Stay or Go?

[swivel63]

Let me preface it by saying i love my job and my office. the responsibility and freedom for someone at my age is probably somewhat abnormal, and i love the fact that my boss is almost "giving me the keys" to handling a semi large building project (25 stories) by myself (i.e. design, management, coordination, ect.) with very little supervision. on top of the fact that being a good engineer (a thinking man) is held in higher regard than how fast you can do a model in ETABS or whatever the hell program y'all use. i'm not sure about other offices, but the learning environment is very important to me, considering that i'm still only 3.5 years out of grad school....i haven't really seen anything yet.

i was recently in another city for an interview, but for just to listen to what they were talking about. wasn't really interested in their work, as it is small buildings like strip malls and restaurants...nothing really exciting.

down the hall from this firm was another office similar to mine...but it was a branch office of one of the more well known firms in the country. their work is incredibly exciting...huge (500 ft to 2000 ft) towers all over the world.

i already told both firms that i won't be leaving until i have my PE well in hand and that my current project is well underway and transitioned to another engineer.

my question is this, i'll be recieving the results (and Lord willing i pass), what percent raise should i be expecting just for passing the PE (structural 1), and what percent raise should i be looking for just to be lured away from my current employer?

 

[DaveVikingPE]

"love my job and my office"

Stay there until they tell you to leave.

"hat percent raise should i be expecting just for passing the PE (structural 1), and what percent raise should i be looking for just to be lured away from my current employer"

At least 20% more than you currently make.

Caveat emptor.

 

[swivel63]

yea, but the only thing keeping me in the city is the office and the company. the perfect scenario is my office in the city where i want to live. but that won't happen....sooooooo....something has to give.

 

[kchayfie]

You're the only one who knows which is more important to you. Bear in mind that the job you get in the city you want to live in might be nowhere near as good as the one you have now; you can never tell just from the type of work that they do - you might not fit with the culture of that business. You have to decide which is worth more - living in a city you love doing a crappy job or doing a job you love in a place you wouldn't choose for any other reason. And then decide if its worth taking the gamble to find out what the other job is like. The $$$ should only be a minor factor in the decision making process

(unless being rich is the most important factor in your life. In which case, why the heck are you an engineer?!)

 

[swivel63]

lol, you're very right. my mentor says that the brain cells for moment diagrams are the same ones for making money.

but yea, the reason i ask about the money is because i don't have much experience in negotiations considering that this is still my first job out of college. my boss keeps up with national trends and is very generous during bonus time. plus the fact that i get to learn from someone of his experience and repute is the reason i've stuck around for so long.

but i thinking it's getting that time to move on, so i just need to know what i have to look for and ask for when in negotiations. i just got an offer from the firm i interviewed with, but i turned it down because IMO it wasn't enough for me to leave and i career goals didn't match their company profile. basically i just did it to get some interview experience considering i haven't done it in about 4 years.

 

[Beggar]

I don't believe in interviewing just for the heck of it. If you like your job, stay with it. If you're dissatisfied for one reason or another, look to move.

You said some things that seem incongruous to me:

I'm only 3.5 years out of grad school

This is still my first job out of college

...the reason I've stuck around for so long

Do you really think that 3.5 years at any job, let alone your very first one, constitutes "sticking around for so long?"

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting but if not, I would challenge that mindset.

You say your boss is a great guy and a good engineer. You say he's generous. You say you're getting opportunities that you wouldn't get elsewhere.

It sounds like you're in a great situation. Don't muck it up by interviewing for other jobs that you're not even really interested in.

Regarding your question, I think it's probably highly dependent on your location and the profitability of your firm. See if you can talk to some local structural guys to get an idea of what seems reasonable to them.

If your boss is as tuned in and generous as you think, he'll probably offer you what is fair and you should approach negotiation attempts with caution.

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How much do YOU owe?

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

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[swivel63]

granted, it's not that long per se...but i've been there longer than i orignally thought i was going to be. and considering some of my peers that i went to school with, jumping ship seems to be a relatively common occurance.

in regards to the interview, i went up there, just to listen. if anything to justify myself, and find out what the industry norm is. while i already declined the offer, they were already talking about bumping it up to make it a little nicer to me. either way, i'll still say no....but the other firm....that would require a little more thought process and mulling over. while my company is great, like i said....it's not the location i would want.

the 20 percent seemed somewhat reasonable (to just get the PE) from what i was told around the industry...because having the PE is required and looked highly upon. but now, i'm wrestling with seeing how much an increase would be just to move on, PE not included.

 

[Beggar]

The one advantage to what you're doing is that, if handled properly, you may end up with offers in the future when you *are* ready to jump.

It's happened to me and to a couple of colleagues.

My experience says that it's virtually certain that you'll make much more by changing jobs several times than you would if you stayed put.

My experience also says that there's much more to being happy than how much you're earning. One of the biggies for me is just what you mention: Location.

I've been out of work for over three months now and I'm considering a career change rather than considering a move to another location.

--------------------
How much do YOU owe?

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

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[whyun]

In a structural company with many licensed PE's (or SE's for that matter), having another new PE does not add much value. Companies usually give merit increases for obtaining a PE but usually not 20%, unless you were severely underpaid from the start. I would expect two or three steps of regular salary increase for getting the PE at your current firm. You can easily get 20%+ if you move.

If I were you, I'd stay until I feel unhappy. There may be other firms in the new city that do the types of project you desire but, in my opinion, real bread and butter of structural engineering is the mid to lowrise.