Corrosion Engineering Salaries 1

[oyeah1717]

First off I put this discussion here and not in the career section because I want corrosion engineers opinions.

My scenario is that I am a graduating with a B.S. in Materials Science and I have an upcoming interview with a consulting corrosion engineering firm that is under 100 people big and has contracts with various large oil and gas companies (BP/Shell to name a few)

Now when salary eventually comes up, what should I aim for? I think $75k because of this information

http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Entry-Level-Corrosion-Engineer-l-Houston,-TX.html

Now my senior thesis and my junior and senior year have consisted of me working with our corrosion research group which is wildly know and in fact our professor is a very very well known. So I do have more experience than any other recent grad.

So is 75k a fair offer? Any way to approach this fairly?

Thanks,
oyeah

 

[Screwman1]

You are interviewing for en entry level job; they have a budget number in mind for that job and that is what you are going to get- if it's $55K that is all there is, if its $75K than you are lucky . It isn't like you have some specialized skills that they are trying to hire. I find it amazing that kids now think that they can negotiate on entry level jobs. That is a good way to aggravate an interviewer if you are not careful.
I have never found a single published article about salary ranges to be very close to reality; most seem to be about 20% inflated (or more). And I have done a fair amount of recruiting at various universities.

 

[metengr]

Let them make you an offer before you go demanding salary for an entry level job. Most companies have HR that know the salary market. Sorry to burst your bubble, but think first and absorb information before you react.

 

[StoneCold]

Just as a general comment.
You should find out how much you can learn at this new job. Don't worry so much about what you will make. Because it is what you learn in the next five years that will determine how much you can make later.

Regards
Stonecold

 

[brimmer]

75K would be at the high end for a starting position, I don't think they would offer this as a base salry. That might be a salary for someone with at least 3 years experience. I would advise to look at the entire package they offer (not just the salary number), so vacation time, 401K, medical benefits, flex days, culture, what you would be working on to get you to where you want to go. As far as expereince, the only thing an employer would count is actual work experience. Summer/co-op positions in industry go along way, so I would not assume you have more experience than other grads as they may of had actual work experience out of school setting; or the lab research you did will be immediatley relevant to what you would be doing. I would look at the entire offer (if you get one), then you will have one chance to make a counter offer if you think it is needed. Good luck.

 

[jtseng123]

50k-60k, entry level in Houston. (in 1990, 30K-40K, BS or MS. If PhD, 45K).

 

[stanweld]

Based on the info provided by our Engineering HR department, new hires (all discipines) are receiving offers from approximately $60K to $80K. Demand is up, especially in the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical industries. Companies remain highly selective.