While..We Are On The Salary Topic.. How Much Do You Engineers Make?
 

I know there are quite a few engineers on here, just curious how much you practicing Engineers make?

I'm a Civil Engineer with a PE and make (gross) $110K

I have been practicing for 12years now.

Yasin

Pretty good salary for to being in heavy development area slo.

$90k been practicing for 5 yrs.

I just read a census for 07' the mean salary for a 10yr CE is $65k. I'd say we are doing better.:D

Is that based on 40hrs?

@ 40hrs I have 5yrs exp with no PE (yet) and I'm at $65k. I used to work for a company that had mandatory 50hr work weeks, but we rarely saw those. I was usually working about 60-65 hrs a week. So I was making quite a bit more. I'm A LOT happier, and so is my family, that I'm only working 40hrs now. I feel like I got my life back. Money isn't everything.

Salary. Usually 45-50. Never more than 55.

An EIT making $65k is doing very well IMO. I was making $13 per hour my 1st year out.

Mechanical Eng., PE, Utility turbine eng., 9 years since graduation but I had other work experience, $95K base plus 22% bonus at 100% of goals (up from 7% last year :D).

I normally work 40 hrs, but occasionally a few to a lot more.

I was just reviewing some engineer resumes with about 5 years experience, they were asking for $70K to $90K. That seemed a bit much, but I guess demand is up.

Does a 'systems' engineer count?

One HUNDRED billion dollars!!! Mu AH hah ah aha hah

MSc Electronic Engineering. 13 years
$132k/y including 30% bonus........
....before the highest tax in the world :(

BSME in aerospace/defense. I'm just over $100k with over 20 years experience. I thought I was making all the money in the world...hmmm...maybe not.

Computer Engineer (CSE), 5 years in practice, $75K, no bonuses. Considering changing jobs soon...

It seems like engineer pay rises pretty fast the first 10 years and then starts tapering off since the better engineers would move into management and increase their pay, at least in the utility industry where I work. I got the impression around $100K base was about as much as an engineer could make at my company. I've heard industries with more R&D, reward long term, productive engineers more as their experience increases.

I don't have a college degree (started an EE 19 years ago). Right now I work in Cisco Equipment (routers, switches, firewalls, etc...). I'm not an engineer, but the best job description for me is 'Network Engineer'. Back in 2000-2001 with a years experience and before the dot com crash I was making 85k-->92k. After the crash, I dropped to 50k and now, including a yearly bonus, I'm back up to about 80k. I have a buddy with similar experience (a tad less) that just got a job making $45/hr contract.

arnold just gave us a killer raise. this young "kid" that i am training is getting 57k per year. one year experience, just an EIT. we get the best of both worlds; we get paid salary, but any OT we work gets paid at x1.5. i bet he hits 80k this year. rockin, considering he didnt know jackS, 12 months ago.

i am a PE, and i do lots better. (anybody on the internet can look up a california engineer's salary)

All I can say is that an associate degree mechanical engineer in Ohio with lots of experience in automation makes much less than some of you guys! Good thing my house is paid off and I like fiddling with old used German cars! ;)

I make under 60, but I do have a side business that adds to the coffers.

The company I have worked for 16 yrs for may soon go under, so I guess I will have to take a less comfy job or start working full time at home.....kind of scary with one daughter starting college in the fall and a second is one year away! :(

One thing is for sure, I WILL NOT move and being debt free, I can get by driving a truck or swinging a hammer if I have to.

six figures not counting bonus.
it is not a 40 hour week job. The average is closer to 50, but I get 4 weeks a year vacation. Did I mention that I will be able to retire when I'm 55 with more discretionary income than I have now? ? :)

Our PE's(Civil) in mid career make about $70K + benefits worth +60% all for a 40 hour week and with a total of 3 weeks + 13 holidays off.

I just hired another structural engineer. He's a P.E. with a Masters and 20 years of solid experience. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to afford him since our engineers start at $75K + vehicle + benefits = about $100K (all of my engineers are experienced P.E.s). I was shocked that he was only making around $65K!

Also, a friend who owns a design-build construction company just hired a new graduate Civil Engineer with basically no experience and no P.E. license yet. Starting salary was $55K + bonus (bonus could potentially double that). Of course, that's a Project Manager's position which is about the most stressful engineering job there is.

Systems Engineer. Around $85k this year. Maybe another $5k in 'perks'.

I guess I'm not doing as bad as my wife wants me to think I am (she wants me to quit so we can move to the midwest). I'm not a PE. I'm an "Operations Research and Industrial Engineer". Been so for almost 10 years (only a B.Sc.). Mid-90's plus full health, 401k, stock, options, and bonuses that get fatter %age-wise as my pay grade goes up (about every 2 years).

Three weeks of vacation until next year, then it goes up to 4. Oh, and 2.5 years ago I took an 8-week vacation. ;)

I vary between 35 and 50 hours per week as the workload demands. Early on I busted my hump, up to about 100 hours per week, until I learned to "work smarter, not harder". Now I just make my jr. engineers do the time consuming stuff while I get the fun stuff. ;)

What does PE stand for?

<--- went back to school at age 31 for my ME degree. I have 2 more years to go. :)

Speedy:)

I'm no E or even a Chem E but I have "engineered lab control systems that integrate work flow and human interfacing in order to produce product and control data. Waas earning $65 to 70k

These effin threads are depressing.

Professional Engineer

You pay some money and take a test.

You, too, can be a home inspector!!! :D

Len, I'm willing to bet you had a lot more fun from ages 14-22 than I did.

Man...this thread has me feeling MUCH better about my salary...

well, you need some work experience under a PE first............then you pay and take the test...........then "hope and pray" for 4 months waiting for the results....

Good engineers are way underpaid and overworked. That is one of the many reasons I got out of the field....

I was a "network engineer" from '92-2001 and I made $60-$100k, straight salary and full benefits. One position (at a brokerage firm) paid at the lower salary range but I received a 50% bonus at year's end because I upgraded their WAN/LAN ahead of schedule and under budget. I never called myself an engineer because I don't have an engineering degree and I respect those who do. The title "engineer' is used too loosely these days, I think.

I feel like I'm well paid for the level of work and my age(27). My only fear is that I'm close to the ceiling.

quote: "My only fear is that I'm close to the ceiling."

You must be really tall ;)

Not likely. I made some poor decisions and I own them. I was a great student and had scholarships that I turned down to go to local college and work on the family business.

I was working 40+ and carrying a full load, it was too much and I dropped out. I was disgusted with what I was paying for (I paid for everything myself so it hit home) and figured a real world education would teach me more. I was right.....and wrong. I have no doubts that I learned
more about my business and business in general outside the classroom than I ever would have in it, but now I sit here with no parachute.
To add insult to injury, I would no doubt be making much more money than I currently am had I done virtually anything else....seriously almost anything.

Live and learn.

I am glad I started this thread...its good to get a guage on how salaries across the US and even work varies.

I used to do alot of hands-on very technical designs (structures, high pressure systems, electrical substations etc) and my Manager required me to get my PE. Currently I am in Management and no longer stamp drawings but review them from time to time. I often work 55hour weeks.

Thanks for all chiming in.

Regards - Yasin

I work for a road construction company and I am in charge of mix designs, Quality Control, ect. I don't have my PE but I have been working at the same job for 17 years. Including Bonus I made 110K last year. I also get $7500 for a car allowance and free gas, oil, tires, ect., and the other usuall benefits. The guys that work for me with around 5 years experience make 60K to 70K. The guys that work for me with a PE generally go over and work as Construction Managers or Bridge Engineers after a few years.

Not a PE, but a I'm a Certified Industrial Hygienist. I make about $140K/year. Iin my industry (Hollywood) I'm probably at the low end of annual earnings. But I also get to travel some. This year alone, New Zealand, Czech Republic (three times), London, Budapest, Paris, Vancouver, BC Canada, plus Washington, D. C., Mt. Rushmore, and several other domestic sites. Last year, a bunch of Caribbean islands for Pirates of the Caribbean 2&3. Later this year, I may be going to Malta, Vietnam, China, Jordan, and several other countries. BTW, I'm in London right now, flew in from Prague yesterday. My wife is with me on frequent flier miles. I love my job! Having my wife with me is an exceptional bonus.

Having invested many years in a career as a Computer Engineer/Electrical Engineer, I'd advise the up-and-coming to go into one of the following. These are the fields paying the big bucks.

• Lawyer
• Politician
• Lawyer
• Lobbyist
• Lawyer
• Marketing exec.
• Lawyer

…It's a little known fact that many a lawyer made a mint while Rome burned.

So what are the benefits to taking and passing the PE exam? Is there a significant bump in pay? What is the average bump between 2 engineers, everything being equal, one with PE and one without?

Speedy:)

I've had a Nuke-E degree for years...
Hence why I own a classic car restoration shop :)

-Nick

>>>you pay some money and take a test<<<

:rolleyes: The PE exam is akin to the Bar Exam for attorneys. This is not like getting a builders license where you take a 2 hour seminar and go get your license the next day.

In a nutshell:

1. Get a 4-year engineering degree from an accredited university.

2. Take the F.E. exam (8 hour exam). Subject matter: analytical geometry, integral calculus, differential equations, engineering probability, engineering economics, chemistry, statics & dynamics, strength of materials, material properties, fluid dynamics, electricity, thermodynamics, etc. - and that's just the morning session .... good luck :cool:

3. Obtain 4 years of engineering experience under the supervision of a P.E.

4. Submit a detailed application including recommendations from 3 P.E.s.

5. Take the P.E. exam (8 hour exam). This is discipline-specific and is supposed to be a practice-oriented exam. For Civil: structural, soil mechanics, foundations, hydraulics, hydrology, environmental, traffic analysis, transportation systems, etc.

6. Assuming you pass (I believe the failure rate is around 60%), you are now licensed to practice engineering in your state. If you're not licensed, you can't open your own practice and must always work under the supervision of a P.E. I believe engineers in the auto-industry are generally exempt from the requirements.

So this is an 8+ year process. The benefits? The ability to own your own practice. This is where the serious money is at (if that's important) - i.e., having other engineers work for you. Or maybe you just want to open a 1-man shop and make a comfortable living at your own pace.

The difference in pay for non-PE vs. PE? In my business, you need the PE license before I even talk to you about employment. So it's $0 vs. $100K :cool:

I PE is authorized to certify plans. That is the only difference but it is a big one. Without it you will always need someone to certify your plans which will keep you from starting your own business.

Pay is a little higher than an EIT but not much.

In some government structures being PE are recognized in levels. As you take other certification courses you become a level 1 PE, level 2 PE, etc. With each level you are given a salary increase.

Thank you for the insite. I will have this on my radar to complete once I am out of school.

Speedy:)