What is the median salary of a professional engineer? Besides consulting firms, where else do they work?

Question

Do you know if professional engineers have a organization that I can contact?

I'm looking for information on ELECTRICAL PE's. I have my bachelors already. I'm taking couple of years off from working (to raise kids). So I'm trying to figure out if its worth pursuing a PE.

Answer 1

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) surveys occupational salaries in the US. The following table shows US engineering employment and median annual US salary by engineering specialty:

Petroleum Engineers (14,860) $97,350
Nuclear Engineers (14,290) $90,690
Computer Hardware Engineers (78,580) $87,170
Aerospace Engineers (81,100) $85,450
Systems Software Engineers (320,720) $84,310
Electronics Engineers (130,050) $79,990
Applications Software Engineers (455,980) $79,540
Chemical Engineers (27,550) $79,230
Electrical Engineers (144,920) $76,060
Biomedical Engineers (11,660) $75,380
Mining and Geological Engineers (5,680) $75,070
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (6,550) $74,320
Materials Engineers (20,950) $71,390
Environmental Engineers (50,140) $70,720
Mechanical Engineers (220,750) $70,000
Civil Engineers (229,700) $69,480
Industrial Engineers (191,640) $68,500
Health and Safety Engineers (25,330) $67,240
Agricultural Engineers (3,170) $66,370

In general, licensed engineers make more money than non-licensed engineers. (In my office, licensed engineers average about $15,000 more per year than non-licensed engineers.) Many engineering jobs either require a PE or require a PE to advance. (I work as a trial engineer and expert witness, and my job absolutely requires a PE license.)

- An elderly Electrical PE

PS - Get licensed by all means. The longer you wait, the harder it is to pass the exams. Your kids can help you study for the exams. (My grandkids are a great help.) A PE also helps bridge employment gaps (like yours). A PE demonstrates your commitment to your career. (Depending on your engineering specialty, a PE license with a bachelors degree is roughly equal to a masters degree without a license.)

Answer 2

Professional Engineer Salary

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the median salary of a professional engineer? Besides consulting firms, where else do they work?
Do you know if professional engineers have a organization that I can contact?

Answer 4

There are several professional engineering organizations - which one you shoudl contact probably depends somewhat on where you live/work.

The same thing will cause you to see a difference in median salary as well, as well as what industries are predominant in a given area.

If the area is highly urban (like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, London, Paris, etc), the salaries will generally be higher than if the area is more rural ... just because the cost of everything in the cities is higher.

Every industry - from processing raw materials, to manufacturing equipment, to installation of equipment, to investigation of failures - requires engineering at some level. Professional engineers are found in companies that have responsibility for public safety and/or technological improvement over time.

For instance - a company that makes steel from raw materials probably has a couple of engineers on the payroll to help develop new materials, assume responsibility for mill operations, and even act as technically-savvy businessmen. A car manufacturer employs several hundred engineers in various positions - all with different backgrounds.

Engineering is a wide field - it has discplines like electrical, mechanical, civil (construction), chemical, and forestry. There's probably a couple of others out there I forgot to mention ...

Look up in your yellow pages for the "Association of Professional Engineers of ..." or "Professional Engineers of ...". Or try the Google search enginer with the same terms. You'll find us!

Answer 5

Entry level salaries are $35k or better. PE's obviously get paid more, up to and beyond $100k, depends how high up you can climb the corporate ladder. I am currently studying for my PE exam in Indiana, if I pass I should be making at $65k.

There are several organizations ASCE is one for civil engineers, and ASME for mechanical engineers.

Most do work consultants, like myself, but others work for municipalities, or factories. My brother is an EE, and he works for a company that makes 60% of the worlds glass bottles, Owens Illinois (OI).

Answer 6

Pe Salary

Answer 7

Frankly I have found that most companies think that an engineering degree displays something about a person. Mainly intelligence, dedication, and the ability to solve complex problems.

For me, I have my EIT, but found that I could and did earn more getting my MBA. With that, may other doors are opened up to you and your salary cap goes much higher.

Answer 8

Several types of software that will filter it out.

Just Google it.

Answer 9

$15 per hour