If you're open to it, I'd look into some other locations such as Canada - Alberta specifically. Look into the oil and gas industry

In the past 2 months I have placed 2 senior mechanical engineers into a Project Manager position making $292k and a Lead Engineering role at $254k. Also, 2 junior/intermediate MEs (2-3 years experience) into positions at $75/hr or $156k annually.

Just because you don't have chemical knowledge doesn't mean you can't design the various pumps, turbines, etc etc that are used in the processes. And it actually is pretty interesting to deal with the amount of problem solving needed to adapt old designs to different climates, create completely new designs, or any number of other functions in the mechanical groups.

 

Holy cow - senior project engineers making $250K?!?! That's retarded (in a good way)! Are those permanent placements or contract work?

We need to talk again.

 

I'm always around!

Those individuals are contract (because they preferred to be). In Canada when you get to pay ranges of $75k+ annually (often below that as well) there are big benefits to contract pay because you experience income taxation in the range of about 20% as opposed to 38-40% on a permanent basis. The federal tax deductions that go along with being an independent contractor (Sole Proprietorship or Incorporated) really make a hefty difference.

I didn't make a ton of money last year but my deductions as a result of being semi-commission based resulted in about $4k worth on my tax refund. Even though I financed my car I still experience basically equivalent deductions as those who lease theirs (which is a common misconception).


For engineers I would say always leave the door open to contract work, though "contract" does not have the same meaning it did just a few years ago. Previously people associated contracts with instability and job insecurity. That's not the case (in Canada especially) anymore. We have contractors who have been working through us for over 2 years with no desire to become permanent employees with our clients. They experience the same stability and treatment within the organization as permanent employees, with the exception of no paid vacations, no included benefits, no pension, and often no involvement in stock incentives and such. This is compensated for in other ways.

To the OP if you're comfortable with some travel or relocation for a period, do some research and check out the hot industries these days. Go directly to the hiring companies and do some research. You'd be surprised how many direct management contact names you can get by doing some research on corporate websites, annual industry conference agendas, and other places that people don't always look.

 

The 55k is pretty low for west coast and nothing for the tarsands. But don't forget about canuckian taxes and the joys of -30c...

 

Hey now, We've had well above freezing temps here for most of the past month! Not 2 consecutive days have gone by where I haven't been top down.

Calgary is the design city, Edmonton is the manufacturing city, and Northern Alberta (Fort McMurray, etc) is where the drilling and pipelines are.

You are damn right about the taxes, hence the reasoning behind working on contract. Plus, there is no provincial sales taxation, just 5% federal on items you buy. That helps.

 

I have a ME friend who does commercial HVAC for Seimens. Good pay & benefits, very poor hours (very early mornings).

Being in the aerospace field as an EE, I work with a lot of MEs that also deal havily in the electrical (power) side.

I'm a 'contractor' (not independent, I work directly for a consulting firm) and have been contracted with my current corporation for almost 2.5 years on three seperate projects. My company gives me paid vacation, benefits, retirement fund. I also make more than direct employees, yet cost less to the corporation, which is why they higher contractors in the first place.

 

wow nice nice.. more engineers??

 

3rd year mechy here, starting my 4th year in a few months

I've had a couple internships but I can't really comment on pay as it was only full time over summer break.

 

Assembly. Design is not for me. I want to be where the action is slamming parts together. Sitting at a CAD terminal all day is my idea of hell.

 

hopefully useful advise from the perspective of somebody who started working not long ago:
[soapbox]
when you start to take job offers, look into the standard of living of the area (and the average home cost), especially if you plan to stay for more than your first few years. you can find all that info online in minutes, but it will probably have more effect than the 10% salary difference between offers that will be spinning around in your head.

the housing market is in flux, especially on the coasts, so do some research before you make a large home purchase, as you can easily gain or lose a year's salary if the market turns, or you can rent if you prefer to avoid it. also, if you aren't married, your wife will most likely come from wherever it is you go (statistically speaking only, but i've become a statistic), and the girls in new york are different from the girls in texas.

and think about big company vs small company, as each has its own benefits.
[/soapbox]
=========================================

and to show off a bit, here's the DARPA project i work on:

it's capable of vertical takeoff and landing as any helicopter, but it doesnt use a transmission; it has jets at the blade tips and we run fuel and hot air through the whole aircraft. (it's a neat project.) i'm responsible for the hub and mast structural analysis and related redesign efforts. i've also done some frequency/vibration and thermal analysis--it's a small company. recently my boss quit, so now i'm doing the work of the senior stress analyst too--bearings and such make load paths a bit more interesting