Should I expect at least a cost of living raise 8

[redbridge]

I work (I have been there for about 1.5 years)for a small company and last year I got a really good evaluation but only a 1.8% raise. He said he had a bad year so I didn't think much of it. But since then me and another engineer have started quizzing him about the future. He made the comment that if he gave us 3 to 4% raises every year then in 10 years we would be making $100,000 and he also claimed the inflation rate last year was negitive 1.5% (deflation) which I know isn't true. What type of raises do you typically get? Would you consider a raise less than the cost of living a deduction in salary? I am currently looking for another job. I am expecting that advice from some of you. Thanks for any input.

 

[mechengdude]

You are correct. Inflation was not -1.5%. According to the U.S. government data it was 3.2%. ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt

If your boss admits to being O.K. with continual 3 - 4% raises you should find a new job.

On the positive side, at least your boss was honest. He has the same mentality as many companies. You will find many posts one this web site about people having to leave a job to get a decent raise. The philosophy of why companies do this would be a good topic for discussion.

 

[sms]

johnsmith2, Texas is a big big state. 56K may be ok in some parts of Texas. For a 10 year guy it would be low in Houston..



-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades! B-)

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

 

[swearingen]

The new CE News Salary Survey is out (

http://www.cenews.com/article.asp?id=1844)

and for 10-15 year folks, Q1 is $68.9k, the median is $79.5k, and Q3 is $92.3k. The Public sector Q1 is $62.5k.

For the structural engineering survey (

http://www.gostructural.com/article.asp?id=1817),

they broke out salaries by state and you can see how you compare by location (scroll down the page).

If your salary is as you say, you must be somewhere in the midwest to be competitive. As you can see, Texas is doing quite well - well above your figures.

As for raise percentages, these surveys show a median of 5%.



If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS

 

[eliebl]

To see what north of the border offer go to

http://www.apegga.org/Members/Publications/salarysurvey.html

and you can see the salaries related to all of the oilsands activities. Remember that these dollars are CDN which in the last 10 years has been anywhere from $0.65 to $0.94 ($0.95 today) to the US dollar.

 

[redbridge]

I am located in Kentucky.

 

[wbd]

I feel your pain. My last 2 years raises have been around 1.6%. I did start looking and did find some other jobs that would pay more, have a COLA built in and merit raises. At least there I would be able to stay status quo.
However, family issues came up and we were unable to relocate. There is nothing local in my area.
What I am doing in the meantime is trying to do extra work on the side, for both income and resume building, and next opportunity will be in two years when youngest is out of high school.
I am an EE (Power) with a PE working for a utility with 25 yrs experience.

 

[rtmote]

Move to Calgary!
Be mobile, be independent, finish projects and move. 10 yrs will get you great experiences elsewhere. Don't wait ten years, you may not have it.

I was always laid off by american companies despite my hardest efforts to be retained as I approached 5 years experience. Now I work for another american company in Canada...sigh.... but they have to pay me megabucks, and they're happy and I love my job.

Enjoy the future, keep the wind in your hair.

 

[MortenA]

Lburg

I think hes dodging the issue. BTW have you done the math yourself on hes claim that "He made the comment that if he gave us 3 to 4% raises every year then in 10 years we would be making $100,000"? Well if you get 4% for 10 year the total "interest" is 48% increase. This mean that 10 year ago you should have made 67,556 in order to get 100,000 pr year today. Besides as it has been said before: Engineering experience adds value to your work by the year (or your cheating your self).

Best regards

Morten

 

[csd72]

Start up your own consulting firm and put the @#$%& out of business!