r/FieldService

I was searching to see any post like this, but I just can’t find anything that’s as specific as my case. Please is anyone else in this boat?

I don’t know what else to do, because this job pays so well, but I hate it so so much. I’m always stressed, always tired, and always missing home.

I’m a field service engineer (sub contractor) for a major chemistry company. I work with Analytical Chemistry equipment and only have a B.S. in Biochemistry.

I’m burnt out and feel so stuck, because it feels like there’s no better escape. I’ve been doing this for 3 years, and I have hated it more and more as time has passed.

Please help. Any advice. I feel like I’m at my wits end. I have never posted on Reddit, but I have also never felt this desperately trapped in a job.

Edit: Thank you for all the kind words, advice, and reality checks!

Hello folks, I'm a new FSE in a semiconductor equipment company, so far I love it and want to work long term in this company. From my research it seems like people quitting is a bigger problem than layoffs, and that once you have sufficient experience it's not hard to find another job as an FSE. How true is this? Outside of poor performance and company/team having to downsize, what are common reasons FSEs get laid off? Any advice/insight regarding this topic would be appreciated, thank you.

For example, what would you do if your coworker dragged his feet on his PM’s all month, had a bunch of admin days and at the end of the month he or your boss asked you for your help to do his PM’s?

Now, I’m a team player. I will help out anyone but I’m not going to do someone else’s work while they sat at home earlier in the month not being productive.

Thoughts? What’s the appropriate response to this behavior?

I work on detection analyzers in clinical and research settings. I've been on my own for about 6 months now and sometimes I feel like I can't fully relax until I get back home. I'm in hotels maybe twice a week so it's not too much travel. Most of my customers are really nice and easy to work with, especially hospitals and CDMO's.

On the other hand, my customers in defense and pharma freak me out. They watch me like a hawk during maintenance and repairs, ask me really detailed technical questions on everything I'm doing even if its not related to the instrument, and they blame me for the instrument not working well for them even if its clearly user error. On top of the general stress from this job, these quality managers add so much fuel to the fire.

Is this just how this job is with these industries? Does it get easier over time?

We’re a small GC handling residential additions, usually around 5-6 jobs at once. The biggest headache lately has been keeping subs scheduled without overlaps, gaps, or someone showing up to a site that isn’t ready yet. I tried Procore for a bit, but honestly it felt like way more system than we needed. What I’m really looking for is something simple where I can move subs around on a calendar and quickly spot conflicts before they become problems.

Hey guys,

I run a small HVAC company and I'm trying to get more Google reviews to boost my local SEO. Curious how other field service folks handle this.

Do you ask for reviews on the spot, or follow up after the job is done? Right now I'm thinking of automating the ask via SMS or email, triggered either when the job is marked complete in my CRM or when the invoice goes out through my accounting software.

The thing I'm not sure about is how to handle unhappy customers. Let's be honest, sometimes there are delays, warranty issues, or miscommunications, and I don't want a frustrated client to go straight to Google before I even have a chance to address the problem.

Do you have a way to filter or triage feedback before it hits your GMB page? Like, sending an internal satisfaction check first and only routing happy customers to the review link?

Would love to hear how you guys are handling this, whether it's manual or automated.

Thanks!

I'm just wondering what the going rates are here in 2026 for on-call pay for those of who have to do 24/7 support in a field service role.

For most employees, so long as I can remember my company paid $100/per week for after-hours and weekend on-call availability. Quite recently, that number got bumped to $150 allegedly to bring it in-line with the market.

Some others get paid more than that, due to being in leadership roles and/or as part of a relocation package. Those folks got a corresponding bump as well.

Industry is field IT support with a broad scope - retail/POS, networking, wireless,, broadband connectivity, servers, and data rack infrastructure along with some other specialized equipment.

So, what else is out there? I haven't seriously looked around for a VERY long time. I'm not looking, just curious so I can address some of the chatter that's happening amongst our workforce on the subject.

We run one week on and one or more weeks off before a tech does another on-call rotation. A tech who is on-call works a regular 40-hour week but is available for off-hours emergency situations. When not on-call, techs just work a regular 40-hour week. Overtime is paid for any actual call-outs/dispatches. Frequency varies in different areas (nationwide) due to staffing levels, etc.

My team and I currently use a Pelican 1607 full of tools (including a lot of custom tools) that we ship out to field/test sites. We also ship larger electrical equipment in Pelicans as well.

The Pelicans have been great from a durability standpoint. We really never worry about whether the equipment will survive shipping.

The one thing I don’t like is organization. At the end of the day it’s basically just a giant bin full of tools, cables, adapters, etc. and you end up digging through layers of stuff to find what you need.

I use Packout at home/in my garage and really like the modularity and organization. It seems like it would solve a lot of our issues:
- better organization
- faster setup/teardown on-site
- easier inventory control
- less digging for tools

BUT, our gear gets shipped around constantly and handled by FedEx/freight, sometimes pretty roughly. I’m hesitant to fully commit to Packout if it won’t hold up long-term in that environment. Especially after seeing videos like this:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/15nWVZb57jM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Curious what other field service/travel guys are using:
- Full Packout?
- Pelican with custom inserts?
- Tool rolls/pouches?
- Some kind of hybrid setup?

Would especially love to see photos from people who’ve used these systems in real-world shipping/travel environments.