R
Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:
MonteBiker
Bridge Engineer
I bet you are right, home prices are "probably the biggest factor is housing costs."
That will be my good laugh for the day!
R
rppearso
Sorry housing costs are the biggest factor in cost of living.
Anyways what are peoples opinions of the following:
I got an offer at another company for significantly more than I am making now should I send this to my currant employer to see if they can match or exceed it (the higher ups have been giving the lower managers the run around about "market conditions" and I know thats bogus now) or should I just give 2 weeks. I want to make sure I play all my cards just right. I also have some more offers rolling in so I am going to wait a bit to see how much I can make.
Capt Worley PE
Run silent, run deep
Chucktown PE
Well-known member
I would just tell them that you have an offer for better. Do you even want to consider staying with your current employer?
D
Dexman1349
It depends on several factors (typical engineer answer):
-Would you prefer to stay at your current company if they came close (if not matched or exceeded) the new offer?
-What do you gain by going to this new company (other than increased $)? More vacation time, better health benefits, better work environment, etc?
-What do you lose by leaving your current company? % vesting in ESOP programs, vacation time, seniority, a good work environment, health benefits?
-What do you gain/lose in the long term by changing companies? (how does the new company address payraises vs the current one? How about vacation time?)
It all depends on what you are willing to forfeit to make other gains. Sometimes getting a new job only requires minimal forfeiture (ideally), but usually the loss in benefits (ESOP vesting, health insurance, paid time off, etc.) equals what you gain.
If you're just looking for money at the expense of all else, go where the money is. However, as you get older and get a family (if you choose to go this route), you will see that the $/hr becomes less and less of a deciding factor when it comes to where you work.
I know the company I work for doesn't provide the best $/hr (although it is still good), but they pay 100% of my medical, vision, and dental (I have to pay out the ass if I want my family to be covered though), I love the office I work for, the people I work with are great, and they provide great advancement opportunities. If I left my current company, I would lose 40% of my ESOP because I'm not 100% vested yet (which equals several thousand dollars), I would have to deal with my 401(K) and any potential losses with switching it over, I would potentially lose 1-2 weeks of vacation time per year.
My parents always told me to do what I love and the money will come. If you're good at what you do and you do what you love, more money will come.
-Would you prefer to stay at your current company if they came close (if not matched or exceeded) the new offer?
-What do you gain by going to this new company (other than increased $)? More vacation time, better health benefits, better work environment, etc?
-What do you lose by leaving your current company? % vesting in ESOP programs, vacation time, seniority, a good work environment, health benefits?
-What do you gain/lose in the long term by changing companies? (how does the new company address payraises vs the current one? How about vacation time?)
It all depends on what you are willing to forfeit to make other gains. Sometimes getting a new job only requires minimal forfeiture (ideally), but usually the loss in benefits (ESOP vesting, health insurance, paid time off, etc.) equals what you gain.
If you're just looking for money at the expense of all else, go where the money is. However, as you get older and get a family (if you choose to go this route), you will see that the $/hr becomes less and less of a deciding factor when it comes to where you work.
I know the company I work for doesn't provide the best $/hr (although it is still good), but they pay 100% of my medical, vision, and dental (I have to pay out the ass if I want my family to be covered though), I love the office I work for, the people I work with are great, and they provide great advancement opportunities. If I left my current company, I would lose 40% of my ESOP because I'm not 100% vested yet (which equals several thousand dollars), I would have to deal with my 401(K) and any potential losses with switching it over, I would potentially lose 1-2 weeks of vacation time per year.
My parents always told me to do what I love and the money will come. If you're good at what you do and you do what you love, more money will come.
D
Dexman1349
I can understand if you are young, healthy, and single that your main concern is your $/hr, because we were all there at one point. But if you ever get married, have kids, or heaven forbid, get sick, you will discover that what you look for your employer to provide can go WAY beyond $/hr.
It's amazing how quickly priorities can change as life happens. Hell, I'm only 30 and I'm looking at ways to make sure my kids are provided for incase something happens to me, make sure that I have the ability to take time off and be with them, be able to provide opportunities for my family (college, retirement, vacations), and all while providing the best current standard of living I can (home, car, etc.).
It's amazing how quickly priorities can change as life happens. Hell, I'm only 30 and I'm looking at ways to make sure my kids are provided for incase something happens to me, make sure that I have the ability to take time off and be with them, be able to provide opportunities for my family (college, retirement, vacations), and all while providing the best current standard of living I can (home, car, etc.).
Last edited:
EM_PS
shining like a lighter...
Your company very likely doesn't believe in counteroffers (hint: most don't), all the moreso in this economy; therefore neither should you go fishing for one. Its a little bit degrading, isnt it, to have a company (if they agree to) match a counteroffer that they may or maynot have thought you were worth, only by virtue of another company's offer?
Oh and hell no, don't give 2 weeks till you know for d@mnass sure that job offer is bona fide and you don't fail any requisite checks and/or pre-employment 'screenings'
i almost picked up some currant jelly earlier today
D
Dexman1349
Agreed. And in my earlier posts, by saying that you stay with your current employer, I was implying that you DON'T present them with your new job offer. If you prefer to stay, I would recommend asking for a raise and not even mention the new offer.
R
rppearso
I have already asked for a raise and I am getting the same run around about market conditions blah blah blah and that there will be no raises this quarter, my potential offer would be close to a 50% raise which I highly doubt my current employer would give me if I asked, I would get an extra week of vacation, potentially a window office with a better view and I know half the people there becuase they already left my current company to work there. There are no pentions or anything like that and my current employer cut out 401K matching and im on an HSA medical insurance account and have enough on my card to cover my deductiable if something happens. My currant employer is also moving our cubes to the shopping level of a mall (not the professional office space on the 5th and 6th floors where engineers should be, of course I am succunded now so that wont matter as long as im on this current project but there really is nothing to go back to, sitting on the shopping level of a mall is a joke in my opinion but they are still operating under the "your lucky to have a job" mentality and it feels like things are turning around this year so they are going to loose all there staff if they dont make some drastic changes in the next few weeks). I am not single but do not plan on having kids for a long time and my GF has her own insurance which is better than my HSA plan.
I agree im not going to do anything until all the pre employment stuff is done, that would be really retarded.
Last edited:
RevMen
Well-known member
Sounds like a no-brainer to me. A 50% raise is pretty frickin' substantial. Plus everything else sounds better, too.
If a bunch of your former co-workers are already at the new company, your current company has already made the decision to not offer higher salaries in an effort to retain people. It's probably not even worth the effort of asking them for a raise.
If a bunch of your former co-workers are already at the new company, your current company has already made the decision to not offer higher salaries in an effort to retain people. It's probably not even worth the effort of asking them for a raise.
R
rppearso
Yea until company X decides to give you a 50% raise lol. You should get your resume out there and leave that place in the dust. The PE is just the culmination of all the studying and hard work, I learned alot as I was studying for the PE that I did not learn in school or on the job, in fact I used the large blue book to do some affinity law calcs, so yea getting a letter in the mail does not increase your level of knowlage but it represents the knowlage to even sit for it and especially to pass it. The only way that guy has a leg to stand on is if he is already paying you a 6 figure salery, then I could see why he would not give you a raise but not for the reasons he presented.
D
Dexman1349
Its like the same excuse I used to use when I was younger. What's the difference the day BEFORE I turn 21 and the day AFTER my birthday? I'm not going to suddenly get "enlightened" so that my drinking habits will change.
The standard response I got was, "you're not 21 before your birthday, THAT's the difference."
You don't magically get smarter the day you get your P.E., but you know conform to a higher standard that is much more valuble. It's just a matter of how valuble everyone involved thinks that standard is.
The standard response I got was, "you're not 21 before your birthday, THAT's the difference."
You don't magically get smarter the day you get your P.E., but you know conform to a higher standard that is much more valuble. It's just a matter of how valuble everyone involved thinks that standard is.
FLBuff PE
Multi-disciplinary engineer
I don't know about anyone else, but the knowledge fairy tapped me on the head immediately after I got my passing letter. And gave me a lollipop.
D
Dexman1349
So is that the same fairy that disappeared with my duplicate license you've been using?
D
Dexman1349
Not completely unexpected. So how is that expert witness testimony coming along for "me"?
