As demand goes UP for engineers

[avant-garde]

what do you think will happen to their salaries in the future? I don't think the average American has the will nor the intellect to take on a job such as engineering... so the ones who actually do will probably be earning a lot more as the need for engineers and maybe programmers increase.

Are you optimistic about the salaries of engineers? Is engineering truly one of the most comfortable yet lucrative jobs you can get with a 4-year degree?

 

[j93]

I don't think the US demand for engineers will increase in any significant amount.
If it does it will increase salaries temporarily draw many people to get engineering degrees then create a surplus
of engineers decreasing engineering salaries like the IT in the 90's.

 

[aerospaceut10]

Problem is, there are plenty of competent engineers coming from overseas, namely India and China. If anything, assuming we're on the path to globalization, overall salaries could go down due to the availability of engineers over there that would take a pay cut over our American engineers with their sense of self entitlement.

 

[bbm4n]

that is true, if you take also into consideration that currency is different in these countries than US or EU. (I live in EU). So for a program costing 2000Euros for example you get someone to do it from india/china for 500Euros, cause its a lot of money there.

 

[avant-garde]

Hmmm... are you really sure about outsourcing? Isn't the government realizing that outsourcing in the short term may work, but doesn't look to good if the trend continues? There are too many predictions on outsourcing that I have no idea where to seek guidance :(

 

[j93]

For all the government rhetoric and ire they can't do squat about outsourcing if a company wants to conduct its business outside the US they can't do a thing.

 

[avant-garde]

Well they say that engineers earn almost $60,000 right after they graduate.
Has that figure been changing or what?

 

[avant-garde]

apparently the salaries have been going up as well

 

[j93]

Well they say that engineers earn almost $60,000 right after they graduate.
Has that figure been changing or what?

Are you suggesting the government force companies to pay entry level engineers $60,000?
That would only intensify outsourcing.

 

[Krique]

I doubt that engineering will be outsourced as much as some of the other professions.

Let's look at computer science degress. The reason that many programming jobs are outsourced is because code is something that can easily be emailed overseas and programming is typically an antisocial process. Someone tells them what to program and they program it.

Engineering, on the other hand, typically tends to be a group oriented job where engineers have to work with other people on a regular basis. It is impossible to design, do cost analysis, etc without talking to and meeting with other engineers, customers, employees, etc. That is something that cannot be done from another country, especially without being accustomed to our way of living.

Though, while computer programming jobs have been outsourced, MIS degrees haven't been hurt. Even if engineering jobs are outsourced, management in engineering jobs will always be around. The only jobs that I can see given to foreigners would be given to those who actually live here. And in that case, they would make the same money anyway.

 

[csprof2000]

Actually, if you consult the BLS, computer science degrees lead to some of the best jobs in terms of job outlook. Software Engineering has consistently been in the upper echelons of "highest starting salary", and just a year or two ago it was CNN's "best job" in America.

Any low-level technical job can (and should) be outsourced if this can reduce costs. This includes programming as well as the "grunt" engineering jobs... because programming is really the "grunt" work in software development.

 

[Brian_C]

Problem is, there are plenty of competent engineers coming from overseas, namely India and China. If anything, assuming we're on the path to globalization, overall salaries could go down due to the availability of engineers over there that would take a pay cut over our American engineers with their sense of self entitlement.

Just because someone has an engineering degree doesn't mean they're competent. India and China produce lots of engineering degrees, but it has never translated into real world results. American engineers are still far superior when it comes to designing and creating innovative products.

 

[csprof2000]

I'm not sure I'd go that far.

The trouble is that the engineers worth any money who live overseas... well, they're worth enough money to make outsourcing work to them a little redundant.

 

[avant-garde]

So, is entering engineering a safe bet as of now?

 

[aerospaceut10]

So, is entering engineering a safe bet as of now?

Engineering has always been and always will be a "safe bet" due to its technical nature and the fact that our civilization has built itself upon it and will continue its dependence on such future innovations...


That said, what exactly do you mean by safe bet? It will best out most other careers in terms of labor demand/financial stability, but it's possible that there might be some chipping away at your salary, depending on what you do/where you work.

 

[bbm4n]

Ok. As an engineer i think the answer is you can be a good engineer that won't be outsourced overseas if you built upon a strong theoretical background and do not just stay in programming or using a program for example for vlsi design. At the moment there are a million sites in internet that can self teach you almost anything so it is fairly obvious that even if you are excellent in an area someone else can be better than you. So i think my conclusion is a hybrid like knowledge is required for todays engineers to survive.
A scenario:
You graduate with a thesis on Databases specifically sql, and you spend tons of time into learning all the little details and incorporating all such in a UBERAWESOME program.
-There are like 10K people out there some even without a degree, who have read the tutorials 100 times more and are already working on a company gaining lot of experience. They ask for lower wage. Which one will someone choose?
Another scenario:
You graduate with a thesis on Databases specifically sql, but you also built a strong backround in probability theory and real time database management. You do not spend your entire time to learn all the sql details.
-The previous 10K people will know better sql but you have built a stronger theroretical backround.
Ok this is a little far fetched but the point is be very careful cause lot of ppl out there have better experience in specific areas than an engineer. The engineers key is hisTheoretical Backround.

 

[j93]

From my experience most of the big name defense contractors like to hire those with knowledge of all the little details because they can hire them for a specific project which they can work immediately because they know all the little details then move them into another project after and have them sink or swim or just fire them which saves them money in training someone with a good theoretical background and increases productivity.

 

[ice109]

Just because someone has an engineering degree doesn't mean they're competent. India and China produce lots of engineering degrees, but it has never translated into real world results. American engineers are still far superior when it comes to designing and creating innovative products.

ha! you're dreaming. maybe 50 years ago during the cold war but as of right now almost every other first world country is leading us in innovation.