As an EIT with 2.5 YOE, what should my minimum income/salary be in a city with a very low cost of living?
Currently I'm at a firm that pays $45,000/annually. Am I being compensated fairly? It's in Land development if anyone is curious.
Thanks.
The fuck is that wage
This will really be dependent on where but I think you’re underpaid. If you’re an ASCE member, check out their salary survey.
From my personal experience, I graduated college in West Virginia in 2018 and my first civil job paid $52,500. West Virginia is a very, very low cost of living state and that was 6 years ago entry level salary.
Also curious what you're at now with 6 yoe. Do you have your PE?
I do not have my PE yet. (Taking the exam in six weeks!) I currently live in Atlanta which is a vastly different market. I also started in water/wastewater for the first 18 months then switched to construction for 6 months, then structures. Recently hit 4 years in structures and make $94,500.
Lmao I was making $63k at a structural firm with four years experience there (and having passed the PE exam). I am no longer there
You can break 100K I'm sure, I have 5 YOE no PE, 105K at the moment sitting PE again. High cost of living area too. Good luck on the exam.
It's 2024. A PE should never make under 6 figures
Are you still in West Virginia? I’ve been trying to research entry level salaries in the Charleston area and particularly how the market currently is. I’ve had 3 internships and plan on going full time at my current company in May but want to be sure I’m compensated fairly
I am not. I’ve since relocated to Atlanta.
Extremely underpaid. Even with very low cost of living, you should be around $65-70k.
60k day 1 minimum you need a 25k raise ez
Which means congratulations, you’re going to get a new firm, a huge raise, and a whole new set of opportunities! Just make sure you lie to recruiters (they sure as fuck will to you) and say your current salary is what it should be.
Not even. I was making $57k starting in 2018. E1s should be starting at like $70k now
I started at $56k in 2015. Crazy to see these kids making the same or less now.
Any company paying less than $65k shouldn’t even be considered. That criminally low.
Unfortunately the site design side of the industry has become a race to the bottom. I had to get out, and when I went to the federal government after 10 years, I didn’t even have to take a pay cut.
Yeah, only way to make substantial salary increases is to jump ship. That’s my plan next year.
45k? Lol nahh teachers make more than you do.
I have offices in "low wage states", we are starting at $60k.
Hugely underpaid. My office is in an LCOL location and I still get paid what any other EIT would make in our company. $45k/year is ridiculous regardless of location
Highly underpaid.
Currently getting 95k on my 2nd year out of school, no EIT. My coworker has EIT and is getting 125k 2nd year out of school.
NYC
They work u like a dog though. The workload is alot
Shit, I’m at 80k, same boat as you. Over in NJ.
Uhhh are y’all hiring? Four years experience and finishing paperwork for my PE. That salary sounds niceeeeee
This was really once in lifetime opportunity tbh. I signed the contract the same day lol returned all of the stuff to my old company the next.
Which firm bro..?
Which field?
I started at 63k in Seattle.
Hi there! It looks like you are asking about civil engineering salaries. Please check out the salary survey results here: https://www.reddit.com/r/civilengineering/comments/162thwj/aug_2023_aug_2024_civil_engineering_salary_survey/
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Very underpaid I’m in a higher COL area but have one year of experience at $85k. I think with your years of experience in a lower cost of living area you should be at $75-$80k. Don’t sell yourself short. Go somewhere else and ask for what you deserve. I had to make the jump to make more and it sounds like you do too.
Ask for a raise, you’ll get it for sure
I asked what I could do or improve on to get a raise or be worth a higher salary and was told to give him (the owner of the company) a few months.
Hope you’re applying elsewhere in the meantime
Come in mining. 101k in a small town in AZ with 4 year and EIT
We start our new grads in Atlanta at $75k. Pretty sure our intern rate is $26/hr or something like that.
You're severely underpaid.
My company starts new graduates at like 76k, and that was 2 years ago
Got hired in an MCOL area in 2019 for $58k right out of university, no experience. I now have 5 years of experience and make 88k with EIT at the same company.
Go to h1bdata.info and filter out results based on your location. You will find what other companies (including yours) in that area are paying internationals. This will give you baseline numbers that will prove that you are wayy underpaid.
I started at 45,000 canadian and was bumped up to 55,000 at the end of the end of my probation period
IN 2013!
Starting salary in south Florida is 70k without EIT
I call bullshit.
I made more that this fresh out of college 12 years ago in a low cost of living area.
I'd expect 50k starting at a very minimum for the absolute lowest COL in the US
Don’t make or accept excuses. Based on the BLS your salary is probably below 5% of the CE population. See. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes172051.htm I recall a ChE starting at 27/hr in 2011 working supply chain. In 2015 CEs i worked with started at 30/hr, which was Arkansas. Therefore I would say 64k+
Find a new job. You’ll get a good pay bump.
Majjjjorly underpaid
I think McDonalds shift supervisors make that much.. shop around and see what the competition is paying.
I wouldn’t go under 60k, unless you’re right out of college. My company has pay modifiers based on location of remote. Currently live in Boston with one of the highest modifiers. If I moved to deep rural NH I would only lose 10% of salary, which would still be well above 60k with 3 years experience
You do Land Development for 45k? I don’t envy you… Time to find a better job
My starting salary as a new grad in 2004 was $46k, and we currently pay interns $24/hr ($50k equivalent) in L/MCOL areas. As everyone here is saying, you’re significantly underpaid. You should probably be at least $75k-$80k for almost 3 YOE, even accounting for COL.
For reference in the Federal Government “Rest of US” salary tables are for low cost of living areas. In 2022 you would have been hired at $44,740. End of year one, you would have gotten a bump to $57,118. End of year 2 you would likely have gotten a bump to $72,553. Once you pass your PE, your bump would be to $86,962 (2024 pay table).
I lived in SW Virginia for my first job out of school in 2019. It’s a very low COL area (Appalachia), my 1 bedroom apartment in 2019 was $600/month. It was government job and I made $55k. I would say with inflation now you should get $60k minimum. Even though rent and gas might be lower where you are, groceries will eat you alive like they are across the country.
Government doesn’t even pay that low….
When i was in college i worked in a coffee shop and made more than that like waaay more!
North Cal - They pay around $100K 2-3 YOE.
You’re underpaid. No way around it.