snickerd3
Taking suggestions
i keep forgetting to visit that site at home...its blocked here at work
Passed, Pay Raise?
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wilheldp_PE
PE, LEED AP, SPAM KING
snickerd3
Taking suggestions
maybe...never really checked other than what other states pay similar agencies/departments. By that standard I am doing ok. But I've never really compared it to the private sector.
I have a question, maybe some of you guys could help out... I just passed the PE Civil Exam (Yay!!) and my boss has expressed interest in making me the primary signing engineer at my company. I have approximately 6 years of experience, and work in upstate NY, as well as the company is approximately about 50 people, and i would be the only Licensed P.E. here. So my question is what would be a fair salary to ask for? I am currently making low 40s... which I know is underpaid for my current skills. Thanks!
Eddierizzle
Well-known member
So not even your boss is a PE? If you are the only PE how is your firm selling engineering services beforehand? In Texas your boss would get reprimanded and be ordered to cease and desist.
Dolphin P.E.
Well-known member
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Where I work it is a unique place that we work with a variety of organizations, with the federal gov't included, its very complicated, and my organization is not-for-profit, and recieves funding from the state and NYC to do work to improve water quality. All work is currently checked under and approved under gov't employees (whom of which are under the umbrella of their supervisor which is a PE, but they are not PE's theirselves.)
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You are the only person that can determine what is a fair salary for yourself. The question you need to ask are "Am I happy doing this job?, Can I keep this low salary without feeling resentful?, How much are the private civil engineer are making around this location? " Also you need to consider your life style. I've been working since 2001 and ALL my jobs required overtime work on the regular basis. All my jobs required me to drop any plans after work to finish a project if needed. That been said, $40k per year is low even for a kid just out of school. Most kids out of school are making between $52k-$60k (Philadelphia, NYC and NJ area). Good luck.
Kephart P.E.
Well-known member
Kephart P.E.
Well-known member
Boomer01 PE
Boomer Sooner!
I finally received my raise (I knew I would have to wait until mid-year bonus/raise time). It was just over 6%. I really didn't know what to expect but I'm pretty happy with it.
cdcengineer
Sharp as a piece of beach glass
Squeeze em' for all they're worth! Engineers (more specifically, licensed professionals) have got to demand their actual value or else we're racing to the bottom..
mjnicolaides
Member
I was offered just shy of 3% and feel like i've been slapped in the face. I have been at the same salary since 2006 and with changing jobs a few times it has gone up and down. I took a 5k hit to take this position, the 3% doesn't even come close to getting me back there.
cableguy
Has never sniffed a stink bug
I finally got word this week that my promotion and raise (for passing the PE) will kick in on August 30 (that's the day last year I started my 'new job' in a different department in the company - apparently someone's big on dates in my company). 9 months after getting word I passed the PE exam.
The raise isn't bad, it's probably what I should expect, but it'll take nearly a year of that raise to pay back the $$ I personally invested in the PE exam process. According to Engineersalary, I'm right in line with where I should be, maybe a few% under. But in the long run, it'll be worth it.
Meanwhile, I started working the Company Education policy, and am taking my first Masters' class this summer. Management 501. So far, it's, well, not nearly as hard as the PE stuff...
The raise isn't bad, it's probably what I should expect, but it'll take nearly a year of that raise to pay back the $$ I personally invested in the PE exam process. According to Engineersalary, I'm right in line with where I should be, maybe a few% under. But in the long run, it'll be worth it.
Meanwhile, I started working the Company Education policy, and am taking my first Masters' class this summer. Management 501. So far, it's, well, not nearly as hard as the PE stuff...
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knight1fox3
Jedi MASTER & Friend of Capt. Solo
While I certainly agree with you, there are a number of companies out there still suffering the effects of the recent economic down-turn. Mine being one of them where there were wage freezes across the board, no exceptions. So in that regard, it can be difficult to demand a pay increase when no one else in the company is getting wage increases. Another thing that is important to consider in which someone already mentioned and I agree with (see below), yes you may have a PE now but if you are not stamping drawings then what value have you added to your company to justify a wage increase? Now if your company starts billing you out at higher rates because of your PE title, then that should be reflected back to you as well.SHOW ME THE MONEY. :bananapowerslide:
If you do NOT get a pay raise and/or bonus for getting your P.E. license, leave your current company and go somewhere else. The P.E. demands a premium price and if you agree to no raise/no bonus, you are just slapping everyone on this board in the face and devaluing everything we all worked so hard to obtain. Your company WILL earn more just with you on staff regardless. If you are in a manufacturing plant, I understand if your employer doesn't see the value. But for everyone else, SHOW ME THE MONEY.
Thought I would provide an update on my current situation as I have since taken a different stance on this. After doing a lot of research online and talking to job recruiters in my area, I quickly realized that I was in fact being underpaid. Yes my company had just come out of a wage freeze earlier this year, but I also have been adding value to my company with my PE license and internal accomplishments. So I approached this situation by taking an interview with another company and giving my salary requirements in the average range based on feedback from various websites and recruiters. The other company was receptive and very pleased with my qualifications. They had not made an offer but this gave me the confidence to go to my current employer and ask for a raise. The intent was that I had other options if my current employer denied my raise request. I arranged a meeting with my boss and informed him of the research I had conducted in addition to my justifications for why I thought I deserved a 10-15% raise (note I did not mention the interview). I also indicated that with my raise I would be willing to accept more responsibility within the department. He was receptive to this and thanked me for bringing this to his attention. I haven't yet been notified of the final figure but it is in the works. I wanted to share this to let others know that you can ask for more if you think you are worth it and can provide justification. Don't just assume your management knows you are underpaid (if you in fact are). Only you can make things happen. I feel it's important that engineers are paid fair market value. It helps the industry as a whole. :thumbs:
