It is indeed heartening to see positive economic news given all that's gone on these last few weeks. It does seem like many of the sectors catering to the engineering market (in my world, CAD and PLM vendors) are reporting strong financials indiciating that companies are investing in tools to foster innovation and engineering productivity.
It's also interesting that so many of the respondents have been in the same job or company for many years. As unemployment remains a key issue and one of the biggest drags on the economy, did the survey garnter any feedback on layoffs or even respondents' ability to find a new job if necessary or desired?
An average of $93,465 is really quite an impressive figure, when you consider that 20% of the country makes less than $91,202. It's especially impressive when you consider that the $91,202 number I just quoted is a household number, not an individual salary number. It's probably safe to assume that many of the engineers earning in the $93,465 range have other income in their households.
This is particularly good news given that unit labor costs are not going up. Just this past month, they've gone down. So the gains in engineering salaries are are rising as companies -- and government entities -- are pushing their costs down. Is this a matter of supply and demand?
This survey shows that engineers have a lot to be thankful for. We are fortunate in many ways. For one thing, we are paid good money to do work that we find interesting and challenging. How many people can say that?
I have met some engineers who seem bitter; envious of those who are better off than them (doctors, lawyers, and professional athletes, for example), and scornful of those who are worse off than them ("lazy," "unproductive," etc.). These engineers constantly complain about their workloads, the various stresses and frustrations of the workplace, and how everything in the world is going to hell in a handbasket. They seem to lose sight of just how lucky they actually are. Not only is this attitude bad for productivity and morale, it's bad for their own health.
I'm thankful for the chain of events in my life which led me into an engineering career; thankful for the family, friends, and co-workers who supported and encouraged me through engineering school; and thankful for the fact that I am able to provide my family with a reasonable standard of living while doing work I enjoy. What else could I ask for?
Hopefully, engineers who see how fortunate they are will be inspired to give back, whether by tutoring and mentoring students, getting involved with organizations like Engineers Without Borders, or other activities. This is a good way to help pass on the good fortune which we have received.
This is good news. It will be a good day when more company executives acknowledge it. There are still a number of companies (one I know of with record profits for the last few years) who are telling there employees they are lucky to have a job and not to expect a raise this year.
Yes, I agree it is good news. Data shows engineering to be a strong career choice moving forward. While I have no hard data in this area, it seems like many companies are also starting to advertise engineering openings more frequently and aggressively.
However, one trend I also continue to see is the increasing development of 'best cost country' engineers. Engineers are cautious and many continue to watch this trend closely - as it will affect salary structures in the future.
Where were these jobs a few years ago? I have definitely suffered a stagnation, if not a drop in pay. Perhaps it's my industry. Which ones are garnering six figures?
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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