Passed, Pay Raise?

[mjnicolaides]

Just had a $7000 raise.

Nice, what was your previous base?

It was a about a 7% raise!!!!

Wow I am so underpaid.

Don't just assume you are underpaid, but with this economy is highty possible. There are several places online where you can compare your salary with industry standards. Also you may contact other engineers within your industry and ask( I personally called a previous boss and asked him where my salary should be). Some of the more senior guys here prepare cost estimates have seen plenty of salaries and can give you an advice too.

Oh I have done some research... I filled out profiles on at least three different sites with my credentials and presented these to my boss and his boss. Some of the salaries we're coming back mid 80s - mid 90's. I did not ask for what the reports were showing but less. They said it was reasonable and I am waiting to here back. Although compared to what some other people make.... I'll be happy if it goes through, I have been at the same salary level since 06. This is long overdue.

 

[DannyV]

Oh I have done some research... I filled out profiles on at least three different sites with my credentials and presented these to my boss and his boss. Some of the salaries we're coming back mid 80s - mid 90's. I did not ask for what the reports were showing but less. They said it was reasonable and I am waiting to here back. Although compared to what some other people make.... I'll be happy if it goes through, I have been at the same salary level since 06. This is long overdue.

 

[knight1fox3]

Don't just assume you are underpaid, but with this economy is highty possible. There are several places online where you can compare your salary with industry standards. Also you may contact other engineers within your industry and ask( I personally called a previous boss and asked him where my salary should be). Some of the more senior guys here prepare cost estimates have seen plenty of salaries and can give you an advice too.

Agreed. For my situation, when the economy tanked, my employer initiated a company-wide wage freeze. Wages were frozen for around 18 months so that played a big part in where my salary range should be versus where it actually was at.

Oh I have done some research... I filled out profiles on at least three different sites with my credentials and presented these to my boss and his boss. Some of the salaries we're coming back mid 80s - mid 90's. I did not ask for what the reports were showing but less. They said it was reasonable and I am waiting to here back. Although compared to what some other people make.... I'll be happy if it goes through, I have been at the same salary level since 06. This is long overdue.

From what some of the job recruiters I talked to said, the salary ranges that some websites report are somewhat exaggerated. But it sounds like you did similar to what I did. I took the lower end of the average range from my research. I figured it would be more likely that my request would be accepted by management rather than some ridiculously large figure because "this website said so".

That is the way of doing it, making sure you are getting paid your fair market value.

YES! :thumbs:

 

[lomenop]

Oh I have done some research... I filled out profiles on at least three different sites with my credentials and presented these to my boss and his boss. Some of the salaries we're coming back mid 80s - mid 90's. I did not ask for what the reports were showing but less. They said it was reasonable and I am waiting to here back. Although compared to what some other people make.... I'll be happy if it goes through, I have been at the same salary level since 06. This is long overdue.

If you don't mind me asking, which 3 sites? So far, I've only seen engineersalary ...

 

[DannyV]

Oh I have done some research... I filled out profiles on at least three different sites with my credentials and presented these to my boss and his boss. Some of the salaries we're coming back mid 80s - mid 90's. I did not ask for what the reports were showing but less. They said it was reasonable and I am waiting to here back. Although compared to what some other people make.... I'll be happy if it goes through, I have been at the same salary level since 06. This is long overdue.

If you don't mind me asking, which 3 sites? So far, I've only seen engineersalary ...

payscale.com

salary.com

engineersalary.com

simplyhired.com

But the best source is your own company. If the company is big enough they usually have tables with payscales, or you can ask someone you about their salary. This shouldn't be a Tabboo, its just a simple question. Management are the only one afraid of people discussing their salaries. Because they know its hard to keep everyone underpaid without the companies performance getting a hit. Eventually someone is getting pay fair market value and you can use that person as a guideline for your salary.

A local recruiter has a very good idea too...

 

[mjnicolaides]

Well I am happy to say that my company came through. After we sat down and reviewed the data I had researched and went over the position descriptions, they came through with a nice promotion. I got what I was asking for and also managed to get an office. So i'm happy!

 

[Hammy_81]

Well I am happy to say that my company came through. After we sat down and reviewed the data I had researched and went over the position descriptions, they came through with a nice promotion. I got what I was asking for and also managed to get an office. So i'm happy!

Nice, Congrats on that.

 

[knight1fox3]

Saw this post in the General Engineering forum and thought it was relevant.

I'm in the South US (Texas) Site Civil Consulting. I received my P.E. in May 2011. My current Employer at the time felt it sufficient to say times are hard and give me a $3K raise, with little to no opportunity for future growth. I started looking immediately, and found a position with unlimited growth opportunity, and an additional $20K on top of the previously received $3K. Too many employers are using the economy as an excuse to not pay their employees a fair wage. Eventually things will pick up again, and those who ignored the concerns of their employees will be witness to a mass exodus. Don't let them discourage you. The money and work is available to those who seek it.

 

[lomenop]

How long have others waited before dusting off the old resume and seeking employment elsewhere? We're closing in on 2 months since the PE results have been announced in CA and my annual review is at the end of Oct. I'm on the fence about waiting till the review or seeking employment elsewhere. My manager has been informed of my success in passing the PE, but the industry I work for does not require that I stamp anything. That is not to say the PE does not add value in at least how I represent the company in my dealing with customers.

I like where I work and it is an incredibly short commute for me, but my comparisons on the salary scale have been with what is openly published (state and government jobs, which have hiring freezes at the moment). Those seem to indicate that a PE is a significant bump in ones pay. I don’t have very much experience, so I don’t know if the significant bump in salary is also observed in the private sector as well.

 

[2bsss]

How long have others waited before dusting off the old resume and seeking employment elsewhere?

It has been 5 years for me. I like what I'm doing and where I work but I know I'm quite a bit underpaid. I now have a PE license but it isn't required since I currently work in industry. I have been considering updating mine and floating it around to see what happens. I could use a 10% boost to put me in line with others that have similar experience and qualifications.

 

[rkelachim]

I go back and forth in my mind about what I should ask my employer for in terms of a raise for passing the PE Exam. I presume my employer is one of the few (maybe the only) that will not pay for the continuing education classes/workshops required to maintian the license nor will they pay the bi-annual state fees for renewing the license. They also do not pay for any professional affiliations (ASCE, AISC, etc) and for what it's worth, they also did not pay anything in the way of the PE exam fee or study materials. I know I need to negotiate a certain 'premium' above what would be a typical raise just for passing the PE exam to cover all the expenses I incurred just for obtaining and maintaining the PE license.

What is everyone else's employers policy in terms of who pays for continuing educatation? Who pays the license renewal? Does your employer pay for professional affiliations? Did they pay for your exam fee? Study materials?

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[DannyV]

I go back and forth in my mind about what I should ask my employer for in terms of a raise for passing the PE Exam. I presume my employer is one of the few (maybe the only) that will not pay for the continuing education classes/workshops required to maintian the license nor will they pay the bi-annual state fees for renewing the license. They also do not pay for any professional affiliations (ASCE, AISC, etc) and for what it's worth, they also did not pay anything in the way of the PE exam fee or study materials. I know I need to negotiate a certain 'premium' above what would be a typical raise just for passing the PE exam to cover all the expenses I incurred just for obtaining and maintaining the PE license.
What is everyone else's employers policy in terms of who pays for continuing educatation? Who pays the license renewal? Does your employer pay for professional affiliations? Did they pay for your exam fee? Study materials?

Thanks for your feedback!

That depends on company policies. Some bigger companies take pride on having a large number of certified professionals in staff. Those company usually pay for all cost related to optaining and maintaining an accreditation. I was paid for study material, study time ( 2 days off from work to study), state application fees, exam fees, the time at the exam, I was even reimbursed the mileage to the exam center. Now to maintain my PE I'll need PDH's and the company will also pay for the time and class.

Some smaller companies can't match that, but they will try to keep their PE's happy and with an active license since is beneficial to the company.

Consulting firms have added pressure to help PE's since is a standard practice in the field and PE's are used as a marketing tool.

 

[JoeBoone82]

Our company pays for the exam itself and the time off while at the exam. They do pay for a society membership (NSPE, ASCE) and they provide a small amount of time off in order to be active in the society. They do not necessarily pay for pdh's, but if you go to the society meetings, along with other in-house lunch and learn type seminar/webinar/presentations, you can usually earn your pdh's that way.

 

[Boomer01 PE]

I work for a small consulting firm and my company pays for everything PE related. They paid for the test, renewals, engineering societies, time off to go to meetings for PDHs, etc. They had a lot of the specific study material but anything else I needed, I bought myself without asking them.

 

[lomenop]

My place of employment offers educational reimbursement for classes/books at an accredited place of study, given that the courses would lead to a certificate/degree related to my current role or other advancement to other possible roles in the company. There was one clause on there that accepted classes used for professional certification. I argued that "self study" books would cost a lot less than a PE course (even though I couldn't find one for the Electronics exam, only for Power, I made them aware of such). They signed off on the books (reimbursement after I passed), but not the exam fees. I also got a paid day off since the exam was on a workday. I don't see anything on my company's benefit package that says they'll pay for anything else (renewal fees or anything else). If I depart from the company within a year (or two, would have to double check), the reimbursement would be taken back from my final paycheck.

For anyone keeping a tally, I was given a raise (just over 12%) / bump in title. I expressed my concern in pay/no advancement in title a while back just before the exam. I was given the “I'll look into it and get back to you” excuse. I have a feeling that passing the PE may have elevated management’s concern about me leaving for greener pastures. As I mentioned in the past, my place of employment does not require a PE (industrial/manufacturing) so this would make sense. I still think I could get more elsewhere, where the PE is actually a requirement.

 

[AdamA]

Two guys at my company passed the PE and then a week later there was an announcement that they got promoted. There is a 25% difference in our rates between the two positions. How much of a raise they got I'm not sure but it should be substantial.

 

[Nickarus]

Got my PE after last April's exam, amid a similar ongoing "raise freeze" due to the economy, similar to others' companies above. Our reviews/raises come at the end of October, but my company does not as a policy ever give any raise for acquiring licensure. I inquired before taking it with both management and workerbees, and got the same response.

I guess I am happy with my job in most aspects. Commute is short, workspace is spacious, I'm able and encouraged to utilize all my cross-discipline design skillsets (MEP/energy modeling/FA/data), handle CA and being responsible for projects in a holistic fashion, and most of my coworkers aren't a displeasure to work with... but benefits are lukewarm and I suppose it's human but certain mis-management incidents by the higher-ups have left a sour taste.

My wife and I want to have kids and afford her the opportunity to be a stay at home mom, but with the economy the way it is it's going to be a stretch at best for her to not keep working - a significant bump in my salary like some are describing/enjoying in this thread would really help us both move forward in that area...

All the cards seem in place to make a case with our president, but if I jump the hoops and do everything right, there's a real possibility (and historical precedent with at least one co-worker) my company will still say 'no.' If that happens, I'm in a lose/probably-lose situation... either I stay and be "the guy who is in action just fine not getting a raise," lowering my future value where that might be an uncertainty, hurt my chances of climbing to higher ladder rungs (we're very top-heavy already), or else I choose to play the new job lottery in a climate that doesn't seem friendly to job seekers to drop that stagnant-growth status.

Like a fish contemplating escape but not knowing whether there's water outside the fishbowl...

I guess I have to weigh the likely possibilities, and start by researching how much of a difference "fair market" could really make for my situation. If anyone else has tips/resources/experiences to share in this department, so far as how specifically to present your case, it'd be really appreciated =)!

 

[willsee]

Still at 0 dollars due to not being licensed in the state where 90% of our work is in.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

else I choose to play the new job lottery in a climate that doesn't seem friendly to job seekers to drop that stagnant-growth status.

I have changed jobs twice, voluntarily, since the recession started. I found it relatively easy to find a new job for more pay both times. There are a lot of people unemployed, but the market for quality engineers is still pretty open right now.

 

[willsee]

else I choose to play the new job lottery in a climate that doesn't seem friendly to job seekers to drop that stagnant-growth status.

I have changed jobs twice, voluntarily, since the recession started. I found it relatively easy to find a new job for more pay both times. There are a lot of people unemployed, but the market for quality engineers is still pretty open right now.

agreed