racnna

Edited......................

california_love8

well I want to go into management ASAP, so I'll probably want an MBA, but would getting it part time perhaps be a better idea so that I still have experience, still get an MBA, and not lose too much money from biz school or what? I don't really want to work in the tech industry while I'm young, but perhaps when I'm older and have made enough, I can move down and work as a normal engineer.

But anyways, I understand that I probably wont make 150k as a 25 or even 28 year old, but I was wondering if its at all possible to reach this by about 32-35, and about how much I can expect to make when I become a manager.

Btw, for the whole "how long does it take to become a manager" thing, I know it varies, but can someone please give me an average?

sky

No.. you're completely missing the point.

And also, why do you want to get into management? And who do you think you will be managing? You've got it all backwards, no one wants a 25 year old manager, or even a 35 year old manager. You need experience before you can become any type of manager (outside of fast food or retail) for any respectable company.

You want an average? How about 50 years.. most people don't get into management anyways.

california_love8

how is 13 years not significant experience? That seems a bit ridiculous. 50 years?? ***?? I'm pretty sure most people aren't freaking 72 when they get promoted dude.

Who do I want to manage? Engineers (obviously). Why do I want to do it? Because I like business, and yes, I do think they earn a pretty good salary.

But come on. Are you serious that you can only be promoted when you're like 40? If so, there's no way I'm doing this then because I don't want to work as an engineer for THAT long.

sky

Then you should seriously reconsider your choice of career. The people that get promoted to engineering management are the ones that show many years of exceptional engineering work.

You wanted an average, I gave you one. Is it the correct one? Probably not, but it probably is close to the average length of time it takes to become a manager if you consider all engineers, ceteris paribus. You have not said or indicated anything that would make me believe you are anyone special who could beat the odds. I would say the average age of a true engineering manager would certainly be in the mid 40s, at the least. Most engineering managers I have worked with were certainly approaching 50 years of age (indicated by having children that were nearing college age themselves).

Could you be manager at a company that makes parts with 50 employees by age 35? Sure.. why not. I'm sure that's not what you're dreaming of either. Companies hire managers because they bring one thing: experience. An MBA won't give you that. Ten years experience simply isn't enough.. that's only 1 or 2 jobs... 1 or 2 projects.. You have to work your way up. There are no shortcuts.

UriA702

An MBA will not help you become an engineering manager, the reason why you hear people on this board talking about MBA's is simple - these are students who went into engineering for engineering then realized that business majors make much better salaries. An MBA is not really going to give you much help as far as engineering manager. The term manager implies more experience than the rest of the team. An MBA would help if you decide you want to try something in the finance/business world, such as consulting for a engineering firm, this is where the MBA would come in handy.

Remind me where it says only managers make good money? There is a potential to start your own engineering firm (more appropriate for CivE.) You are not restricted to a low pay just because you are an engineer. If you enjoy what you are doing and do the job well you will get promoted. Engineering managers are not always the top paid in engineering firms. If a project comes up with new technologies involved and you happen to know your fair share in that field you can be in line for a huge push.

The folks on this site are quick to get kids like you into thinking you wont get anywhere in life without an MBA. The reality is an MBA will not magically make you rich, but it can open many doors. If you work hard and learn as much as you can as quickly as possible you will see a return on your investment as far as salary goes.

california_love8

well let me rephrase. I don't HATE engineering. I'm a huge math/science geek, and love astrophysics, organic chem, calculus and stuff like that. I would love to be an engineer, but unfortunately, my first love is money. Whether or not you and Wega believe me, I'm really not AS bad as other people who like money. All I'd like is to be able to afford a couple of 30, maybe 40k cars and not worry about living paycheck to paycheck. I want to be able to afford a 2 story house with a basement, and be able to afford some new ammenities. I'm not looking for top of the line Plasma TVs or something, but something that is above average that won't break down. I want to be able to wear brand name stuff, but not to the point where I'm spending $50 on jeans, but just enough so that I can wear those same labels, but being able to at least spend $25 on articles of clothing I like, and not worry about having to make sacrifices.

So far, although I might be wrong, an engineer is unable to do that, which has turned me off from working as one, but again, I don't hate engineering. I would just like to be able to live a life like I described above. And this is why I was thinking about engineering management.

hye345

^From what I've seen on different salary reports, that life doesn't seem out of the question for an engineer whose in his upper 20's or early 30's. Can anyone confirm?

UriA702

california_love8 - I will explain this once again. Those salary reports do not limit you to those salaries, 50k a year out of college is nothing to laugh at either. If you work hard your managers will notice and you will get a raise / promotion. Not every engineer in a firm makes the same paycheck, it is pretty obvious which ones devote more effort into their job and those are the employees who receive the big bonus at the end of the project.

If you truly enjoy engineering you would not at all mind spending a few extra hours a week in the office and believe me that'll reflect on your salary. I know a few engineers in their early 30's (CivE) that work for Bovis Lend Lease (the largest project management firm in the world.) The have extremely nice apartments (which are extremely expensive in NYC looking at 4000+ a month for a decent space) drive BMW, Cadillacs, Acuras ETC ETC. If you work hard it will reflect on your salary. What you get out of your job will be totally dependant on the amount of effort put in. This goes in any field. If your first love is money, YES it will be easier to get a higher paycheck with a business degree. BUT what happens when you are required to work 55 hours a week are you going to have the enthusiasm you do now for the few hundred dollar a week difference you will be earning?

gatorjacket

Just being a good engineer can get you the type of money you want, which is really pretty modest compared to what a lot of people want. My dad makes about 100k a year. He's a got a 40k car for himself and my mom, a 30k car for me and another son coming up. We had a nice 2 story house in Orlando, FL before recently moving. I think your severly underestimating how much 55k starting salary can get you if start out living alone. If you want 150k after 5 years, steer far away from engineering. There's not much that can get you that without an advanced degree. I've seen you on other boards and it seems like you just want an easy out to get big money. Well it doesn't work that way. Money comes with hard work. Do something you like and are good at and the money will come.

california_love8

ok, good. I'm glad we've got it sorted out that I don't necessarily want to live ultra luxuriously.

UriA702: thats for someone who works at the top company though. Although I'm not necessarily stupid, I'm not sure if I'm THAT smart either that I'll be able to work at that type of firm. And looking at all the other engineers' salaries, it doesn't seem like I can afford the type of life that I want. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't seem reasonable. My dad earns around 120k as a consultant, and my mom works and we can still barely afford clothing that is above $20, and drive 2 hondas in an average house. We're basically just average, and so thats why I feel that I won't be able to do this as an engineer.

gator: its not so much that I JUST want easy money (who doesn't though?), but more that I'm looking for the easiest option to live the kind of life I described above. I'd rather not do extraneous work to reach the same end. ANd like I said, I don't expect 150k in 5 years, but it would be nice if I could reach that amount before I'm like 50 is all.

UriA702

120k a year is a very good salary for anyone. You must have a large family or live in a big expensive city if 120k a year plus your mothers salary can not afford clothing over $20. Your first job will be just that - your first job. It is highly likely after a few years of experience another company will come along and offer you a competitive salary, a big fat signing bonus, a company car or other benefits such as vacation time paid, a good 401k plan, etc. etc., The money comes with experience.

College is only going to teach you the fundamentals of engineering, Once you are out working things will be very different and you will gain experience and with time develop your own technique that will stamp your skill as an engineer. Starting salary for graduates is usually garbage and within 1-2 years it won't be out of the question to start receiving offers by other companies.

And you are wrong - that is not only true for big companies, small companies work the same way just because you wont receive a fancy title like "manager" does not cap your earning potentials.

Example: Civil Engineers - My father is the owner of a construction company that builds custom homes. Nothing spectacular just your average run of the mill homes in the suburbs. The Structural Engineer he hires for blueprints and to swing by once in a while take some photos and give an assessment of if random things are all safe&sound charges between 5-10k depending on the size of the property. All he does is work with the architect to draw blueprints for the home which usually takes him about a week and swings by every few weeks just to see how the property is turning out. Keep in mind he is working on multiply properties at once. He lives in a very fancy building with full amenities, doorman, valet parking, dry cleaning, the works and drives a brand new Porsche so I'm pretty sure he is banking 200k+ a year. He does great work but I can assure you what he earns is very very far from the 40k a year all these sites list Civil Engineers are paid and he is under 30.

I'm not saying everyone can do something like that. Skill & Luck of the draw, as well as dedication and business skill have a lot to do with it.

Starting salary for journalists and students with art degrees hover around 30,000. I can assure you that plenty of journalists make a lot more than that.

To be honest, You are worrying about this way too much. The key to being successful after college is to broaden your skills and interests during college. If you enjoy what you are doing you will work that much harder, be that much better at it and in turn not realize how successful you will end up becoming.