Engineering salary increases

[Rumpltzer]

^

And when did this occur, and is the economy the same?

Anyway OPs salary/debt is brutal. Shoulda been a trucker.

Happened two years ago in the June to August time frame; brutal time to be wandering Asia.

I don't recall... was the economy booming two years ago?


The economy is such a bullshit excuse in our little engineering world. There are an assload of engineering jobs; more positions than heads. Seems that we can't find enough of them to fill our needs.

 

[OverVolt]

Happened two years ago in the June to August time frame; brutal time to be wandering Asia.

I don't recall... was the economy booming two years ago?


The economy is such a bullshit excuse in our little engineering world. There are an assload of engineering jobs; more positions than heads. Seems that we can't find enough of them to fill our needs.

Hmmm there is definitely an engineering graduation rate problem. Which is where the experience divide comes in for the really fresh grads into this econ. College is definitely not teaching the right skills. Around when did you grad?

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

There are a lot of technical sales positions for EE's in the Chicagoland area that will start off around $100-130k. GE, SquareD, Siemens to name a few. Anything that involves PLCs or industrial automation should pay well and most of them won't require you to know any programming off the bat - they've got engineers for that kind of stuff.

 

[hans007]

how is that causing headaches?

and what is the point of making more money if you aren't going to enjoy it?

i've been traveling a lot more since i started making more money, saving a lot more, bought a house and bought nice things for inside of it, bought a nice new (to me) car, etc.

i just do not understand the point of save save save if you can't even enjoy yourself. i couldn't fathom living the same way i was fresh out of college with the salary i make now. sure i'd be banking a lot of money, but for what? i'm still saving just fine right now.

exactly having more money only causes headaches if you are stupid with it or can't say no to people.

i think people say that to just justify not bothering to try to get it, since well that requires effort.

i dont particularly spend a lot, but when i do i figure i might as well get the best and sometimes that does require a bunch of money so its nice to have it when you want to use it.

"Simplifying your wants and making sure you have your needs goes a long ways. In my case, I don't feel like I've had to sacrifice as by nature, I put strict values on things."

if you have to simplify your wants isn't that a sacrifice anyway. i mean sure itll make you feel better about not getting something you want, that say maybe was impossible for you to get (i mean sure we all want gold plated helicopters) but if this means, hamburger is just as good as steak well i think we call that settling.

 

[PricklyPete]

I have a second job at the moment and my parents will be helping out.. Im planning to have most if not all of it cleared by 28 or 29.

160k is a lot, but I already live cheap and comfortably so saving 20-30k a year along with 5k a year from parents means I wont have too much trouble. Its unfortunate I have to spend my 20's paying off debt but it is what it is.

Holy dear god... I am very sorry for you and wish you the best. I just can't imagine any school being worth that kind of money. I went to a decent state school and basically left school debt free. In no way has my schooling ever hindered me (career or salary wise).

 

[sunzt]

Power Engineers are IMHO going to be in high demand. Making better and smaller batteries, and making things more energy efficient is the next big movement. Plus, no one wants to be one! Everyone wanna do that fancy shmancy software stuff.

You should be easily getting 80k+ at a decent metro area.

 

[purbeast0]

The point is that if you want to make serious money, there are generally two routes (of course there are exceptions):

1. Consulting
2. Climb the corporate ladder

Each of these (again, in general) require much more work than the standard 40 hours per week especially if you want to climb higher.

For me personally, I decided several years ago that I was done working long work weeks and stuck to 40 hours. I was kicking ass, getting awesome reviews, etc, but no opportunities opened up for me because I made management look VERY good. In retrospect, maybe I should've made more demands or jumped around more (I've had 3 jobs in the last 17 years) but that entails risk and I'm pretty risk averse. Heck, even coming here (a nationally known place with top tier benefits and perks) was a risk.

At any rate, for me right now, money is not an issue. I travel globally, have a nice house, possessions, and can buy just about anything I want. I could make more (potentially much more), but that isn't what is important to me. What is more important is that I be happy with my job and right now, I'm not. So in the spring, I hope to move on and in the meantime, get some more certs (trying to decide -- PMP or more tech certs?)

again i guess it is just finding the right job and how good you are. i've never worked anywhere where i've had to work more than 40 hours a week other than maybe 2-3 times a year, and i never will work somewhere that i do. and if that place ends up making me work that much, ill find a new job.

hell the reason i left my previous job had NOTHING to do with money AT ALL. but i still got a $14k raise + better benefits and in the near future will have a nice salary increase as well. but working at something you actually like is definitely the most important. i could never work 40 hours a week or more doing something i don't like, JUST for more money.

 

[purbeast0]

Happened two years ago in the June to August time frame; brutal time to be wandering Asia.

I don't recall... was the economy booming two years ago?


The economy is such a bullshit excuse in our little engineering world. There are an assload of engineering jobs; more positions than heads. Seems that we can't find enough of them to fill our needs.

that is definitely the problem. at my company they can't find enough good software engineers to fill positions. and when they do, they have more open spots due to other opportunities opening up in the company.

but the economy depends on the area as well. i found my 2nd job out of school with a 25% raise + better benefits right in the midst of the shitty economy in october of 2009.

 

[SeductivePig]

again i guess it is just finding the right job and how good you are. i've never worked anywhere where i've had to work more than 40 hours a week other than maybe 2-3 times a year, and i never will work somewhere that i do. and if that place ends up making me work that much, ill find a new job.

hell the reason i left my previous job had NOTHING to do with money AT ALL. but i still got a $14k raise + better benefits and in the near future will have a nice salary increase as well. but working at something you actually like is definitely the most important. i could never work 40 hours a week or more doing something i don't like, JUST for more money.

Working more as a younger guy for self development reasons is almost expected, I imagine. 40 hour weeks seem to be for those who have established thenselves in their careers.

 

[purbeast0]

exactly having more money only causes headaches if you are stupid with it or can't say no to people.

i think people say that to just justify not bothering to try to get it, since well that requires effort.

i dont particularly spend a lot, but when i do i figure i might as well get the best and sometimes that does require a bunch of money so its nice to have it when you want to use it.

"Simplifying your wants and making sure you have your needs goes a long ways. In my case, I don't feel like I've had to sacrifice as by nature, I put strict values on things."

if you have to simplify your wants isn't that a sacrifice anyway. i mean sure itll make you feel better about not getting something you want, that say maybe was impossible for you to get (i mean sure we all want gold plated helicopters) but if this means, hamburger is just as good as steak well i think we call that settling.

i agree with this as well. nearly everybody i know or a large percentage wishes they made more money and aren't happy at their job. yet they continue to work there for years on end, not doing a damn thing about it. people get too scared to try new things and make a move.

i don't spend a lot either just on random stupid shit, but like you, when i do spend money i have the option to go "all out" on nicer stuff than a lot of other people i know. not trying to brag or anything, but this whole notion that more money causes more headaches is just bs and spewn from people who aren't making enough money to really even be able to say that, they just say it to make themself feel better.

 

[kache]

again i guess it is just finding the right job and how good you are. i've never worked anywhere where i've had to work more than 40 hours a week other than maybe 2-3 times a year, and i never will work somewhere that i do. and if that place ends up making me work that much, ill find a new job.

hell the reason i left my previous job had NOTHING to do with money AT ALL. but i still got a $14k raise + better benefits and in the near future will have a nice salary increase as well. but working at something you actually like is definitely the most important. i could never work 40 hours a week or more doing something i don't like, JUST for more money.

Not even if doing so for ~10 years would set you for life (like a broker job, for example)?

 

[purbeast0]

Working more as a younger guy for self development reasons is almost expected, I imagine. 40 hour weeks seem to be for those who have established thenselves in their careers.

i dunno i think the "40 hour workweek" is more of a cultural thing at specific jobs. that is why i ask that very early on in the interview process, and quit pursuing jobs where they say average work weeks are 45-50 hours a week.

if you work 45-50 hours a week and make X, and you could work 40 hours making X elsewhere, you are simply devaluing yourself.

 

[purbeast0]

Not even if doing so for ~10 years would set you for life (like a broker job, for example)?

as of right now, no. i make enough that i'm well off enough and have free time to do things i like. i'd hate it if i worked those crazy hours and didn't have time to go to the gym, play video games, go fishing, watch tv, travel, or anything else i like doing on my free time.

EDIT:

fwiw, one of the people i mentioned about who's not happy about his job has been working at morgan stanley for 10+ years. he isn't a broker himself but he works with those guys and said they are ALWAYS working AND stressed out to shit. i don't want that at any rate.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I started off at 61k as an electrical engineerin the power industry. I know engineers don't make crazy money but I found out that since our company performed poorly this year, I won't be getting a raise.

I also found out that typical raises are 3-5%.

This means that I'll end up making 70k at 30 (3% increase yearly) which is questionable considering many of my friends started out at 70k.

Is this really how it is? I imagined being at 85-90k by 30 which I would have been very happy with, but if I'm not even hitting 80k then I'm considering switching to a different industry..

I know that I can switch companies eventually to get a big raise, but even then I really like where I work and don't want to switch anytime soon.. the kicker is that I asked for 45k starting but was offered 61k. So my company does use market value to assess starting salary if that matters, and they pay competitively apparently

Switch jobs or file a racial discrimination/sexual harassment lawsuit.

 

[kache]

as of right now, no. i make enough that i'm well off enough and have free time to do things i like. i'd hate it if i worked those crazy hours and didn't have time to go to the gym, play video games, go fishing, watch tv, travel, or anything else i like doing on my free time.

EDIT:

fwiw, one of the people i mentioned about who's not happy about his job has been working at morgan stanley for 10+ years. he isn't a broker himself but he works with those guys and said they are ALWAYS working AND stressed out to shit. i don't want that at any rate.

Again, 10 years of stress, retire at 30 and enjoy life for 70 more years without having to lift a finger...

 

[purbeast0]

Again, 10 years of stress, retire at 30 and enjoy life for 70 more years without having to lift a finger...

yea i'm sure that is common that people work hard from 20-30 and retire with millions in the bank...

 

[Fenixgoon]

Not even if doing so for ~10 years would set you for life (like a broker job, for example)?

hell no, not me. i want to enjoy my life - all of it. that most definitely means having a life outside of work.

i make plenty of money now - i'm much more concerned with job satisfaction and area cost of living as opposed to pure salary.

 

[Baasha]

You're being underpaid because you are Indian. Unless you have a PhD and/or some stellar credentials from undergrad (Top 10 EE doesn't mean shit), you're SOL.

You can never prove racial discrimination in these types of cases and especially when you're Indian - the highest income earners and most educated group in the US. Most people in the tech industry hold totally unfair stereotypes against Asians, and especially Indians. They think that you can work for 1/4 of their pay for the same level of work. This is why there is such a huge hullabaloo about H1-B Visas.

There was an article in the San Jose Mercury a couple of days ago regarding how Asians now make up the majority of tech workers in Silicon Valley (~ 51%)! Half the article was about this sociologist professor and some "activist" in Oakland who complain that "companies don't want to hire 'Americans'." They don't realize the work ethic and quality of work by Asians is second to none but they also have the temerity to think that Asians will work for less pay.

You need to diversify your options. As an EE, you're somewhat stuck in a rut working for large corporations where you're nothing more than a cog in the wheel. To move up in those situations, politics and other things matter a lot. If you can branch out and get into management or even software or software cum hardware, you will be able to command much better remuneration than what you've stated.

Btw, are you in the Silicon Valley? $70K/yr. for an EE (with a Master's Degree?) is quite lean. If you're in the midwest or some other armpit of America, then it is manageable.

 

[Vic Vega]

You're being underpaid because you are Indian. Unless you have a PhD and/or some stellar credentials from undergrad (Top 10 EE doesn't mean shit), you're SOL.

You can never prove racial discrimination in these types of cases and especially when you're Indian - the highest income earners and most educated group in the US. Most people in the tech industry hold totally unfair stereotypes against Asians, and especially Indians. They think that you can work for 1/4 of their pay for the same level of work. This is why there is such a huge hullabaloo about H1-B Visas.

There was an article in the San Jose Mercury a couple of days ago regarding how Asians now make up the majority of tech workers in Silicon Valley (~ 51%)! Half the article was about this sociologist professor and some "activist" in Oakland who complain that "companies don't want to hire 'Americans'." They don't realize the work ethic and quality of work by Asians is second to none but they also have the temerity to think that Asians will work for less pay.

You need to diversify your options. As an EE, you're somewhat stuck in a rut working for large corporations where you're nothing more than a cog in the wheel. To move up in those situations, politics and other things matter a lot. If you can branch out and get into management or even software or software cum hardware, you will be able to command much better remuneration than what you've stated.

Btw, are you in the Silicon Valley? $70K/yr. for an EE (with a Master's Degree?) is quite lean. If you're in the midwest or some other armpit of America, then it is manageable.

Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. You are free to return to your country any time. I'm sure you would prefer the salary there.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. You are free to return to your country any time. I'm sure you would prefer the salary there.

It's Baasha -- that's what we've come to expect from his "wisdom."

 

[Baasha]

Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. You are free to return to your country any time. I'm sure you would prefer the salary there.

My "salary"? hahahha.. Why yes. My salary anywhere in the world is quite good.

 

[Vic Vega]

My "salary"? hahahha.. Why yes. My salary anywhere in the world is quite good.

Hahaha, I know, you're hilarious!

 

[Rumpltzer]

My "salary"? hahahha.. Why yes. My salary anywhere in the world is quite good.

Thank you, come again?

 

[Baasha]

It's Baasha -- that's what we've come to expect from his "wisdom."

For $89.99, I can send you a DVD and brochure on my course, "Thus Spake Baasha!" XD

 

[Baasha]

More hilarity:

Source: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/asianamericans-graphics/indians/