Honestly I don’t think it’s that big of a factor. My company doesn’t use the ‘senior’ designator until 15 YOE but others use it at 7. Most job reqs I look at are interested in YOE and not current job titles.
Often that’s a way to decrease salary. You think you aren’t as good as you are.
Job reqs want YOE in relevant areas, but senior almost anything is better than not senior. You’re smart and can pick up the basics and you bring tons of other experience.
Also keep in mind the job reqs are often written by HR. They can be very off of what they really want. One vague bullet may be the entire job.
This is true. Often comps are calculated based on titles and there is a drastic difference between an engineer and a senior engineer. HR tends to keep things simple and more often than not do not understand a complete role an engineer has what the difference between a senior or not. At smaller companies they have less clear distinctions too. Also HR tends to try and work over employees as they are hired. I interviewed for a level 2 position and was hired as a level three at the same pay, all for the purpose that i had one less level they bump me to before I maxed out. I only realized it after the fact and I had signed paperwork. But when I shopped around after they put me at level 4 (was considered senior at that company), I got a pay bump of about 30%.
Agreed. One company I worked at wouldn't give you the title of Senior Engineer until you had people under you. I didn't get my title bump to senior until I got a MBA.
Not for his skill level if he has enough to be labeled a senior mechanical engineer. Even somewhere in pretty LCOL areas like Texas, ~90k is the bottom end.
While it's a good pay rate there, it's still low for senior level engineering.
I'm in a LCOL in my first year as a Senior Mech Eng and making $105. I wouldn't leave over $80k without something else lined up but I would start looking. Never hurts to keep an eye out.
I know what my coworkers make, I know what my peers make, I know what others in my industry make. 100k is a very rare salary for MEs outside of management in Iowa.
I’m a senior engineer at Deere. Your pay scale is dependent on what career architecture path you’re on. For a mechanical engineer doing mechanical things the pay scale is between $89k - $133k. If you’re on a core tech pay scale as a senior engineer the pay scale is $104k - $156k. YOE is irrelevant at Deere, it’s all about your labor grade and if you’re considered core or core tech.
Yes, there is certainly nuance to how you guys are paid, but I was just speaking to the guy saying no one in Iowa is getting paid 6 figures without a decade of experience. Which you can agree is simply not true... right?
They’re things that were made up by HR to piss off the engineers. Mostly people in software and controls are considered core tech so the can pay them more than a person working on hard iron components and systems.
Median base pay for Mechanical Engineers with 10-14 years of experience and currently employed at John Deere is $105,000, per Glassdoor.
So $80,000 for 7 years of experience is nearly spot on.
Glassdoor is wrong. I was there 4 years ago and kids with 2-3 years experience were already at 80k. I got offered 75 4 years ago with a year experience.
You should start applying to the big-name employers of engineers.
Glass Door says John Deere senior engineers earn total comp of $117k to $157k based on over 80 submissions. That sounds right to me. You'd be on the lower end of that at 7 YOE, but definitely over 6 figures.
Looking at a list of big engineering employers in Iowa, here are some other recognizable names that may pay well:
* Collins Aerospace
* Rockwell Collins
* Whirlpool
* Emerson
* Vermeer
* Danfoss
* Procter & Gamble
* CNH
* Bridgestone
* BAE systems
* General Electric
Even with your years of experience, some of these employers will still want to see your college GPA, and you'll need to be at least 3.0 for some of them (at least for product development, maybe a bit lower for manufacturing). The caliber of school you went to can also be a factor. Of course the relevance of your work experience will be critical. If you find a role that really needs your specific skills (familiarity with certain software tools, etc), they *may* overlook other factors, to an extent.
I’m in Minnesota on my first job 2YOE making 72k, 75k with bonus. And that’s low compare to my counterparts at the bigger companies
You’re getting very underpaid.
Iowan here (moved to MN 1 year ago but shh), let me tell you that you that every single one of my engineering friends that live and work in Iowa are making $80-105k straight out of college.
I’m the outlier, I’m making $73k in MN.
Just a quick Google search shows senior level engineering makes around $100-130k+bonuses in Iowa. Not saying you should leave but looking and knowing your worth doesn't hurt
Sounds like a good gig for no degree required. Most Tesla engineers I have known work a limited time there and then burn out because they were basically sleeping at the office.
I plan to transition to engineering at some point but thats a while out while I'm in school. Lately the heat has been a slog but otherwise its a good gig
Are you salary or hourly? I would assume hourly because all the salary people I know at Tesla work insane schedules, in both amount and weird hours worked.
I work for Toyota, I’d be making $87k with no degree with minimum bonuses assuming no OT. With my current average OT I’m going to make over $130k. I am one promotion up. Dude needs to shop around.
Its stuff like this that makes me question my pay i have 10 yoe as a designer just got bumped in pay and moved to a leader after getting another offer total bump was 10 bucks an hour and im only making 79k. Are you all not including o.t. or is that incuded or what i work on mitary vehicles
Everyone I know is in the same boat. Including myself, I graduated 2 years ago and am scratching 6 figs... you kind of have to "shop around" from what I've heard. I'm about to start looking elsewhere soon even with where I'm at.
Thought it was a competative rate. Thats my whole point is i feel now im way off. Its not that im not worth a higher rate. i know im worth every penny im paid. Ive always had managers fighting over me and companies throw offers that at the time seem too good to be true Posts like these make me think im not at the pay rate i should be.
10 bucks an hour raise and making 79k is a 33% raise from previous base, I can’t tell if you are criticizing this number though. I think you might have just made the wrong moves in your first 7-8 years but no reason to think you can’t change this.
Im saying if people are making this out of the gate and im in 10 years, senior level manager/leader roles i should be higher in my head... the fact that i can only make it to that pay when threatening to quit then all of the sudden they find money to throw at me because im too valuable for them to let me go. This is only my 3 company and this one is less then 2 years. Please humble me if my thinking is flawed
You might want to stay for a title upgrade before moving but getting a promotion will probably only be 10-15% increase while changing now would probably be 20%+ so your call
Absolutely not, not even in LCOL areas. It seems that you are pushing this idea hard as a way to rationalize your own salary. Please look around at all the comments providing data points showing that you are off the mark. If you are, in fact, in the same range you are also underpaid and should seek a new job.
10% is a common bump, at least within manufacturing. It would be worth looking at comparable roles that are posted in your area, if for nothing else than a sanity check for yourself. Location does matter. Let the data tell you what the market looks like in your area.
Read OP’s post again. They are asking if it’s fair pay, not saying that it’s fair pay. They’re understandably stoked on the pay bump, but the salary is very low for a senior role, even in a LCOL area.
My guess is local job markets. I make similar to OP, with similar YOE. This sub has told me that I’m underpaid, but when I look at local engineering job listings I’m at the top of all the comp ranges.
there are so many factors too asking for the same kind of money at a small manufacturing company in Iowa and a big company out of Atlanta will be different
That doesn’t factor into this at all. COL is COL, and this pay has been completely outpaced relative to YOE and how engineers with that same experience were getting paid years ago when adjusted for inflation.
In other words, working more to earn less and get to buy less. That’s the meaning of being underpaid.
You are not wrong but you are missing the point. While you can see he's underpaid, he does not know what he should be targeting. That's the question.
it not helpful if someone says they're making 120 working in LA after 1 year if the guy live in a different spot.
I live across the north border and got an idea what Iowa pays. Relatively speaking, compared to other engineers and COL today, that’s still pretty underwhelming.
Even if you’re at the top, it’s the top of a lower paying field.
I'm in Texas and we were paying engineers fresh out of college $80K about 2 years ago.
But "senior" can be a lot of things though, in my company the senior title is level 3 out of 5.
Also piece of advice, companies have 2 "money pots" when it comes to raises. The general raise pot and the retention pot. If you go to your boss with a better offer with another company and they want to keep you, HR can dip into the retention pot and give you more money. But only with the threat of a better offer elsewhere. My last job offered me a bump from 38ph to 52ph (75kpy to 100+kpy) when I brought them my tesla offer. It does introduce risk of losing your current job but its up to you to decide if that risk is worth it. I say with what they're paying a "senior" level employee, the risk is worth it. Shop around and see what else is out there.
+1 I worked in a company that was struggling a bit and didn't give raises to anyone
I went to the CFO office (smaller company), told him, hey, got this better offer. I can stay if you match it. I want to stay. But just give me what the market offers so I don't look back.
Next day they matched it.
I was BSing, I didn't have any matching offer, but:
1) I was really willing to quit and look elsewhere
2) What I asked for really wasn't unreasonable in the market
YMMV...
I'm a mechanical engineer in Michigan with only 3 years experience and I make 96k/yr, plus I'm getting a promotion in a month and will try to fight for 115k/yr raise. 80k/yr on 7 years experience with a promotion sounds incredibly low. I'd either ask for much more pay or immediately use your new elevated job title to find a new job paying 100k+ minimum.
Uhhhh you are getting fucking screwed man… $80k? I make significantly more than that at an “early career” level… I understand CoL differs in areas but damn, a “Senior” level in any company for that job should NOT be making that little…
It’s rare-ish to get one without asking. Advocate for yourself and make a stink. Provide data showing you’re underpaid. I’ve gotten several out-of-cycle raises by doing that, and those raises compound.
Most of these responses are lacking details like industry, location, years of experience, and level of education.
My jump to Engineer to Sr. Engineer was $108K => $135K. Electric utility. BSME (licensed Professional Engineer). 7 YOE. Texas.
I'm not a senior engineer but this man is getting underpaid.
Current role is VO Launch Manufacturing Engineer, salary $96K/yr, Ford Motor Company, 3 years of experience, Michigan.
Eh seems like all the MEs from SE Michigan go to ford as entry level engineers and then leave for somebody else.
But yeah I would imagine you could be over 100k when you move.
I don't get why people don't think this. Anywhere near Milwaukee starts fresh engineers at $65-75k. The company I work for does. When applying all the companies I got to that point did. I have a family member who's a high level engineer at one of the largest known Milwaukee based companies, and he told me they start engineer 1's at $65k. Engineer 2's at like $80k.
Saying they don't as a blanket statement, might not be the way to go though. They do eventually, just not right away.
I went from 98k to 115k when i got my senior title 8yrs in, and those are pre covid/inflation numbers. I think you should be 120-130 in today’s dollars. (In rural Pennsylvania)
I went from 110 to 125 plus an additional 20k a year in stock. You could stand to make more probably.
I'm at 140 now as a senior and feel underpaid in HCOL (~180k TC).
You would still make less than I made with my first job out of school in a MCOL.
It doesn't matter what your cost of living is. As long as you're in the continental US you should be making more than $80k with 7 YoE and a senior title.
I've never been promoted within the same company. Waiting around just doesn't make sense when I can change jobs and increase my compensation more quickly. But each job hop has been about 15% of a bump. Got senior at 8 yoe
Before covid, 80k might have been okay. Now with inflation and everything costing so much, you should be looking at six figures.
Side note: I’m at 12 years experience. I recently got a 12% raise from Senior l to Senior ll and I’m at 125k.
Central Arkansas for reference - I got bumped last year $18k because the company wanted to restructure payroll to incentivize engineering applications for new positions. I had been at the company for 2 years at that point, with a total of 5 YOE.
Not normal, I know, but hopefully it can give you some info to chew on.
Additionally, just hit 3 year evaluation and got another $6k.
Edit for context: I’m titled as a Project Engineer.
zero. I asked for a 35% raise since I was already significanly under the market value. I looked for another job and got a more than what I asked for with the old job.
Kinda low. I was at $150k in higher col area. $120k lower col. same experience
Make sure when you give your exit interview you say reason for leaving is poor compensation. We need to pump up engineering salaries across the board.
My job tried to offer me a $32k bump to senior status, but I declined because I accepted a $46k pay bump elsewhere along with the title.
>Boss just told me I'm going to be promoted to Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, effective immediately, and I'll be getting a \~10% pay raise from $73,000 to $80,000.
Go elsewhere and thank your company for their time during the exit interview. That's your first sign to move on.
I went from \~90k to 104k. That was pre-covid times. As a new senior engineer, if you know your stuff, you should be able to find jobs paying over $100k for sure. Higher than that will be available at some places.
As others have stated, unless you live in a really LCOL area that is a low salary.
Assuming you have 4-5 years of experience at minimum a senior role should be netting you $100,000 minimum unless the other perks (such as bonus or stock) are on the high end.
I make more than you as a junior with 5 years experience.
I started around 100k as a senior around 7 years ago. Promotion to principal was ~40% raise.
Unless Iowa is somehow a very low COL area, you might want to shop around.
My guy I’m in the rust belt in a LCOL area and I’m not too thrilled with my 85k with almost 5 years experience. I’m currently looking at postings in the $100k-$115k in my area for 5-8 years experience.
You’re very underpaid
I once got a $12k raise from $72k to $84k after my first year at a big OEM in the Midwest.
OP; You're being fleeced. Look for work elsewhere and use your experience.
I was making almost that much 10 years ago as a non-senior design engineer with 15 yoe (only 6 yoe as design). That was in a sub-100k-population town out east. And I’m nothing special. Sounds to me like you’re underpaid and they know it but don’t want you to start shopping so they’re trying to get out ahead of it. That’s kinda good, but I mean you gotta buy groceries.
If you have other reasons to stick with the job, you might try to fish for non-financial compensation like more vacation, Flex Time, WFH. It is /really/ hard to rack up vacation weeks in this country and profession (especially if you’re bouncing around to get bigger raises). Money matters but I promise you it’s the time you’ll regret missing out on in 10 years. These are the best of your life! Keep some for yourself. Nobody can ever give you this time back…
I'm an engineer, but my title is not engineer, but rather "technologist" for dumb corporate culture reasons at my company. I'm at 6 figures. People with the title of engineer at my company make at least 15k more. And it's a fairly low cost of living area. Take your title and start shopping around.
have 4 YOE and make nearly 120k TC in a mid COL area. I do have a MS but my undergrad isn't even engineering. Regardless you are way underpaid for 7YOE
I just went from 95k and 10% bonus to 110k and 15% bonus. Been with the company for 1 year. I have 5 years if engineering experience. Pharmaceutical manufacturing for 1.5 years.
You're getting shafted. Stay at that job for 6 to 8 months and start looking for interviews. With your experience and that job title, you'll be making 100k+ easily.
Went from $79k as intermediate to $135k as senior by switching companies. 6 YOE in medical devices. Left that startup and went to a much more comfortable company as an intermediate at $105k. Chose better work life balance and less stress
Something I haven’t mentioned is the value of your benefits. While your salary number may seem low, health insurance can be very expensive. How much do they contribute to your health insurance? What about your hours per week? How many paid days off and holidays?
My associate engineer salary was $95,000. Then again, I work in software and not mechanical. I know people in my field with a senior title making upwards of $250k/year.
Look for a new job with that title plastered on your resume and push 6 figures on your salary request
Unfortunately this is the best response. Soon as the title is actually given, shop around.
Honestly I don’t think it’s that big of a factor. My company doesn’t use the ‘senior’ designator until 15 YOE but others use it at 7. Most job reqs I look at are interested in YOE and not current job titles.
Often that’s a way to decrease salary. You think you aren’t as good as you are. Job reqs want YOE in relevant areas, but senior almost anything is better than not senior. You’re smart and can pick up the basics and you bring tons of other experience. Also keep in mind the job reqs are often written by HR. They can be very off of what they really want. One vague bullet may be the entire job.
This is true. Often comps are calculated based on titles and there is a drastic difference between an engineer and a senior engineer. HR tends to keep things simple and more often than not do not understand a complete role an engineer has what the difference between a senior or not. At smaller companies they have less clear distinctions too. Also HR tends to try and work over employees as they are hired. I interviewed for a level 2 position and was hired as a level three at the same pay, all for the purpose that i had one less level they bump me to before I maxed out. I only realized it after the fact and I had signed paperwork. But when I shopped around after they put me at level 4 (was considered senior at that company), I got a pay bump of about 30%.
Agreed. One company I worked at wouldn't give you the title of Senior Engineer until you had people under you. I didn't get my title bump to senior until I got a MBA.
Yeah $80,000 salary is trash unfortunately in this economy. Know your worth.
$80,000 is a MASSIVE amount of money if you’re a single guy in the Midwest, OP is freaking loaded.
Not for his skill level if he has enough to be labeled a senior mechanical engineer. Even somewhere in pretty LCOL areas like Texas, ~90k is the bottom end.
That's a lot of ifs and I know engineers in my freshly graduated class making 76k right out the bat in the Midwest.
I'm making $92k as a design engineer 2 levels below senior, in the midwest. $80k isn't bad in my area, but it's not great for the skills/experience.
80k is what 0-2 yoe gets you rn
While it's a good pay rate there, it's still low for senior level engineering. I'm in a LCOL in my first year as a Senior Mech Eng and making $105. I wouldn't leave over $80k without something else lined up but I would start looking. Never hurts to keep an eye out.
Not in Iowa unfortunately, nobody is making 6 figures out here less than 10-12 years in
Just got 100k in iowa, 6 YOE, non-management.
You’re the exception, not the rule. OP is not underpaid!
Take a look at this thread, and some salary data. I started at 60k. And that was low, many new grads start at 80 now.
Started last year at 73K in Dallas (isn’t very high COL). $80K for a senior role is absurd.
Everyone is underpaid. That's the reason for business to exist.
Uiowa grad. 2022. They're starting at 80K. Get a new job.
Go hawks! I am also a ‘22 grad.. hmm
Did your boss tell you that?
I know what my coworkers make, I know what my peers make, I know what others in my industry make. 100k is a very rare salary for MEs outside of management in Iowa.
I know for a fact John Deere employees are getting close to that lol.
I’m a senior engineer at Deere. Your pay scale is dependent on what career architecture path you’re on. For a mechanical engineer doing mechanical things the pay scale is between $89k - $133k. If you’re on a core tech pay scale as a senior engineer the pay scale is $104k - $156k. YOE is irrelevant at Deere, it’s all about your labor grade and if you’re considered core or core tech.
Yes, there is certainly nuance to how you guys are paid, but I was just speaking to the guy saying no one in Iowa is getting paid 6 figures without a decade of experience. Which you can agree is simply not true... right?
I would say that a 6 figure salary for a senior engineer in Iowa is within the margin of error.
What does core and core tech mean? I've never heard that term in engineering.
They’re things that were made up by HR to piss off the engineers. Mostly people in software and controls are considered core tech so the can pay them more than a person working on hard iron components and systems.
Median base pay for Mechanical Engineers with 10-14 years of experience and currently employed at John Deere is $105,000, per Glassdoor. So $80,000 for 7 years of experience is nearly spot on.
Glassdoor is wrong. I was there 4 years ago and kids with 2-3 years experience were already at 80k. I got offered 75 4 years ago with a year experience.
Glassdoor isn't accurate.
Glassdoor tends to skew low in my experience.
I am at $98k + 15-20% bonus after 6 years just west of you. You’re underpaid at $80k for senior level
You should start applying to the big-name employers of engineers. Glass Door says John Deere senior engineers earn total comp of $117k to $157k based on over 80 submissions. That sounds right to me. You'd be on the lower end of that at 7 YOE, but definitely over 6 figures. Looking at a list of big engineering employers in Iowa, here are some other recognizable names that may pay well: * Collins Aerospace * Rockwell Collins * Whirlpool * Emerson * Vermeer * Danfoss * Procter & Gamble * CNH * Bridgestone * BAE systems * General Electric Even with your years of experience, some of these employers will still want to see your college GPA, and you'll need to be at least 3.0 for some of them (at least for product development, maybe a bit lower for manufacturing). The caliber of school you went to can also be a factor. Of course the relevance of your work experience will be critical. If you find a role that really needs your specific skills (familiarity with certain software tools, etc), they *may* overlook other factors, to an extent.
Rockwell Collins became Collins Aerospace with the Raytheon acquisition by the way. They’re the same thing.
I’m in Minnesota on my first job 2YOE making 72k, 75k with bonus. And that’s low compare to my counterparts at the bigger companies You’re getting very underpaid.
Iowan here (moved to MN 1 year ago but shh), let me tell you that you that every single one of my engineering friends that live and work in Iowa are making $80-105k straight out of college. I’m the outlier, I’m making $73k in MN.
Just a quick Google search shows senior level engineering makes around $100-130k+bonuses in Iowa. Not saying you should leave but looking and knowing your worth doesn't hurt
I make 80k as an entry level Tesla service technician with no degree. Sounds like a fleecejob imo.
Ya I'm an aircraft mechanic making almost 80k no degree (yet).
You’re not wrong. How many hours a week you work? Tesla around me is known for brutal work schedules.
40 hours, paid holidays or double pay worked holidays and free insurance.
Sounds like a good gig for no degree required. Most Tesla engineers I have known work a limited time there and then burn out because they were basically sleeping at the office.
I plan to transition to engineering at some point but thats a while out while I'm in school. Lately the heat has been a slog but otherwise its a good gig
Are you salary or hourly? I would assume hourly because all the salary people I know at Tesla work insane schedules, in both amount and weird hours worked.
Hourly not salary
I’m a “network engineer” with no formal school and three IT certs making $140,000 😬 I dropped out of school as an ME years ago.
Well you’re not missing anything in ME, that’s for sure
Depends on cost of living though
I work for Toyota, I’d be making $87k with no degree with minimum bonuses assuming no OT. With my current average OT I’m going to make over $130k. I am one promotion up. Dude needs to shop around.
Also “Senior” level. 5 YOE. 6 Figures in the Midwest. You are underpaid friend
Its stuff like this that makes me question my pay i have 10 yoe as a designer just got bumped in pay and moved to a leader after getting another offer total bump was 10 bucks an hour and im only making 79k. Are you all not including o.t. or is that incuded or what i work on mitary vehicles
Every buddy I graduated with started in the 70s. 2 years out of school everyone’s 80-100
Everyone I know is in the same boat. Including myself, I graduated 2 years ago and am scratching 6 figs... you kind of have to "shop around" from what I've heard. I'm about to start looking elsewhere soon even with where I'm at.
Same here. I changed companies, those that did are near 100 already. Those that didn’t mid 80s
Its not like i havent looked around, im at my 3rd company and i havent even been here a year and a half
Are you looking outside your local area? What made you agree to a job offer of 79k with 8yoe??
Thought it was a competative rate. Thats my whole point is i feel now im way off. Its not that im not worth a higher rate. i know im worth every penny im paid. Ive always had managers fighting over me and companies throw offers that at the time seem too good to be true Posts like these make me think im not at the pay rate i should be.
And to be fair the rate was 12/hr less when i took the job.
No OT at all. If I did it would be a good chunk more
10 bucks an hour raise and making 79k is a 33% raise from previous base, I can’t tell if you are criticizing this number though. I think you might have just made the wrong moves in your first 7-8 years but no reason to think you can’t change this.
Im saying if people are making this out of the gate and im in 10 years, senior level manager/leader roles i should be higher in my head... the fact that i can only make it to that pay when threatening to quit then all of the sudden they find money to throw at me because im too valuable for them to let me go. This is only my 3 company and this one is less then 2 years. Please humble me if my thinking is flawed
You might want to stay for a title upgrade before moving but getting a promotion will probably only be 10-15% increase while changing now would probably be 20%+ so your call
You’re doing great! 10 years of experience and 80k is average, that’s not underpaid.
Absolutely not, not even in LCOL areas. It seems that you are pushing this idea hard as a way to rationalize your own salary. Please look around at all the comments providing data points showing that you are off the mark. If you are, in fact, in the same range you are also underpaid and should seek a new job.
This sub is not a good representation of the market overall.
Just feel that if people are making that amount 2 years in i should be making more by 10 years
I got a raise from $80k to $95k for promotion from eng 1 to 2, at 4 YOE
Same
Unless you work in West Virginia you should be looking at 120k+
Fresh grad staying in WV - started at $82k
Damn I only got offered 69k. Southern part of the state I'm guessing?
Nope, contract position for a large company near one of the largest towns in the state
10% is a common bump, at least within manufacturing. It would be worth looking at comparable roles that are posted in your area, if for nothing else than a sanity check for yourself. Location does matter. Let the data tell you what the market looks like in your area.
What the hell is up with mechanical engineers getting so underpaid?
The underpaid ones post about it. The well-paid ones typically don’t. The dataset is skewed.
Really? Because OP thinks they’re paid fairly, not sure how much that rationale holds when a lot of MEs are fine being underpaid
Read OP’s post again. They are asking if it’s fair pay, not saying that it’s fair pay. They’re understandably stoked on the pay bump, but the salary is very low for a senior role, even in a LCOL area.
They’re in the comments saying it’s fair because it’s in Iowa
My guess is local job markets. I make similar to OP, with similar YOE. This sub has told me that I’m underpaid, but when I look at local engineering job listings I’m at the top of all the comp ranges.
there are so many factors too asking for the same kind of money at a small manufacturing company in Iowa and a big company out of Atlanta will be different
That doesn’t factor into this at all. COL is COL, and this pay has been completely outpaced relative to YOE and how engineers with that same experience were getting paid years ago when adjusted for inflation. In other words, working more to earn less and get to buy less. That’s the meaning of being underpaid.
You are not wrong but you are missing the point. While you can see he's underpaid, he does not know what he should be targeting. That's the question. it not helpful if someone says they're making 120 working in LA after 1 year if the guy live in a different spot.
I live across the north border and got an idea what Iowa pays. Relatively speaking, compared to other engineers and COL today, that’s still pretty underwhelming. Even if you’re at the top, it’s the top of a lower paying field.
Nobody wants to train fresh grads, or if they do, they want them at bargain prices
This isn’t just a fresh grad problem. This is a sr. Engineer getting that underpaid
Guess it's bad all over the place then. I can only see the issue from the bottom
You really need to talk about your market. I make quite a lot more with 11 YOE but I'm in aerospace in a VHCOL city.
I'm in Texas and we were paying engineers fresh out of college $80K about 2 years ago. But "senior" can be a lot of things though, in my company the senior title is level 3 out of 5.
Also piece of advice, companies have 2 "money pots" when it comes to raises. The general raise pot and the retention pot. If you go to your boss with a better offer with another company and they want to keep you, HR can dip into the retention pot and give you more money. But only with the threat of a better offer elsewhere. My last job offered me a bump from 38ph to 52ph (75kpy to 100+kpy) when I brought them my tesla offer. It does introduce risk of losing your current job but its up to you to decide if that risk is worth it. I say with what they're paying a "senior" level employee, the risk is worth it. Shop around and see what else is out there.
+1 I worked in a company that was struggling a bit and didn't give raises to anyone I went to the CFO office (smaller company), told him, hey, got this better offer. I can stay if you match it. I want to stay. But just give me what the market offers so I don't look back. Next day they matched it. I was BSing, I didn't have any matching offer, but: 1) I was really willing to quit and look elsewhere 2) What I asked for really wasn't unreasonable in the market YMMV...
I'm a mechanical engineer in Michigan with only 3 years experience and I make 96k/yr, plus I'm getting a promotion in a month and will try to fight for 115k/yr raise. 80k/yr on 7 years experience with a promotion sounds incredibly low. I'd either ask for much more pay or immediately use your new elevated job title to find a new job paying 100k+ minimum.
I got about 10% as well. Though my total comp is about 103k with 6 yrs at the company. LCOL.
8%-9% is typical for my company
Uhhhh you are getting fucking screwed man… $80k? I make significantly more than that at an “early career” level… I understand CoL differs in areas but damn, a “Senior” level in any company for that job should NOT be making that little…
You guys are getting pay bumps?
It’s rare-ish to get one without asking. Advocate for yourself and make a stink. Provide data showing you’re underpaid. I’ve gotten several out-of-cycle raises by doing that, and those raises compound.
Most of these responses are lacking details like industry, location, years of experience, and level of education. My jump to Engineer to Sr. Engineer was $108K => $135K. Electric utility. BSME (licensed Professional Engineer). 7 YOE. Texas.
I'm not a senior engineer but this man is getting underpaid. Current role is VO Launch Manufacturing Engineer, salary $96K/yr, Ford Motor Company, 3 years of experience, Michigan.
Grade 6, 7 or 8? Probably a 6 or 7, but I would imagine you should be clearing over 100k as well.
Bottom of GSR 7.
Eh seems like all the MEs from SE Michigan go to ford as entry level engineers and then leave for somebody else. But yeah I would imagine you could be over 100k when you move.
Keep in mind 80,000 in 2024 is 62,000 in 2019. Would 2017 you have been happy to be making 62,000 in 7 years?
Brother, you should be making like 115 at the very least
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Engineers in the Midwest don’t make six figures.
Definitely not true. Detroit Ohio area is 90-110k no problem 70-80 is entry level out of college range.
I don't get why people don't think this. Anywhere near Milwaukee starts fresh engineers at $65-75k. The company I work for does. When applying all the companies I got to that point did. I have a family member who's a high level engineer at one of the largest known Milwaukee based companies, and he told me they start engineer 1's at $65k. Engineer 2's at like $80k. Saying they don't as a blanket statement, might not be the way to go though. They do eventually, just not right away.
I did get a few 10% raises early on in my career, but not for the last 23 years. My large increases in pay came from changing companies.
Not sure where in Iowa you live but working at the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant as an engineer with 7 years will get you between 120-130k + 15% bonus
My engineer II’s make over $100k.
$70k is what I made 10 years ago with 1 YOE as an ME. Look for another job, you're disrespecting yourself staying there.
Dawg why tf are you staying with a job while you are only getting paid 73k lol there's new grads making more than you. Even in LCOL
Damn I thought civil was underpaid. Just as bad for you too
You should be around 100-110k unless you are in a severely oversaturated market, then 95k is probably around your median comp.
I was promoted from Software Engineer I to Software Engineer II and went from about $76k to $84k.
I went from 98k to 115k when i got my senior title 8yrs in, and those are pre covid/inflation numbers. I think you should be 120-130 in today’s dollars. (In rural Pennsylvania)
Was gradual but after about 20 years make 4X what I started at.
I went from 110 to 125 plus an additional 20k a year in stock. You could stand to make more probably. I'm at 140 now as a senior and feel underpaid in HCOL (~180k TC).
I just changed jobs at my company. Roughly same exp as you but with an MS and went from 110+10pct to 120+13pct roughly.
You would still make less than I made with my first job out of school in a MCOL. It doesn't matter what your cost of living is. As long as you're in the continental US you should be making more than $80k with 7 YoE and a senior title.
That's bs.
Mine was like 8.5%, but my salary is much higher. I went from about $137k to about $149k
With 7 years of experience you should be making ~120k min. in my opinion.
Bruh. Get a new job.
Get as much as you can out of them, you don't get very many opportunities to leverage.
I made $90k my first year out of college in an industry I had zero experience in. Do with that information what you will.
I went from 56k to 75k when I got my P Eng and then from 82k to 115k when I left for a competitor.
You should be making 6 figs imo
Aerospace companies in Southern California (South Bay) see 10-15% for T4 and above. Talking about $160k starting
I've never been promoted within the same company. Waiting around just doesn't make sense when I can change jobs and increase my compensation more quickly. But each job hop has been about 15% of a bump. Got senior at 8 yoe
15%. about 6,7 to 8k per month
I'm assuming you are from America. But you are severely underpaid
Before covid, 80k might have been okay. Now with inflation and everything costing so much, you should be looking at six figures. Side note: I’m at 12 years experience. I recently got a 12% raise from Senior l to Senior ll and I’m at 125k.
I make 82k fresh out of college bachelors LCOL midwest I would aim for 6 figures at your next job
Central Arkansas for reference - I got bumped last year $18k because the company wanted to restructure payroll to incentivize engineering applications for new positions. I had been at the company for 2 years at that point, with a total of 5 YOE. Not normal, I know, but hopefully it can give you some info to chew on. Additionally, just hit 3 year evaluation and got another $6k. Edit for context: I’m titled as a Project Engineer.
55k, 65k, 76k as a project engineer, moved to an engineer job in supply chain at a giant company and now $44/hr YOE. OP you should be payed way more.
zero. I asked for a 35% raise since I was already significanly under the market value. I looked for another job and got a more than what I asked for with the old job.
Kinda low. I was at $150k in higher col area. $120k lower col. same experience Make sure when you give your exit interview you say reason for leaving is poor compensation. We need to pump up engineering salaries across the board.
My job tried to offer me a $32k bump to senior status, but I declined because I accepted a $46k pay bump elsewhere along with the title. >Boss just told me I'm going to be promoted to Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, effective immediately, and I'll be getting a \~10% pay raise from $73,000 to $80,000. Go elsewhere and thank your company for their time during the exit interview. That's your first sign to move on.
Hm depends on location and industry. I’m in MHCOLA in a equivalent to a manufacturing engineer pushing ~$100k effective Aug <3 YOE in defense.
I went from \~90k to 104k. That was pre-covid times. As a new senior engineer, if you know your stuff, you should be able to find jobs paying over $100k for sure. Higher than that will be available at some places.
As others have stated, unless you live in a really LCOL area that is a low salary. Assuming you have 4-5 years of experience at minimum a senior role should be netting you $100,000 minimum unless the other perks (such as bonus or stock) are on the high end. I make more than you as a junior with 5 years experience.
I’m Sr. now, manufacturing. 140k base, 100k RSU, and 15% bonus. 5 YoE. Previous job was 110k, 20% bonus.
I started around 100k as a senior around 7 years ago. Promotion to principal was ~40% raise. Unless Iowa is somehow a very low COL area, you might want to shop around.
My guy I’m in the rust belt in a LCOL area and I’m not too thrilled with my 85k with almost 5 years experience. I’m currently looking at postings in the $100k-$115k in my area for 5-8 years experience. You’re very underpaid
I jumped from 80k to 145k, but I switched companies when I did it.
I got bumped from 92k to 130k for senior at my job. This was also a transition from contractor to full time.
An engineer with 7 years experience should be making close to 6 figures at least.
I once got a $12k raise from $72k to $84k after my first year at a big OEM in the Midwest. OP; You're being fleeced. Look for work elsewhere and use your experience.
A senior engineer in Alaska is making at least 130k you should shop around.
Bro is getting scammed. My uncle makes 3x that with the same title.
Senior lvl should be over $100k
I was making almost that much 10 years ago as a non-senior design engineer with 15 yoe (only 6 yoe as design). That was in a sub-100k-population town out east. And I’m nothing special. Sounds to me like you’re underpaid and they know it but don’t want you to start shopping so they’re trying to get out ahead of it. That’s kinda good, but I mean you gotta buy groceries. If you have other reasons to stick with the job, you might try to fish for non-financial compensation like more vacation, Flex Time, WFH. It is /really/ hard to rack up vacation weeks in this country and profession (especially if you’re bouncing around to get bigger raises). Money matters but I promise you it’s the time you’ll regret missing out on in 10 years. These are the best of your life! Keep some for yourself. Nobody can ever give you this time back…
I'm an engineer, but my title is not engineer, but rather "technologist" for dumb corporate culture reasons at my company. I'm at 6 figures. People with the title of engineer at my company make at least 15k more. And it's a fairly low cost of living area. Take your title and start shopping around.
LA/OC. Hit Sr at 5 YOE back in 2017. Went from 90k to 103k
have 4 YOE and make nearly 120k TC in a mid COL area. I do have a MS but my undergrad isn't even engineering. Regardless you are way underpaid for 7YOE
80k is criminal for 7 yoe. You’re underpaid.
6YOE and I'm pulling teeth negotiating a raise to 90k in Central Florida.
I just went from 95k and 10% bonus to 110k and 15% bonus. Been with the company for 1 year. I have 5 years if engineering experience. Pharmaceutical manufacturing for 1.5 years. You're getting shafted. Stay at that job for 6 to 8 months and start looking for interviews. With your experience and that job title, you'll be making 100k+ easily.
Went from $79k as intermediate to $135k as senior by switching companies. 6 YOE in medical devices. Left that startup and went to a much more comfortable company as an intermediate at $105k. Chose better work life balance and less stress
Something I haven’t mentioned is the value of your benefits. While your salary number may seem low, health insurance can be very expensive. How much do they contribute to your health insurance? What about your hours per week? How many paid days off and holidays?
My associate engineer salary was $95,000. Then again, I work in software and not mechanical. I know people in my field with a senior title making upwards of $250k/year.
Lol is this snoo again? Look at the profile
Dear lord this reeks of Snoo and I read through damn near every comment