Fatty Raises

[rppearso]

No immediate raise here, either. However, I was a non-traditional student when I got my engineering degree. I was very poor and went to work for the for the first place to offer me employment. I work for a state government and have been there for nearly 8 years. I have advanced to a position where I needed the PE license to advance further. The next advancement will raise my salary about 15%. It may not take that long since there are a number of engineers retiring soon.
I can't say that it will benefit me to try to go into the private sector at my age. My boss/supervisor congratulated me and in the same breath told me that I could not leave. All in the office laughed. We are very busy and it would leave our field office in a bind. It will be difficult to pass up an opportunity to try to advance so I put in a hint that a merit raise would be much appreciated...

Its not about the field office if you cant get a better offer somewhere you should take it, my whole goal it so work less hours for more money. You can leave when ever you want unless you are in the military or something, in which case all that requires is that you are physically present not that you stamp anything. If your company cant keep you motivated with compensation increases then you should be looking else where. I would be curious to see if people are able to find significant bumps up in pay through new offers, I have about 8 resumes out there to very pointed individuals through my network and have got one email back and a sucessful interview so we will see what the offers look like.

 

[rppearso]

Yea thats pretty much it is just start sending resumes out and see what kind of offers you can get, does anyone know if over seas engineering is better compensated (germany, etc)?

Would a license in the US even matter?

Yes and no. A lot of the overseas work from overseas -> domestic is reviewed by a PE prior to construction stateside. The domestic -> overseas work is usually stamped by a PE and then reviewed by the customer's engineers.

I got onto a german forum to ask this very question but its not an engineering specific forum so I dont know if I will get an answer, I know canada has a Peng which is MUCH less rigourus to get than an american PE so im guessing that the american PE should carry some weight even in other nations (the canadian PE is basicly a longer jurisprudance questionarie and takes about 2-3 hrs and is not really even a technical exam), I definitly plan on following up my PE with an advanced degree so that should help overseas. I am getting burned out on the "im lucky to have a job mantra" I went through all this to make the big bucks not to be "lucky to have a job" so if I have to learn a new language so be it im not going to live in the soviet union if things do in fact take a turn for the worse lol. So far I have some good leads but the key will be what the offers look like.

 

[Dark Knight]

I went through all this to make the big bucks not to be "lucky to have a job"...

Then you did pick the wrong career. There are no big bucks in engineering. One of my professors asked this question: "Who wants to be an engineer because the money?"

About 13 out ~ 25 raised their hands(I did not). He replied..."You are in the wrong place then. Leave and enroll in a Med or a Law School." I remember those words like it happened yesterday.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I was just informed that I'm getting a "fatty" raise of 5%. Yay!

 

[Qwistin]

Congrats Wil!

This thread crushes my dreams and hopes - while giving me useful information for honing my unrealistic expectations.

 

[Dexman1349]

I went through all this to make the big bucks not to be "lucky to have a job"...

Then you did pick the wrong career. There are no big bucks in engineering. One of my professors asked this question: "Who wants to be an engineer because the money?"

About 13 out ~ 25 raised their hands(I did not). He replied..."You are in the wrong place then. Leave and enroll in a Med or a Law School." I remember those words like it happened yesterday.

I had a similar professor, and I too, remember the day he did this...

but I also had another professor brag about billing out at $150 per hour. Now that I've been working at a consulting firm for a few years, I realize that $150/hr is middle management. lol

 

[Qwistin]

See, I was told by professors that engineering was a good field in which to make a living. Not huge bucks, but enough to live as I, personally, wish to live. What salary exactly would you term as "big bucks"?

 

[Dexman1349]

See, I was told by professors that engineering was a good field in which to make a living. Not huge bucks, but enough to live as I, personally, wish to live. What salary exactly would you term as "big bucks"?

*typical engineer answer*

It depends on where you're living. 6 figures here in Denver is close to big bucks, but 6 figures in San Diego is still decent, but not big. Compare that to the middle of Nebraska, 6 figures is HUGE.

 

[MA_PE]

I went through all this to make the big bucks not to be "lucky to have a job"...

Then you did pick the wrong career. There are no big bucks in engineering. One of my professors asked this question: "Who wants to be an engineer because the money?"

About 13 out ~ 25 raised their hands(I did not). He replied..."You are in the wrong place then. Leave and enroll in a Med or a Law School." I remember those words like it happened yesterday.

I had a similar professor, and I too, remember the day he did this...

but I also had another professor brag about billing out at $150 per hour. Now that I've been working at a consulting firm for a few years, I realize that $150/hr is middle management. lol

If I actually made what they bill me at, I'd be a very happy camper.

 

[Dexman1349]

I went through all this to make the big bucks not to be "lucky to have a job"...

Then you did pick the wrong career. There are no big bucks in engineering. One of my professors asked this question: "Who wants to be an engineer because the money?"

About 13 out ~ 25 raised their hands(I did not). He replied..."You are in the wrong place then. Leave and enroll in a Med or a Law School." I remember those words like it happened yesterday.

I had a similar professor, and I too, remember the day he did this...

but I also had another professor brag about billing out at $150 per hour. Now that I've been working at a consulting firm for a few years, I realize that $150/hr is middle management. lol

If I actually made what they bill me at, I'd be a very happy camper.

Agreed. Stupid overhead multipliers...

 

[Qwistin]

Dex, I love this board because typical engineer answers are given to typical engineer questions.

You make a good point about location being a factor. Where I am, engineering isn't a shabby job.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

If I actually made what they bill me at, I'd be a very happy camper.

There's a way to do that, but you become responsible for finding your own work and paying your own overhead.

 

[robertogreen]

Got a nice 5% raise....after the 10% paycut.

 

[Flyer_PE]

If I actually made what they bill me at, I'd be a very happy camper.

There's a way to do that, but you become responsible for finding your own work and paying your own overhead.

And you would also likely find that your net will be at or below what you are taking home now.

 

[3dB down]

See, I was told by professors that engineering was a good field in which to make a living. Not huge bucks, but enough to live as I, personally, wish to live. What salary exactly would you term as "big bucks"?

*typical engineer answer*

It depends on where you're living. 6 figures here in Denver is close to big bucks, but 6 figures in San Diego is still decent, but not big. Compare that to the middle of Nebraska, 6 figures is HUGE.

Having moved from the Bay area in CA to Omaha I can definately say that 6 figures would be huge in NE. My daughter said shortly after moving to Omaha, "Dad, it's like everything is on sale!".

 

[Dexman1349]

A family friend just bought a 4000sf house with 5bd/4ba, 3car garage, 2 acres, and an unfinished basement in Northeast Colorado (about 10 miles from Nebraska) for $160k. That same price would buy a middle unit 2bd/1ba, 1 car garage townhome in the Suburbs of Denver.

 

[RHOSU06]

A family friend just bought a 4000sf house with 5bd/4ba, 3car garage, 2 acres, and an unfinished basement in Northeast Colorado (about 10 miles from Nebraska) for $160k. That same price would buy a middle unit 2bd/1ba, 1 car garage townhome in the Suburbs of Denver.

I think I have to move to NE CO!!

 

[Dexman1349]

A family friend just bought a 4000sf house with 5bd/4ba, 3car garage, 2 acres, and an unfinished basement in Northeast Colorado (about 10 miles from Nebraska) for $160k. That same price would buy a middle unit 2bd/1ba, 1 car garage townhome in the Suburbs of Denver.

I think I have to move to NE CO!!

The problem is that $160k is expensive for the area. There aren't many jobs out there that can support that price. Finding a job for more than $8/hr is very difficult. Most of the people out there are farmers, or in the customer service field (retail sales, waiter/waitress, etc.).

 

[FLBuff PE]

A family friend just bought a 4000sf house with 5bd/4ba, 3car garage, 2 acres, and an unfinished basement in Northeast Colorado (about 10 miles from Nebraska) for $160k. That same price would buy a middle unit 2bd/1ba, 1 car garage townhome in the Suburbs of Denver.

I think I have to move to NE CO!!

The problem is that $160k is expensive for the area. There aren't many jobs out there that can support that price. Finding a job for more than $8/hr is very difficult. Most of the people out there are farmers, or in the customer service field (retail sales, waiter/waitress, etc.).

I had a buddy who lived in Ft. Morgan (NE Colorado), and would commute to Boulder every day. I visited his house out there...you couldn't pay me enough to live there. I like the mountains too much. And I pay out the a$$ for it too.

 

[rppearso]

Anchorage is one of thoes places where 100K is ok money and im not seeing 100K yet so thats a problem, an end unit condo is 180K and the cost of living here is very high (nothing is on sale .... ever, and eating out is a racket lol). I am considering going to job shops and beefing up my home office to cut out alot of the over head. Job shops are worth there cut so long as there cut is reasonable because finding your own work can be a pain so I am definitly working on not being an employee. I talked to someone about lawyers and they told me unless your hot s**t and can contort and manipulate things very well your not making the big bucks either so medical doctors are about it but thats only if you go into surgury or some other such thing and I cant stand blood so the next logical step is engineering/science. I could live with 100$/hr even if im not working every day, I dont like getting up for work every day anyways.