Where does the top Mechanical Engineering talent in the US work?

[noimagination]

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And the question was answered: the star engineers, whether at Apple, Deere, or anywhere else, should be receiving star pay.

No, sakky. I did not ask how engineers at John Deere or Apple should be compensated relative to investment bankers, or anesthesiologists, or Subway Sandwich Artists. For as long as I have been a part of this forum - over three years now - you have tirelessly argued that engineers ought to be compensated according to “the value they provide to the world.” But it is clear that not all engineers perform the same tasks. I am asking you: does an electrical engineer at Apple or John Deere provide more ‘value’ to the world? And how much of a salary difference should exist based on this disparity?

But what they should be crying about is why engineering firms refuse to pay salaries in accordance with the consulting and banking firms.

Why? Compare the number of investment bankers and management consultants to the number of engineers. Clearly, you cannot redistribute those earnings in a fashion that would have more than a few engineers earning those top wages. Why should the rest of us care?

So? The competition for top-tier engineering positions at, say, Apple are highly competitive as well. But even the most competitive engineering position won’t pay anywhere near as much as will the top consulting and banking firms, and it’s entirely appropriate to ask why.

Only 1% of a population can be in the top 1%. Certainly, jobs at Apple are competitive. But one need not get a job at Apple to have an income well above the national average as an engineer.</p>