engineering salaries 20

[ballist]

hi!

I work as a trainee in a large automaker in UK. The pay is decent, comparing to other sectors, but not considerably. Graduates start with 30k, reaching 38k in 4 years. Then, it is a bit hard to become senior, in order to earn 50-60k. Some people after 7-10 years haven't become seniors. After that, it's harder to become supervisor (I guess you need 10+ years) and supervisors earn 60-80k. To become chief engineer or director, it's even harder and comes after 20 years of service at least.

Is there any department I could try to get in to earn a bit more or have better career progression? Maybe legal or finance or IT? Any advice please?

 

[KENAT]

Ballist, you're on an Engineering web site to ask if you can earn more money in a non engineering role?

A. Perhaps ask in legal-tips.com or finance-tips.com or similar.
B. This implies you don't have a strong interest in being an Engineer but are primarily chasing £ - is that correct? If so then yes you may want to look at careers outside of engineering. Most rapid career progression would probably be as your own boss - if you can pull it off. Unless you're the next Mark Zuckerberg or similar though it may not match your expectations - especially as you don't have experience to build on by the sounds of it.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[ballist]

I need some career advice here! I am also asking if there is more money in an engineering role.

 

[IRstuff]

What exactly do YOU want to do? If it's about chasing the almighty pound sterling or dollar, then you're not really an engineer, and you will mostly be both miserable and unsuccessful, since anything that you attempt to do that isn't your passion will likely result in less enthusiasm and yield less than your best efforts. If that's what you're chasing, then you should be in petroleum engineering.

http://www.businessinsider.com/college-majors-with-highest-starting-salaries-2015-10

TTFN
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
homework forum: //

http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx

faq731-376 forum1529

 

[ballist]

I do enjoy problem solving, thus I enjoy law. I do enjoy working with numbers, thus I enjoy finance. I don't see why you are so negative. I wouldn't bet on petroleum industry, don't you see the crisis it has now? And with electrification of cars, or stricter laws, renewable energy, etc, it will be less profitable.

 

[SectionIX]

Ok, I know I have strayed from topic...however..

Like other industries, the petroleum industry is seeing its fair share of challenges. However, until we are willing to give up life as we know it, petroleum will continue to be a dominant force. Perhaps ask Al Gore for some input.

See link below for a partial list of petroleum byproducts.

http://www.ranken-energy.com/products from petroleum.htm

 

[TehMightyEngineer]

If money is your only concern then become an air traffic controller. Everything else about it will probably suck (stress, hours, limited availability of jobs, probably have to move, etc.) but you'll make money.

Professional and Structural Engineer (ME, NH)
American Concrete Industries

http://www.americanconcrete.com

 

[BUGGAR]

I suggest engineering sales. AutoCAD and everybody is selling the cloud. Maybe you could sell some vapor, too.

 

[ballist]

Do you know what tests you have to pass to be air traffic controller? It's not possible for most.

 

[andriver]

Ballist,

You did not go to a career site, or resume site, or job searching site, YOU came to an engineering forum for career advice. Therefore you are going to get biased answers.

You do not imply you would like to study anything, since you say you are a trainee I assume you do not have a college degree.

So, basically you came in and said "to move up in engineering it requires hard work and years of commitment. I don't want to wait that long. Where can I move up fast and make lots of money?"

To answer your question, no where. There is not a single career that rewards mediocrity, that is easy to move up in, that pays a lot with little to no experience. The way I think about it is, life is a competition. The people you work with are competing with you to get that raise, or that promotion. There is no easy path in life.

The only way you will bust your butt to get ahead in life, is if you actually enjoy what you are doing. Which is why people keep asking you what you want/like to do. This is on you, and if you want better advice, you should be more specific.

 

[ScottyUK]

If your figures are accurate then stay with automotive. It is beating the majority of the engineering world hands down.

 

[JNieman]

If there was an easy path that got you to the top in 5-10 years with six-figure pay, without requiring much commitment or investment... everyone would already have filled those roles.

What do your parents do? Your attitude so far sounds like you'd be a shoe-in for the stereotypical beneficiary of nepotism.

 

[zeusfaber]

I do enjoy problem solving, thus I enjoy law. I do enjoy working with numbers, thus I enjoy finance.

Two passing observations here - both similar - one less tongue-in-cheek than the other:

My experience of financiers (I've dealt with them on a daily basis for probably the last fifteen years) is that, while their work involves numbers, it seldom involves doing much more with them than adding them up in different combinations before recognising that the total is either too much, too little or (often) both at once. They do find fulfilling work, but it is seldom much to do with the numbers themselves.

My experience of lawyers (I deal with them less often - deliberately so) is that they don't spend a right lot of their time solving problems.

A.

 

[zeusfaber]

Do you know what tests you have to pass to be air traffic controller? It's not possible for most.

I was talking recently to an ex-colleague who has just been reassigned to train as an air-traffic controller - straight after being chucked out of pilot training because of his left-right problem when under pressure.

A.

 

[SWComposites]

Ballist - if you want to chase money, join a startup company, work like crazy, and hope they make it big so you can cash out stock options. Or go get a law degree and go into patent law.

 

[HamburgerHelper]

How about find something you like and run hard at it? Would you like to be able to freelance on the side? Maybe, start your own business at some point?

 

[miningman]

Its hard to detect the work ethic in the OP that would be necessary to start a successful business. Besides what wolud he sell apart from the desire to be rich.

 

[SomptingGuy]

I work as a trainee in a large automaker in UK.
...
Is there any department I could try to get in to earn a bit more or have better career progression?

Not if you stay in this company. I've seen new grads trying to get up the ladder quicker by hopping around the departments early in their career. Those very few who made it, made it by moving from engineering into programme management.

If you want to turn your UK engineering degree into serious earning potential, finish it and consider a law conversion course. Some UK law firms will even sponsor you through one (i.e. pay for it) and offer you a job on completion.

Steve

 

[KENAT]

If you want to stay in an Engineering related role and get more money then as Sompting alludes project management roles may be an avenue.

However, I've seen too many project engineers that appeared to take this path for the $ reasons, didn't have the experience to back them up and absolutely sucked to work with. I and an old friend used to complain about the inexperienced idiots in project management roles in our respective experience all the time - and this was when we were only a couple of years out of uni. Since then I've sworn to avoid that path if at all possible (& have turned down such positions due to my lack of experience) - though now I may be near getting enough experience to pull it off.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[ballist]

Unfortunately there are many project managers in my company, but they don't get paid any more afaik.
Unless you mean to do contract work, which is not something I would consider, as it's very stressful to wait for new projects to come up to get a job.