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I am getting ready to retire, probably sometime in the next two or maybe three years, but I've been doing this for 37 years. In 2010 NICET conducted a Salary Survey and I am on the right side of the salary range for those having 15 to 19 years experience.
I don't think completing college would have been beneficial for me in terms of earnings because I know I earn more than the average civil engineer. Thought about going back once for a degree in civil engineering but I would have had to take a pay cut to get a job.
Engineers graduating with a four-year degree leave school with a sizable debt. Yet, even after the four years of required experience (typical of most licensure requirements across the US), the typical salary is still between $40k and $59k per year. That is the same salary range as all other engineering types and even "non-learned" professions. Now why would any student smart enough to be an engineer look at those numbers and decide to invest in an advanced degree? They would be graduating later in life, making an income later in life, owing more debt in student loans, and not make a higher salary to compensate for the increased debt. The student would do all of that just to have two initials at the end of their name in a political climate that allows for industry exemption in most fields anyway? In other words, they don't need to be a P.E. to do the fun engineering work that drove them into the career in the first place. Looking closer at the chart, out of the 5,000 respondents to NICET's survey, a higher percentage of the non-professional engineers actually makes more than the professional engineers (for salary ranges above $59k).
I am one of those non-professionals and looking at the rest of the world I've come to the conclusion I am overpaid for what I do but it's a job nobody else can do. There's less than 1,000 in the United States who hold my level of certification and we are not being replaced. For example in my state there's 47 Level IV certificate holders with the group sporting an average age of 58.81 years. 85.10% of our number is over 50 years old so I am not really that old after all.
I've seen one electrician and one writer/editor here, so I'd like to ask a question.
I'm at a segway in my life, and I have to do something about it. I'm tired of not having anything to show for myself. I'm thinking about going back to school this fall and scraping up what I can from the myriad of college credits I have from a four year university to earn an associates in journalism at my local community college. Writing is my strongest skill and I'd really like to contribute to fixing what I see as a totally horrible state of understanding of history and writing/grammar skills in today's youth. I'd finish it at the four year university, but the funds simply aren't there and I don't want to go into debt. That's the one thing I have over lots of other people... no debt.
The other career path I was thinking of is marching down to the local electrician's union and getting into an apprenticeship program. The idea of a tangible skill that cannot be outsourced and will always be valuable is appealing, and I've heard that electricians can make very nice money if they're good at what they do.
So could anyone provide some insight? Thanks in advance.
I am getting ready to retire, probably sometime in the next two or maybe three years, but I've been doing this for 37 years. In 2010 NICET conducted a Salary Survey and I am on the right side of the salary range for those having 15 to 19 years experience.
I don't think completing college would have been beneficial for me in terms of earnings because I know I earn more than the average civil engineer. Thought about going back once for a degree in civil engineering but I would have had to take a pay cut to get a job.
I am one of those non-professionals and looking at the rest of the world I've come to the conclusion I am overpaid for what I do but it's a job nobody else can do. There's less than 1,000 in the United States who hold my level of certification and we are not being replaced. For example in my state there's 47 Level IV certificate holders with the group sporting an average age of 58.81 years. 85.10% of our number is over 50 years old so I am not really that old after all.
Of course, your own organization is going to pump up the salaries. If you believe the ASCE, Civil Engineers make an average of 100K+ a year.
I know you're a serious, serious homer for your profession, so I won't argue with you about the pay thing.
But as far as the article. The guy is an idiot. A PE leads you on a different career path than any engineer who can't pass the test. If you don't pass the EIT, you won't be doing much real engineering, at least in a civil sense, since most people can pass it. Civil engineers don't go into the profession for the $ anyway.
I work in the hotel industry. I do not make much. Took a paycut recently when moving (transferred within my company). I went to two different colleges and do not have a degree. Couldn't decide what I wanted to do so jumped around. I regret not taking it seriously. Now I'm 30 and see most of my high school classmates being successful with families. Even my brother who is 5+ years younger than me and went to college and finished makes over 4x more a year than I do.
I'm pretty lost right now and don't know what direction to go in. My only debt is my car payment and I've never owned a cc. I'm scared to have student loans to pay back if I don't get a job right out of school like some younger people I know.
no college. Make $20 per hour. Work at 3M. Socially awkward, otherwise there's so much more I'd love to do. Plus, running a business entails too much paperwork. I detest the paperwork driven tax code we have, and the cost of health insurance and health care that most people don't factor into the equation.
If we had universal paid for health care, I'd be more inclined to quit my job and try to benefit society in some other way. If we had a tax code that didn't require saving receipts and itemizing everything, looking for every loophole, I'd be inclided to quit my job. But it's much easier to just go to work, make a decent wage, and only have to spend 30 minutes on taxes at the end of the year.
I consider myself grateful to make what I do. There isn't much $20/hour blue collar work left.. most of it is more like 12 bucks, if that.
Things I'd love to do.. be a TV meterologist, chase storms, build homes (quality ones, not the cheap spec crap they pump out these days), landscape, biologist, the list goes on... but to do anything requires the ability to mingle and 'bulls%it' with people, and I'm not really into that sort of thing. I just don't have the skillset nor the knowledge of pop culture, sports, etc that is required. The actual work part is the easy part for me.
I am in senior admininstration at a college, and I make close to $100k/year.
I am topped out without getting my degree though, so will be going back to finish. Yes, I do regret no getting it, but not too badkt as I have done ok for myself. At this point it will be for the sense of accomplishment and the possibility of advancement.
How do you do that? Is it a for profit place? All the people at my university have at least a master's degree and a lot of them don't even make that much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by groar
i dropped out of college. i make about 40k a year as an office manager, in a position where people have traditionally moved up in the organization. i've been there less than 2 weeks and people are already saying "well when you move on to a higher job blahblahblah". i have about 8 years' administrative experience.
not having a degree is definitely a barrier to entry for a lot of jobs i was looking at. the jobs are out there that don't require a degree, obviously, but there are a lot that i am otherwise qualified for that do, and more that prefer it (a bachelor's was listed as preferred at my current job). if i met every requirement besides the degree, i'd apply anyway, and i sometimes got interviews for those jobs. my job before last required a degree, but i got in by temping.
i do wish i'd finished college - it would have made things a bit easier for me now. but i go back and forth on whether it's worth it now. i enjoy learning in an academic setting so if i can afford it and have the time, at some point i might go back.
Do you regret not going to college? If you do regret not going to college, what would you have studied?
Well, I am skewing your results a bit I guess because I am a student. I am 42 years old with 3 more semesters needed to earn my first Bachelor's.
So, for now, I sell online (resale, eBay) to make about what I'd be making with a part time job doing what I did before returning to school (general clerical, $10 to $11 an hour).
I started college at 19, completed a couple semesters, got pregnant, dropped out, and regretted not finishing but did not return to college for sixteen years due to a different life path during that time (stay at home mom).
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