So I got a job offer...

[Jumpem]

You ARE fresh out of college and you DON'T have any experience! Experience is measured in years and projects accomplished from beginning to end NOT, in the number of "co-ops" you've done. Take the job and continue to look.

Co-ops are experience. He has a year of paid work.

That said, take the offer and wait for promotion.

 

[Sukhoi]

Request 45K. 42K is obscenely low for a ME.

 

[Gibson486]

Let me talk to you....

I was in your position. I got a BSEE and I had just under 2 years worth of internship experience under my belt. The first job i was offered, it was a temp to full time position. I said no. It Paid $21/hr, which is what was less than my last internship. The 2nd job offer, it was for 50K. I said no because I thought I was worth more. Then I decided to jump to consulting. The money was supposed to be great. they gave me 58K plus yearly bonuses and they hyped it as if i would get big raises. It ended up being 60K a year after bonuses...and this was after 9 months of looking after graduation. Then, the economy got worse...they freezed wages and cut 3k off my pay and took away lots of my bonus.

Well....now I make $0/hr b/c I got laid off. I look back and wished that I took that temp to full time position. I want to go back to doing what I did, but when people see my last three years, they just go, "well, your last three years has nothing to do with this position". It's an uphill battle that I have been battling for the past 2 years (I started looking well before I got laid off).

The lesson...don't go chasing after money when you really do not have the know how to back it up. I mean, if they offered you 30K, I'd say screw it. They are offering you 42K, which should be good enough. As a new grad, you are a dime a dozen.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Co-ops are experience. He has a year of paid work.

That said, take the offer and wait for promotion.

Gosh, a whole year! He should definitely hold out for a corner office and a company car.

 

[Jumpem]

Gosh, a whole year! He should definitely hold out for a corner office and a company car.

I'm not saying that, I am just saying that he does have experience.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I'm not saying that, I am just saying that he does have experience.

And I'm saying your definition of experience (and the OP's) is not the industry's definition of experience.

 

[Gibson486]

You ARE fresh out of college and you DON'T have any experience! Experience is measured in years and projects accomplished from beginning to end NOT, in the number of "co-ops" you've done. Take the job and continue to look.

well, it is real experience. Their are plenty of positions out there where you only do one piece of the project and then you hand it off to someone else to complete and integrate.

That said...there are two extremes. Selling yourself short....over selling yourself.

He needs to find some where in between. He does have one year experience, but he suddenly can't think he is hot stuff and able to run with the senior staff. Not saying that is what the OP is doing, but you are kind of selling him short.

 

[Jumpem]

And I'm saying your definition of experience (and the OP's) is not the industry's definition of experience.

My one year of co-op experience in an industry is exactly what got me my full time position.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

well, it is real experience. Their are plenty of positions out there where you only do one piece of the project and then you hand it off to someone else to complete and integrate.

That said...there are two extremes. Selling yourself short....over selling yourself.

He needs to find some where in between. He does have one year experience, but he suddenly can't think he is hot stuff and able to run with the senior staff. Not saying that is what the OP is doing, but you are kind of selling him short.

I think that given the shape of our economy and, the number of people looking for jobs, that someone who just graduated with minimal experience in their field thinking they should hold out on ANY job offer is foolish at best and 'entitlement' at worst.

 

[96Firebird]

out of curiosity, what's your preferred 3D CAD program?

I've only really used Inventor and SolidWorks in detail, and I like SolidWorks better. It seems a lot of companies use it too. I got real familiar with the Simulation aspect on my last co-op, which really made FEA easier than what we were taught (ANSYS by typing in node locations).

And thanks for all the replies, your opinions differ from another forum I asked for advice on. They all reiterated that I was getting low-balled, and to look for something $50k+. Kinda have mixed reactions...

I gained some valuable experience at my most recent co-op, where I was assigned to design and build a fixture for a company. I had meetings with the end users, meetings with the project manager, etc... It made me feel like I was apart of the team, even if I was only there temporarily. I e-mailed the guy above me recently to see if he was still using the fixture (and to see if there were any job openings ), and he said it is getting used often. :thumbsup:

Hopefully I will get the offer from the company I am currently working for early this week so I can update this post and probably ask for more advice.

Oh, and I seriously doubt this company will pay for a masters. Like I said, they are only 30 employees size-wise right now...

 

[RedCOMET]

I'm not saying that, I am just saying that he does have experience.

And I'm saying your definition of experience (and the OP's) is not the industry's definition of experience.

Which sucks b/c lots of schools tout their co-op programs as awsome and beneficial to students getting full time positions afterwards.

I want to go back to doing what I did, but when people see my last three years, they just go, "well, your last three years has nothing to do with this position". It's an uphill battle that I have been battling for the past 2 years (I started looking well before I got laid off).

I had trouble like that to when i wanted to change careers. My post undergrad work was not relevant to what i though i wanted to do. So, I actually went to graduate school and it has opened up so many opportunities, as well as "freshen" up my skill set.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

I was promised 50K right out of school when I started. By the time I finished I'm lucky to see 30K. But I will not take anything less than 30K, because much less & I can't move out on my own.

 

[GTaudiophile]

My GF has recently had a few interns of the "millennial" variety who believe they are entitled to do only the projects they think are cool/they want to do and deserve to earn six-figure salaries straight out of college. In fact, she's had a few break down and cry when asked to do "mundane" work.

I am in some ways happy that "kids these days" are receiving a much needed wake-up call about life, work, and finance during this crisis of ours.

My advice: take the job! Get your feet in the door, then get them wet. Work hard, work up the ladder. If it doesn't work out, it's typically easier to get a job while you have one. Good luck!

 

[MustISO]

Think of all the laid off people who are taking massive pay cuts just to get a job. I may end up taking a job and lose 30-40% of my previous salary. Like most have said, take the job and be happy you have something.

 

[Jumpem]

Which sucks b/c lots of schools tout their co-op programs as awsome and beneficial to students getting full time positions afterwards.

Which they are.

 

[Mide]

Yeah the entitlement thing you got going on has to go. Nobody hiring will give a fuck if you've been in school forever or has done x number of projects and such. Everyone graduating with you has done the same thing you've done. Yes engineering was a much harder major than most but yeah now you join the real world with a BS degree. You'll notice that everyone has those and many have MS/MBA degrees as well.

Next, yes your co-ops do mean stuff but it doesn't mean as much as you seem to think it does. You're a fresh grad with no "real" salaried experience...companies care more about this than anything else.

With that being said 42k for an engineer is lower on the scale. I'd say that you'd be worth exactly what you think 50k and up but if nobody is giving that to you then what choices do you have? Take this job, get experience, and keep looking for something better.

I don't think the whole counter-offer thing will work unless:
1) You already got another offer on the table in writing
2) You have some super special skillset that no other candidate has

Last thing that made me chuckle is that liberal arts majors are not making 42k. I'm sorry they are lucky to make 30k and usually they don't have real jobs...still doing $11/PT stuff at the Mall.

 

[duragezic]

I'd probably take it. I live a couple hours from Rochester and the COL is essentially the same. I started as an entry level engineer at $55k. Of course that's a lot more than $42k, but as a single person with not much expenses except student loans (like yourself, tho I had like $30k in loans), that was PLENTY of money. I could save tons. At $42k it would be less, but still fine.

When I graduated in 2008, I started looking in late 2007 and there were tons of $60k engineering jobs. So in that situation, I would have said no to $42k. But now is different. Also you could get a nice boost after that re-evaluation. After 6 months at $55k, out of nowhere I was bumped up to $60k.

 

[Sid59]

I've only really used Inventor and SolidWorks in detail, and I like SolidWorks better. It seems a lot of companies use it too. I got real familiar with the Simulation aspect on my last co-op, which really made FEA easier than what we were taught (ANSYS by typing in node locations).

I'll take this another direction instead of taking the job or not. Spend sometime looking up "SolidWorks Resellers" in your area. There should be 2-3 players and most of the resellers sell SolidWorks software, support and training. Being a glorified tech support or teaching a class, it does open up contacts and in-roads if your true passion is designing.

Good luck.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I guessing they saw your 40hr work week thread and adjusted your offer accordingly.

Unless you have anything else in the works, take the job, work your ass and if they meet your expectations at your six month review, look for another job.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

42K is the bottom of the scale for graduating ME's. That's about what the government pays entry level engineers. OP try to do some more homework on the company. Find out if everyone who starts there out of school gets the same deal or if other people have done better.

At a minimum I would ask for clarification about the what they will be able to do for you after your reevaluation assuming you perform well. Find out if that gets you 2k more or 10k more.

 

[rcpratt]

That's obscenely low and I understand your frustration. You have to take it though if it's your only option, keep looking and I would seriously look hard after you "re-evaluation" if they aren't giving you at least 50k.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Take it, and next time you go apply for a job somewhere else tell them you made 60k.

 

[96Firebird]

I can say that my girlfriend's uncle got the same 6 month evaluation after he got hired about a year ago, but I didn't ask how much it was. I did ask how the re-evaluation would work and the guy I interviewe with sent me an email back about it, but i am on my iPod right now so I can't copy/paste it all. He did say that in 9 years dice the company started, only one person has left and it wasn't due to salary. Not sure how much I can believe that though...

And I'm not looking for a sales type position either. At the latest career fair (which is mostly just "Apply online!") I did get offered an interview for a sales position. Had to turn it down though, I don't think I would enjoy it.

 

[Farang]

Your search is confined to an area as small as Rochester, unless you're willing to expand your search area I would take the offer. Frankly you're lucky to have got an offer in such a small market.

If the experience offered is good, I'd work there for 1-2 years and save for a move to a bigger market.

 

[Bignate603]

Jeesh, there are so many people in here screaming about the entitlement complex. The guy came in asking a reasonable question about a job offer that is relatively low for somebody with an ME degree, even straight out of school. In this job market it's hard to find a job, but that doesn't mean it's not worth asking around to see if he should be looking for something better.

I still recommend going back saying it's a little low and seeing if they'll bump it up a little. Maybe ask for 46k and expect them to come back with something a little lower.