlyn Neff, Senior Regulatory Policy Strategy Analyst, and VYP Board Member
Every October, Careers in Energy Week highlights the careers that keep the lights on, the water flowing and the economy moving. Before I started working in the utility industry, I saw utility services mostly from a customer perspective. What I didn’t appreciate was just how many people and professions are behind services most of us rarely think about until something goes wrong. From hospitals and manufacturers to data centers, small businesses and new development, reliable utility services are a critical part of a growing economy.
Working at Salt River Project has shown me that something as simple as flipping a switch depends on an incredible amount of work most customers never see. It takes people across the organization solving problems today while planning for what customers and the region will need years into the future.
Serving on the Valley Young Professionals Board has given me opportunities to see that same dynamic outside the utility industry. Through VYP, I have met professionals working in nonprofits, marketing, government affairs, hospitality, construction, higher education and other fields, and those conversations have reminded me how interconnected our work really is. Our day-to-day work looks very different, but we’re often talking about the same issues: growth, infrastructure and what our region needs next.
Learn How Your Piece Fits Into the Business
One reason I ended up in regulatory policy and public affairs is that I have always been curious. If I don’t understand how something works, I usually start asking questions until I do. Fortunately, I chose a career where I rarely run out of things to learn.
At SRP, the issues I work on rarely stay in a single lane. A policy issue can involve engineers, customer service teams, environmental specialists, finance teams and communication strategy all at the same time. What looks straightforward at first can look completely different once you understand the operational realities, customer impacts and costs behind it. Doing my job well often requires learning enough about someone else’s work to understand how my piece fits into the larger picture.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is to pay attention to what happens before work reaches me and after it leaves my desk. That’s usually where I find the missing context. The more context I have, the better questions I ask, and the better I am at my own job.
Be Comfortable Not Being the Expert
At SRP, I am surrounded by people with deep expertise in areas I will never master myself. I do not need to know how to operate the grid, design a transmission line or forecast future energy demand. I do need to know enough to ask good questions and know who to call when I need the right answer.
Early in my career, I felt a lot of pressure to always have an answer. Over time, I have become much more comfortable saying, “I don’t know, but I know who does.” Sometimes the most useful thing I can contribute is knowing who else needs to be in the conversation.
Look Up From Your Own Work
Some of the most valuable things I have learned have come from conversations with people whose jobs look nothing like mine. That is one reason I encourage other young professionals to get involved in organizations like VYP. Exposure to different industries and perspectives has challenged me to think about problems in ways I otherwise wouldn’t.
Careers in Energy Week is a reminder that there is a lot more to the industry than most people realize. The same is true of nearly every business represented in the Greater Phoenix Chamber. Reliability and growth across Greater Phoenix don’t happen by accident. They depend on thousands of people with different expertise doing their part every day.
My advice? Take the tour. Ask the questions. Get to know the people whose work affects yours, and the people whose work seems completely unrelated to yours. Your job description tells you what you are responsible for. Don’t let it limit what you are curious about.
Kaitlyn Neff has never been particularly good at leaving a question unanswered. At Salt River Project, she works on energy policy and regulatory affairs issues affecting Arizona’s energy future. She also serves on the Greater Phoenix Chamber’s Valley Young Professionals Board, connecting with professionals across industries and finding common ground in unexpected places.