Is this a good job offer?
Is this a good job offer?
(OP)
I'm have an MSCE, and I got an offer of $55900 for an entry-level transportation engineer position. The job location is in Virginia. I have internship experience in civil engineering and I get really good grades. Is that a good offer? I'm not sure if I should take it or keep looking.





RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Is this a good job offer?
Mike McCann
McCann Engineering
RE: Is this a good job offer?
Richard A. Cornelius, P.E.
WWW.amlinereast.com
RE: Is this a good job offer?
You'll want to check the cost of living index, or even the median price of housing too, depending if you want to rent or own a house.
Other benefits to consider. 401k and/or ESOP for contributions and vesting schedule. Transportation allowance? How about signing bonus? Will they pay for you move to VA? Amount of vacation and paid holidays?
GL
RE: Is this a good job offer?
Just my two cents. If do not currently have a job, $55,900 is better than $0.00. Unless you have other offers currently on the table, take the job. You never know if there is anything better around. And it isn't against the law to continue to look around while you work. As long as you aren't doing it on company time. IT is kind of like being married, you can always window shop, just don't buy.
RE: Is this a good job offer?
You have not said where you are currently living. This is your opportunity to pick where you want to live.
It is also a good time to pick the field that you want to work in. Are you interested in transportation? Is that what you studied?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
h
I've used it with success in the past.
Good job on getting the Masters first. When you pass the PE exam & add 5-7 yrs experience, you can count on doubling that offer in Richmond/Norfolk & trippling it in DC/Arlington.
MEM1's advice is the best I've seen: take the job now & look around for the next 1 to 2 years; if you are any good at your job, you'll be in the $70k's before you know it!
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
How do you get something better than entry level when the only experience you have is an internship? There is no way a master's and an internship gets you out of entry level. I am in a grad program now, with only 1.5 years under my belt and these kids have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER about practical engineering. Everything is still theory to them. It's not that way in the real world.
drkgray-
You are right. If you are good at your job and want to move around, you can jump up in salary pretty quickly. If you happen to land a great job right out of school, however, you are a little limited. That happened to me. I got a pretty awesome job right out of school, and it would take a lot more than a 20% or 30% increase in pay to get me to leave. Since leaving is the way you get the BIG salary increases, it looks like I'm doomed to the 7%-9% per year from the same company.
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
What it really seems to mean in the civil/structural sector, based on the recruitment I saw at my school, is that you can aim for entry-level positions at hotter firms than you could with just the bachelor's.
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
It is common to get a better position if you have an advanced degree. The masters degree is equivalent to the bachelor degree + 1-2 years experience.
I agree with your arguement regarding practical engineering. Most engineers with as little as 5 years experience are now calling themselves senior engineers when all the experience that they possess is being able to locate the corporate washroom.
RE: Is this a good job offer?
The things you learn as an entry level engineer don't get taught in any level of engineering education - How to compile/organize drawings, how to draw and engineer details, writing general notes, smoothing beam sizes from a plan output from a program that optimizes every beam, etc.. (I could probably make a list half a mile long).
There is no doubt that an advanced degree gives you more technical knowledge (an extra year of school), but I am not sure that extra year of school correlates a bachelor's plus 1-2 years of experience, I think it correlates more to an extra year of school.
Additionally, (and this is just my opinion) getting your feet wet with real engineering before getting a graduate degree is the way to go. It gives you a context in which you can correlate what you learn to real world problems (on a current project or see how it could have been useful on a past project) and this ability to see the true value in something is when it really sinks in.
The kid who gets a grad degree right after the bachelor's comes into the firm and spends his/her time learning the ropes of the firm (see the laundry list above) while those advanced topics creep farther to the back of his/her mind.
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
If that is the case, then why would anyone spend the extra money to get a PHD.
Here is an actual ad:
"An advanced business-related degree or advanced engineering degree may be substituted for related work experience (MBA 1 to 2 years, MS 1 to 2 years or PhD 1 to 3 years)."
Here is another ad:
"DESCRIPTORS
Pay band 1
Entry/Intern/Developmental positions. Employees carry out engineering and scientific assignments using basic principles, concepts and methodology of the occupation. Work is designed to provide the competencies, skills and experiences needed to perform pay band 2 work. This level is not considered Full-Performance/Journey level for occupations in this pay schedule.
Pay band 2
Full-Performance/Journey level positions. The employee is an experienced worker who has gained competencies and skills either by work experience at pay band 1 or through relevant graduate study and/or experience. The employee carries out assignments independently. This level is appropriate for most installation and headquarters positions in DoD occupations in this pay schedule"
The point is that a graduate degree is usually enough to bump you up to the next level. You might argue that a person with a graduate degree does not know anything, but the marketplace is still going to offer the person with a graduate degree something better than an entry level position.
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
Never, but never question engineer's judgement
RE: Is this a good job offer?
RE: Is this a good job offer?
Now, in due time, when you master the practical aspects of the job, your extra expertise will be more valuable. I do think it is reasonable to expect more since you have a Master's, but it sounds like you should do a little more research to find out how much you are worth, which means going on more interviews and hearing more offers.