Salary for an aerospace engineer

[Bugsmasher_37]

Hello,

I recently received a job offer from an aerospace engineer firm to work for them, but I think they are paying too low. I'm a degreed engineer with about 10 years of experience in the industry but non-managerial. I estimate that the median salary for someone in my position is $93,000 per year, but the offer was for about 25% less than this. Am I being realistic in my expectations?

 

[caldweab]

They make around $70-75,000 a year. If you want more money you're going to have to move into a senior position or management

 

[Bugsmasher_37]

In that case, what is an entry level aero engineer starting at? I was under the assumption they come in at about $63000 to $65000 annually. I also thought managers were earning about $120000 a year.

 

[marcusl]

If you are an IEEE member, then you can purchase e-access to the latest salary surveya. You can search for the salaries of other IEEE members in your industry, experience level and geographical region.

 

[enigma]

It highly depends on the area you live and work. That median is probably a reasonable estimate for expensive places to live (DC, California, New York, etc.). If the company that offered you the job is based away from major metropolitan areas, it could be significantly less.

 

[D H]

I recently received a job offer from an aerospace engineer firm to work for them, but I think they are paying too low. I'm a degreed engineer with about 10 years of experience in the industry but non-managerial. I estimate that the median salary for someone in my position is $93,000 per year, but the offer was for about 25% less than this. Am I being realistic in my expectations?

You didn't mention whether your experience and degree are in aerospace engineering or some other engineering discipline. That experience and degree will be discounted to some extent if they aren't aerospace engineering. You also didn't mention whether you have a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree. Even at 10 years experience, those with an advanced degree tend to have a higher salary than do those without.

93K used to be about right for someone with 10 years of experience directly in the field. Right now? NASA is in decline, DoD is facing the sequester and looks to be facing significant cuts in the future, and commercial aviation is having its problems, too. Supply currently vastly exceeds demand, making for a downward pressure on salary.