Anybody got raise this year? Then how much?

[ALBin517]

I work for the government. My wages / raises are set by contract.

Sept 2008 - 4.3%

Jan 2009 - 2.8%

Sept 2009 - 4.1%

Jan 2010 - ?? (Our contract expires at the end of this year)

 

[csb]

4% COLA here.

 

[snickerd3]

raises are contracted here too. but gov is meeting with union officials today(?) to discuss furlough days...non-union folks have to take 12. as presently written contract prohibits them. Be interesting to see union's view, agree to them hopefully save most everyone or refuse and force more layoffs? My guess is the union will refuse because layoffs will happen regardless.

 

[rudy]

My raise is that I still have a job. But really... I was surprised that we got a bonus 2.5% annual salary. But we're under an 8% paycut reduction, so basically this means that our paycut is 5.5%. I'm happy to have a job.

 

[jeb6294]

I took a hit when I came back to the USACE, but hopefully I should be getting my step increase in a few weeks which would be good for about 3 1/3% and then if we get the same adjustment next year that we got this year, should be another 3.5% in January.

 

[z06dustin]

7%.

But I'm pretty badass.

[SIZE=8pt](And in reality I was bumped a pay grade)[/SIZE]

 

[WatResModeler]

Just got 6.5%. Includes a promotion to the next grade level. Passing the PE got me about 3.5%. The promotion and performance got me 3%. Couldn't have gotten the promotion without the PE. I think I would have gotten about 2% without the promotion, and that was for a very good year performance wise. In a decent market I would have expected 10%, but I'm thrilled to get the 6.5%.

 

[Roy T.]

Wow that's quite a jump? what state did you originally work?

Florida originally.

Also, I will admit I am very much a shameless opportunist. I made no friends along the way to where I am now. I specifically targeted (last year) when oil was $145/barrel the O&G industry and landed a spot. I used my past government job for all it was worth including plenty of study time for the PE and lots of (unauthorized) field experience. I'd just go to the job site and start barking orders. I learned tons and looked out for myself.

It's tough out there - I make no apologies.

 

[The Car]

That's a heck of a learning experience! Hope looked out for yourself!

Udden, udden

 

[Katiebug]

We're very fortunate that our merit plan, while delayed 3 months and the average increase reduced, was not canceled outright. Way luckier than many, I know. Engineers in other divisions of my company have been laid off and quite honestly until June we were expecting the merit plan to be canceled entirely this year.

The average merit this year was 2.5%. I got 3%, and my boss is pretty good about putting us in for awards that can net a few hundred dollars extra here and there. We have no bonus opportunities at my paygrade.

We generally get around 3-4% average on the merit plan each year. The only chance for a real raise (>5% in one year) is a paygrade jump or moving to another company. I'm well overdue for a promotion (thanks to my idiot former manager who didn't believe in career development for his people) and if one is not forthcoming next year I will likely start to look for opportunities elsewhere.

 

[Roy T.]

That's a heck of a learning experience! Hope looked out for yourself!

Udden, udden

*shrug* the chinese are morons, what can be said. Foundation design isn't rocket science but obviously someone didn't even bother with the basics.

that being said - engineers tend to be a paranoid bunch. net-net engineers have a major f-up and get sued about 0.0000001% of the time that doctors do.

I think it's more ego that allows us to think everyone is out to get us and a disaster is around every corner. practically every doctor has been sued at one time or another. I know tons of engineers, nary a one has ever stepped into a court-room.

 

[maryannette]

Also, I will admit I am very much a shameless opportunist. I made no friends along the way to where I am now. I specifically targeted (last year) when oil was $145/barrel the O&G industry and landed a spot. I used my past government job for all it was worth including plenty of study time for the PE and lots of (unauthorized) field experience. I'd just go to the job site and start barking orders. I learned tons and looked out for myself.
It's tough out there - I make no apologies.

I'm not trying to slam you, Roy, but I just don't get this attitude. I agree that income is necessary. And, I like to advance in my career and get salary increases. But I value lots of things more than money. If I "made no friends along the way", I probably would not like myself. To me, it's not just about the money. Just my opinion.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I have to agree, mary. I was talking to a co-worker the other day and it came up that had I stayed with the DoD, I'd be pulling 100K now. The guy asked me if I regretted my decision and my answer was a fast, "hell no!" I'm not making nearly as much now, but I'm happy with both my personal and professional life. Would I like more money? Sure, who wouldn't, but I'm not about to sacrifice my happiness for it.

 

[maryannette]

If you sell yourself to the highest bidder, you are owned.

 

[Flyer_PE]

The way the nuclear industry is right now, if I were willing to become a total road warrior (aka road whore), I could damn near double my salary overnight. It ain't worth it.

 

[chaosiscash]

If you sell yourself to the highest bidder, you are owned.

And if you sell yourself for less?

I'm all for folks having fulfillment in there professional lives, and if that means you have to work in a job for less money, more power to you. But for me, personally, I work to live instead of living to work. My goal is to make the most money I can in the shortest possible time, and to work in a job that is extremely flexible. This lets my wife and I enjoy doing the things outside of work we do, like traveling, etc. So if selling my services to the highest bidder means I'm owned, then so be it. Of course, that would imply I couldn't leave whenever I wanted, which is my industry, is very far from the truth, as there are an awful lot of companies looking for people right now.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Chaos, I think she meant if you sell out your home life for money...

 

[maryannette]

I did.

And, what is right for me is not right for everyone. Also, what is right this year is not what is right in 2000 or 2020. As long as you have flexibility (ability to control your life) and you are happy, you are okay. I just think about the movie, "The Firm". The guy was owned because the employer literally took control of his life. I left a job last year because I hated working there. There was a lot of corruption and if you didn't buy into it, you got left out/pushed aside/passed over. When I left, I was offered a 40% raise. I turned it down because if I had taken it they would have owned me.

And, the initial issue I had was about "not making friends along the way". To me, that means that you have made gains at the expense of others.

 

[Roy T.]

I did.
And, what is right for me is not right for everyone. Also, what is right this year is not what is right in 2000 or 2020. As long as you have flexibility (ability to control your life) and you are happy, you are okay. I just think about the movie, "The Firm". The guy was owned because the employer literally took control of his life. I left a job last year because I hated working there. There was a lot of corruption and if you didn't buy into it, you got left out/pushed aside/passed over. When I left, I was offered a 40% raise. I turned it down because if I had taken it they would have owned me.

And, the initial issue I had was about "not making friends along the way". To me, that means that you have made gains at the expense of others.

I never beleived that I was an "Engineer I" or "Engineer II" or any other level. I felt that I was my own business and deserved to get paid as much as possible - this offended many people, particularly the "old school" types. I never much got into titles or seniority or respected idiots just because they've been at one place since dinosaurs walked the earth.

I am strictly ethical, annoyingly so to some clients. But I will always entertain higher offers.

I am a businessman / engineer

 

[Chucktown PE]

I don't intend to do what I'm doing forever. I'm similar to Roy T. I'm trying to make as much as I can right now so I can move into a more lucrative business (either opening my own business or doing something different altogether) in the future. I look at this job as a stepping stone. I refuse to be 50 years old when I finally start making real $$$. True, money isn't everything, but there are quite a few things that my family and I want to do that require money.