Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations IDS on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Improving my circumstances - feel pigeon-holed 8

Status
Not open for further replies.

evildopey

Mechanical
Oct 26, 2007
12
First time poster.
I live in a town where it is extremely difficult to find an engineering job. In fact, there seems to be a handful of places that one can be found. I landed one with a firm a few months ago, signed a non-compete (can't work in related field within x miles of town for y amount of time after I quit) and bought a house here. I have my BS and MS with one year relevant experience, but my employer is paying me $10K less than the bottom 10% of people in my field (according to salary.com). I don't want to leave this town because of my ties to church and community.

What do I do?

thanks in advance

ed
 
I've had to move house for every new job I have ever taken. Every single one.

So you have five alternatives

1) move

2) start your own business or work for someone else in a non related field

3) test the validity of the non-compete

4) get a pay rise

5) whinge on engineering forums

HTH



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
 
You could stay, and become the best engineer they've ever seen or heard of, so you could then make a business case that you deserve a salary more aligned with your skills.

Okay, that's a fantasy. They'll probably continue to abuse you, because they've gotten away with it so far, or because they don't know any better, or because you're really not 'all that'. We can't tell from here.

Working harder to get noticed or recognized rarely succeeds, at least not directly or quickly, but it can improve your skills, bring some satisfaction, and be its own reward in that way. It's much easier if you find the actual work interesting or exciting; you didn't give us a clue how you feel about that.

If the job just bores you anyway, you could give full measure (because you're a professional, being paid for it), and not a bit more, and use your other time to start a business or get a job on the side. In some outfits, this is the only way to get ahead, because they don't respect someone who can't manage his time well. Again, we can't tell from here.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
 
evildopey,

Did you sign the non-compete before you knew what your salary would be or before you knew you were being paid less than others in your field ? If the former, that was pretty daft if you're now complaining. If the latter it would suggest you were happy with things until you saw what others were earning.

Moving to a new job in a new place is not all about salary. In your case it seems your church is as important as your job. If this isn't really the case then either find another church in a better paying area, follow the devil instead or stop whinging.
 
You have a BS and an MS. Teach. Either full time or part time at the local Community college or tutor. There are people (like me) who really appreciate those who teach.

BTW the "Go out on your own" is a good idea.
 
I live in a town where it is extremely difficult to find an engineering job. In fact, there seems to be a handful of places that one can be found. I landed one with a firm a few months ago

Be thankful you have a job at all, if this is actually the case. If it's difficult to find a job because there are more qualified people than there are jobs, supply and demand is the biggest reason you're "underpaid" - this is Econ 101 stuff.

In any case, the situation you find yourself in is what it is, and really isn't unique. You need to prioritize what you really want. Is it the big $, the community/church, or a different job in the same area? Adult life typically involves a lot of compromises. If somehow you figure out a way to get everything your heart desires, please pass on your secrets. Better yet, write a book from the comfort of your new home in the town that you love and sell it for the big $. Problem solved.

You have options, as Greg very succinctly stated. Option 5 isn't productive, so I'd rule that one out and figure out which of the others will best help you get whatever it is that you really desire.
 
Dont trust salary.com or any of those crap sites!!!.....that is always about high... check you’re Department Of Labor reports (if your state posts them), which has more accurate information from the IRS and other credible sources.
 
dgowans gets a star,

Thank god we are in a capitalistic society, not demand no pay.... high demand high pay...
 
Greg's #3 is the first thing that would come to my mind... I've been told many different times by many different people that those NCAs are absolutely unenforceable. What's the worst that can happen? The old company sues you personally?

 
Salary.com is not very reliable. They take the national average and multiply it by a factor in each region.

I think they use the same factor regardless of the industry which is not accurate.
 
Echoing everyone else. . .

If you like your community more than big $$, stay put.

If you want job choices & money & a new location, move.

Don't get too caught up in the dollar amount. A reality check on your salary would be too see what kind of lifestyle you can live in your chosen community. Is it a typical engineer's lifestyle? Most engrs I know in my area can buy a house 1-2 yrs out of school, can afford a decent vehicle, don't have to work a second job to make ends meet, can still save for retirement & have health insurance. Does this describe you? If not, you may be underpaid, but comparing info on salary.com won't tell you that.
 
I actually enjoy my work. As far as engineer lifestyle goes. I bought a house, that's good. The rest of my money goes to bills. I bought both my wife's and my car from my parents while in graduate school. Niether of us have retirement, and between both our paychecks, we manage to get about $100/month in savings. I'm not asking for six figures, just $40k.


ed
 
This sounds more like buyer's remorse than anything else.

Were you happy with your salary before you looked up salary.com? Bear in mind that what's posted there may not be terribly relevant to your specific town; you call it a "town" which suggests a relatively small population.

Is your salary in the bottom 10% of the MEs in your town? That's really the pertinent question. Regardless of what you think the overall population is making, what matters is what people in your town are making, since you're not willing to move away.

As you indicate, you only have 1 yr of relevant experience, so that has to factor into what salary you're getting.

Certainly, $30K seems awfully low compared to numbers bandied about in the big cities, but then again, you own a house, which is no small matter in this day and age.



TTFN

FAQ731-376
 
I vote for move away. The Apostles probably wouldn't be as famous today if they didn't go anywhere because they liked their church and community.
 
To go one step further than IRStuff suggesting you look at other engineers in your town, begin by looking at just your company.

How much are other engineers in your company making?

If others at your level are making the same (low) amount, then that's just a factor of the company you decided to work for.
If others are making a lot more (with similar skill/experience) then you should have a talk with your boss and discuss your situation with him/her.

Companines usually are not going to just walk up to you and offer you more money. You accepted their employment offer at a set amount, so they are just fulfilling their side of the contract. If you want more, you will have to ask for it and explain why they should give it to you. (With only a few months at the company, you don't have much history with them to demand much)
When you ask for it, they will decide if it's worth the extra money to keep you there and happy, or they will tell you no and atleast you know where you stand.


Right now it looks like your options are only stay or quit, not very good choices.

You need to start sending out your resume and interviewing with other companies. Then once you have an offer, you can make an informed decision.

You will know how much more money you could make somewhere else and can determine the costs of switching to that company. Then you can make your decision.
 
LM,

I thought it was bad practice to ask others at work what their pay is, or try to find out what their pay is? Although I would love to know...
 
Sure, generally, when you find out that you make 1/2 of someone else's salary, you get tee'd, particularly if that someone is a hanger-on.

However, a salary survey does serve a useful purpose, which is to gauge where you are relative to the group as a whole. This is a simple way to determine your overall worth to the company. Salary.com is one way, but it's often too removed from your context to be of full benefit.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
 
You could have this conversation with your boss... Ask if there is a formal system for progression, and what the median salary is for the various levels. All he/she can say is that they don't discuss it...

Less than $40,000 for a mechanical engineer with a masters degree is really really low.. What kind of engineering are you doing? What part of the country are you in?



"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?" Oddball, "Kelly's Heros" 1970

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.




 
Take what you get from Salary.com with a grain of salt, especially if you live in a smaller town. That said, I think sub-$40k sounds pretty low for BS/MS, especially in this job market. Talk to your boss and see how advancement works or what is the pay scale and the potential pay scale when you advance. In the meantime, earn your worth and you might see some bigger raises to get you in your market range. Or pursue other opportunities, with a competing offer in hand you can show your boss what other think you are worth or you might find out that you are being paid fairly.
 
Some of advices above are to compare salary with colleagues, but is it possible to know about somebody other's salary?
I am just curious how far it is acceptable in the States to ask for such information. In our country it is almost normal (I don't like this, but this is my view), but from many years it is said here that people in Western countries don't like to speak about such matters. Where is the truth?

------------------------
It may be like this in theory and practice, but in real life it is completely different.
The favourite sentence of my army sergeant
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor