# Average pay raise after PE



## LWhitson2 (Jun 26, 2015)

I know there are threads asking about how to get a raise after getting your PE, but this is a little different. I am trying to find some type of documented evidence that, on average, someone completing their PE gets a X-Y% raise. Another option would be something showing the average salary for a PE vs a non-PE. Does anyone know of a document such as this?

The reason I ask is because my employer would like to set up a standardize raise for incoming employees that complete their PE while working. In general, the PE is not a requirement for the job, but they would like to encourage more people to complete the license to show a higher commitment to safety and ethics.


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## Ramnares P.E. (Jun 26, 2015)

ASME's 2012 salary survey has average salary for PE vs non-PE I believe. I don't think it's presented in a linear fashion so you may have to do some reading through the document.

As for documented evidence for average raises after getting your PE I haven't seen any reliable sources and frankly I would be very surprised, and skeptical, if I found one.


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## lundy (Jun 26, 2015)

I got an 11% raise. 26.50 before to 29.00


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## iwire (Jun 30, 2015)

lundy said:


> I got an 11% raise. 26.50 before to 29.00


that is like $60k...I saw the NSPE average starting salary survey for a lot engineering..man that is low


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## CU07 (Jun 30, 2015)

iwire said:


> lundy said:
> 
> 
> > I got an 11% raise. 26.50 before to 29.00
> ...




People work in different industries and different locations, and salary is not the same across the board. I have 8 years of experience and my PE license and I only make $65k, but I like my job, that's a decent wage in a low COL area, and it's typical for my type of work and area. You live in a high COL area and work in one of the more highly paid disciplines...good for you.


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## lundy (Jun 30, 2015)

CU07 said:


> iwire said:
> 
> 
> > lundy said:
> ...


I live in Portland, OR so the COL is pretty high/inflated at the time. I do get paid time and a half and usually work 5 hours of OT so that's another $11,300 or so. But I think I could do better. Though I don't know if I would have to work more OT and therefore make less per hour.


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## ptatohed (Jun 30, 2015)

I'm totally guessing here but it seems a 5% raise would be reasonable. I think my last company gave a $500 spot bonus and a raise.


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## Kovz (Jun 30, 2015)

My company reimbursed for exam, registration, hotel, gas, and parking for a passing score only. Believe it or not, this ended up being over $800. Nice to get that money back.

They also agreed to pay for a review course (1 time only - and service obligation for 1 year).

They also gave me a 5% raise.


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## lundy (Jun 30, 2015)

Kovz said:


> My company reimbursed for exam, registration, hotel, gas, and parking for a passing score only. Believe it or not, this ended up being over $800. Nice to get that money back.
> 
> They also agreed to pay for a review course (1 time only - and service obligation for 1 year).
> 
> They also gave me a 5% raise.


Not too shabby! They reimbursed me the test fees, I believe $90 application and $210 or so for the test. I bought all my books and paid $450 for the Portland State University review course (which in hindsight didn't really help much), my hotel and gas. Now just to sell all my books back on Amazon to hopefully get around $800 for them.


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## OffShawz (Jun 30, 2015)

LWhitson2 said:


> I know there are threads asking about how to get a raise after getting your PE, but this is a little different. I am trying to find some type of documented evidence that, on average, someone completing their PE gets a X-Y% raise. Another option would be something showing the average salary for a PE vs a non-PE. Does anyone know of a document such as this?
> 
> The reason I ask is because my employer would like to set up a standardize raise for incoming employees that complete their PE while working. In general, the PE is not a requirement for the job, but they would like to encourage more people to complete the license to show a higher commitment to safety and ethics.


I know within Shell (note: NOT my employer) there's a push to the point where promotions dont happen unless you have a PE. They've basically made it a requirement in their Wells group IIRC.

I really think it depends how you leverage it. Either you hand out a bonus upon successful completion of the PE requirements (i.e. passing the exam) and/or you start incentivizing rates once you have a PE.

If I was doing it, I wouldnt cover exam material or test fees, BUT I'd certainly kick back $2k for passing it assuming that "junior engineer" had been with the company a year beforehand (so that folks arent just flying in and collecting cash), along with a pay raise of 5-10%.

So the kid making 100k would get a golden handshake of 2k for passing it, then a salary bump of 5-10k.

I tried pulling the AIChE salary survey but the links are broken, so I'll try later.

FWIW I got sweet FA, other than a fist bump.


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## iwire (Jul 3, 2015)

anyhow...when i passed my PE, my company gave me a immediate $2/hr raise the following week and then during review another 5%


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## iwire (Jul 3, 2015)

CU07 said:


> iwire said:
> 
> 
> > lundy said:
> ...


Ya sometimes if you like your job that's matter which is good. After all it's a just a job..

COL? I know by comparison Oregon to where I am, DC NoVA area it's about 25-30% more at least from what my i found online. I am thinking about moving to Oregon in near future. We have a big group there


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## rlwfish (Jul 3, 2015)

When I passed I got a $3.50/hr raise (~7,500/yr) which worked out to approximately 12%. They also paid for my review course and board registration fee and will pay for me to get reciprocity in other jurisdictions.


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## FeederFault (Jul 16, 2015)

I received a 9.3% annual raise and a promotion to the next level Engineer title which includes a better annual bonus structure. My exam fees were paid for by my employer, but I did have to foot the ~$1,000 bill for SoPE.


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## John QPE (Jul 16, 2015)

I only got about 3%, but being I have 20 years on the job, I'm kinda at the high end anyway.

I need to leave to get the really big bump. 20 years and a license should get about $105K in my area, and I'm a few annual raises off of that right now.


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## lundy (Jul 16, 2015)

My raise works out to be around an extra $500/month before taxes


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## DummyCivilEng (Jul 28, 2015)

Sounds abysmal.


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## khadijah (Oct 12, 2015)

Back when I passed in 2013, my employer gave me a raise of 1%. To me, that was a message. I had been with the company over 6 years. I started looking and left the company for 25% raise.


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## Joe Dirt PE (Oct 13, 2015)

It could be worse, I took a pay cut when I passed. I was converted from hourly to salary. No more OT, and a crappy bonus that supposedly would make up the difference. I changed jobs the following year.


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## MetsFan (Oct 22, 2015)

khadijah said:


> Back when I passed in 2013, my employer gave me a raise of 1%. To me, that was a message. I had been with the company over 6 years. I started looking and left the company for 25% raise.




That's about the same as what happened to me, although I did get a $1K bonus to help pay for the books, registration fees, etc. During review time, I got another $1K bonus and the standard 3% raise. I left for another company and got a 20% raise.


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## BuckeyeNick (Dec 3, 2015)

When I was offered a position at the company I am currently at (about a year ago), I asked as part of the offer I would be given a $2K raise once I passed the PE.  That equates to about a 3% raise (about the same as a standard cost of living raise), now I'm thinking I should have asked for more...


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## FUBIJAR (Dec 4, 2015)

Joe Dirt PE said:


> It could be worse, I took a pay cut when I passed. I was converted from hourly to salary. No more OT, and a crappy bonus that supposedly would make up the difference. I changed jobs the following year.


Yep that's common in the private sector. If you're working 50-60+ hours per week as a "non professional" then you're hourly. Even if you get a big raise, you may be making less money when you are forced into a salaried "professional" position.


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## surge82 (Dec 5, 2015)

I will be asking for at least 10 extra! People need to realize what the PE is worth and don't under value it. This will only work if sealing drawings though.


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## lundy (Dec 7, 2015)

Yeah I just passed mine and got an 11% raise back in April and then now I'm looking at a possible move and get a raise of 26%! If so, I'll more than double my salary in 2.5 years. I was getting grossly underpaid at my job 2.5 years ago...


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## Audi Driver P.E. (Dec 14, 2015)

I am already making a pretty decent salary where I am.  Also, I've only been with this company since Sept. and I was already doing the PE thing of my own volition.  Add to that the fact it is not a requirement for my position.  So, I'm expecting exactly zero in terms of raise.  In my case, I did it more for my own personal satisfaction and marketability should I again find myself back in the ever unstable job market.


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## classybridge (Dec 15, 2015)

I'm getting 5% as a part of my annual review, but I've also been told that my PE raise is a separate conversation. I'm thinking of starting at 7% and then settling for 5%, that is, if I can't get my VP to give me a number first.


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## WolfHead (Dec 17, 2015)

As owner of my own consulting firm; I have immediately instituted a 100% pay hike for me   It's a different issue that I might have to infuse capital into the company from my personal account to meet the higher salary expenses. And then I will pay out more in Self-employment taxes! So I will in effect have less profits for my company   Darn. Life is so unfair#$$%#$#


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## envirotex (Dec 18, 2015)

WolfHead said:


> As owner of my own consulting firm; I have immediately instituted a 100% pay hike for me   It's a different issue that I might have to infuse capital into the company from my personal account to meet the higher salary expenses. And then I will pay out more in Self-employment taxes! So I will in effect have less profits for my company   Darn. Life is so unfair#$$%#$#


I am familiar with this concept...You bumped your monthly salary from $10 to $20, right?


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## WolfHead (Dec 18, 2015)

envirotex said:


> I am familiar with this concept...You bumped your monthly salary from $10 to $20, right?


Actually, not even that much   My first year since quitting my regular job. So I've not had much income + most of it has been put back into investing in the business + cash flow issues (invoiced but won't get paid until next year!). Yeah! Sounding like a proper business woman - cash flow and invoice and investing. But who cares - I'm a PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I can now command a higher hourly rate; even if it is virtual at this point


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## HCrum87hc (Dec 21, 2015)

I'll be getting a 5% raise, effective today. I work for a local county, so I figure that's pretty decent for a govt. job. They also paid, straight up, at least $2000 for me to take the exam, including a review course, admin and application fees, and books.


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## Kovz (Jan 20, 2016)

Kovz said:


> My company reimbursed for exam, registration, hotel, gas, and parking for a passing score only. Believe it or not, this ended up being over $800. Nice to get that money back.
> 
> They also agreed to pay for a review course ($985) (1 time only - and service obligation for 1 year).
> 
> They also gave me a 5% raise.


Well, about 7 months after passing the PE exam, I received a job offer I couldn't pass up.  It included a 25% increase in pay.  So, needless to say, getting my license was well worth it.  

I did have to pay back the $800 for exam fees, but my service obligation for the review course was already over.


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## thekzieg (Jan 21, 2016)

My review is this afternoon. I'm hoping for at least 5% (they generally give a 3% cost of living bump)...I'll let you know what happens...


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## thekzieg (Jan 21, 2016)

Ended up with a 6% raise, so I guess it's 3% for getting the PE and 3% for cost of living. Either way, I'm happy.


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## matt267 PE (Jan 21, 2016)

thekzieg PE said:


> Ended up with a 6% raise, so I guess it's 3% for getting the PE and 3% for cost of living. Either way, I'm happy.


Congrats


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## GoldfishJack (Jan 22, 2016)

thekzieg PE said:


> Ended up with a 6% raise, so I guess it's 3% for getting the PE and 3% for cost of living. Either way, I'm happy.


Awesome! I'm in the process of applying for comity in VA so we'll see what happens in a few months.


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## thekzieg (Jan 22, 2016)

Fingers crossed for you, Goldfish!


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## SE_FL (Sep 8, 2016)

This is an old thread, but I figured I would add my numbers to the statistics. I was at $30 per hr before the PE and went to $35 per hr when I passed. Now I am eligible for partnership, but that will take a few more years.


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## Maji (Sep 26, 2016)

When I got my PE back many many years ago in a state that did not require seismic and survey, I got around a decent raise. I don't remember the exact numbers but it was somewhere between 5 and 10%. 

Now that I spend time preparing cost proposals, here is my take on how to calculate a fair amount of raise when one gets his/her PE. Do a web search for engineering pay schedules for engineering contracts in your local or state DOTD/City/County. For example, in Jefferson Parish, LA, here are some sample rates:

Engineer 44.68 (Max. direct hourly rate)

Pre-Professional 28.39

Principal 76.14

Supervisor-Engineer 58.12

So, if you consider a multiplier of around 3.25, the result is what your company will bill that client for your when you work on billable projects. This gives you an idea how much you are worth. So, in this example, a Pre-professional to engineer, can ask for a $4-5/hour increase. That is about 15% increase. I think that should be uniform all around. If the company can bill you at a higher rate, then you deserve the higher pay.

Good luck to everyone prepping for the exams.


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## Guest (Nov 2, 2016)

.


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## RickJames (Dec 12, 2016)

Audi driver said:


> I am already making a pretty decent salary where I am.  Also, I've only been with this company since Sept. and I was already doing the PE thing of my own volition.  Add to that the fact it is not a requirement for my position.  So, I'm expecting exactly zero in terms of raise.  In my case, I did it more for my own personal satisfaction and marketability should I again find myself back in the ever unstable job market.


This is pretty much my boat...my cerifications are &gt;&gt;&gt;than PE now.

I do get $200 tho.


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## Mangano (Dec 12, 2016)

I believe that the local public entities (i.e. City of San Diego, County of San Diego, etc.) advertise a 10% raise as a standard.  I believe that is a decent point to make when discussing salary with a public company.


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## NHPE (Dec 13, 2016)

Before PE, I was making an equivalent of $86/hour gross (all in salary, bonus, and extra, no overtime position, I factored in all hours worked for a total of 2800). I expect to get around a 10% increase once I change positions as a result of the PE and nothing before that time. I'll be doing that in the next year or so. 

PE makes you more marketable, indicates you are competent, helps you be retained, and is a point of personal pride. 

As a side note, if PEs lobbied the state boards to restrict what non-PE engineers could do much more tightly the pay increase from being a PE would increase quite a bit more. An example of this is a physician. You can't practice medicine without being licensed. You can't practice medical specialties without being board certified. It's a heavily licensed and restricted sector.


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## NHPE (Dec 13, 2016)

PE licensure is already quite a bit more stringent in the states as it requires passing an exam than elsewhere which is positive from the perspective of pay increases. Most other countries do not require an exam and only require sponsorship, education level, work experience, and a write up of all projects. This depresses wages more than would otherwise be the case if difficult exams were implemented. 

PE salary boosts would also be more if NCEES raised the cut score    which would decrease the supply of PEs.


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