Pros
Xcel is an industry leader in the power sector as we transition to a carbon free future. Upper management is quite progressive and that really builds a great culture at the company. Working at Xcel can put one at the forefront of this clean energy transition, making your work meaningful and personally fulfilling. If you plan for a career in energy, getting started at a public utility is incredibly beneficial and can open up numerous doors. Most people here very much approve of Ben Fowke and there is great communication to the employees about company standing, especially during the pandemic. Benefits and PTO is pretty good.
Cons
Most of the typical large company downsides. Xcel is huge, and as such, things can go overlooked. Receiving funding for projects can be frustrating. The company's size and large number and variety of engineering teams can be extremely inefficient, with everyone working on the same system, but not effectively communicating. The company structure is very siloed which can cause all sorts of confusion. Higher ups often lack awareness of what actually is going on at the engineer and field-personel levels. In more customer facing jobs, it can be somewhat personally taxing to deal with customers who often don't have a good opinion of their utility, as most people lack much of an understanding of power systems. Pay for entry level engineers is below-average and so most people leave for better pay after only a couple years. Long work hours too.