Salary increase after obtaining P.E. or P.Eng.

[yuemon]

Hi, just a question for all of you engineers working in the construction industry (electrical, mechanical, structural).

What type of raise is typically given to individuals after obtaining their P.E. in the construction industry where their stamp is constantly being used (liability for all projects)?

Is there a typical per cent raise (ie. 30% increase) or an extra 10k-20k?

Also, what is the typical salary of a new P.Eng. in the construction industry?

Thanks.

 

[Mr168]

A lot of it is dependent on your responsibilities. If you're in a role that requires documents to be frequently sealed and you'll be taking on additional work, then you're going to see a higher return typically than someone who may stamp or seal one or two documents a year.

Unfortunately in the current economy, I know a fair share of engineers who just passed the October PE exam and received no raise or bonus whatsoever.

 

[ykee]

getting your stamp is not usually your ticket to a big raise, but rather a step on the way there. The next thing you need to do is take on more responsibility to show that you are worth more to your company, despite the stamp, you may not be asked to seal drawings. I think the next step is to talk with your managers about taking on more responsibility. For average salaries, there are a lot of salary surveys. If you are in Canada, you can check out APEGGA or OSPE's salary surveys, they are pretty specific to level of responsibility and year graduated.

 

[KENAT]

I know the search function aint great, but try the google search above of this site to look for similar. I'm pretty sure there was a very similar thread a year or two ago.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

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

 

[Ron]

In "normal" economy, the bump is usually about 5 percent at best. In present economy....don't expect anything...use it to keep your job!

 

[frv]

I was recently laid off from the company with whose policies I'm familiar, but at that company you did receive a substantial raise the year you received your PE. I never discussed precise numbers with my colleagues, but I'm assuming it's in the range of 15 percent.

I think the P.E. is significantly more important in Structural than it is in other areas (perhaps civil as well) and thus Structural companies tend to reward this more than others.

 

[csd72]

I am employed based on the agreement that I will get chertered therefore I would not expect a raise when I achieve that.

In the US however, if you are a PE you take reponsibility for the jobs you sign off. More responsibility should equal more pay otherwise what is the point of getting the PE.

 

[frv]

That's exactly the thinking behind it.

Additionally, as soon as you become licensed you become much more marketable, meaning that you could easily (maybe not so easily in today's market ) bolt for another company that wanted you just because you have a PE.

It's in the best interest of the company that you're working for to give you a raise upon getting licensed.

 

[KaBone]

I am one who passed the October exam. Everybody (outside of my company) keeps asking me if that means I'm getting a raise. I suppose that means I'm supposed to. However, in this economy companies may prefer to stockpile the cash. My boss did manage to get me a small bonus and a new title (Senior Project Engineer), and put in for a raise for me; still pending, not holding my breath. A raise is justifiable even though you may not sign off on a lot of drawings because your billable rate just went up. How could a company bill you out at 30% more and not give you your cut? That being wrote, don't expect a 30% raise because then your income would be flat for the next 5 years. Personally, I expect a 6% year over year increase over the next 5 years accounting for inflation.

 

[csd72]

Yes it needs to be considered that the estate of the economy may stifle their ability to pay you more, but if most of your work is charged by the hour and they are getting 30% more then they have no excuse not to give you some sort of raise.

That said, you dont want to be the squeeky hinge that ends up getting removed and replaced. What I mean is, even though you deserve it, you may find that it is not worth fighting for at the moment. Only you can tell.

 

[bacon4life]

We typically get moved up to a new title & maximum payscale, along with a 5% raise.

 

[B16A2]

I got an extra 15k/yr total for SEI & SEII and 1k extra for LEED AP

If your firm values you, then they should increase your salary to keep you. The cost of searching for a licensed engineer is well worth the extra salary. SE's are in demand across the midwest...I have three standing job offers right now. Everyone is talking doom and gloom, but I just don't see it unless you're an undergrad with 1yr experience, or have pigenholed yourself into a particular niche market that has evaporated.

 

[UcfSE]

4% for first PE. B16A2 sounds about right.

 

[bradpa77]

Last review (about a year ago) I asked about getting bumped up to Engineer 4. He said that he'd think about it for next year and he'd especially consider it if I ended up passing the PE exam. I just got my PE in the fall and my review is coming up next month. We'll see what happens. It looks like the PE license is going to be an extra incentive for my boss to bump me up a level but I won't get any official salary increase for having the PE. Of course, who knows, I might have been offered Engineer 4 this next review anyway without the PE. So it's tough to say. I've noticed that it's a big plus during my job search right now though. So it counts for something. It does make you more marketable so I think it should come with at least a slight increase in salary. Oh yeah, and my company paid for my PE prep class and exam fees, so I guess that's a bit of a bonus for passing as well. I'll try to remember to update this post after my review next month.

 

[controlnovice]

$250 one time bonus for getting my PE.

So I left for a company who was looking for a PE and received a 15% raise (essentially).

______________________________________________________________________________
This is normally the space where people post something insightful.

 

[Lion06]

B16-

You are in grad school right now, right? How many years experience do you have?

 

[DRWeig]

All I got was a hearty handclasp and permission to work sixty hours per week instead of fifty.

It wasn't long before I cashed in by seeking employment elsewhere, at which point the PE probably added $20K to the offers -- in Tennessee, circa 1985.

Good on y'all,

Goober Dave

 

[bradpa77]

To quote myself from an earlier post ....

Last review (about a year ago) I asked about getting bumped up to Engineer 4. He said that he'd think about it for next year and he'd especially consider it if I ended up passing the PE exam. I just got my PE in the fall and my review is coming up next month. We'll see what happens ...

Update: I just got my review and raise. No Engineer 4 promotion. 3.5% raise. Times really are tough. At least I still have my job. I really felt like the PE would give me a shoe in for the Engineer 4. I guess not. I got my PE this year and this raise ties for my worst raise in my 7 years of engineering.

 

[jay156]

I got my PE on the October 2007 exam. The company I was working for had a standard pay raise for passing any licensure exam (EIT, PE, SEI, SEII...) of $1200 per year. (Retarded, I know). And, at the pay they were giving me, that amounted to about a 2% raise, which really fried me. (This was back before the economy tanked). The pay was already lower than what I had been making at the previous job, (Had to quit because we moved), so now I was making the same amount as I had as an EIT at the previous job.

I was just generally unhappy there. So, I put my resume out and found a great job doing pretty much the same thing, but with a 30% pay increase. The PE really did make a difference in my marketability, and luckily, I got out of there just before everything went downhill with the economy.

My advice is if you're unhappy with the place you're at, get out of there. You worked loooong and hard for your degree and your license, you shouldn't have to put up with sh** like pay raises that are more an insult than an incentive. The economy may be bad, but a PE license isn't something every Tom, Dick and Harry has. It's not like you're trying to find a job digging ditches. Someone will be interested.