What's the typical salary progression for an engineer?

[brianmanahan]

Yep. They'll hit their ceiling and wonder why they can't make more. Have to go management or consult. Engineers are the grunts. It's the people telling them what to do that make the money.

getting paid considerably more to do a considerably easier job

 

[Dedpuhl]

Your "goal" may have been doable several years ago. I know of a few firms that were throwing money around to the staff like it was nothing. Now, those same firms have closed offices or have a skeleton crew trying to get things done.

I'm a PE w/ 10 years experience of running multimillion dollar projects, and I'm nowhere close to $100K...

 

[brianmanahan]

also consulting can pay quite a bit more than normal jobs but leave you with a lot less free time (60 to 80 hour work weeks not uncommon). if you care more about money than time, then consulting is a good option

 

[spidey07]

also consulting can pay quite a bit more than normal jobs but leave you with a lot less free time (60 to 80 hour work weeks not uncommon). if you care more about money than time, then consulting is a good option

But youre paid by the hour. So those big jobs are like double salary. I rarely work more than 50 because my time is money. Great thing about consulting is you are not a cost/expense. You are a profit center who generates revenue.

 

[rh71]

A good job and 60k+ is fine by me. I can have a comfortable life with that.

Short term maybe. When everyone around you at 10 years experience is making over 80k and you're stuck at $60k after 10 years, trust me, it gets really maddening. And yes, even if the job itself was good.

The only thing that you can do is... do something about it. Grow yourself and GTFO. Fvck those who think so little of your skill set.

 

[DAGTA]

getting paid considerably more to do a considerably easier job

I used to think this way, until I went into management and realized how much more stress is on a manager than a developer. I don't write code anymore but a typical day for me can include 250 emails received asking for new projects, updates on projects, etc, over a dozen phone calls, 6 to 10 face to face meetings, and a line out my office door of impromptu meetings, requests, and complaining. All of this while trying to keep 25 projects on track, managing staff, and trying to please upper management.

My technical brain doesn't work as hard, but my time management and ability to track multiple moving objects is tested almost every day.

 

[nageov3t]

I sit about 5' away from the director of my department and end up overhearing all of his conversations.

I'm not sure you could pay me enough to do what he does... I love having the luxury of being able to say "this is probably above my paygrade, have fun!"

 

[Zeze]

Oh my god, some people here..

If you are blind enough to wonder why managers are paid more and think you work harder just doing given tasks, it's no wonder you remain as a grunt.

 

[Jeff7]

I sit about 5' away from the director of my department and end up overhearing all of his conversations.

I'm not sure you could pay me enough to do what he does... I love having the luxury of being able to say "this is probably above my paygrade, have fun!"

I've got a similar arrangement here. It's actually nice because he's able to see and fully understand why a 1-hour task can take more than a full workweek to complete. Working for more than about 7 minutes without an interruption has become a luxury, and some of the interruptions can eat up a few hours by themselves.
And 30-50% of his typical workweek is taken up by meetings. Management is also salaried; I'm fortunate enough to be hourly. Salaried pay seems like an absolutely awesome deal though, at least for the owner of a company.


If I'd wanted to be a manager, I'd have done something business oriented. I prefer to work with inanimate objects. When people are a pain in the ass and won't cooperate, I can't plug a debugger into them, erase, and reprogram. Not yet, anyway.:sneaky:

 

[brianmanahan]

Oh my god, some people here..

If you are blind enough to wonder why managers are paid more and think you work harder just doing given tasks, it's no wonder you remain as a grunt.

because it's so easy to just "do a given task"

"do all the estimation, analysis, design, task assignment/planning, and some of the implementation for a multimillion dollar project with a team of 6 people, with quarterly releases over a span of 2 years"

^ easy peasy

 

[Zeze]

because it's so easy to just "do a given task"

"do all the estimation, analysis, design, task assignment/planning, and some of the implementation for a multimillion dollar project with a team of 6 people, with quarterly releases over a span of 2 years"

^ easy peasy

Right. As I've said already. So be it if you're not cut out for manager role and more $.

 

[CanOWorms]

Oh my god, some people here..

If you are blind enough to wonder why managers are paid more and think you work harder just doing given tasks, it's no wonder you remain as a grunt.

It really depends on the field. Many high-tech fields have parallel individual contributor and management tracks with corresponding positions/salaries (for example, a Fellow may be parallel with a VP). It's not uncommon for people to shift back and forth between the 2 tracks throughout their careers.

 

[brianmanahan]

Right. As I've said already. So be it if you're not cut out for manager role and more $.

^ confirmation of stereotype received

 

[Molondo]

Short term maybe. When everyone around you at 10 years experience is making over 80k and you're stuck at $60k after 10 years, trust me, it gets really maddening. And yes, even if the job itself was good.

The only thing that you can do is... do something about it. Grow yourself and GTFO. Fvck those who think so little of your skill set.

Starting out with 60k is nothing to laugh at. Even if i cap at 80 i don't care. If i marry someone who gets paid equally, even better.

 

[Zeze]

^ confirmation of stereotype received

What stereotype?

 

[brianmanahan]

What stereotype?

 

[yh125d]

I was going to school for mech+aero engineering, so glad I gave that crap up and became a drafter. I thought it'd be a lot lower responsibility, now I'm only 21 and my boss is already giving me small projects to run by myself...

 

[ultimatebob]

And to the OP, you should be plenty happy with 3-5% raises right now. Matter of fact, you should be thankful just to be employed.

The "you should be lucky to be employed" mentality was annoying but understandable back when the stock market was tanking and the unemployment rate was at 10% a few years ago. Now that the economy has recovered and there are jobs available, it just sounds pathetic.

If you can't find a job in your field where you currently live, it's time to move! The jobs are out there... you just need to find them. If you STILL can't find a job at that point, perhaps it's time to look for a new line of work.

 

[Imp]

Funnay... I ghost another forum where everyone is or wants to be a CA/CFA/ accountant/ financial whatever. It's the same "I want to be at $150k within 5 years", but I haven't graduated or even know that I like this field yet...

Money matters, but I'm just looking for something that pays reasonably well (~$70k eventually) that I enjoy. I'm a cheap bastard and saver, and I plan to get "rich" or live off my investments.

 

[Jumpem]

The "you should be lucky to be employed" mentality was annoying but understandable back when the stock market was tanking and the unemployment rate was at 10% a few years ago. Now that the economy has recovered and there are jobs available, it just sounds pathetic.

If you can't find a job in your field where you currently live, it's time to move! The jobs are out there... you just need to find them. If you STILL can't find a job at that point, perhaps it's time to look for a new line of work.

I never said I was uemployed or underemployed. Though the possibility of becoming that way still exists.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

many companies did zero raise for everyone in 2009-2010
last year, 2011, company i work at finally gave us 2% across the board, no merit consideration

Strait up: If you have some merit then you can get a raise by going somewhere else.

And to the OP, you should be plenty happy with 3-5% raises right now. Matter of fact, you should be thankful just to be employed.

I disagree. OP is a BAMF and employer's should be thankful just to have him. (and they are, see how much over minimum-wage his job pays? That shows that there is a significant under-supply of his skill set).

I was thinking about this - so if I have a competing offer, I shouldn't tell my employer about a competitor? Rather, just ask for a raise to that amount? Theoretical question... but it's not like they would ever give such huge raises anyway.

In my incredibly well educated option on the subject:
You have only one obligation when jumping-ship and that is to offer your present employer the chance to match whatever offer you get. This ONLY exists if you don't have other reasons for the move as well (say, you can surf after work at the new job and you have to dig your car out of snow at the existing job). In which case the jump is about quality of life that money can't make up for.

not everyone wants to be a manager, lol

Everyone else should be working on an MBA.

You have to do what you're interested in and what you'll be happy doing.

Doesn't mean you should be given more money for "doing what you enjoy". Managment is known-shitty, doing real things is known-bad-ass. Why shouldn't the manager be paid more for the added headache and lower intrinsic rewards (not to mention additional skill set?); There's a reason the managers are paid more.

It's the same "I want to be at $150k within 5 years", but I haven't graduated or even know that I like this field yet

I'm at a Ph.D. in business forum. All (aacsb accredited) make six figures (excluding econ).

But that's in academia: funny thing is everyone (without emotional issues) going into academia could make significantly more in industry, but they turn down nearly a million dollars over a 10 year period so they can work in a university...

 

[PhaZe]

$5k a year isn't realistic at all. You're going to to get a few percent a year if you're good and the company doesn't do a raise freeze like many are doing right now. If that happens, then you won't get anything.

You'll get the biggest increase in pay if you start going up the chain and bumping up in job titles. Often you don't even have to switch your role in the company to go to a higher job title that comes with higher pay. For example, when I went from Engineer I to Engineer II at my company I stayed in the same group doing the same work. However, I got a 12% raise. Going up in job titles is the fastest way to go up in pay. When you're starting out its expected that the people that are good can go up a title about every 2 years. The people that aren't good can take double that.

Find out if your company will bump you up a job title (and pay) without moving around. For example, can you go from Engineer I to Engineer II without applying for another job inside the company? In some they'll bump up your title (and your pay) if you're doing well and have put in enough time. In others you need to apply for internal positions that have the job title you're looking for to get bumped up.

One last thing, if you're so set on making a salary over $100k you probably should have done your research before you entered the field. It's a bit late to say that you don't like the compensation.

This is usually what keeps people at the company I work for. People like to learn and become subject matter experts/go-to guys for their projects, so they stay working on the same or related projects, but increasing their job title at the same time.

For individual contributors, we have 5 titles for engineers, and they determine the pay scale you're allowed. If you get promoted, you can get anywhere from a 10 to 15% raise, but in between those titles, you will get 3-5%.

It may also depend on your manager to PUSH HR to get you those title changes. They are not automatic, so you need to seem valuable to your manager. For example, we start out as entry level, and then you can become engineer II anywhere from 2 to 4 years after you first start with the company. Again, if you make yourself valuable, you can make this happen after only 2 years instead of 4.

 

[rh71]

Starting out with 60k is nothing to laugh at. Even if i cap at 80 i don't care. If i marry someone who gets paid equally, even better.

said even after 10 years... it's more about your worth and what the company thinks of you. Many can easily live off that, but that's not the point.

"Sorry we're not giving out raises again, and no bonus either"
... your friends / relatives / spouse gets another 3% raise and $3k bonus...

"Sorry we can't afford to give you a raise this year..."
... your friends / relatives / spouse gets a 4% raise and $4k bonus...
... people saying they switched jobs and now make $20k more...

"Sorry we didn't meet expectations again so no raise for our dept..."

try that for 10 years and see how you feel inside. See what that does for your morale.

 

[ultimatebob]

said even after 10 years... it's more about your worth and what the company thinks of you. Many can easily live off that, but that's not the point.

"Sorry we're not giving out raises again, and no bonus either"
... your friends / relatives / spouse gets another 3% raise and $3k bonus...

"Sorry we can't afford to give you a raise this year..."
... your friends / relatives / spouse gets a 4% raise and $4k bonus...
... people saying they switched jobs and now make $20k more...

"Sorry we didn't meet expectations again so no raise for our dept..."

try that for 10 years and see how you feel inside. See what that does for your morale.

It particularly hurts when your company is making record profits, and the CEO is getting millions in bonuses. I got a 2% bonus every year, and was told that I was lucky to get it.

I put up with that crap for several years before I got the hell out of there. Never again.

 

[alkemyst]

Look ya ding-dong we're talking about professionals that strip sparks of creation from the mind of GOD and make them manifest on earth.

Not some buck-tooted harry Brit that sits around making saying 'rightey-O' and making his ride go choo-choo.


OP

From an HR stand point every year that you don't jump ship is another year that I get your services on the cheap. You need to be willing to move from job to job; the company has NO loyalty to you, it can't, it's against the f*ing law! you should have NO loyalty to it.

Wait, you are claiming to be a top end head hunter, then say you are on government assistance in another thread? And then saying you will be making $120k+ as a teacher?