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?

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Of course, knowing how much the position is worth in general helps you to negotiate top dollar, does it not? You can't know how much the position is worth until you have a feel for how much similar employees (not necessarily in your company, mind you) are commanding.

You can be a better negotiator, but you kind of need a basis to negotiate upon.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[jayrod12]

Agreed,

Where we are, the licensing board puts out a salary survey yearly that breaks down the information in a ton of different ways to allow you to determine where you feel you fit on the scale.

 

[1gibson]

If you want to know what coworkers are making, then you think you're not making enough. 3 potential outcomes, all bad

1) Everyone makes more than you, you get upset and that is generally a bad frame of mind to negotiate from
2) Everyone makes the same, and you decide that's just fine. What if everyone there is underpaid?
3) You make more than everyone else, information goes both ways and they resent you for it, decide you should do more work because you're paid more, you will have trouble getting assistance or working in teams.

There are other more productive ways to figure it out, that don't involve screwing up your office dynamics. If you have patience, ask the next person that leaves out for a drink, and have a salary chat then. That is still of limited value because it only gets you information from within your little bubble, but at least it won't strain relationships.

 

[ballist]

Thank you all for your input.

 

[MortenA]

1Gibson, that dosnt make much sense! You need to know what your co workers make to be able to judge your own position. I have only rarely discussed salery with my co-workers but i appreaciate (and participtes) in the salary surveys that my trade/professional association conducts

 

[Gouthamm]

If you are really looking for money and also because you are good at finance, I say after attaining some experience as an engineer, say some 6-7 years, go for a business school and try getting a job in the Engineering field after your business course, where you can work at management level while helping out engineers with their engineering problem. Sounds complicated but you have to work hard. I know someone who actually did it.

 

[FastMouse]

Hi ballist,

Your original query stated that you want to explore possible career directions in legal affairs, finance or IT, and I got the feeling that you preferred to do so with your current employer.

Here's a crazy idea; just a piece of insanely chaotic thinking from outta nowhere but why not pick up the 'phone, call the head of legal affairs, and ask for an informal chat during lunch about the work of that function and possible career directions. Repeat as required for your other selected functions. Your current boss will find out about this even if you do not tell him or her, so get your story straight and discuss it with your leader beforehand. How you spin it is up to you, but I think that a way can be found to explain the discussions in very positive terms.

You appear to equate career progression with remuneration, and that is your prerogative. For some people, that criterion brings the happiness and satisfaction of self-actualization, and for others, due to the painful compromises involved, it does not. If you really equate career progression with the single variable of remuneration, then do not neglect to investigate compensation beyond the shores of the UK.

Good luck.

FastMouse

 

[Agent666]

On the subject of those industry salary surveys, I once worked for a company that advised us not to take part as they were presumably worried that having 2000 employees in a reasonably small country would skew the numbers and it would clearly indicate the industry perception that they paid salaries in the lower quartile if someone were to view the data on a company by company basis.

Got a lot of good experience, but the day I walked out of there I received a 30% pay increase without even trying with about 50% less hours per week. My sanity has also improved... I still deal with idiots, but there are less of them, or I've become more immune to them...

 

[berkshire]

I used to work as a contract worker ( Job shopper ) for many years. In almost every instance I was told ," You are making more than your co-workers, do not, tell them what you are making.".
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

 

[RossABQ]

Ballist - if you want to chase money...go get a law degree and go into patent law.

One of my college buddies took the patent attorney path. The usual grind as an associate, finally becoming a partner in a well-known, respected firm. He has spent the last 40 years researching and filing patents on tampons, band-aids, baby diapers, and panty liners. It has paid well, certainly, but... I'd hang myself first.

 

[BEMPE16524]

I think most of forumers here have replied realistically base on experience which I think is true.

One says: GIVE MORE TO GET MORE
And that works on me.

 

[itdepends]

Continuing with the thread resurrection- I'd address one point in the original post
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
A look at the maths will tell you it's not just about the experience. There will be a ratio of supervisors to seniors to entry level so it's impossible for everyone to make a higher grade just because they've been there "long enough". You also have to be good enough.

As a chem eng/metallurgist the first part of any answer I give starts with "It Depends"

 

[KENAT]

"You also have to be good enough."

Where managements definition of "good enough" may not match the typical engineers definition.

For instance around here going jogging with the VP at lunch time back when he was in the office more seems like it has had more impact on promotion etc. than technical competence - or at least more import than getting successful product development projects under your belt.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

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

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

 

[truckandbus]

from my experience:
-your loyalty to one company is not required or expected
-if you like the house you live in and the schools your kids go to be happy with the slow progression and 2%-3% pay increases
-if more money is more important to you than your house and a stable environment for the kids, then be prepared to change jobs regularly and move significant distances - this is where you will see he double digit increases in salary

I had one guy working for me whose 'normal' was living in cheap efficiency motels with his wife and two kids for 9-12 months at a time. Their typical family dinners would be making the circuit of local hospital cafeterias for in expensive meals

 

[HiDrPo]

Guys - What are you trying to do? Chase away talent?

Absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing a fat paycheck, especially with the spiraling cost of education. How many engineers would show up if a paycheck wasn't there?

In general engineers are always in demand, but years are needed to become a seasoned professional. Once seasoned, hard to be without a job. The engineers I've met at the top of the income scale own their companies.

An engineering degree is a great technical base that can be applied to vocations and advanced degrees in other areas or professions.

Yes many make big money in finance and law, but not near all finance and law graduates make the big money.

If you are half past completing an engineering degree, I suggest you complete the program. They can't take it away. After that, life is too short to follow someone else's agenda. Put yourself in a place to make your own choices and take your shot.

 

[RandomAxe]

My thoughts exactly.....I was cringing reading these replies, like its ridiculous to want to get paid as much as possible.

For what its worth, I second the oil industry, ridiculous money compared to other industries and while it has its problems at the moment, it will pick up again. You may have to move to London or up North to Aberdeen though...

I would also consider going contract (limited company) but you may have to get some experience under your belt befoe that's an option.

 

[KENAT]

Chase away talent no, however questioning whether the OP was actually interested in Engineering or just fell into it thinking the big $/£ would follow.

I've seen too many disgruntled folks on this site bemoaning their lot having fallen into Engineering because they were good & math & physics in school but have no real love or even interest in Engineering and complaining late in their career and saying they'd never encourage anyone to become an engineer...

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

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

 

[IRstuff]

"Guys - What are you trying to do? Chase away talent? Absolutely nothing wrong with pursuing a fat paycheck,"

Actually, there is, for those that are already there. UC Berkeley's engineering enrollment is about 1/9th of the total student population. That means even a 5% change in distribution would be enough to drop starting salaries, so people that are only thinking about the $82k average starting salaries are going to drive that number down.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529

 

[moltenmetal]

Yes, I'll bore you yet again- here in Canada we are drowning in engineers, to the point that already only 30% of our engineering grads work as engineers. That ratio has fallen steeply and steadily for the past 2 decades and continues to shrink. It's the worst of all the regulated professions in Canada, by far.

Under those circumstances, any engineering job taken by a person whose only interest in our profession is as a means to a fat paycheque is a total waste. There are other options with a far higher reward to risk and effort ratio than engineering, and I would encourage people like that to leave our profession and pursue them.

I would also dearly love to solve this problem by reducing the supply into the profession so that it more closely matches the labour force demand for engineering jobs. Perhaps then our compensation would begin to match the value of our profession to society, which is inestimable. Regrettably, there are many who confuse the promotion of our profession's value to society, with promoting the profession to potential candidates. Some sell engineering to students as if it were the only thing worth doing, with limitless career and money opportunities upon graduation. That's not borne out by the facts, and spreading that kind of misinformation is damaging.

As to the notion that it is somehow wrong to seek the best compensation for your professional labours that your abilities and labour market will allow- I totally reject that notion. It's totally wrong-headed. We all have a responsibility to seek fair compensation for our efforts, and to do nothing to deny our peers the ability to do the same.

 

[jayrod12]

here in Canada we are drowning in engineers

perhaps this is a regional or discipline thing. Because in here in the middle prairies, structural engineers good structural designers are still hard to come by.