What to do

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Hello all, I am going to graduate in the spring with a masters in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and a bachelor degree in architecture as well. It has been a rough five years of school and life, yet I am pround in myself to have less then $10k in college debt and obtaining three degrees!</p>

<p>I know it seems like a lot of degrees, yet majority of people I ask say that their are only four main cores in engineering. Civil, mechanical, chemical, and electrical. I figured cover at least half the list and I should be able to find a career! </p>

<p>Some background, I currently work at an enviromental engineering firm as a special inspector for five years while attending college. The owner offered me to stay, yet as an engineer with a $50k salary. Hence the reasoning behind this post! From a early child I wanted to be an engineer and open up my own firm, yet in the mean time I am working towards obtaining my PE license and gaining possibly more experience so I have to work for someone else in the mean time. Now from asking around that salary is low as quite a few people I know and talked to get salaries right out of college for $60k a year. That is with little to no experience as well I might add. I know paid time off and other things influence your salary, yet to me $50k seems like a low blow! So I am wirting this and maybe someone can help me out with a counter offer or should I look some where else? </p>

<p>I think I answered my own questions as to me enviromental engineering stinks, they do not do much besides write the report and calculate a few things out based on the testing results. I was aming for a sturctual engineer, yet the salaries their even seem low as well with some people making $35k-50k a year starting out. I was hoping and sort of planing on making $65-70k a year right out of college with the hopes of breaking the six figure mark or close to it once I get my PE, I know it may seem high, yet I have five years of experience in the construction field, fluent in autocad, dabble in real estate(have my realators license), and I feel quite a bit of experience as a engineer. I do some side work for engineers currently to help get my foot in the door. Doing small add ons, tenant improvements, desiging/building homes, roadways, and some sewer work as well. They over look everything and tell me were I can improve on or what to do differently. I am grateful towards those individuals that do this for me. As it really benefits me over a person with no experience at all I feel.</p>

<p>With my background and experience am I asking to much for a graduate? I am just at a lost currently and feel like I just got hit my a train with the current salary results. Two to three years ago it seemed like everyone was making $60k right out of college. I know the construction market was hit hard, that is why I got as many degrees as possible to be so diverse. I am thinking of going back and obtaining my bachelor chemical engineering degree or working towards my doctorate degree in anesthesiologist, what is another three years? LOL.</p>

<p>PS, I currently live in southern Nevada and looking to stay here or move to southern California once I graduate. I know demogeographic arears play a role in salaries and such.</p>

<p>Thank you for the help, advice, comments, and such!</p>

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<p>This is in California dollars, but I know many recent engineering and/or computer grads who walked straight into 70k per year. That’s with 1 bachelors degree and maybe an internship.</p>

<p>It’s a touchy subject since a lot of people can’t find a job even for 30k/yr in this economy but still, with 2 MS.Eng + a bachelors in architecture + experience, even a realtors license thrown on top, 50k borders on insulting (unless it’s a super laid back job where you never go over 40 hours per week). I would really shop around elsewhere.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the response! See I knew these salaries did exist with no experience in my location! </p>

<p>Some background on the firm, it has been in business for 20 years(mainly because of connections) and has five PE engineers. Yet, the owner and manager do not do much besides make proposals and watch after others. The firm on average makes $3-5million a year and offers one and a half week paid vacation, you pay for benefits. We have two engineer’s that makes $50k a year and one has 15 year experience the other 5 years, yet they are not the brightest. I am figuring/thinking the third engineer makes roughly $60k a year as he has his head on his shoulders and knows what he is talking about. The manager engineer I want to say makes maybe $70-80k a year, yet has been with the company since the start. It is not a laid back company, they always get 40 hours when we are slow and when we get busy they work 50 hours or more. Plus, the firm seems to wait until the last minute to do things. They tackle one or two large projects a year as in a park or building a new school, mostly residential work and improvements.</p>

<p>This company I feels takes advantage of you, as they had/have the highest billing rates for a few years and the lowest pay in our field. Other inspectors are making $5 more per hour. I think and feel after looking around I possibly will be able to find a firm with making $70k a year if not more.</p>

<p>After looking on craigslist seems like other firms are starting out at $70-90k with minimum three year experience. I will send them my resume and see what they say.</p>

<p>More comments, suggestions, and helpful insight is welcome!</p>

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<p>It sounds like you’re getting hosed. Might be time to start looking around under the radar to see if you can find another job to switch into.</p>

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<p>Huh? You mean Anesthesiologist Assistant, right? Because to be an Anesthesiologist is 4 years of Med school then 3-4 more years of residency…</p>

<p>But yeah, AA’s make bank too, well in the states they are allowed to work, still they do make well into the six figures.</p>