Is it normal to have to work during PTO? #newbie

Normal, not necessarily. Plausible and somewhat expected Yes

They will always try. Put your foot down if you are actually taking pto days aka "out of the country", "family" etc

Spent two of three days at a resort in Sedona last year on family vacation slaving through spreadsheets in my room because something had to be finished and only I knew how to do it.

If you're doing billable work it's not PTO. Bill that shit.

Set those expectations up front! "I will be traveling and with extremely limited cell and internet access." and leave a # only for absolute emergencies (which shouldn't exist, since we're not medical professionals)

It's normal to feel pressured, and it's normal for you to be pressured. Agree with setting boundaries from the get go. As an aside, I'm curious how everyone deals with a team culture that looks negatively on taking pto (eg your classic proud workaholic boss/team mate who boasts the amount of hours they put in or the fact that they sacrificed their pto to 'get things done.') the culture of my previous job was a lot like that and a big driver to my resigning.

I would say if they make you work on PTO you shouldn't have to have it count against you. get that time back and plan a trip where you are in unreachable in the future. set boundaries or this will be the rest of your life

I make sure I'm I reachable via email/internet when I'm actually on a vacation with family or friends. Have my number in my OOO for absolute emergencies but I rarely get calls or texts. I set those boundaries from day 1

I was strongly recommended to take PTO because project has limited billable hours but then while on PTO client set meetings and was told have to take them. Thank you for the advice on setting boundaries though!