Response From Employer

[Bean PE]

Let's just call the location in the Carolinas and 5 years experience drafting and new responsibilities include designing and stamping your own drawings for projects given by the principle engineers.

Designing and stamping for $50k a year is just about the definition of "working for free."

 

[willsee]

Would you consider $50,000 to be an adequate salary for a new professional engineer? Maybe I'm delusional, but I figured I would be making more.

That would depend on you location and how much experience you have.

it would also depend on your role in the company. If you're only doing quantity takeoffs and CAD redlines vs others who are designing and stamping drawings...

Let's just call the location in the Carolinas and 5 years experience drafting and new responsibilities include designing and stamping your own drawings for projects given by the principle engineers.

I made more than that at an MEP firm for my first job out of college.

 

[Titus Barik]

my colleague got fired the same week he announced his license. The dipshit small engineering company owner seen him as a threat and sent an email on following Saturday asking him to leave. He went paranoid and I lost my job as well. So if you are working for a lowlife, I recommend you be prepared for it.

Sounds like a company you wouldn't want to be with anyway in the long run. Any company that doesn't value education and investment in their employees isn't a company that will be going places.

 

[Machiavelli999]

Would you consider $50,000 to be an adequate salary for a new professional engineer? Maybe I'm delusional, but I figured I would be making more.

$50,000 was my starting salary out of college without even having my EIT. I don't think there is ANY location in the country where $50,000 is acceptable for someone having a PE. It is an insult.

 

[Titus Barik]

Would you consider $50,000 to be an adequate salary for a new professional engineer? Maybe I'm delusional, but I figured I would be making more.

$50,000 was my starting salary out of college without even having my EIT. I don't think there is ANY location in the country where $50,000 is acceptable for someone having a PE. It is an insult.

Again, it depends on location. In Atlanta, $50,000 is an acceptable (though not great) salary for starting out of school. In Mobile, AL, starting is actually more like $35000, but you can buy a fantastic house for $70k where as the same house in Atlanta is $250k, so that needs to be taken into account.

 

[munsonco]

Got a "good job" from supervisor. Had some difficultly getting reinbursed for $550 in books & test fee.. thought employer normally would pay no problem, so not sure on raise.

Wow, you got reimbursed?!! My employer wouldn't even give me the day off to take the exam...I had to use a f***ing vacation day!!! :smileyballs:

 

[Wes]

Got a "good job" from supervisor. Had some difficultly getting reinbursed for $550 in books & test fee.. thought employer normally would pay no problem, so not sure on raise.

Wow, you got reimbursed?!! My employer wouldn't even give me the day off to take the exam...I had to use a f***ing vacation day!!! :smileyballs:

Wow, that's brutal. I hope you passed and are able to move on to another company that will appreciate you more.

 

[willsee]

Would you consider $50,000 to be an adequate salary for a new professional engineer? Maybe I'm delusional, but I figured I would be making more.

$50,000 was my starting salary out of college without even having my EIT. I don't think there is ANY location in the country where $50,000 is acceptable for someone having a PE. It is an insult.

Again, it depends on location. In Atlanta, $50,000 is an acceptable (though not great) salary for starting out of school. In Mobile, AL, starting is actually more like $35000, but you can buy a fantastic house for $70k where as the same house in Atlanta is $250k, so that needs to be taken into account.

I would think Louisville is equal (or even less than Atlanta) and $50,000 here would be acceptable for civils starting out of school, but this guy has a PE and 5 years.

Most that graduate out of Louisville are in the $55,000-$65,000.

 

[Titus Barik]

Wow, you got reimbursed?!! My employer wouldn't even give me the day off to take the exam...I had to use a f***ing vacation day!!! :smileyballs:

Wow, that really sucks. Sorry.

 

[DHoss83]

Would you consider $50,000 to be an adequate salary for a new professional engineer? Maybe I'm delusional, but I figured I would be making more.

$50,000 was my starting salary out of college without even having my EIT. I don't think there is ANY location in the country where $50,000 is acceptable for someone having a PE. It is an insult.

Again, it depends on location. In Atlanta, $50,000 is an acceptable (though not great) salary for starting out of school. In Mobile, AL, starting is actually more like $35000, but you can buy a fantastic house for $70k where as the same house in Atlanta is $250k, so that needs to be taken into account.

I would think Louisville is equal (or even less than Atlanta) and $50,000 here would be acceptable for civils starting out of school, but this guy has a PE and 5 years.

Most that graduate out of Louisville are in the $55,000-$65,000.

There is a significant difference between Electrical and Civil Engineers when it comes to starting salaries... so that might not be a good comparison.

In this economy there are probably a lot of Civil PE's willing to work for $50k.

 

[willsee]

Would you consider $50,000 to be an adequate salary for a new professional engineer? Maybe I'm delusional, but I figured I would be making more.

$50,000 was my starting salary out of college without even having my EIT. I don't think there is ANY location in the country where $50,000 is acceptable for someone having a PE. It is an insult.

Again, it depends on location. In Atlanta, $50,000 is an acceptable (though not great) salary for starting out of school. In Mobile, AL, starting is actually more like $35000, but you can buy a fantastic house for $70k where as the same house in Atlanta is $250k, so that needs to be taken into account.

I would think Louisville is equal (or even less than Atlanta) and $50,000 here would be acceptable for civils starting out of school, but this guy has a PE and 5 years.

Most that graduate out of Louisville are in the $55,000-$65,000.

There is a significant difference between Electrical and Civil Engineers when it comes to starting salaries... so that might not be a good comparison.

In this economy there are probably a lot of Civil PE's willing to work for $50k.

I only have one friend who is a Civil and he started around 50k out of school. He just passed his PE, but I can imagine he is making more than 50k now. That's why I said that $50,000 would be acceptable for a civil fresh out of school, but not a PE.

 

[jeffbirm]

We have a policy at our company for a $5,000 raise upon passage of the PE exam. This policy is still in place, but I imagine with the economy they may be tightening their belts a bit.

 

[munsonco]

Got a "good job" from supervisor. Had some difficultly getting reinbursed for $550 in books & test fee.. thought employer normally would pay no problem, so not sure on raise.

Wow, you got reimbursed?!! My employer wouldn't even give me the day off to take the exam...I had to use a f***ing vacation day!!! :smileyballs:

Wow, that's brutal. I hope you passed and are able to move on to another company that will appreciate you more.

Yeah I passed...and now I'm asking for a raise!!! :smileyballs:

 

[cowboy]

Right now I'm Engineer III. I will be promoted to senior when I pass my PE i.e by company rule at least 7% raise.

 

[BeckfromPA]

I got a hearty congratulations from my boss ... no word on $.

 

[MadDawg]

I got a hearty congratulations from my boss ... no word on $.

I got a congratulatory e-mail, woohoo!

 

[Johnson]

Got a "good job" from supervisor. Had some difficultly getting reinbursed for $550 in books & test fee.. thought employer normally would pay no problem, so not sure on raise.

Wow, you got reimbursed?!! My employer wouldn't even give me the day off to take the exam...I had to use a f***ing vacation day!!! :smileyballs:

Same here. No reimburse for anything. I also had to take day off myself. I got a raise based on the company policy but it is extremely low (you will not believe how low it is). You pretty much cannot tell the different in your paycheck.

 

[Engineer Okesola]

I never heard of any Civil graduates making $50K out of school. If that's the case then things have definitely changed for the better since I came out of school (Spring 03').

 

[willsee]

I never heard of any Civil graduates making $50K out of school. If that's the case then things have definitely changed for the better since I came out of school (Spring 03').

MEng in '07 is my comparison...like I said just one person and it was close to 50k ($48,000 I believe)

 

[momech]

Passed ME PE in April '10. No immediate raise, but just got 10% to start the new year. All PE expenses are reimbursed.