<p>I am a mechanical engineer and I work in a power plant. Right now I am managing a full turbine overhaul for an upcoming outage. I like the work but at the end of the day I am not content with the salary. I get 54k per year (after working 18 months with the company) but last year I made 65k with overtime. Good money for a 24 year old but considering the hours that engineers have to work and the pressure from management, it doesn’t seem like much. Being an engineer doesn’t carry much prestige for me, probably because management doesn’t like to listen to the advice of engineers. Usually engineers have to be more concerned about budget than with fixing problems and that is hard to do with aging power plants.</p>
<p>In regards to money, I couldn’t imagine making less than 54k and I can barely afford what I want with that. After rent, car payments (2006 Hyundai Sonata LX), utility bills, school loans, gasoline (for the next 18 months I am driving 55 miles one-way to work until my next transfer), and some other membership fees, I only have $500 left for everything else. The school loans and gasoline costs are the major killers, but the long commutes to work are only temporary. I am also married and have a baby on the way in June. The school loans are a sore issue with me because if I had done things differently I could have had more scholarships and grants instead of 40k in loans. </p>
<p>The salaries for engineers plateau quickly with my company. Advanced Engineers, which is the 4th level of engineer, only makes in the 70k – 80k range. Not much in my opinion. One young guy quit and went to work down south for another power company. He went from making 52k to 68k just by switching companies, but I don’t know what the cost of living is where he moved to. </p>
<p>I am planning to start working on my MBA in 2009. Hopefully that degree and my project management experience will open up doors for me.</p>