# Salary by Discipline



## petergibbons

I am curious to see what salaries are according to engineering discipline, PE or not, location, years of experience, and type of work (consulting, government, etc.) I'm not sure how to create a poll on this so I'll start off:

Civil Eng.

PE (passed in April '06)

WV

4.5 years exp

state government

40k-50k


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## meers

Graduated - Civil Engineering (Masters)

Passed P.E. Civil April 06. No raise yet and I doubt I'll get any!

Have 3.5 years experience as Environmental/Sanitary Engineer. Currently working for a consulting company (600 employees) and they do water and watewater engineering.

Pay range - 60-70K


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## FusionWhite

ChE - Bachelors (working on Masters)

No EIT (Taking in October)

1 Year experience

Working in Environmental Consulting

Range: 45-55k


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## udpolo15

BS Chemical Enginer

MS Environmental Engineering

Passed PE ENVIRO April 06

5yrs experience with a environmental constulting company (~800 employees)

Pay Range 65-75


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## mizzoueng

BS Mechcanical Engineering

EIT

1.5 years

Ex-contracting, now consulting

50K-60K

MO


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## TouchDown

BS Mechanical Engineering

PE - just passed and my company doesn't recognize / require it, so no extra $$

10 years out of school (has it really been that long?) all in manufacturing

Manufacturing, specializing in maintenance practices, PM, PdM, and more recently process engineering with some pretty cool electroplating / plasma processing of materials.

75-80k (in that range depending on profit sharing - variable pay ~5% salary)

I have been looking into switching disciplines / to utility or construction, but pay range they are looking for at most "entry level" spots is 5 years experience and in the 55-65k range.

Columbia, Missouri


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## DVINNY

B.S. Mech. Eng

working since '97

P.E.

consulting civil firm

project manager

$3.50 per day

:wv:


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## Ferg_AR

BS Mechanical Engineering

EIT

Working since Jan 06

NW Arkansas

Manufacturing

50k-55k


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## Road Guy

BSCE (98)

MBA (04)

PE 10/06

Construction Engineer - Local Govt.

$90K


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## NSEARCH

BSCE Fall 99

Working since Jan 00

PE April 06

Consulting

Project Manager

$70-$75

Central Florida


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## RIP - VTEnviro

B.S. - 2002, Master's - 2005

PE in Vermont and New Hampshire - 2006

Began working in October 2002

Worked for 2 firms - this one is mainly site development for private clients, the first job was mainly public works. Both are civil site and environmental in nature.

I'm a junior project engineer

Work in east central Vermont

Pay is in the low $50s at this point


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## What!!

Bachelors Civil Engg (1998)

Masters Civil Engg (2002)

4+ yrs Exp.

PE April 2006

Working in small civil consulting firm, so get to do various aspects (design, construction management, inspection)

Salary before PE (mid 40's)

Salary after PE (mid 60's)


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## Kipper

BS General Engineering, 1998.

PE Electrical 2006.

15 years experience electrical utility in Oklahoma.

$65K-$70K base salary.

Depending on company targets, 0-15% incentive bonus.

$0.75 on the dollar match profit sharing up to 6%.

PE did not help, MBA will!


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## rleon82

BSCE Fall 01 UCF

Working since Aug 01

PE April 06

Consulting

Project Manager

$80-$95k

Treasure Coast of Florida

MBA did nothing

P.E. did everything


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## VTskier

BSEE 1982, RIT

PE 2006, Power

24 yrs in the electric utility doing everything from distribution line design, maintenance engineer in oil, coal, nuclear plants, instrumentation and controls engineer in nuclear plant, and radiation monitoring system engineer nuke. Presently, job title is Superintendent in small electric utility and responsible for all electrical engineering (only one here), maintenance of hydro turbines, line work, substations, etc., safety officer, hazardous waste manager, etc, etc, etc,

Salary 80-90K, with car and cash bonus capability of 15%, plus medical, dental, 401K, and profit sharing.


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## MattC

2000 person employee owned consulting firm

Non Engineering BS '95

MS Environmental '00

EIT April 06

Took PE Oct 06

Consulting - manage 6 person group~1 million revenue

66.5K base 11.5 K bonus


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## Mike1144

Bachelor in Engineering

EIT ('00)

6 years designing structural systems

Make $4k less then my wife the kindergarten teacher.

&lt;$1k in bonus per year


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## Wolverine

BEE '92 - Power

EIT

Sr. Egr

15 yrs at major southeastern utility - Atlanta

mid-70's [plus 401K/Med/0-20%incentive]


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## McEngr

> Bachelor in EngineeringEIT ('00)
> 
> 6 years designing structural systems
> 
> Make $4k less then my wife the kindergarten teacher.
> 
> &lt;$1k in bonus per year


so how much is your wife making?


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## goldnwhite

BSME - 2001 GT

MSME - 2003 UK

EIT - 2001

Took PE in Oct 06, but won't affect pay much now. Took it more for future growth.

KY

3.5 yrs experience

Project engineer in manuf. plants

60k-70k range


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## Dleg

BSME 1990

EIT 1990

Diverse background - 5 years as well logger in oil field, 3 years Civil/construction management, and now 8 years environmental.

0-5 yrs: Oil field - "wireline" logging: $36k base pay, plus bonus structure amounting to $15k to more than $100k depending on price of oil and location (offshore is best pay, but kiss your free time goodbye)

6-8 yrs: Civil/CM: $41k (island territory - no federal income tax, so add 25% or so to adjust)

8-16 yrs: Environmental regulatory, island territory ("state") government - $52k and stuck there for 6 years. Recently cut by 10% due to government-wide budget cuts.


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## ferryg

MS Engineering Management

BS Civil Engineering

AS CAD Systems Management

AS Arch CADD

EIT with 11 years of experience. Civil Engineering Designer (official title)

Only making in the low 50s with HORRIBLE health care benefits.

:violin:


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## TxKat

BS Civil Engineering

AAS Drafting &amp; Design

EIT w/ 10 yrs experience

Work for state government at $43k (but a great retirement)


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## cement

BSCE 20 yrs out constr management low '70s in CO State Govt. I' finally making what I got in NJ 8 years ago! PE april '06 helped, will get another 10k in 2 yrs.


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## DVINNY

> Make $4k less then my wife the kindergarten teacher.


My wife beats me by way more than 4k.

I'm OK with that though, I wish she beat me by 200k+


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## cement

> Make $4k less then my wife the kindergarten teacher.
> 
> 
> 
> My wife beats me by way more than 4k.
> 
> I'm OK with that though, I wish she beat me by 200k+
Click to expand...

same here!


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## jfusilloPE

BSAS - Civil Engineering Technology

8 years experience in water/wastewater

EIT (just took October 06 PE)

Associate Engineer for a municipality

$55,000


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## Bminer

BS Geological Eng.

ME Mining Eng.

P.G. and E.I.T with 7 years experience

Project Manager

95k


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## snickerd3

BS Chemical Eng

4.5 yrs exp

Just took OCT PE

State Government (IL)

60-65 K


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## frazil

BE - Civil

5.5 yrs exp hydraulic engineer

PE

fed govt

mid-60's


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## McEngr

Isn't it funny how broad the spectrum is on salaries? There are some on here that have 5 years more experience than me, but are making 50K more. I think I need to get out of metal buildings and into a consulting job that offers part ownership. The pay, initially, would be about the same, but the long-term would probably be very, very beneficial and more rewarding.


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## royal flush

BS Civil

MS non-engineering

waiting on results from oct 06 PE exam

2 yrs exp

$80K

... but keep in mind that the median home price in SF is $600K (!!)


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## chaosiscash

BS EE

MBA (not that it matters)

waiting on Oct. 06 results

4 yrs exp

Tennessee, government subcontractor

75k + OT, this year will probably be around 85k


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## Dark Knight

BS EE (01)

18 years Electric Utilities experience - 5 as an engineer

Passed PE April 2006.

Substation Design (Layouts, grounding, trasformer sizing, conduit design,etc.)

Protection &amp; Control (Relaying)

Range - 60 - 65k - South Florida

PE did a squat for me and don't see that changing in a near future.


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## timmyutah

In field since 93. (survey rodman, worked way on up)

B.S. Environmental Eng (03)

M.Ed Special Education (07)

EIT - (00)

PE - (06)

85k...arizona

private practice.

Even City govt employees with my experience are making 80k...

Hope this helps.


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## traffic

AAS 85

PE OCT. 06

20+ years experince in Transpo.

$ 80 K


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## gatormech_e

MS ME - UF, 2001

approx 8 yrs in Aerospace (1 yr in telecom, 1 yr towards PhD ME before regaining sanity!)

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

South Florida

mid 70s


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## Twee

BS Chemical Engineering, 1996

PE - April 2006

6 years exp (8 if you count co-ops) plus I took a 4 yr break

A&amp;E design build firm

mid 90's


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## civilsurvey

BS Civil Engineering 1998

PLS 2002

PE 2005

Mississippi

Self Employed

gross 400k

net 120k, plus all boats, cars expenses, pretty much paid for.

I am somehow still broke all the time?


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## MetroRAFB

> BS Civil Engineering 1998PLS 2002
> 
> PE 2005
> 
> Mississippi
> 
> Self Employed
> 
> gross 400k
> 
> net 120k, plus all boats, cars expenses, pretty much paid for.
> 
> I am somehow still broke all the time?


Lmao! Sounds like too many toys? It's human nature to spend whatever you make. 120K in that locations sounds like a lot of money. Good for you!!!

:claps:


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## bigray76

BS Civil '98

EIT '98

Taking the PE in April '07

8-1/2 years in construction management

NJ

Senior Project Estimator

$115k


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## redrum

very nice!

what kind of construction?


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## rbrund

Expected BS in Civil Engineering May 07

Passed FE in october 06

no experience

MA

45k


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## bigray76

CE Hopeful said:


> very nice!
> what kind of construction?


Commercial work mostly - company does $450M - $500M a year - mostly in NY, NJ, PA, and PR.


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## Road Guy

civilsurvey said:


> BS Civil Engineering 1998PLS 2002
> 
> PE 2005
> 
> Mississippi
> 
> Self Employed
> 
> gross 400k
> 
> net 120k, plus all boats, cars expenses, pretty much paid for.
> 
> I am somehow still broke all the time?


You must teach us


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## grover

BS Engineering Science 1997

PE 1/07

VA

9 years

$80k- EE &amp; Program Manager


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## SuperAlpha

BSEE

Dallas, Texas

Senior electronics design engineer with 11yrs experience in hardware + firmware design

PE does absolutley nothing because 99.99% of the engineering companies ignore Texas law.

currently low-average but interviewing for a new position


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## SuperAlpha

Does anyone know of an accurate cost-of-living calculator online?


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## Hillbilly

BSCE Fall 99

Working since 00

PE Jan 06

Consulting

$60-$65k

Central Florida

Was in East TN in beginning 06

new PE

$42-$45k

same company


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## civilsurvey

Road Guy said:


> You must teach us



Hang your shingle out and go to town. I am getting fed up with all the bullshit though.


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## benbo

High salaries are great but you have to take everything into consideration.

Six years ago in the high tech boom I was an Equipment Engineer for a semiconductor capital equipment company (wafer processing equipment). I made $110 + bonus. I made $145 K one especially good year but worked 14 hour days often, six or seven day weeks, and traveled a lot domestically and internationally for weeks at a time. I could only hack about 4 years of this, and they started laying off later anyway. For a younger, unmarried guy it would have been a great job, but it wore me and my family out.

I currently make about $80 K in California as a regulator (BSEE, MS in Information Systems, PE, 15 years exp as engineer). I have the opportunity to make close to $100K if I get promoted to Senior (I'm interviewing next week) and top out in salary. That's about as far as I'll possibly go, and that isn't a fortune in the LA area. But I work 40 hours, telecommute sometimes, and when I'm done for the day that's it. And I'm not a young whippersnapper like you folks so when you get to my age you'll be making a lot more).


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## Dark Knight

Good Luck in your interview


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## benbo

Thanks Luis. Because this is civil service I have to take one exam (interview) to get on a list to be eligible to take exams for specific jobs. And because it is civil service they ask the most ridiculous touchy-feely questions. I'd much rather have a semitechnical exam. Instead its -

Explain a situation when have you ever had to compromise.

Explain a situation working with a diverse work crew.

Etc.

And it's impossible to guess what sort of psuedo psychological question they might ask.


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## djbaker77

B.S. Geological Engineering &amp; Geology '01

P.E. Oct '06

G.I.T. '03

Taking P.G. Exam March 2007

5 1/2 years experience with a small civil/env/geotech engineering consulting firm (~70 people)

doing mostly geotech work

Wyoming

mid 50k's


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## twada

BS Physics (92)

M Architecture (98)

EIT (03)

PE (06)

Working since 97

Electrical Engineer, CA

$65K


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## RleonPE

Ok, how am I making more in Florida as a P.E. than a P.E. in California? Something is not right, I have 5.5 years experience.

RleonPE


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## ktulu

I don't think I ever my info:

BCE 2000

MS 2006

EIT 1999

PE ??? (April 2007!!!)

Employed @ state University in research

$55k


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## agni

BS Civil 98

MS Environmental 02

EIT

4 yrs experience

environmental consulting

South florida 57K


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## LXZ

civilsurvey said:


> BS Civil Engineering 1998PLS 2002
> 
> PE 2005
> 
> Mississippi
> 
> Self Employed
> 
> gross 400k
> 
> net 120k, plus all boats, cars expenses, pretty much paid for.
> 
> I am somehow still broke all the time?


I want to go self employed after I am licensed. Got any tips for me? :reading:


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## JoeBoone82

tdthomas said:


> BS Mechanical EngineeringPE - just passed and my company doesn't recognize / require it, so no extra $$
> 
> 10 years out of school (has it really been that long?) all in manufacturing
> 
> Manufacturing, specializing in maintenance practices, PM, PdM, and more recently process engineering with some pretty cool electroplating / plasma processing of materials.
> 
> Columbia, Missouri


Is your company not an engineering firm or does not do any actual design? Seems like they should recognize it if they have any PE's in the company stamping plans, otherwise they would not be in business.


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## JoeBoone82

Try this for salaries....

http://www.engineersalary.com/


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## umjeffr

ferryg said:


> MS Engineering ManagementBS Civil Engineering
> 
> AS CAD Systems Management
> 
> AS Arch CADD
> 
> EIT with 11 years of experience. Civil Engineering Designer (official title)
> 
> Only making in the low 50s with HORRIBLE health care benefits.



You are underpaid for florida salaries. I am the office manager of a small (two offices) civil engineering company. If you are a reliable worker, you should be in the 60's. I pay Designers (without engineering degress in the 50's. Want to move to florida? Cost of living is high though in florida.


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## Road Guy

engineersalry.com just dont give them an email address you care about if you know what I mean


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## TouchDown

> Is your company not an engineering firm or does not do any actual design? Seems like they should recognize it if they have any PE's in the company stamping plans, otherwise they would not be in business.


I work in manufacturing (said above), my company is NOT a design firm. There is a BIG difference between Public / Private. Much of the design engineering for our company is contracted out (building / etc.). If I wanted to move 500 miles and work in a corporate office pushing papers, I could get a job in division / corporate engineering stamping some plans (facility engineering), but I like it where I'm at.


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## JoeBoone82

TouchDown said:


> I work in manufacturing (said above), my company is NOT a design firm. There is a BIG difference between Public / Private. Much of the design engineering for our company is contracted out (building / etc.). If I wanted to move 500 miles and work in a corporate office pushing papers, I could get a job in division / corporate engineering stamping some plans (facility engineering), but I like it where I'm at.


Ohhh okay. As long as you're happy, that's what we all hope for.... I guess I'm just used to being around Civil's... and no matter public/private.... somebody has to have the P.E. That's one of the main reasons I always wanted to be an engineer growing up, because I wanted to be able to design something, stamp the plans, see it being built, and then see the finished project.


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## grover

JoeBoone82 said:


> Ohhh okay. As long as you're happy, that's what we all hope for.... I guess I'm just used to being around Civil's... and no matter public/private.... somebody has to have the P.E. That's one of the main reasons I always wanted to be an engineer growing up, because I wanted to be able to design something, stamp the plans, see it being built, and then see the finished project.


Outside of construction... PEs aren't required much. Obviously this forum is skewed a bit, and civils obviously find most of their jobs in the construction industry, but for most EEs, MEs and especially aerospace- PE licenses not necessary and pretty much a waste of time, money and effort.
I work for the federal government and don't need a PE license, but got it basically because I don't have an MS and I thought it might help me get promoted.


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## JoeBoone82

grover said:


> Outside of construction... PEs aren't required much. Obviously this forum is skewed a bit, and civils obviously find most of their jobs in the construction industry, but for most EEs, MEs and especially aerospace- PE licenses not necessary and pretty much a waste of time, money and effort.
> I work for the federal government and don't need a PE license, but got it basically because I don't have an MS and I thought it might help me get promoted.


Most Civil's I know are not in construction. They do Structural (either on the building side or transportation doing bridges, retaining wall and more), ITS, Traffic and Signalization, Land Planning, Civil Site, Water/Wastewater, Environmental, Geotechnical/Foundations, etc. and Most all need a PE at some point.

And like you said... a lot of those disciplines might not need the PE as bad as Civils or others, but I guarantee the Boss, or the Boss's Boss has the PE.... so if you want to be the big man on the totem pole, I'd go for it.... kind of like you said with the promotions.


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## mudpuppy

Since this topis has already been bumped . . .

BSEE - 2000

MSEE - 2001

Six years experience including five in System Protection/Relaying

~$70 000

The P.E. designation will have no immediate impact on my salary since we are largely exempt from the NEC, but there are a few jobs that require the P.E. (mainly on the structrual/civil side, like substation and lines design). However, my company has recently developed parallel technical and management career paths. The technical path requires a P.E. for anything above the typical Senior Engineer.

There is also a growing notion that P.E.'s hold more weight in court, so there could be a push for more P.E.'s in jobs potentially exposed to litigation.

Besides, my boss has a P.E., her boss has a P.E., his boss has a P.E., his boss has a P.E., and his boss has a P.E. So there was just a little pressure for me to go for it.


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## Dleg

bump This is a great thread for research before salary negotiations. The newer members should weigh in.


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## Freon

Now that I am working in the private sector I'll weigh in:

BSChe - 1987

MSEE - 1997

PE in EE - Dec 2005

20 years in USMC

Work in Houston, Offshore Petroleum industry, Job Title is "Lead Systems Engineer"

105K per year plus benifits package

Freon - Oil field trash and proud of it....


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## Capt Worley PE

BSME 1988

MEME 1991

EIT 1988

Waiting on October test results

Wide and varied work background.

State gov @50K


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## Jennifer Price

BSCE 2002

EI 2002

PE (hopefully) 2007 &lt;---keeping a positive attitude

3 yrs Construction Project Management

1.5 yr Structural Design

.5 yrs Forensics

Private Sector @ Low 60k (and am expecting a year-end bonus (regardless of PE designation) + raise when I get my PE)


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## Jennifer Price

Can someone please delete 2 of my 3 posts? I don't know why it posted 3 times.

Thanks


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## benbo

Captain Worley said:


> BSME 1988MEME 1991
> 
> EIT 1988
> 
> Waiting on October test results
> 
> Wide and varied work background.
> 
> State gov @50K


You passed the EIT in 1988? I heard that was a very hard exam back then. What did you think?


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## Capt Worley PE

benbo said:


> You passed the EIT in 1988? I heard that was a very hard exam back then. What did you think?


It was a glorious bitch of an exam. Open book and covered all discipliness. It was was written so you couldn't posssibly finish either section. No one did. It was the most horrible experience of my life. I went balls out and still had to bubble in guesses on the last 15 questions of each section.

At least with the PE, I had time to go back and rework stuff and look up things I had absolutely no clue about.


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## KEG

BS EET ('96)

Passed EIT in '98

Took Oct. '07 PE (EE - Power depth)

Worked as contract engineer for consulting firm for 3 years - 40k/yr

Since '99 worked as distribution engineer one large utility company and two small utilities.

Current title - Operations Supervisor

Current salary 70k/yr plus company truck

Middle Georgia


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## FLBuff PE

BSCE 2001

EI 2001

Took 10/07 PE

Worked for Civil/Land development firm for 2 years, then got jetisoned for getting too stressed out(WTF?0. Was out of engineering for a year, then got hired for environmental engineering at a geotechnical/environmental consulting firm in 2004. Started at $40k with several raises along the way. Just after 10/07 exam, negotiated signifacnt raise to low $50's (even without results). When I pass, I will be up to mid $50's. Includes company truck (and with gas prices what they are here in the mountains of CO, I'm extremely happy to have it!).


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## SSmith

Reliability Engineer with 4 years of work (only 1 year at current job.)

BS Chemical Engineer 2002

MBA 2006

EIT, no PE (yet  ).

$79k plus government benefits. (GS13 at Fort Knox.)


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## C-Dog

grover said:


> Outside of construction... PEs aren't required much. Obviously this forum is skewed a bit, and civils obviously find most of their jobs in the construction industry, but for most EEs, MEs and especially aerospace- PE licenses not necessary and pretty much a waste of time, money and effort.
> I work for the federal government and don't need a PE license, but got it basically because I don't have an MS and I thought it might help me get promoted.


I disagree. I work for a large aerospace company and while it is not required, if you look at all of our Design Chiefs, Fellows, or Principal Engineers they are split with PE or Phd after their name. So if you want to be a grunt engineer, then you are probably correct. But if you want the fishbowl (what we call office) then you need a PE or Phd.


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## C-Dog

Oh here is my info:

BS Materials Engineering '97

MS Mechanical Engineering '01 (Mechanics of Materials Concentration)

FE April 07

PE Pending (Oct 07)

Large aerospace company in Northeast.

Staff Engineer

85 - 90k


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## ODB_PE

Central TX, Structural, Small Firm

EIT 4/2003

BS 5/2003

MS 5/2007

PE 10/2007 Pending

Engineering work experience from 5/2004 (3.5 years)

Currently 51K with lousy benefits

Promised bump to 60K with PE, which still wont be enough due to recent increases in healthcare premium

I believe I could easily make mid 60s post-PE locally, with much better benefits - and I intend to test this theory.

PS - Please look at my new healthcare thread!


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## MA_PE

Captain Worley said:


> It was a glorious bitch of an exam. Open book and covered all discipliness. It was was written so you couldn't posssibly finish either section. No one did. It was the most horrible experience of my life. I went balls out and still had to bubble in guesses on the last 15 questions of each section.
> At least with the PE, I had time to go back and rework stuff and look up things I had absolutely no clue about.


Really? I took the FE (EIT) in April 1988. I understand the current test is more difficult than that in the days for Yore. It's my recollection that references were not allowed. I agree that the number of questions and level of difficulty precluded any normal person from comfortably completeing it in the allotted time.


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## Dleg

^^I took the EIT (FE) in 1990. It was open book - I specifically remember frantically rummaging through the steam tables in my thermodynamics textbook. I had no idea what to expect, but because we were told it was "open book", I assumed it wouldn't be too hard, and so I drank a twelve-pack of PBR the night before with my roommate. I remember literally sweating during the exam and thinking "holy sh^#! This is hard!" We both passed, but our scores were amazingly low - something on the order of the high 40s (percent), so I suppose even the grading system was different back then.

Sorry. Back to the topic. I've posted my salaries somewhere above. But just to add some info, I have recently discovered that a PE working on Guam (civil), with a reasonable amount of experience, can expect to be paid $80k to $100k.


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## annie

BS Mechanical Engineering

MS Mechanical Engineering

Passed EIT October 06

3.5 yrs experience with State of CA

Pay Range (67,000 -81000)


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## FINK_RB_PE

B.S. Civil Eng. Tech. - 99

M.S. Civil Eng. - 02 (Go Hokies!)

EIT - 99

PE - took 10/07 test

LS - Virginia

PS - West Virginia

Land Dev, Water and Sewer design, minor structural, manage anywhere from 3-5 people, Title is Project Manager.

Mid 60's including bonuses (Slightly above average in SW Virginia).


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## roadmonkey

BSCE - 03

EIT

Project Engineer

5.5 years experience

Consulting

$55K


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## kevo_55

OK, it's my turn....

BSCE 2000

EIT 2000

PE (Structural I) 2006

PE (Structural II) 2007

PE(Civil) Pending

Making $53k/yr in the Twin Cities in a private consulting firm. I also have been invited to buy company stock which I did. It should also be noted that my SE2 pay increase will take place when I get my yearly pay increase. I'm hoping for atleast $58k. If I pass my civil, it should be in the $60's or I'm looking for a new job.


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## ktulu

kevo,

That seems awful low, based on creds and what has been posted here previously. Is that average for the Twin Cities?

ktulu


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## kevo_55

I'm not really sure. I tend to believe that some people inflate their pay for one reason or another.

One thing is true though. The cost of living in the Twin Cities is pretty high.

Reviews will happen before the end of the month. We'll see what happens. :dunno:


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## JoeBoone82

kevo_55 said:


> OK, it's my turn....
> BSCE 2000
> 
> EIT 2000
> 
> PE (Structural I) 2006
> 
> PE (Structural II) 2007
> 
> PE(Civil) Pending
> 
> Making $53k/yr in the Twin Cities in a private consulting firm. I also have been invited to buy company stock which I did. It should also be noted that my SE2 pay increase will take place when I get my yearly pay increase. I'm hoping for atleast $58k. If I pass my civil, it should be in the $60's or I'm looking for a new job.


That does seem a little low with approx. 7 years experience and possibly 3 different PE's. Maybe wait and see how they treat you with the upcoming raises. Also, your company stock could potentially make up some difference when comparing to other salaries. I would check job listings that require the same credentials that you have and see how they compare. Even if it is located somewhere else, you can see what it should be where you live..... Also try the salary information on NSPE and ASCE websites. Maybe careerbuilder.com would be another good place to look around and compare what other places are offering.

http://www.nspe.org/career/em6-sal.asp

http://survey.asce.org/pls/srastdp/survey_frontend.homepage

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costoflivin...stofliving.html

http://www.engineersalary.com/


----------



## mtn_green

I'll chime in...

BSME 1999

EIT 1999

PE April 2007 (NH)

Started out at 30k out of college working for 60+ person consulting firm doing plumbing/hvac/refrigeration...went to 60k in 5 years. Changed jobs (to a 4 person company) and am at 50k with awesome fringe bene's...flex schedule, work at home, 100% paid medical/dental, 3 weeks vaca, unlimited sick/personal time, profit sharing, low stress and awesome clients. I pretty much run my own show and as long as my clients are happy the president is happy. Also, the owner wants to sell me the company in a couple years when he retires.

Don't judge the job by the money you make. I have been offered over 80k but can't seem to let go of the great atmosphere I am a part of.


----------



## Oilfield Engineer

You've got to love the oilfield, when it's booming.

5 years experience, just took to PE Exam.

+/-115m

Not bad for digging in the dirt.


----------



## Dark Knight

Oilfield Engineer said:


> You've got to love the oilfield, when it's booming.
> 5 years experience, just took to PE Exam.
> 
> +/-115m
> 
> Not bad for digging in the dirt.


Now I know why the freaking gasoline is so expensive. 5 years and 115k. Darn.


----------



## SteveR

BSEE/EIT - 2002 (5.5yrs experience)

Took PE in Oct. '07, awaiting results

Consulting Engineer

$85k base salary, + 10%-20% bonus &amp; 401k (just got a big raise due to PE)

Fair insurance/benefits


----------



## Texas Aggie &#39;02

BSME/EIT - May 2003

PE as of 2 days ago!!

I work for an electric utility at a power plant near Buffalo, TX making 67k +0-33% bonus depending on company, plant, and individual performance. Company performance is based on earnings which triggers the bonus plan. Plant performance is based on safety, environmental, budget, and unit availability targets, while indivudual performance is based on goals set and achieved throughout the year. Assuming the company achieves its target, I am hoping for ~20% this year. Since I have worked at the plant, it has been owned by three different companies. I really like the company that owns us now and they really seem to compensate us well based on what I have seen in my industry.

I don't expect the PE to give me a bump in pay as it is not really required for my job. All large engineering projects are contracted out. However, the general manager of the plant has his, and I know that he is aware and appreciates the effort required to obtain the PE, so I believe it will help me out in the long run.

Texas Aggie '02


----------



## TNengr_itch

Okay, I haven't done this yet:

BSE - Manufacturing (Processes concentration) 1991

EIT 1990

Worked 9 years in manufacturing - everything from shift supervisor to product development coordinator to outsourced items buyer

Made the shift to Substation Protection &amp; Control in 2000; work for private consulting firm in lower E. TN contracted with LARGE public utility; also do some process improvement within our company

Waiting for PE results (3rd try) in Electrical - Power

Currently @ abt $80k including bonus; recently received unexpected increase due to previous V.P. setting female engineers pay rate significantly lower than mens'. Have been told this will happen again in the future possibly with pay increase with successful PE score and other increases. Isn't life grand? I hope I never meet that guy on the street. :15:


----------



## RIP - VTEnviro

I'm either really underpaid or live somewhere with really low of cost of living. It's probably both.


----------



## Guest

^^^ It's a little of both AND a function of things like engineering discipline, size of company, working budget for billables, realtive skill and expertise of engineers AND technicians necessary to complete billables, and job duties relative to job title/position.

I have been navigating the murky waters as of late and have found that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. :laugh:

JR


----------



## Vinsanity

jregieng said:


> ^^^ It's a little of both AND a function of things like engineering discipline, size of company, working budget for billables, realtive skill and expertise of engineers AND technicians necessary to complete billables, and job duties relative to job title/position.
> I have been navigating the murky waters as of late and have found that there is many a slip between the cup and the lip. :laugh:
> 
> JR



BSCE 1995

MSc 1999

BS Arch 2004 2ND YEAR LEVEL

REG. CE FOREIGN

FOR USA : EIT STILL WAITING FOR RESULTS OCT 2007 (PLANNING TO WRITE PE USA APRIL IF I PASS OCT 2007)

EXPERIENCE : 13 YRS (2008)

ANNUAL 60K CANADIAN DOLLAR

DISCIPLINE : STRUCTURAL/CIVIL/TRANSPO


----------



## DVINNY

VTEnviro said:


> I'm either really underpaid or live somewhere with really low of cost of living. It's probably both.


I'm right with ya buddy


----------



## mudpuppy

Ok, for ease of comparison, I've tabulated the data from this thread by discipline.

Some notes: To prevent skewing I threw out four outliers (of 60 data points) which were approximately four or more standard deviations from the average of their discipline, namely civilsurvey ($120k), BigRay76 ($115k), Benbo's semiconductor job ($128k), and Oilfield Engineer ($115k). If a person listed a salary range, I used the average of the range. If a variable bonus was listed, I used the average of the range. I used the field the person is working if their degree was in a different field. I put the Structural people in with Civil since I think there were only two Structurals. I did not try to account for length of experience or work location.

There were 26 Civil data points, 2 Chem data points, 6 Enviro data points, 11 Mechanical data points, 13 Electrical data points, and 2 Geo data points.

Results (rounded to the nearest $1k):

Overall Average = $67000 (note, the high number of Civil data points may have skewed this average)

Overall ST Dev = $15000

Civil Average = $61000 ST Dev = $13000

Enviro Average = $64000 ST Dev = $13000

Mechanical Average = $66000 ST Dev = $12000

EE Average = $79000 ST Dev = $10000

Sorry, there was not enough data for Chem or Geo to do any meaningful analysis.

I also broke down the data in other ways depending on how much data was available:

Civil, Bachelor's Average = $58000 ST Dev = $12000

Civil, Master's Average = $65000 ST Dev = $13000

Civil, EIT Average = $55000 ST Dev = $8000

Civil, PE Average = $67000 ST Dev = $13000

Civil, Bachelor's &amp; EIT Average = $53000 ST Dev = $8000

Civil, Master's &amp; EIT Average = $58000 ST Dev = $5000

Civil, Bachelor's &amp; PE Average = $65000 ST Dev = $12000

Civil, Master's &amp; PE Average = $70000 ST Dev = $13000

Enviro: Not enough data

Mechanical, EIT Average = $68000, ST Dev = $13000

Mechanical, PE Average = $61000, ST Dev = $10000

Electrical, EIT Average = $80000, ST Dev = $8000

Electrical, PE Average = $78000, ST Dev = $11000

For the most part, these results don't suprise me except for the ME EIT vs. PE. My only explanation for the lower PE values is I only had four data points for that set.


----------



## benbo

mudpuppy said:


> Ok, for ease of comparison, I've tabulated the data from this thread by discipline.
> Benbo's semiconductor job ($128k


Sounds good. I don't make that anymore - it was a fluke from the hi-tech days. Now I'm a poor government worker slob.


----------



## Dleg

Nice work, mudpuppy.

:appl:


----------



## Guest

Wow mudpuppy, I am wicked jealous of your mad statistical skillz !!!! :true:

Excellent job!! :appl: :appl: :bananalama:

JR


----------



## mudpuppy

I wouldn't say I have mad statistal skillz, just the patience to spend a couple hours typing all those numbers into a spreadsheet (and trying to avoid real work). But thanks! I'll save the spreadsheet to update in the future if we get more people to post in here. It would be nice to have enough data to do EIT vs. PE and Master's vs. Bachelor's for all the disciplines.

I noticed a couple interesting things in the data. First, as many of us suspected, the PE doesn't seem to have much effect on salary for EE. Also, it looks like the answer to the perennial question, "Which is worth more, PE or Master's" for Civils is definitely the PE (of course, _both_ is best).

BTW, benbo, I don't blame you one bit for giving up that job--I don't think I could have even made it four years at that pace.


----------



## IlPadrino

mudpuppy said:


> I wouldn't say I have mad statistal skillz, just the patience to spend a couple hours typing all those numbers into a spreadsheet (and trying to avoid real work). But thanks! I'll save the spreadsheet to update in the future if we get more people to post in here. It would be nice to have enough data to do EIT vs. PE and Master's vs. Bachelor's for all the disciplines.
> I noticed a couple interesting things in the data. First, as many of us suspected, the PE doesn't seem to have much effect on salary for EE. Also, it looks like the answer to the perennial question, "Which is worth more, PE or Master's" for Civils is definitely the PE (of course, _both_ is best).
> 
> BTW, benbo, I don't blame you one bit for giving up that job--I don't think I could have even made it four years at that pace.


What about other variables at work besides discipline and licensing? Given such a small sample, I'd guess geography plays as large a role as either of those. Any idea what the correlation looks like for your data?


----------



## bigray76

I think the availability or market for yoru specific job function may also be a variable (hard to quantify). There is a shortage of estimators and superintendants in the NJ market right now, hence some of our supers make as much as some of our PM's in an effort to retain them. Likewise, guys I started out with in the company that have gone the field roure (project engineers, assistant PM's) make $20k to $25k less than I do. We have been trying to find some good estimators, but there are very few on the market right now and even the bottom of the barrel dwellers are getting paid well for their short stints at all of the bigger GC/CM's. We have tried to train a few guys, but they are just not the right fit.

I just got a call from a headhunter as I was typing this, go figure.

-Ray


----------



## brick_27

MCE (Will complete - May 2009)

BSME (Will complete - May 2009)

BS Construction Engineering Technology (2000)

AS Architectural Engineering Technology (1999)

EI (2002)

PE (Just Passed)

$60K - 8 years experience structural design (residential and commercial)


----------



## KEG

brick,

How are you getting a BSME and MCE (Masters in Civil, I assume) at the same time, May '09? The reason I ask is I have considered going back to school for my Master's but since my undergrad is a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology, I have been told that I'd be better off to get my BS in Engineering and then a Master's.


----------



## mudpuppy

IlPadrino said:


> What about other variables at work besides discipline and licensing? Given such a small sample, I'd guess geography plays as large a role as either of those. Any idea what the correlation looks like for your data?


As I said, I didn't account for geography in the numbers because I don't have a quantifiable way to do that. However, qualitatively it seemed there was a concentration of people along the East Coast states (Vermont to Florida) with a scattering of people across the Midwest and West, plus one in Canada and then Dleg. I did not get much of a feel for urban vs. rural.

I would also postulate that PE's on average have more experience than EITs, since many people get the PE early in their career. Given that more experience usually equals higher pay, this is another factor in the numbers. However, qualitiatively, it seems the average age on this board is around early-mid career, so this _might_ not be a factor in these numbers.

Obviously this isn't most comprehensive salary survey ever, but OTOH I'm not sure such a thing exists. The IEEE salary survey says the average EE salary is over $100k; however a utility power engineer cannot expect to make that on average becuase the Silicon Valley workers skew that average. All I'm saying is, as with everything, these numbers (and my statements derived from them) should be taken with caution and judgement.


----------



## Freon

Mudpuppy,

Well said. And industry plays a big part just like location. Like Oilfield, I work in the petroleum industry, and salaries are booming right now for engineers. (Dleg may even consider trading in his aloha shirts and start eating gumbo!)

Freon, P.E. (returned from exile 48 weeks ago)

Happy New Year to all


----------



## frazil

Great job mudpuppy! I'll have to update my stats (did I post any??)



mudpuppy said:


> I would also postulate that PE's on average have more experience than EITs, since many people get the PE early in their career. Given that more experience usually equals higher pay, this is another factor in the numbers. However, qualitiatively, it seems the average age on this board is around early-mid career, so this _might_ not be a factor in these numbers.


I think since most people here are either trying to get their PE or have just gotten it, the amount of experience is probably similar for the EIT and PE categories. Though there are exceptions - people going for a PE late in their career or people looking for help on the FE who posted.


----------



## Dleg

Freon said:


> (Dleg may even consider trading in his aloha shirts and start eating gumbo!)


No thanks! I enjoy life. I don't need to go back to the days on end without sleep and $250,000 per day standby charges when my equipment fails or I screw up. Of course, well logging was maybe the exception. Are you oilfield types working a straight workweek these days? Or are you putting in 60+ hours?


----------



## Freon

Dleg said:


> No thanks! I enjoy life. I don't need to go back to the days on end without sleep and $250,000 per day standby charges when my equipment fails or I screw up. Of course, well logging was maybe the exception. Are you oilfield types working a straight workweek these days? Or are you putting in 60+ hours?


Dleg,

Ten hours a day, five days a week. But compared to Sapper, it is a breeze. I do design work in Houston; Oilfield are you out on the rigs making turns to the right?

Freon


----------



## Dleg

^^WAS. But no, I was a "wireline logging" services contractor. I put instruments down into the holes or blew smaller holes into them, but never drilled any. Those drilling-types have it easy anyway - 12 hour shifts. Us service folks work until we're done, whether that takes a few hours or a few days, and then move right on to the next rig and do it again. And again...


----------



## Sschell

$86K+bonus, benefits and 401k

Cali

mechanical PE

BSME 2002


----------



## bigray76

Time to update my info, we got our raises yesterday:

BS Civil '98

EIT '98

PE '07

LEED AP '07

9-1/2 years in construction management

NJ

Senior Project Estimator

$130k


----------



## Oilfield Engineer

I work in a division office as a drilling engineer. I guess the last time I wasn't on call was 2002. That's tje trouble with 24/365 operations. Currently I oversee 8 rigs in the Rocky Mountains. That big money doesn't come easy, lots of time and stress...


----------



## benbo

bigray76 said:


> Time to update my info, we got our raises yesterday:
> BS Civil '98
> 
> EIT '98
> 
> PE '07
> 
> LEED AP '07
> 
> 9-1/2 years in construction management
> 
> NJ
> 
> Senior Project Estimator
> 
> $130k


That'll help with the new kids!

I have a stupid question, being someone who has never worked in construction. Is a project estimator the person who estimates how much it will cost to build something to decide what to bid on a job? I guess my real question is, what makes someone a good estimator, since you must be one to get over a 10% raise. Is it winning bids and predicting acurately? My guess is that if you make money for your company, then that reflects in your salary. I like that - it seems like pretty close to a pure meritocracy.

I'm too old to change careers, and know nothing about this, but I was curious how it works.

Anybody who knows about this can answer me.


----------



## bigray76

Benbo,

I wear a lot of hats in my role here as an estimator. I manage long term preconstruction efforts - analyzing cost, material availability and lead times, and constructability. Green building is all the rage so I am also expected to help find economical ways to achieve LEED certification. I typically take a project from a conceptual or schematic phase and working closely with the design team go through various iterations of budgeting and value engineering.

My other hat, the more fun hat, is to do lump sum bidding. I work the subs, develop scopes, and harass the architect with endless RFI's.

What makes a good estimator (for a CM anyway)? Good number sense, being able to think outside of the box to find alternate solutions, knowledge of various means and methods, understanding costs and market conditions, being able to visualize what a sketch on the back of a napkin will look like when the project is at 100% CD's.

GC's typically do more lump sum bidding than we do, so it is a slightly different mindset.

I have received raises of 8% - 12% throughout my career here. This past year, I was involved in a lot of projects that made the company a lot of money. On many of my longterm precon jobs, I do more 'business' than pure estimating.


----------



## brick_27

KEG said:


> brick,How are you getting a BSME and MCE (Masters in Civil, I assume) at the same time, May '09? The reason I ask is I have considered going back to school for my Master's but since my undergrad is a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology, I have been told that I'd be better off to get my BS in Engineering and then a Master's.


I went back to school (part time) to take Junior and Senior year Mechanical Engineering courses. I am working through NC State's Engineering Online program for my Masters. The program is really slick, but you must have someone from your office act as a proctor (I use our HR department head). In regards to the BS in Engineering, when I was completing my first undergrad I substituted all the tech maths and sciences with the engineering classes (Purdue's Fort Wayne campus did not offer a Civil program at the time). This allowed me to jump right into the Mechanical specific classes.


----------



## CO Dave

I'll add mine to the bunch.

BSCE '99

MSCE '01

Just passed the PE in Colorado and work as a structural in the Power field. We do emissions and new generation work usually on cost plus or lump sum EPC contracts. Average job is around $1B.

Current pay, $85k.


----------



## CO Dave

double post, sorry.


----------



## FL PE

I'll play...

BSCE 99

A/E Consultant since 06/99

Progect Manager/Engineer

71,240

I'll get a 1000 bonus for passing the PE...should also get ~250/month pay increase in a couple months.


----------



## anno1234

I'd would rather stay anonymous since anyone who knows me could identify me from my normal screen name. hence, the accidentally mispelled "anon" screen name!

here's my info:

-AE '03 grad

-started at $50k (as an EE with large consulting firm in A/E industry)

-after 3 years was making $56k

-moved to smaller firm for $50k (but with better projects)

-after 2 years was making $55k

-now that I have my PE and more experience, I'm moving to a larger firm and will be making $68k


----------



## Rodfat

B.S. Mech

M.S. Mech

P.E. Mech

CCM Certified Construction Manager

15 years of experience

113,000 yr.


----------



## C-Dog

Inflation was at 4.1% in 2007. Will your raises keep pace?


----------



## fmullner

What the heck. Here's my info:

B.S.-non-engineering '97

M.S. Env. Engineering '02

EIT-'03

PE-'07

9.5 years experience

I worked in the metals industry for 7 years and left it making 50-55K. Here's a hint. Don't stick around long in an industry that measures its losses in "X million dollars per day". Of course, as soon as I left everything turned around.

I work in the chemical industry now making 65-75K.

I've worked in industry for all but about a year of my career. That year was in consulting. The money potential is definitely there, but the hours are brutal and the office politics are rotten. It's not worth it. Industry does have its drawbacks, but I still stand behind my comment that the worst day in industry is better than the best day consulting.


----------



## JPGOLF

Here is my info:

BSME - 2002 (UF)

EIT - 2006

PE - 2007

Small &amp; busy Consulting firm

5.25 years experience

Location Philadelphia Suburbs, Pennsylvania

Pay - 80-85k

We do MEP design for commercial buildings (lot of healthcare) and my title is Project Engineer


----------



## Brody

C-Dog said:


> Inflation was at 4.1% in 2007. Will your raises keep pace?


I've looked into the inflation issue and I found that the true inflation rate was actually 11% for 2007. Consider the impact of the cost of gasoline alone and you can see the gubbermint is engaging in smoke and mirrors. The gubmint officially feeds us feel good stats to keep us happy and spending. If you look at the way they do the Consumer Price Index, it is based on a series of commodities like beef, milk, etc. If the beef price goes up, then chicken is substituted, to make it seem less than it really is.

Good luck to us all in getting raises to keep up with inflation.

Wages in the engineering and tech fields have been flat over the last five years. Wages across the board have decreased by 2% over the last 5 years.


----------



## STL EE

BSEE 12/2000

EIT 10/2000

PE 04/2008 Wish me luck!

7 years Experience

St. Louis, MO

I work in a 30 person MEP consulting engineering firm dealing mostly with commercial buildings. Currently making around $56k. I will check back in when I get my PE this April.


----------



## FusionWhite

Since I just changed jobs Ill update my stats:

year, registration, company, discipline of work, start salary, end salary

2005, No EIT, State government, Environmental, Start Salary: $30,000, End Salary: $30,000

2006-2008, EIT in 2007, Consulting, Environmental, Start Salary: $40,000, End Salary: $51,000

2008, EIT, Power industry, Chemical/Mechanical, Start salary: $60,000 (bonus potential 10-15%), End Salary: Ongoing

In the span of my professional work (September 2005 through March 2008) Ive managed to more then double my salary. Of course my starting salary right out of school was pathetically low, but if that trend continues.....HEY!!! (best Disco Stu impression).


----------



## udpolo15

Updated Stats

BS Chemical Eng - 2001

EIT 2001

MS Environmental Eng-2005

PE - 2006

Total Comp - $84K

Midsize environmental consulting co.


----------



## benbo

FusionWhite said:


> Since I just changed jobs Ill update my stats:
> year, registration, company, discipline of work, start salary, end salary
> 
> 2005, No EIT, State government, Environmental, Start Salary: $30,000, End Salary: $30,000
> 
> 2006-2008, EIT in 2007, Consulting, Environmental, Start Salary: $40,000, End Salary: $51,000
> 
> 2008, EIT, Power industry, Chemical/Mechanical, Start salary: $60,000 (bonus potential 10-15%), End Salary: Ongoing
> 
> In the span of my professional work (September 2005 through March 2008) Ive managed to more then double my salary. Of course my starting salary right out of school was pathetically low, but if that trend continues.....HEY!!! (best Disco Stu impression).


Same thing happened to me in state gov. Started in 2003 at a pitiful salary which has more than doubled due to pay parity raises.

I think the salary for power related engineers is going to grow, because of supply and demand. So many of them are retiring. Out here in CA a typical plant engineer makes around $100K, which is annoying to them because operators on shift working OT make more sometimes, but I knw that with specialized knowlege of some of the new technologies some plant engineers are making $150K. Of course, I'm a gov't regulator of power plants, so I'm not going to make that. I don't know about design engineers at places like B&amp;W or Bechtel, but I imagine some of them make really good money.

60K in Kentucky is equivalent to something like 95K in Los Angeles. So you're on your way!

Of course, all of this is probably true of any industry.


----------



## dmercado_PE

I finally got my raise and promotion to Senior engineer after passing the Oct. 2007 PE exam, so I guess I'll chime in too.

5 years experience at a utility company in Houston, TX.

EIT - 2003

BSEE - 2003

PE - 2007

Here's how my salary has changed over the years:

2003 Associate Engineer - $52,500 + $0 bonus = $52,500

2004 Engineer - $58,500 + $3,400 bonus = $61,900

2005 Engineer - $62,500 + $4000 bonus = $66,500

2006 Engineer - $65,000 + $5100 bonus = $70,100

2007 Engineer - $72,000 + $5,500 bonus = $77,500

2008 Senior Engineer - $80,000 + $7,400 bonus = $87,400


----------



## Katiebug

BSME 2003

MS, Management 2007

MS, Engineering Science expected 2010

Working since a week after graduation in 2003, so coming up on 5 years in May.

No EIT or PE (the employer doesn't give a damn and won't care much when I do get them - yay, industry exemption!).

Live in CT.

Started in the low $50s, currently in the low $60s.

No bonus, no profit sharing. Pension, decent medical benefits, very nice educational benefit. I work for a division of a Fortune 100 company doing R&amp;D and product support.

I was promised a promotion last year when I got my master's, and it didn't pan out. Won't be happening this year either, thanks to my manager throwing me under the bus on a failed technical project. I am NOT pleased, especially since a coworker in my group has the same bachelor's degree, the same work experience, and no master's degree, and he was hired at the next level higher than me (they had to offer more money to lure him away from his last employer). I know that's how it is everywhere - people who change jobs now and then will always make more than the long-time employees.


----------



## udpolo15

Katiebug said:


> I know that's how it is everywhere - people who change jobs now and then will always make more than the long-time employees.


I consider myself lucky in this regard. I have been at the same place since graduation and I am probably only off 5%,maybe 10%. The pluses of the jobs outweigh any increase I could realize by switching. I was getting dicked around for a while, but started speaking my mind and they really came through.


----------



## EE_virginia

BSEE, 2006

EIT

IT Consulting

~65k


----------



## WAHOO-LONGHORN

BA - Environmental Sciences (Concentration - Hydrology) - 1998

MS - Environmental and Water Resources Engineering - 2004

EIT - 2005

PE - 2007

Professional Hydrologist (PH) - 2007

2 years - Project Hydrologist - DC Area - 30K

1 year - Construction Project Management - DC Area - 55K

3 years - Graduate Research Assistant - Austin, TX - 20K + Tuition and Insurance

4 years - Civil/Environmental Consulting Engineering - Baltimore - Started @ $28/hour now make $38/hour w/ straight time OT = roughly 85K + $1500 Christmas Bonus = total 2007 earnings 87K

Each job had comprable benefits e.g. 401k w/ match, health, life, disability etc


----------



## civilsurvey

My business slowed down along with everyone else's around here, so I layed off 2/3 of my workforce. I took a job in New Orleans at a huge firm for $90,000 per year. I also still run my small civil/survey co. and make about 70,000 per year there. So, I guess I make more than before, but damn sure work harder.

total now = $160,000 gross


----------



## JoeBoone82

civilsurvey said:


> I took a job in New Orleans at a huge firm for $90,000 per year. I also still run my small civil/survey co. and make about 70,000 per year there. So, I guess I make more than before, but damn sure work harder.
> total now = $160,000 gross



Not a conflict of interest? New firm doesnt mind?


----------



## JoeBoone82

WAHOO-LONGHORN said:


> BA - Environmental Sciences (Concentration - Hydrology) - 1998MS - Environmental and Water Resources Engineering - 2004
> 
> EIT - 2005
> 
> PE - 2007
> 
> Professional Hydrologist (PH) - 2007
> 
> 2 years - Project Hydrologist - DC Area - 30K
> 
> 1 year - Construction Project Management - DC Area - 55K
> 
> 3 years - Graduate Research Assistant - Austin, TX - 20K + Tuition and Insurance
> 
> 4 years - Civil/Environmental Consulting Engineering - Baltimore - Started @ $28/hour now make $38/hour w/ straight time OT = roughly 85K + $1500 Christmas Bonus = total 2007 earnings 87K
> 
> Each job had comprable benefits e.g. 401k w/ match, health, life, disability etc



That is always a big topic..... non-engineering undergrad, becoming EIT &amp; PE.

Good job though with all of the education and certifications.... and the salary too. I'm working on my M.E. right now, and should be finishing it up right around the time I would be eligible for the PE exam.


----------



## JoeBoone82

DVINNY said:


> I'm right with ya buddy


I like to look at this sometimes..... Cost of Living Calculator

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

Amazing how there are some who make 1.5 times more than someone else, but in a place that is twice the cost of living, and say that the other is underpaid. lol


----------



## civilsurvey

JoeBoone82 said:


> Not a conflict of interest? New firm doesnt mind?



Nope. That was the first thing I asked corporate when they called. I told them that if it was a problem then take my name off the list.

They are a top 3 Civil Engineering firm in the US. I have 1 survey crew and do about 6-10 hrs of platting/review a week, normally on the weekends.

I wouldn't have a prayer of getting the jobs this firm goes after anyway. What little engineering I do is subdivisions/drainage/site plans. My new job doesn't do that work. They do huge government jobs in the million dollar plus range.


----------



## JoeBoone82

civilsurvey said:


> Nope. That was the first thing I asked corporate when they called. I told them that if it was a problem then take my name off the list.
> They are a top 3 Civil Engineering firm in the US. I have 1 survey crew and do about 6-10 hrs of platting/review a week, normally on the weekends.
> 
> I wouldn't have a prayer of getting the jobs this firm goes after anyway. What little engineering I do is subdivisions/drainage/site plans. My new job doesn't do that work. They do huge government jobs in the million dollar plus range.


That's good. I guess it all works out well for you in the end. I'm sure you stay busy.

I had a supervisor that said he used to do the same thing earlier on in his career.... surveying and that sort of thing outside of his normal gov't job. He's pretty much set now.

Hmmm.... let's see.... top design firms I see here on the top 500 list are.... URS, Jacobs, Aecom, Fluor, CH2M, Bechtel, Parsons, etc....


----------



## WAHOO-LONGHORN

JoeBoone82 said:


> That is always a big topic..... non-engineering undergrad, becoming EIT &amp; PE. Good job though with all of the education and certifications.... and the salary too. I'm working on my M.E. right now, and should be finishing it up right around the time I would be eligible for the PE exam.




Best decision I could've made...stick with it and get the PE....You can play the engineer card or you can play the scientist card - depending on the situation...


----------



## cocoloco

Mech Engineer, EIT waiting on PE results.

Experience- 8 years

Salary- 80,000

I guess its true what I read in the skymall magazine- 'In life you dont get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate'.


----------



## Art

got my BSEE a while ago...

worked contracting mostly, until 4 years ago...made ~100k when I left...

took a job with a small local consulting firm (~35 people) for 55k, was sick of travel...

FE &amp; PE in 2006/7 (never needed it before)

became a partner last year...made ~90k base and ~15k in profit...

work a leisurely 40 (or less) 5 minutes from home...

they gave me 20% of the company out right for nothing, gifted...only 3 PE's me, a guy 80 years old, another &gt;65...

I recently made a proposal to a guy who drills gas wells, he sold his company to Chesapeake Energy for a reported 75 mil...

he and I are going to build a facility (maybe a few) to treat a drilling by-product...we expect to gross 200k/month, net &gt;175k per facility...

he gave me 25% for doing all the engineering/permitting/construction...he's supplying all the cash, ~1.5-2 mil...

my wife says I hit the lottery, except I have control over the outcome...I recently formed my own llc, and informed my partners at the firm of such...take it or leave it...they don't have much choice...I _never_ gave a damn about money or corporate climbing...it just seemed to all come together...

me I don't care still, I'm doing for _her_...and the damnest thing? she doesn't care either, the most down to earth person I know


----------



## knelli

Me:

BSCE 2002

PE 2006

Work as Structural Engineer for Design Build firm in Wisconsin, 6 yrs experience

50k Plus bonus

Received 1500 raise for PE and 3% raise (gimme a break!)

Took SE1 in April

Husband:

BSCE 2002

PE 2006

Division manager for construction company

115k/yr

Hopefully I can retire at 30....


----------



## melissaNYPE

BAE 2002

EIT 2002

PE 2008!!!

5 years exp. at a Consulting Structural Design Firm in NYC

Currently at $65K + OT + bonus ($5K last year), 401K, great benefits. Salary is a bit low for the area.

Will re-post when I find out what that PE is worth...


----------



## CO Dave

Time to update,

It only took 6 months, but got a promotion to Lead Structural Engineer and a raise to $92.5k


----------



## dfweyer

BS Mechanical 2002

MBA 2006

PE 2008

First 5 years at power plant, now T&amp;D

Eastern Nebraska

PM Engineer

~ $75k


----------



## SSmith

I just accepted a new job at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL and wanted to update the stats in case anyone was still using these.

Reliability Engineer--5 years of work

BS Chemical Engineer, 2002

MBA, 2006

PE, 2007

$84k, plus federal government benefits.



SSmith said:


> Reliability Engineer with 4 years of work (only 1 year at current job.)
> BS Chemical Engineer 2002
> 
> MBA 2006
> 
> EIT, no PE (yet  ).
> 
> $79k plus government benefits. (GS13 at Fort Knox.)


----------



## Capt Worley PE

Dang! I'm gonna have to get back on Uncle Sugar's payroll.


----------



## benbo

Capt Worley PE said:


> Dang! I'm gonna have to get back on Uncle Sugar's payroll.


The question is, will you have to be a PMP? Because it's hard out there for a PMP.


----------



## SSmith

benbo said:


> The question is, will you have to be a PMP? Because it's hard _*hot*_ out there for a PMP.


Corrected for Alabama's climate.


----------



## Capt Worley PE

benbo said:


> The question is, will you have to be a PMP? Because it's hard out there for a PMP.


PMPin' ain't easy.


----------



## FusionWhite

Speaking of salary, when I was hired here at my new job I was promised a 6-month salary review with what I hope is a mid-year raise. Thats coming up in about 3 weeks. From what Ive been told the full blown annual raise was this year (~4%) Im not holding my breath for anything spectacular but a couple more bucks in my pocket sure wouldnt hurt.

The company is making money so fast we cant even see straight at this point so Im expecting our annual bonus to be through the roof. The problem is I came aboard exactly halfway through the fiscal year and will only get a half bonus. From my rough calculations a half bonus here is still more then the bonus I got at my last position.


----------



## JoeBoone82

FusionWhite said:


> Speaking of salary, when I was hired here at my new job I was promised a 6-month salary review with what I hope is a mid-year raise. Thats coming up in about 3 weeks. From what Ive been told the full blown annual raise was this year (~4%) Im not holding my breath for anything spectacular but a couple more bucks in my pocket sure wouldnt hurt.
> The company is making money so fast we cant even see straight at this point so Im expecting our annual bonus to be through the roof. The problem is I came aboard exactly halfway through the fiscal year and will only get a half bonus. From my rough calculations a half bonus here is still more then the bonus I got at my last position.


No annual bonus where I work. /


----------



## Dleg

Supe said:


> I don't crunch numbers (although I deal with a lot of P and F numbers!), will never take the EIT or PE, and have no desire to, (nor do I deserve) to call myself a PE...


Never say never ... I was talking like that when I was in your position, too, 18 years ago. Things change, people move on, companies change.... Regardless, since this is the "salary" thread, getting your PE can usually add to that, even if you don't "use it."

If I were you, I'd hedge my bets and go ahead and take the EIT now, while the material is still fresh. You'll probably thank yourself later. (the corollary is that you'll very likely kick yourself later if you don't.) Many people feel that taking the FE (aka EIT) several years out of college is harder than the PE.


----------



## MechGuy

South Texas Area

BS (ME), 2001

MS, Engineering Managament 2006

EIT, taking the PE (again) in Oct 08

Project Manager for construction projects for Federal Government client

Base Salary: $90K


----------



## What!!

TexasPE said:


> Bachelors Civil Engg (1998)Masters Civil Engg (2002)
> 
> 4+ yrs Exp.
> 
> PE April 2006
> 
> Working in small civil consulting firm, so get to do various aspects (design, construction management, inspection)
> 
> Salary before PE (mid 40's)
> 
> Salary after PE (mid 60's)


Updated: PE June'06 , raised to mid 60's. After that, one raise in '07 &amp; another in '08 for high 70's now. Hopefully, i can cross over to 80s next year with the same employer.


----------



## mudpuppy

This was published in the NSPE Update this week:

*Top Engineering Salaries*

Petroleum $129,946

Power, Utilities $111,230

Aeronautical, Aerospace, Astronautical $103,155

Mechanical $101,973

Electrical $97,706

Manufacturing $94,134

Environmental $93,310

HVACR $90,905

Structural $89,883

Transportation $89,261

Civil $87,084

Geotechnical $86,995

This was an eye-opener for me. First, all of the salaries were higher than I was expecting. Secondly, I always thought power/utility engineers made _less_ money than EEs generally. I guess I need to go ask for a raise!


----------



## SSmith

Throws shenanigans card.


----------



## wilheldp_PE

SSmith said:


> Throws shenanigans card.


Alright people...Shenanigans has been called. Everybody get your broom!


----------



## chaosiscash

mudpuppy said:


> Secondly, I always thought power/utility engineers made _less_ money than EEs generally.


My guess would be that it would depend on the type of utility. For example, workers in nuke plants generally command a higher salary than coal or other plants due to qualifications and clearance issues.


----------



## dastuff

BSCE - 06

MSCE - 07

PE - Hopefully October 08..

Structural Emphasis..

I am currently earning 65k with a bonus that will hopefully put me around 75k.


----------



## Sschell

^I think there's a thread for that...


----------



## WVUengr

BSCE 03 WVU

EIT 03-WV

1 YR GENERAL CONTRACTOR (DC)

3 YR PRIVATE CONSULTANT (NJ)

1 YR STATE GOVT (NC) (TOOK 10.6% PAY CUT TO GET PENSION)

45K-50K (PLUS BENEFIT, INCL. PENSION (6% OF MY OWN DAMN $$)

PE OCT 08  ????

POSSIBLE 6K RAISE, IF THE STATE WASN'T BROKE, OH WELL MORE PROMISES, LESS CASH


----------



## Strickland

BSEE 2003

EIT 2003

PE April 2008

65K in Consulting


----------



## bradtheturtle

I'm surprised the statistical information you started compiling doesn't exist. I'm from Alberta and our professional association (APEGGA) compiles this information on a yearly basis. The statistics from May 2008 included over 12,000 data points. Similar information is available from some (and maybe all) of the other provincial associations.

The main page for the APEGGA Salary survey is:

APEGGA Salary Survey Main Page

There are two documents. The summary is 2 pages long but the complete document is probably a hundred pages. The summary is found here:

Salary Survey Summary

I've copied below the relevant information from the "Total Compensation - Engineers - All Industries" table. In Alberta a fully qualified P.Eng would generally be rated C-Level or higher.

Level_ Sample_ %Change____ Mean__ 1stDecile__ 1stQuartile_____ Median______ 3rdQuartile_____ 9thDecile

A-____ 447___ 4.4%___ 46,606.00____ 39,376.00____ 42,640.00____ 46,800.00____ 49,647.00____ 53,400.00

A___ 1,278___ 3.4%___ 66,239.00____ 52,109.00____ 58,344.00____ 63,600.00____ 72,400.00____ 81,983.00

B___ 1,478___ 5.9%___ 79,162.00____ 61,512.00____ 67,959.00____ 75,600.00____ 84,775.00____ 95,512.00

C___ 1,829___ 5.1%___ 95,818.00____ 74,184.00____ 83,473.00____ 92,873.00____ 102,544.00___ 117,518.00

D___ 2,331___ 7.7%___ 126,162.00___ 91,200.00____ 104,424.00___ 118,312.00___ 136,034.00___ 172,570.00

E___ 2,006___ 5.7%___ 155,884.00___ 112,170.00___ 128,892.00___ 148,200.00___ 171,520.00___ 197,588.00

F___ 1,185___ 4.7%___ 194,036.00___ 133,510.00___ 153,500.00___ 180,000.00___ 213,479.00___ 266,760.00

F+ _ 471_____ 5.2%___ 281,139.00___ 157,391.00___ 185,000.00___ 216,800.00___ 284,790.00___ 422,750.00


----------



## benbo

bradtheturtle said:


> I'm surprised the statistical information you started compiling doesn't exist.


Of course the information exists in lots of places. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Salary.com, and most of the professional professional societies (ASME, IEE, NSPE) have their own studies. Somebody just posted this here to see what other people make. If they wanted some table from an organization they would have googled it.


----------



## Kuku

I was told I would make $55k+ right out of school.... over five years later, still haven't gotten there. My question: who here stays at a job/career they don't like just because the money is good? I feel like I am kinda in that boat.


----------



## Chucktown PE

Kuku said:


> I was told I would make $55k+ right out of school.... over five years later, still haven't gotten there. My question: who here stays at a job/career they don't like just because the money is good? I feel like I am kinda in that boat.


Are you in consulting? I made $55k right out of school with a Master's degree. Almost 5 years later and PE license and I am at $85K plus some major relocation benefits this year on the order of $40k. I don't expect much of a raise this year but I am hoping I'll hit $90k next year.


----------



## Kuku

Chucktown PE said:


> Are you in consulting?


Pretty much... don't have any other options that I know of. Don't particularly enjoy it... rather boring if you ask me.


----------



## Dleg

Change jobs! I didn't enjoy the lack of personal life my first job gave me, so I quit and moved on. I still haven't made as much as I made those first few years of my career (oil well services), but I enjoy my life, have plenty of time for family and friends, and have no regrets whatsoever (well, I wish I would have saved more money, but hey.....)


----------



## Chucktown PE

Kuku said:


> Pretty much... don't have any other options that I know of. Don't particularly enjoy it... rather boring if you ask me.


If you don't enjoy it then you're probably not going to be successful at it. I love it and while sometimes the hours suck, I have a very good lifestyle. What kind of consulting are you doing? With my work (wastewater treatment plant design/construction) I am typically on the same project for a few years but there are so many different aspects to the project and different facilities that I work on that it raretly gets boring.

I would start looking for a different job that excites you. Spending 40+ hours a week doing something that bores you is no way to live.


----------



## MA_PE

Chucktown PE said:


> If you don't enjoy it then you're probably not going to be successful at it. I love it and while sometimes the hours suck, I have a very good lifestyle. What kind of consulting are you doing? With my work (wastewater treatment plant design/construction) I am typically on the same project for a few years but there are so many different aspects to the project and different facilities that I work on that it raretly gets boring.
> I would start looking for a different job that excites you. Spending 40+ hours a week doing something that bores you is no way to live.


well put Chuck.


----------



## ATL_ENG

Mech. Eng.

PE (passed in October '08)

ATL, GA

6 years experience

Environmental consulting, now power plant consulting

75K current; am expecting increase in Jan.

[[SIZE=18pt]color="#FF0000]Anyone know of any good sites to get relevant salary data for my review?[/SIZE]


----------



## Sschell

salary.com


----------



## Desert Engineer

http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm


----------



## JoeBoone82

http://www.engineersalary.com/

Also, depends on location, so check a cost of living calculator:

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

NSPE has something too :

http://www.nspe.org/Employment/SalaryInformation/index.html


----------



## udpolo15

ATL_ENG said:


> Mech. Eng.
> PE (passed in October '08)
> 
> ATL, GA
> 
> 6 years experience
> 
> Environmental consulting, now power plant consulting
> 
> 75K current; am expecting increase in Jan.
> 
> [color="#FF0000]Anyone know of any good sites to get relevant salary data for my review?


Do you know how much you bill out at? In consulting, typical NM are around 3. In other words, if you bill out at $100 per hour, your salary should be around $33 per hour. Each industry/company is different depending on other overhead and benefits offered, but this is a useful barometer to know if you are out of whack.


----------



## JoeBoone82

udpolo15 said:


> Do you know how much you bill out at? In consulting, typical NM are around 3. In other words, if you bill out at $100 per hour, your salary should be around $33 per hour. Each industry/company is different depending on other overhead and benefits offered, but this is a useful barometer to know if you are out of whack.


I agree Udpolo.... I work in consulting and I think we are around that same range.... 2.65 to 3.0 is what I have heard, depending on the discipline/division. For instance, our Transportation multiplier is less because our clients are gov't agencies like DOT's, etc.


----------



## jrs6767

What kind of salary should I be making as a Civil Engineer in Richmond, VA

w/ 6 years experience and I am an EIT? I am working in the land development

field currently


----------



## jrs6767

Also, if I pass my PE exam. What kind of jump could I expect to see in my salary? I have heard all kinds of stuff but am not sure if any of it is true (10% increase, 5k-10k, etc)


----------



## Rodfat

BS Mechanical Engineering

MS Mechanical Engineering

PE Registered in CA Mechanical Engineering

CCM Certified Construction Manager

Resident Engineer for a large Public Agency

15 years of experience

$120,000.00 per year


----------



## SSmith

Rodfat,

Would you mind sharing your story about how you got to that point with only 15 years in a public agency?

Scott



Rodfat said:


> BS Mechanical EngineeringMS Mechanical Engineering
> 
> PE Registered in CA Mechanical Engineering
> 
> CCM Certified Construction Manager
> 
> Resident Engineer for a large Public Agency
> 
> 15 years of experience
> 
> $120,000.00 per year


----------



## wilheldp_PE

SSmith said:


> Rodfat,
> Would you mind sharing your story about how you got to that point with only 15 years in a public agency?
> 
> Scott


I would guess it has a lot more to do with the fact that he lives in CA than how many years he has in the company/agency. The cost of living out there is a lot higher than Alabama or Kentucky. $120k would be middle class in L.A. or San Francisco.


----------



## SSmith

wilheldp_PE said:


> I would guess it has a lot more to do with the fact that he lives in CA than how many years he has in the company/agency. The cost of living out there is a lot higher than Alabama or Kentucky. $120k would be middle class in L.A. or San Francisco.


I checked the OPM tables to compare. In CA, $124k buys you a GS-15 step 1. So that would still be a fast mover if starting from the bottom rungs of the GS scale.
One thing I didn't consider was the possibility of overtime in the $120k. I have read several stories recently that mentioned the massive amounts of overtime CA state and local employees are making driving those areas bankrupt. (One story had a jail nurse making more than the mayor once overtime was factored in.)


----------



## JoeBoone82

SSmith said:


> One thing I didn't consider was the possibility of overtime in the $120k. I have read several stories recently that mentioned the massive amounts of overtime CA state and local employees are making driving those areas bankrupt. (One story had a jail nurse making more than the mayor once overtime was factored in.)


I agree with you. In May, I did not really have any overtime hours for the year, but since then until now, I have increased my salary by about 15 percent. I have a little over 300 hours OT and divided that by 2080 hrs. My OT hourly pay is my salary divided by 2080, which just gives an equivalent hourly pay for anything I work over 40/week. That is also while going to graduate school from late August to mid-December. Some of the other guys have put in way more than me... some in the mid-20 percent range. The cadd techs gets 1.5 times the hourly rate, so I bet some of those guys are at about 1.5 x their annual salary. It is crazy when you look at how many weeks, or even a couple of months extra some have squeezed in since May. Just slammed right now, but it's a lot better than the alternative these days with the economy.

Oh yea, and like that other guy said.... I just checked out a cost of living comparison calculator online.... $120k in CA is equivalent to $57k in TN.


----------



## SSmith

All this discussion of the different variables is why I would think it would be interesting to hear exactly what Rodfat's situation is...


----------



## benbo

SSmith said:


> All this discussion of the different variables is why I would think it would be interesting to hear exactly what Rodfat's situation is...


Here are the salaries for California state eningeers -

http://www.pecg.org/2008-increases.htm

The state actually still pays slightly less than some local agencies.

I'm not sure about Rodfat, but

Here is how an ambitious person could pull it off (or close)

Suppose you got hired right out of school with an EIT at my agency. You would be a utilities Engineer Range A. Currently around 55K.

Suppose in two years you get your PE, you are automatically a Range D. Salary min $82K.

If you are really lucky and supposedly good, you can become a Senior in another 2 years. Salary $97K. So far, you have 4 or 5 years in.

Then, you will get a regular 5% raise annually until you peak out at $118K.

This usually takes around 4 more years. So after around 9 or ten years you're close to 120K.

Like wilheldp says, it's not as much as you would think here. But it is pretty good, and maybe that's why the state's going broke.


----------



## benbo

JoeBoone82 said:


> Oh yea, and like that other guy said.... I just checked out a cost of living comparison calculator online.... $120k in CA is equivalent to $57k in TN.


That's true, but Ca is a big, diverse state so it depends what city you are talking about. 120K in Sacramento, Ca is like 92K in Chatanooga.


----------



## JoeBoone82

benbo said:


> That's true, but Ca is a big, diverse state so it depends what city you are talking about. 120K in Sacramento, Ca is like 92K in Chatanooga.


Yea, you're right. I was not sure which city in CA so I entered San Francisco and Nashville... and $120k was comparable to $57k.


----------



## jillnova

BS Environmental Engineering

EIT 2003

PE 2008

Project Manager for mid-sized consulting firm

14 years of experience

$75,000.00 per year


----------



## Rodfat

BS Mechanical Engineering

MS Mechanical Engineering

PE Registered in CA Mechanical Engineering

CCM Certified Construction Manager

Resident Engineer for a large Public Agency

15 years of experience

$120,000.00 per year (Update: $123,000.00 per year)


----------



## Art

OK, here goes, I'm a bit uncomfortable, but you asked

BSEE

PE 2 years

20+ years experience

president, 30 person firm

102k base

~15k straight time OT (mostly evening meetings)

bonus 56k (this year), expect the same or more next year

60k, profit disbursement (this year) about same next

expenses ~10k

I also do some work on the side that my firm won't touch and have a partner in a LLC to treat gas well wastewater, basically set-up deals with local STP's

made ~30k from the 2

so I am doing very well...&gt;250k...life is good, but I also worked dog hard jobs, 20 hour days, no sleep, high pressure...it's just pay-off time now

2 years ago I made ~100k total


----------



## DVINNY

^^ Well done.

I hope to see the light at the end someday.


----------



## Art

DVINNY said:


> ^^ Well done.
> I hope to see the light at the end someday.


if you want it, you can get it...if I can, almost anyone can...

honestly, I never really cared about money...stereotypical hippy/nerd/dweeb lol

I was fortunate to love engineering, so a good living was had without trying...

and had a knack for making $$$, but usually for others...but they knew who buttered their bread, so I was treated well, and besides, I didn't really care about $$$...

after seeing all sorts (mostly the sorts I avoided) grub and fawn over money and compromise their selves to get it, it was their _reason de tendre_, I decided to make some, a concerted effort...partially out of the challenge, partially to 'rub it in', and show them how easy it is, and how much time they wasted...

and partially to set my wife at ease, she has MS...

the retired owners son works for me now, he made 50k max, after I took over his bonus was more than his salary...

25 bitter years he longed for the almighty dollar, in 3 years, I double his income...so I'm dragging others along with me...

did I mention I'm an arrogent prick at times too? lol

honestly, after having done it, I'm kinda bored with it, much to my wifes dismay 

but I've got it running like a clock and might as well ride the proverbial gravy train for a while...I really like what I do...

but, the toys are worth it...my one vice...

talk about engineering...

awd

420 HP V8 with 8200 rpm redline...

active suspension

brakes as large as a trucks

Audi 'Truth in Engineering'


----------



## DVINNY

meh, ^^ my wife has a VW passat, (same company) and I can't stand it.

I'll take my American Made Toy anyday. 

All four barrels, each of the eight cylinders, and both exhaust runs.

But "buttering the bread"........ that sounds familiar.....

(joking aside, that is a great car though, the AUDI)


----------



## Art

DVINNY said:


> meh, ^^ my wife has a VW passat, (same company) and I can't stand it.
> 
> I'll take my American Made Toy anyday.
> 
> All four barrels, each of the eight cylinders, and both exhaust runs.
> 
> But "buttering the bread"........ that sounds familiar.....
> 
> (joking aside, that is a great car though, the AUDI)


it's my first...I've driven BMW M3's since 1990, 3 generations...I still have my e46

so far, so good with the Audi, but I'll let you know at 100k miles...my M3 has 150k

I got a deal on the Audi, needed a 4 door, CPO warranty to 100k miles, it just turned 10k, previous owner was Audi of America, corp car

my wife drives a 97 jetta, bought new, has 60k miles, no issues...it's her beater/dog hauler/mulch truck, lol

I see you're a Steela' fan...me too, I went to school at Pitt and live 50 miles south of the 'Burgh


----------



## DVINNY

Art,

I am sorry to hear that you went to Pitt, but glad to hear your a Steeler fan.

Sounds like I'm just a few more miles south of you in :wv:

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's my baby below.


----------



## Kuku

Art said:


> OK, here goes, I'm a bit uncomfortable, but you asked
> BSEE
> 
> PE 2 years
> 
> 20+ years experience
> 
> president, 30 person firm
> 
> 102k base
> 
> ~15k straight time OT (mostly evening meetings)
> 
> bonus 56k (this year), expect the same or more next year
> 
> 60k, profit disbursement (this year) about same next
> 
> expenses ~10k


56k bonus?!? :rtft: Holy freakin crap! Must be nice! Thanks for posting that, gives us underlings something to shoot for!

I've had to resort to some moonlighting just to scrape by and have a little fun. Past 3 jobs I've had always hit a dry spell where my workload is non-existent and bores me to death.


----------



## Art

DVINNY said:


> Art,
> I am sorry to hear that you went to Pitt, but glad to hear your a Steeler fan.
> 
> Sounds like I'm just a few more miles south of you in : :wv: :
> 
> GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Here's my baby below.


nice ride, a classic

my wife went to WVU and brother PSU...so I'm used to taking crap...lol


----------



## civil4799

Can you guys give me a clue about how much to ask for a raise if I pass my PE exam?

I am in :wv:

BSCE 04

EIT 04

MBA 08

with 10-12 years work experience before BSCE in Construction Materials, Highway bridges, etc.

Engineer with construction firm Current Salary Low 50"s with company vehicle, 401k, Profit sharing

five years with current firm.


----------



## the_gooch

I just graduated and these salaries are pretty depressing considering the complexity of our fields. My wife will be making around $200k more than me a year (MDA). Well, we'll see what Obama does to Dr.'s in the near future--

BSEE --2009

FE--- 2009

Searching jobs but the normal offers have been around $55K


----------



## azuki84

Sharing my piece of information after reading through other postings.

Job Title: Process Engineer

Industry: Industrial Waste Water (Small EPC company, water treatment system design)

Years of Experience: 1.5 years

Base salary: 57k

Other Compensation (Bonus, 401k): 4k

Job location (City, State): Milwaukee, WI

Degree/Major (BS, MS, MBA, PhD, etc): BS ChE

Licensed PE (Yes/No): No-Planning to take the FE in October 09.

Go Badgers!


----------



## Master slacker

Here we go:

Mechanical Engineer

BS 2002

MS 2007

PE (passed in April '09) - employer doesn't recognize.

Louisiana

4.5 years total exp (various roles)

Chemical industry

70 - 75k


----------



## JoeysVee

BSME 99

EIT 99

Masters of Eng 02

10 yrs exp

PE=No

Project Eng

~160/yr


----------



## Roy T.

You'll get better answers if you ask "salary by industry".

A mechanical engineering working for Exxon is generally going to make a significant amount more than a mechnical working for a water utility or AE


----------



## Kephart P.E.

McEngr said:


> Isn't it funny how broad the spectrum is on salaries? There are some on here that have 5 years more experience than me, but are making 50K more. I think I need to get out of metal buildings and into a consulting job that offers part ownership. The pay, initially, would be about the same, but the long-term would probably be very, very beneficial and more rewarding.


It is true, I will warn anyone looking to do this, their is a higher risk involved. ie You must produce, if you are part of a say 50 person staff, it is quite obvious if you don't know what the hell you are doing. Also typically you don't get all the benefits from working for a huge company, but we have cocktail hour and extremely flexible hours. And you must put up with quite a bit more bullshit directly from clients. But I guess less from Mid Level Execs that don't know shit. So a trade-off so to speak

But I really like the Firm I work for and wouldn't go back to working for a big corporation.


----------



## Santiagj

Job Title: Engineer III

Industry: Utility

Years of Experience: 4.5 years

Base salary: 78k

Other Compensation (Bonus, 401k): Bonuses have varied 8-12k, Paid grad school costs.

Job location (City, State): Maryland

Degree/Major (BS, MS, MBA, PhD, etc): BSCE 2005, Masters of Eng 2008

Licensed PE (Yes/No): Yes, just found out I passed this April. Hoping for a promotion.


----------



## pugsx

Job Title: Project Engineer

Industry: Construction

Years of Experience: 4.5 years

Base salary: 75k

Other Compensation (Bonus, 401k): 401K/med/usual stuff.

Job location (City, State): Maryland

Degree/Major (BS, MS, MBA, PhD, etc): BSCE 2002, MBA 2004

Licensed PE (Yes/No): Passed April 09


----------



## ElCid03

DVINNY said:


> Art,
> I am sorry to hear that you went to Pitt, but glad to hear your a Steeler fan.
> 
> Sounds like I'm just a few more miles south of you in : :wv: :
> 
> GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Here's my baby below.



You are a lucky man; that vehicle is exactly what God envisioned when he created cars.


----------



## DVINNY

^^ Thanks.

I've been trying for years to convince my wife of that.


----------



## GTPE2B

2003 BSME GT &amp; EIT

2009 AL PE

5 years experience (4 years with current company)

~55k with 15% performance based bonus (15% is increased or decreased based on company performance)

I guess you can put me under design engineering. It's way too complicated for a quick blurb.

You fellows with 15+ years experience really scare me. I went into engineering because I'm very mechanically inclined and I enjoy the problem-solving nature of the business. Of course, I also thought it would be a lucrative career. However, seeing the compensation for those more advanced in their careers, I'm afraid it's not going to get any better. I'm doing well for a single guy without a whole lot of toys. But when a family comes along, I don't know that I'll be able to maintain our current standard of living. And you can forget toys at that point. I guess I'll just chalk it up to the economy and try to better my situation once the market improves.

BTW, nice '68, DVINNY. I'm an F-body fan myself.


----------



## Fourndog

2003 EIT

2004 BSCE

2005 MSSE

2009 PE (Civil)

project engineer

3.5 yrs experience

&lt;20p civil/structural consultant firm

Northern New England

$60k + ~$2k/yr bonus

Haven't had the talk with the boss yet about PE raise, billable rate went up $6, so that should translate to a $2/hr raise ~ $4k.


----------



## LEEDengineer

Job Title: Mechanical Engineer

Industry: Corporate AE Design (Owner)

Years of Experience: 5 years (+5 years intern during college)

Base salary: 68k

Other Compensation (Bonus, 401k): Bonus, 401K match, great benefits

Job location (City, State): Chicago, IL

Degree/Major (BS, MS, MBA, PhD, etc): BS AE 2002 + MS AE 2004

Licensed PE (Yes/No): Planning to take AE PE exam soon, will get raise for passing

I worked as an engineer in the utility sector 3 years out of grad school and was just under $80k base. Took a pay cut to relocate, change environment and switch industries for a while. Working my way back up the salary ladder now.


----------



## benbo

GTPE2B said:


> You fellows with 15+ years experience really scare me.


I’m sure after the economy turns (I think it will) and if you get in the right industry you can make more, if that’s your ultimate goal. There are always “hot” industries that pay more. If you look for the high paid guys on here most of them are in the oil industry or nuclear power. Or they are in business for themselves.

I make 120K, but I live in Cal, with over 25 years experience (BS, MS, PE- EE). 120K in Cal might be equivalent to 80K or less in a place like Alabama, although it sort of depends where you live in Ca. I make this much in government work, but I made more in private work in semiconductors during the hi-tech bubble, and was making more relatively when I worked in defense when it was hot.


----------



## KEG

KEG said:


> BS EET ('96)Passed EIT in '98
> 
> Took Oct. '07 PE (EE - Power depth)
> 
> Worked as contract engineer for consulting firm for 3 years - 40k/yr
> 
> Since '99 worked as distribution engineer one large utility company and two small utilities.
> 
> Current title - Operations Supervisor
> 
> Current salary 70k/yr plus company truck
> 
> Middle Georgia


Updated

PE - April 2009

Promoted to VP of Engineering

Current Salary $94k/year plus still have company vehicle

I don't sign or stamp anything and my boss kept telling me the PE wasn't a requirement for my job. I did it anyway and it got me a $10k/year raise. So anyone that doesn't think its worth getting, I beg to differ!


----------



## mce01

Civil Engineer/Geotech

Bachelor: 2003

MS: 2005

4.5 years experience

Salary: 70-80k

Live in NYC....so equivalent salary for average US city is likely in the 30k!!!!!!

Reading thru these posts only convinced me of one thing: career change....there's just so little hope for engineers....


----------



## Santiagj

Or how about moving out of one of the highest cost of living places in the world.


----------



## gte959s

2003 - EIT

2008 - PE

BSCE

Project Manager

Georgia

$55K +100% health care, dental, aflak

3 weeks vac.

From what our company president saying is that Civil PE's with 1-2 years post PE experience, the new norm when things turn around is going to be $60-65K + bonuses of around 15K


----------



## ucfengineering

Preparing to take FE in Florida this fall.

Not working as an Engineer yet.

I am an Industrial Controls Electrician on the pads at CCAFS.

With the typical launch overtime $72 k a year with med, dental, holidays, 3 wks vacation.

Hopefully, engineering pays off in longevity - very few rockets left flying out given our current administration's plans for the future.


----------



## EDISON_NY

NY

BScEE --&gt; 97

MScEE --&gt; 05

pass FE --&gt; 09

5 years exp.

$70k-80k --&gt; base

~ $25k overtime

Utilities


----------



## Art

wow, been 1 year already...

just closed the books for last year, better than last:

base 110k + 20k in OT

bonues/profit 150k

280k total...unimaginable 5 years ago, honestly...

full health, 401 with 1:1 matching to max allowable ~13k

expenses ~1k/month, give or take

plus picked up another 6% of the company stock...

did some work on the side, maybe 25k or so, not much free time...

this may seem like 'bragging', but honestly I'm just laying it out in print to convince myself it's real...I'm very lucky and thankful...and I know it...

my employees on average got 3 times the bonuses they have in the past, and high performers 5 to 7 times...

we gave an extra 3 holidays, plus gave those with 15 years service an extra week of vacation, held the cost on healthcare and all got raises...

it's the only way I cn justify my compensation, share, because, honestly, a piece inside me thinks it is excessive, although in the scheme of things, it's not...

make it while you can because there are no gurantees


----------



## rls

BS 02 Industrial Engineering

MS 10 Occupational Safety &amp; Health Engineering

PE (retaking in October 10)

75k base (plus overtime &amp; 4% annual) - State Government


----------



## mrconfident

Thought this was an interesting thread and wanted to share.

BSME 2007

Mechanical Designer

2 1/2 years Experience

55K + 10k Bonus

Full Benefits

Reading through these post, def. sounds like a career change is needed.


----------



## jeb6294

Being over in the sandbox has changed my numbers drastically:

BSCE, P.E.

Project Engineer

Current Base: $72K/yr (Fed. Gov't so it typically goes up a few $K every year)

Stand. OT (25hrs/wk): $48K/yr

Add. OT (usually another 12hrs/wk): $24K/yr

Post Diff. Bonus (35%): $25K/yr

Danger Pay (35%): $25K/yr

Relocation (25%): $18K/yr

Total: $212K/yr

Of course you have to work 8,000 miles away from your family 7 days a week and they tend to shoot rockets and mortars at you on occasion, but the experience so far has been second to none and I have no regrets about coming over here whatsoever.


----------



## benbo

^^^

Is that also tax free?


----------



## jeb6294

'Fraid not...we still get bent over by Uncle Sam. Of course that's where our pay comes from so I guess I can't complain too much. They've been talking about going tax free for us DOD civilians to try and get more people to volunteer, but they've been saying that for years.

I suppose I'd rather have the "dilema" of paying the taxes on $212K -vs- $55K I was making before I came back to the USACE.


----------



## HornTootinEE

BSEE 2006

Engineer II is my "HR Job Title"

Coming up on 4 yrs exp. in Utilities (IOU)

Sit for PE April 2010

62K base

Required on-call rotation, no overtime comp (averages to 5-8 hrs a week, but the hours come in big chunks when you're on call)

Bonus 6-9.5%, based solely on company financials, overall O&amp;M Expenses.

14 days vacation

Health, Dental, Vision, employee contributes about 20% of the monthly premiums

Raises are maybe 2% on rough years, 4% on good years. Mid-year raises supposedly exist, but nobody has seen one in a few years, even pre-economy crap.

Lot of the senior guys around here are just over 90K a year, same situation as me only more years (25+) PE is of no value right now in our company. So I guess I know what I have to look forward to wage wise.


----------



## navyasw02

jeb6294 said:


> Being over in the sandbox has changed my numbers drastically:
> BSCE, P.E.
> 
> Project Engineer
> 
> Current Base: $72K/yr (Fed. Gov't so it typically goes up a few $K every year)
> 
> Stand. OT (25hrs/wk): $48K/yr
> 
> Add. OT (usually another 12hrs/wk): $24K/yr
> 
> Post Diff. Bonus (35%): $25K/yr
> 
> Danger Pay (35%): $25K/yr
> 
> Relocation (25%): $18K/yr
> 
> Total: $212K/yr
> 
> Of course you have to work 8,000 miles away from your family 7 days a week and they tend to shoot rockets and mortars at you on occasion, but the experience so far has been second to none and I have no regrets about coming over here whatsoever.


Wow that's not bad. Is that on a GS type schedule? That's even better than military pay out there.


----------



## benbo

jeb6294 said:


> 'Fraid not...we still get bent over by Uncle Sam. Of course that's where our pay comes from so I guess I can't complain too much. They've been talking about going tax free for us DOD civilians to try and get more people to volunteer, but they've been saying that for years.
> I suppose I'd rather have the "dilema" of paying the taxes on $212K -vs- $55K I was making before I came back to the USACE.


Yeah. You "wealthy" Americans need to pay. At least that's what I hear. :smileyballs:


----------



## navyasw02

benbo said:


> jeb6294 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 'Fraid not...we still get bent over by Uncle Sam. Of course that's where our pay comes from so I guess I can't complain too much. They've been talking about going tax free for us DOD civilians to try and get more people to volunteer, but they've been saying that for years.
> I suppose I'd rather have the "dilema" of paying the taxes on $212K -vs- $55K I was making before I came back to the USACE.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah. You "wealthy" Americans need to pay. At least that's what I hear. :smileyballs:
Click to expand...

It's funny how the definition of "rich" changes depending on political need.


----------



## picusld

I always get the distinct feeling like I am being screwed whenever I see this thread...


----------



## Capt Worley PE

^Me too.


----------



## benbo

picusld said:


> I always get the distinct feeling like I am being screwed whenever I see this thread...


I don't need this thread to know that about myself.


----------



## FLBuff PE

benbo said:


> picusld said:
> 
> 
> 
> I always get the distinct feeling like I am being screwed whenever I see this thread...
> 
> 
> 
> I don't need this thread to know that about myself.
Click to expand...

Same.


----------



## jeb6294

navyasw02 said:


> jeb6294 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Being over in the sandbox has changed my numbers drastically:
> BSCE, P.E.
> 
> Project Engineer
> 
> Current Base: $72K/yr (Fed. Gov't so it typically goes up a few $K every year)
> 
> Stand. OT (25hrs/wk): $48K/yr
> 
> Add. OT (usually another 12hrs/wk): $24K/yr
> 
> Post Diff. Bonus (35%): $25K/yr
> 
> Danger Pay (35%): $25K/yr
> 
> Relocation (25%): $18K/yr
> 
> Total: $212K/yr
> 
> Of course you have to work 8,000 miles away from your family 7 days a week and they tend to shoot rockets and mortars at you on occasion, but the experience so far has been second to none and I have no regrets about coming over here whatsoever.
> 
> 
> 
> Wow that's not bad. Is that on a GS type schedule? That's even better than military pay out there.
Click to expand...

Yes, I am on a GS schedule. There are still guys over here with contractors who are making a lot more than that.


----------



## Kendis

petergibbons said:


> I am curious to see what salaries are according to engineering discipline, PE or not, location, years of experience, and type of work (consulting, government, etc.) I'm not sure how to create a poll on this so I'll start off:
> Civil Eng.
> 
> PE (passed in April '06)
> 
> : :wv: :
> 
> 4.5 years exp
> 
> state government
> 
> 40k-50k


Transportation Engineer

PE (passed April 2010)

WA

3.5 years experience

State Department of Transportation

60k-65k (est ~75k incl. benefits)


----------



## acontractor

BS Mechanical Engineering ('03)

MS Materials Science and Engineering ('05)

Passed EIT in '04. Just took PE in Oct '10

State: Texas.

5 years of experience out of college.

$58 K, which is 15% less than my previous salary at other company in '09. The company did large workforce reduction.

Do you think companies are taking advantage of current economic situation?


----------



## McEngr

BSCE ('00)+12 hours toward MSCE

Passed EIT in '99. Just took PE in Oct '06

Passed SE 2 in April '09. Failed SE 3 (WA) in Oct '10 - (Oregon had a zero percent pass rate)

State: Oregon.

10 years of experience out of college.

$57K, which is 15% less than my previous salary at other company in '08. The company hired me just after designing/building a 3 million dollar bldg for themselves (a 5-digit figure of overhead).

Now, I am a Civil PE+SE2 (can't seem to pass the WA SE III) with a 10% paycut which puts me at $51300. No bonuses, no Holidays.

At least I'm working on the side for my own firm making about $20k extra a year...

I'd really like to find a job that pays around $75k/yr without working on the side. At least I would be focused on one thing and not being covert about my sidework during my 7am-5pm job.

SIGH...


----------



## Supe

acontractor said:


> Do you think companies are taking advantage of current economic situation?



Yes. I work for a large const. company which has basically ALL the power work right now. End result, they're taking away living allowance/per diem for their salaried employees who live away from home because "we've got nowhere else to go." Ends up being nearly a $42k pay cut/yr.


----------



## FusionWhite

Supe said:


> acontractor said:
> 
> 
> 
> Do you think companies are taking advantage of current economic situation?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes. I work for a large const. company which has basically ALL the power work right now. End result, they're taking away living allowance/per diem for their salaried employees who live away from home because "we've got nowhere else to go." Ends up being nearly a $42k pay cut/yr.
Click to expand...


Although I would bet a lot of companies are doing this, my company is not. Even though the economy is down we are doing really well (go natural gas!!!). In the past year we have been given a raise (3% company wide), a one time bonus (3% of base salary) and we were just told they would be paying out the annual bonus (last year it was 20% of base salary).

Depending on how big the bonus is this year I have a good chance of topping 80K.


----------



## roadwreck

FusionWhite said:


> Depending on how big the bonus is this year I have a good chance of topping 80K.


Pffffft! 80k? You may as well be digging ditches. How are you ever going to afford your own plane making that?


----------



## Supe

FusionWhite said:


> Supe said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> acontractor said:
> 
> 
> 
> Do you think companies are taking advantage of current economic situation?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes. I work for a large const. company which has basically ALL the power work right now. End result, they're taking away living allowance/per diem for their salaried employees who live away from home because "we've got nowhere else to go." Ends up being nearly a $42k pay cut/yr.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Although I would bet a lot of companies are doing this, my company is not. Even though the economy is down we are doing really well (go natural gas!!!). In the past year we have been given a raise (3% company wide), a one time bonus (3% of base salary) and we were just told they would be paying out the annual bonus (last year it was 20% of base salary).
> 
> Depending on how big the bonus is this year I have a good chance of topping 80K.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter to us. 3 combined cycle plants going up right now and they're still screwing us!


----------



## FusionWhite

roadwreck said:


> FusionWhite said:
> 
> 
> 
> Depending on how big the bonus is this year I have a good chance of topping 80K.
> 
> 
> 
> Pffffft! 80k? You may as well be digging ditches. How are you ever going to afford your own plane making that?
Click to expand...

Well this Nigerian prince has promised me a bunch of money for helping him out. I figure the money I get from him should be plenty for a plane.


----------



## Supe

Good luck! I just won all the money Nigeria had in the lotto! I didn't even know that I entered, but I won! I've got about $10k being wired to an account right now to cover the paperwork, but they promised I'd get it all back along with my millions.


----------



## jv21

Supe said:


> Good luck! I just won all the money Nigeria had in the lotto! I didn't even know that I entered, but I won! I've got about $10k being wired to an account right now to cover the paperwork, but they promised I'd get it all back along with my millions.


lucky..... gosh.... :bananadoggywow:


----------



## Bob Engineer

frazil said:


> BE - Civil5.5 yrs exp hydraulic engineer
> 
> PE
> 
> fed govt
> 
> mid-60's



hollecow...

why u all get high pay...

my friend from malaysia just get about 30k


----------



## ironman

Bob Engineer said:


> frazil said:
> 
> 
> 
> BE - Civil5.5 yrs exp hydraulic engineer
> 
> PE
> 
> fed govt
> 
> mid-60's
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hollecow...
> 
> why u all get high pay...
> 
> my friend from malaysia just get about 30k
Click to expand...

30k is like gas station worker wages where I am, I make like 85k a year. It just all depends on the cost of living in your area, if you can get a 6 pack of beer for 50 cents you dont need to make 100k a year to live well. OF course there is always the technology issue, no matter where you live a lap top or other technology will cost you a fortune when compared to your income, so all things are not equal.


----------



## dontlikebeinganeng

Pardon the bump from the dead.

82k base

9k Education Reimbursement

12.3k Bonus

Total: 103k

3.5 years exp

B.S. ChemE

P.E. Civil

Oil Industry


----------



## Machiavelli999

^ ^ ^ Wow, chemical is where it's at I guess!

Almost 5 years experience.

Electrical Engineer

Consulting

Base + Bonus = 79.5k


----------



## Dexman PE PMP

Civil Construction Management

9yrs experience

$85k straight salary.


----------



## Jordan S

BS EE '01

5 years engineering experience (5 years Army before that)

PE last week

Consulting firm, Ohio

$65K


----------



## IlPadrino

BS CSYS '94

MS ITM '04

17 years of engineering experience (with a few wars thrown in for good measure)

$93k/year + housing

reward of serving our nation: priceless!

I can't imagine what I'll do when I retire at age 51... but it won't be for the money!


----------



## benbo

BSEE

MS - Information Systems (more of a business degree)

.

About $120 K

I work in gvt now for 8 years but previously in private industry for about 16 years.

I live in CA so make the proper adjustments. I think it's like 70 K in Kentucky or something like that.

Plus it's certainly possible to make substantially more, and some people on this site do but they probably won't post.

I'm old and I've been working a long time. ld-025:


----------



## TrussGuy85

Does anyone know how much salaries dipped since the recession hit? I know there is a big surplus of Civil grads out there, so one could safely assume that the going rate is lower than when I started 4.5 years ago. Before long, we'll have a ton of highly educated (Master's degrees), low experience engineers.


----------



## sinnerman

BSEE, MSIE

PE (Passed Oct. '11)

FL

7 years experience

Controls engineering - federal gov't.

$87278


----------



## Freon

BSChE, MSEE

PE (Passed Oct. '05)

Houston, TX

Petroleum Engineering

$?? (no one would believe me, but well I am lapping six digits)

PS - benbo; I have socks older than you


----------



## mudpuppy

mudpuppy said:


> BSEE - 2000
> 
> MSEE - 2001
> 
> Six years experience including five in System Protection/Relaying
> 
> ~$70 000


4.5 years later, same stats and job, $94k. I think I'll plateau just over 6 figures in the next few years. But the nice thing is cost of living here is fairly low.


----------



## benbo

> $?? (no one would believe me, but well I am lapping six digits)


I would believe it. Especially because of this-



> Petroleum Engineering


Petroleum engineering is probably the best bet, but I think anything to do with energy is a good bet for the future (generally speakuing). Not everyone will make pay like this, but I think the job security will be pretty good.


----------



## Blak

Looking through these posts of salaries for engineers makes my stomach turn. The reason why engineer's salaries are low is because of the industry exemption. Companies use this to de-value their engineers pay. Today anybody can call themselves an engineer, this is not right. If the industry exemption did not exist, engineers will be paid what they are worth. Today we are paid peanuts.


----------



## dray

It makes my stomach turn too.

EE

6 yrs experience. (2 in manufacturing, 4 in consulting)

Take the PE in April

53k when i left manufacturing. 51K when I started consulting. 48K this year.

It's been going down since my first gig. Started consulting so I could get my PE. Hopefully it will lead me to greener pastures.


----------



## Dexman PE PMP

I took a paycut when I left my first job (heavy highway contractor) to get into the consulting world. It allowed me to get my PE, and ultimately allowed me to get back into construction (and a big pay raise), although this time I work for the owner as a construction manager.


----------



## Coastal Engineer

Good money in petrochemicals and oil industry (all disciplines) for those with experience and just starting out.


----------



## dontlikebeinganeng

5 years experience

B.S. ChemE

Civil and Mechanical PE

Was a New Face of Engineering

Moved from downstream oil processing to upstream processing with big oil.

110k base

22k bonus

15k car allowance

10k misc relocation allowance + relocation

5k sign on bonus

Total: 162k.

Will be attending Haas part time mba later this year, so didn't add tuition reimbursement.


----------



## power62

MSEE 88

Electric Power

PE April 13 (???)

20+ Years Experince mostly in the Nuclear Industry

Working as contractor (consultant) at a nuclear plant

Avg annual salary for last five years $160-170K + Per Diem(living expenses since living away from home) + Overtime. But no Benefits.

Permanent (regular) employees with my kind of background $100-120 plus benefits &amp; bonus.


----------



## prichmon

BSME 2005
EIT 2011
Main supervisor
$58K base --- $90-105 with overtime
Plant engineer
$74 salary + bonus as high as 13K actual payout
Plant engineer
$55 salary + OT and Bonus --- started 3 months ago....we'll see by year end
WV


----------

