USA here, 27 years experience $127,000 per year. No raise in the past 4 years. My take home pay is only 60% of this after subtracting taxes and insurance and 5% I pay into my retirement. Heath insurance is about $7000 per year for family. I will be changing jobs soon, going into forensic engineering which is more pay and offers part time work.
I think the problem of being a structural engineer is that we are too far from the source of money. In my opinion, after getting enough experience, I found more profitable work in small to medium projects independently than large projects for a company. I wish I had more lectures about client management and public relationships. I consider it a bit tough for our merely technical formation. Nice video thanks for the info.
Agree. In addition I also think, the larger the projects the more important it is to have good managers, unfortunately a good engineer doesn't necessarily make a good manager. Too many times do engineers get promoted into management roles without training or the knowledge. Smaller projects engineers can get away with basic management skills. That's in my experience why larger projects (excluding cash cow Government projects) with large overheads rarely make decent profits. The easy answer is to make staff work harder - engineers love working for free, they wear it like a badge of honour.
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Thank you Brendon. I am a structural engineer with over 30years of experience in the residential and small industrial and commercial projects. My advise to my fellow engineers is to raise your fees without fear of losing business. You will end up earning more salary for less time, less stress and less liability. There is plenty of work out there for good engineers. We don't need to undercut each other's fees. It worked for me, my competion strategy is by producing quality design instead of reducing my design fees.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
lets get down to the numbers in Sweden an engineer is paid from 2000 - 4000 dollars per month depending on experience. 1/3 is tax 1/3 is living costs and you must raise the family with the left 1/3.
I'm a PE here in the US and I do small projects typically at $1 per Sq foot. I also do structural steel at flat rates per project and retaining walls. I have more work than I can handle and make over $200k per year. Work independently, do residential and light commercial.
That sounds good until you are sued. Even if you carry E&O insurance, a law suit can wipe out many hundreds of thousands of $$ very quickly. Remember, E&O coverage is only in affect as long as you carry it; many of sole practitioners go " bare".
@@Qwerty-y9h pull about $20k off th t for phone, eo, etc. I don't do any marketing etc and I work contract for the Govt part time so get health insurance etc. Through them. All told, I will probly up my game soon with another area I'm going into. Any pe that works independent of a firm can knock down serious money.
Was sitting with a number of my engineering peers (30 years) - mentioned that I would not be encouraging my boys to go in to engineering. Too much work for too much liability and too little rewards. Better to be a plumber or electrician.
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
I'm a bridge engineer for a consultancy in the UK. From what I understand salaries are around: Graduate Engineer (0-2 years) - £25,000 to £30,000 Engineer (until chartered*) - £30,000 to £34,000 Senior Engineer (once chartered) - £38,000 to £46,000 Principal Engineer (chartered + 3-5 years) - £45,000 to £55,000 Associate (15+ years) - £60,000 to £75,000 Technical Director (20+ years) - £80,000+ *chartership with the Institution of Civil Engineers usually takes around 4-6 years. We are an underpaid profession, unfortunately. But like you say, compared to other industries the pay is fine, but I imagine other industries have nowhere near as much stress!
Your race to the bottom comment really hits home. I constantly push back on management on the scope of our services. I am constantly arguing that we can only reduce them so much to reduce our fees. As structural engineers, a certain level of analysis and detailing is absolutely required not only by code but to ensure that our buildings our built as we’ve considered them our design. This is a bigger responsibility than making sure we stay within our budgeted hours. I get that if we don’t get the job, we don’t get paid but there’s a minimum threshold of design and drawing development that we absolutely need to be meeting. Meeting this minimum threshold is our ethical responsibility.
The competition in engineering has caused this. 50 years ago there were fewer engineers and engineering companies had more clout, then there was a big depression with engineers not having much work to do so they had to beg for jobs. This pushed engineering fees down quite a bit and they are not able to recover. People continue to say that we need more engineers, and in general this may be true, but I don't think it is the case in structural engineering. We probably have too many engineering companies competing with each other, each company needing engineers to do the work that it gets, but the companies that don't get the work end up with too many engineers. If we really did not have enough engineers then the market would respond with higher fees and higher salaries. Fees are kept low by too many companies competing for each project.
Hi Cory, agree there is a minimum level design and detailing must be maintained regardless of price. This may require the budget hour to be exceeded. And engineering isn't a charity, fee would need to raise.
I'm not a structural engineer but I am certain it is an underpaid and underappreciated profession for the training and responsibility. Constant 'shortages' in Australia also for some reason. 🤔
It’s very true what your saying. There’s a lot of factors at work. Buildings aren’t designed to last anymore, and the life expectancy of a building isn’t really incorporated into its value. It’s about how cheap and fast can you build it. Constructibility is more important than material cost savings many times because of interest on the loans/ labor costs / crane rental. It cost 20k a day in NYC to rent a crane! So senior engineers need to have a sense of the engineering cost as a whole in order to direct clients to make good decisions and engineers with less experience are very valuable when they can design the building quickly (in modeling software) and if they can coordinate with architects then that’s an even bigger plus - these engineers are hard to find but the ones that do this should and would be paid more. Yes we are racing to the bottom with prices but that’s cyclical, we’ve been in a global booming economy for over 10 years now and the next downturn will weed out a lot of competition in our field
Hi Peter a downturn will likely hit out fees more, putting pressure on wages. Yes some may stick around but others will look for more money elsewhere. Hope people start to value engineering more, we also need to get better at selling our value.
So many times have I been in a meeting where the client changed everything but the deadline, and the engineers will not say a word about a change in scope requiring additional compensation. Try that with a contractor and he will immediately start talking about a change order! I have seen it in many firms of all sizes. Engineers are lousy businessmen. I have over 30 years of experience, mostly in Texas, and I have yet to see an engineer as good at negotiating change orders as the standard run of the mill contractor. How can we make money when we end up designing the same project three times for one fee?
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
I am a Senior Structural Engineer in the UK, salaries are bad because most engineers are clueless about how to value their own jobs, as long it is a bit above the average salary and enough to pay the bills people will accept it, it is pathetic. Our job is to control the risk exposure of our clients associated with the construction process and final reliability of the project, the value of our services is all the money the client is saving by avoiding that risk.....like using insurance policies or lifetime maintenance, for example, this can be measured precisely....................and the big problem is that the companies are destroying every single discipline transforming professional industries into express services, fast food mentality applied to engineering.......and professionals are allowing that to happen
Agree engineers aren't great a pricing project but as everyone is lowering fee to win work you need to match. Or you need to educate clients why they need to raise fees and the better service they will get.
the UK is ridiculous the process one goes through to become chartered it’s not worth the salaries these companies offer. I think the US is better. I wish I started my career over there. The Construction industry is lucrative if you are willing to work as a freelancer as a project Engineer or Site Engineer
@@user-gq8xd8bx5q that’s true, I am about to become chartered and I never felt my skills as engineer were tested, is more about having patience with the process and the bureaucracy rather than proving value engineering skills…..I often find that is just another negotiation tool given to companies to justify paying as little as possible
@@carlosberrios1506 Congrats for achieving your chartership. I graduated a while ago almost 10 years now. I've given up on that route and went into Construction instead working as Engineer as the pay was way better than what the consultancies were offering at the time. I couldn't go for a job that was offering £25000 per year. Now I am thinking about taking the Chartership assessment. I know what you mean exactly, I felt the same way. In fact, it is sad to say the Structural Engineer sector is one of the worst sector to get into for a young ambitious graduate. It is controlled by elite people who care less about innovation. It is better if you take your skills and start freelancing work for small work or go abroad or develop your skills and get into something lucrative.
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Well done! Your observation regarding the commissions of brokers and the recurring nature of these commissions over the life of the building is illuminating. Society values the wrong things, and, as a retired financial analyst, I say this without being influenced by my own circumstances. Thank you!
Hi Theodore, thanks for the support. Agree society is chasing cheaper and cheaper fees. Save a buck and pass the issue on to future self. Saving money on engineering could end up cost more, and it is relatively small cost compared to the project.
After rubbing my brain on the structure all day the next day the architect calls us and says there are some customer concerns so we need to make some changes. this thing happen all the time 😂 and I have 2 years of experience as Structural engineer and they are paying 150 dollar per month
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Sir, I'm indian structural engineer working in a multinational company with the experience of 1.5 years right now. When i see my seniors, almost everyone complains about the low amount they are paid. Some seniors even suggest me to change the field and go for IT jobs becuase their salaries are almost three time that of ours. Even the government employees with less work stress earn 1.5 times than us. The place/building where i work, has other IT companies on different floors, where some of my college friends from computer science and IT work, they earn 2-3 times than me, even though we were of same caliber. Some of my college friends, who chose to go for MBA earn 4 times my salary. When i see them, it just fills me with inferiority complex and i start thinking if i've taken a wrong decision taking this field. It's even depressing to know that this situation is same in other countries also. I don't see any eay to improve my salary even if i switch to other companies. The only way i see to earn more in this field is to move abroad, bcs ofcourse..1 US dollar = 75 Indian rupees. Your work, even if u like it, won't give u happiness if u are constantly under stress, paid less and not respected (people are not aware).
@@harmony318 on the plus side for an experience of 1.5 years it's a lot better than architects 😬. I've heard people get paid 15k for freshers ...Good luck & keep pushing
I think you're right, in the "grand old days" (before my career) engineering used to be a fixed 2-3% of project cost according to my leads over the years. Now though it is a race to the bottom, often with poor results on-site. Add in the shift to 3d modelling instead of drawings and the value of the engineer is diminished further. With the introduction of AI and similar, I expect we'll see less engineers required and the engineers present taking more of an "over-view" type role for the 3d modellers.
USA fee rates vary wildly. A residential project could be 0.25 percent or a maximum of maybe $2000. Not worth it unless doing repetitive simple layouts. 3 to 4 percent can be charged in the oil and gas projects.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
I would comment that if you're looking to work within a respectful firm, then yes the numbers you mentioned are applicable. However, you have to remember that a lot of engineers need to get their experience in a way where they start considering jobs like structural drafting or any paying role-related just to kick off their career. Not to mention the case regarding pricing jobs as I come from the residential sector of the industry; Some clients don't want to understand what we suppose to do and only focus on the final product which put pressure on engineers to cut corners in the design process. We have to remember that our job plays a vital role in one of the most significant industries in Australia, so at the end of the day, it's all about money more than safety in my opinion.
Hi Ibrahim, agree that getting your foot in the door can be hard. As engineers we need to promote/educate client on the value of good engineering, maybe even add additional value. But this will take time to increases of fees as a industry.
Engineer here, payment is horrible... It was my biggest shock becoming an engineer and I do want to leave the engineering field for a better paying job.
Get a magnificent project done which doesn’t necessarily mean you get paid well. Some medium and small scale project may offer good pay. But complex like wind turbine and crusher station offers you a solid understanding on dynamic loading . After that you probably would like to move forward to more profitable projects in small scales with confidence.
Hi Brendan, love your channel...we struggle here in Canada as well to get compensated for the amount risk we take on compared to most other professions. I started out at 55k/year in an entry role, eventually moved into construction and practise part time and freelance small projects. Good Information you provided, glad we’re all on the same boat around the world lol.
Hi Naveed, thanks for the support. From all the comment it is similar all over the world, we need to work as a collective to raise fees to were they should be.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Well done, I'm an Australian engineer myself, I reckon your Australian salary estimates are fairly accurate. This race to the bottom like you mentioned may not be a sustainable approach going forward, especially since the professional engineers registration scheme is now in place, and already being mismanaged (my opinion) by the labyrinth of regulatory bodies (BLA, VBA and EA). The one emerging issue which was raised by a PI insurance broker at an ACSEV meeting not that long ago was that due to this change, at least one insurance underwriter has pulled out of offering PI for engineers, and the others are either considering it, or increasing premiums and minimum criteria due to the level of exposure. Something has to give, this may cause a problem soon!
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
in my country, Republic of North Macedonia, in the first 5years you will get no more then 6k$/year. Remember that gas, groceries and electricity are roughly on the same range as of those in U.S. so be happy with your salaries.
@@BrendanHasty I forget to mention that even engineers with over 20 years of experience will get a maximum of 10-12k$/year. Anyway, love your content, they are very educative, keep it up.
I t is difficult to compare US/UK/AU salaries. For example, the UK has national health care whereas the US does not, although most engineering firms in the US provide healtcare insurance. Taxes are another factor. You would have to make a detailed analysis of the cost of living and disposable income.............
Thanks for putting this together. As a structural engineer with 10 years experience I have found it’s very competitive with fees and the technical depth we have to go to is not understood or rewarded. We are just too far down the value chain, or too dar from the source of money as someone below mentioned. It’s quite a ridiculous situation you mentioned re our salary compared to for example real estate agents. Do we need to work together to push out wages up and get out skills and contribution recognized? I’m not going to say a union as this as implications I Don’t want to suggest but it does feel like something has to be done to get our contributions recognized
We don't have to do anything. Bridges and buildings, roads are falling apart here. No one cares about anything but money, phones and cars here. Idiots like Tesla guy think that building tunnels is easy. Our fees should be risk based. Based on the number of people who could die if our structure fails. Or based on the cost of economic loss. No one knows what we do and no one cares.
It can be hard, to raise fees, we need to show value for good engineering. It also requires everyone to come together and raise fees but I feel it will be a slow process to raise fees.
It's about time that directors of companies put their footdown with scope creep. On all too many occasions am I "just tweaking" or "commenting on" information well past the point of our fee drawdown. I understand the need to follow a job through but we should start to hold the clients to ransoms.. money first, solutions after. It's how every other consultant works. How we take 0.5%-1% of project budget whilst a project manager who can't even be arsed to get to grips the design and is only interested in dates on am excel sheet takes home upward of 5% is stunning. The istructe in the UK needs to be pushing for change in the industry.. it's disgusting that someone with a master's in engineering, working 40+ hours a week, taking in huge amounts of stress and liability is rewarded with a salary similar to that of a recruitment consultant !
Most offices are top heavy with managers pushing paper. Last office I was in had an Engineering Manager and a Manager of Engineering. ???? Hours burned up.....
There is only one way wages will go up, like the medical profession they are gate keeping how many doctors can join the field and they always make sure the demand is higher than supply hence the high wages.
I think what you mentioned is just happening in almost every aspect of the engineering, together with the trend of talent people lured to financial sector instead of STEM....until the 737-MAX takes away hundreds of lives and the tall building in Sydney is just not suitable for habitation, capital want quick money and so as the project manager.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Hi Brendan, I'm a graduate structural engineer from Perth working in the mining industry. I primarily work on mining structures such as conveyors, screening buildings, take up structures, reclaim tunnels, warehouses and other miscellaneous structures that can be found in a mining site. My first ever engineering related job was as an intern to get my hours in order to graduate. I was earning $52k. After 3 months and after I graduated, I started earning $65k. After the first year of graduating, and currently reaching 2 years of experience, I am earning $80k.
Hello. I'm going to Perth next year and my brief experience (1y9m) is quite similar to your job description, dealing with conveyors structures, reclaimers, warehouses (sheds), etc. I graduated in mechanical engineer though. However, my main expecience is based in steel structures inside mining field (or industrial field). Do you have any advice to get a job in this field in Perth? Do you think I should candidate firstly for a internship or aplying directly for a graduate job? I also deal with mechanical devices and I am really excited to get there.
all the bosses I used to work with say the same thing. 'compare the commission of a real estate agent with our less than 1% fee' We should increase the fee to justify our engineering skills and stop undercutting each other.
I have tried to point this out to people outside of engineering and they don't see it that way. An architect may have 5 people working on a project to design a building, they hire other consultants maybe employing another 10 people, and this combined team works for 12 months to design a building, all for a total fee of about 6%. Then a real estate agent with a secretary sells the building in a couple of months only working on it a little bit each week among his other deals and gets paid the same 6%. Over my career I've seen the amount of engineering work put into buildings double, triple, quadruple, with no change in fees. If there wasn't so much competition between engineering companies the fees would go up to match.
I think those numbers are also accurate for Canada. I’m at my 9th year of structural engineering and my salary followed those numbers. (Montreal, Quebec region)
Currently I’m working as structural engineer in Australia. There is a reason why senior/lead engineers get paid well but personally not enough compare with their work. The greater the responsibilities, the higher the stress levels😂
Exellent analysis. I think the client does not havd a clue about our field. That is the major issue. Also the raise that we get is very gradual and low comparing to other jobs. Too tedious to meet ends sometimes.
Hi Deepak, agree but it is somewhat our fault chasing for lower fees. This turned our work into a commodity. We need to educate clients this will take time.
I think one of the biggest problems associated with fees is the proliferation of easily available and easy to use design software. Using such packages has doubtless speed up the design process exponentially, but two consultants using the same software package will trend towards an identical solution for any given problem. As such innovation suffers and clients can't see the value of one firm over another - so they just go for the cheapest. We aren't going to get paid more by comparing ourselves with doctors or trying to suggest we form some sort of informal cartel to control fees. If we want more money we have to offer more value to our clients just like everything else in a free market economy.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
In india the starting salary is 300k rupees per annum, that sums up to roughly 5660 Australian dollar per annum 😂😂😂. And u guys are complaining about less salary
Thanks for the video Brendan! I suppose this would vary a fair bit from state-to-state and sector-to-sector. I've done some market research into this very recently for the NSW market, and was surprised how much the value for engineers had increased in only 2 years (which was the last time I did a market search). As you've mentioned, data from Glassdoor can be pretty broad and subject to a fair bit of variability, so it should not be the sole basis for an individual looking to determine salary prospects for a specific role. Perhaps the viewers might benefit from a video on how to determine their market value and negotiate salary in engineering? For a high performing 5-7 year structural engineer in NSW (Vic would be similar?) within the civil infrastructure and transport industry (highways, bridges, rail, etc) the range would be a package (including super) of 90 to 130k. These are guide ranges at the end of the day so I would not be too fixated on it as you can also get more than the guidance, but would require a strong case to justify your worth / value. If you have a set of skills that differentiates you from the pack, your salary may also differentiate from pack. It's a hot market right now.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Thanks for the video Brendan. In slovakia the average salary for SE is about 17000-25000euros/year, which is pathetic. Maybe video suggestion- jobs, that structural engineers could possibly move to{is it possible to do something like mathematician/actuary/data scientist?}
Hi Marian that seem really low, hope it improves. There is many fields you can move into, the engineering approach can lead to a unique problem solving skills.
As a structural engineer in SEQ, I think the D&C market combined with abolition of fee regulation is a key factor. And I think we are seeing less quality as a result due to less fees, less time, less experience etc. Additionally, the lack of a nationally registration requirement for project sign off, or in the case of QLD, the very basic RPEQ system, which only requires the engineer to pay a fee, also contributes to this. Anyone can pay for their RPEQ and sign off a 100 storey building. The only thing holding it back from getting worse now is the indemnity insurance costs, which naturally are going up to counter the problem
Hi chiano, hope the increased responsibility required for the NSW regulations help to change this, and with the increased responsibility increases our fees.
I do not support increased regulation for engineers. It makes is difficult for small and medium sized practices to expand and grow organically into different areas of work, which in turn kills productivity. The family law society provides guidance on hourly rates whilst AFAIK Engineers Australia is silent on the matter.
Hi Hazetbafoon, yes at the moment wages are low moat due to fees. Hopefully something that can be turned around. And as you said some streams pay more then others.
I am a master student specializing in earthquake and structural engineering and I am graduating next year. I am now kind of preparing for my job search upon graduation and I always have the problem of asking for the reasonable salary. I don’t know much practicing structural engineer and I find the salary survey online to be somewhat skeptical. I don’t want to be underpaid but at the same time I don’t want to scared the potential employees away for asking to height of the salary. Any suggestions regarding my situation from an experienced engineer like you would very much be appreciated.
Hi Billy, for your first job what you are going to get in experience is more important then what you get paid. Great experience early on in your career will pay of in the long run. what you also need to consider in your first job you have heaps to learn so your new compaine is also investing in you. good luck on your job hunt.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me. Better shift to computer finance
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Hi Shama feel free to ask. I get lots of emails so it can be hard to keep track. Typically I try and reply to most comments. Patreons get more priority but that cost some money, comments are free.
Haha sound good my question is as a civil engineer if i want to choose structure engineering as a career then i go for masters or certification like software certification or advance diploma of 6 month is sufficient..because I'm very much interested in Ancient structure of India (like old temples, mosque, soloman temples and piramid etc,etc)
For the big consulting firms, it does. But also it depends how much knowledge you have when you come down to the final interview. Getting yourself intership while in Uni helps too.
Hi sir I am thushyanthan from srilanka.i want to become structural engineer.now, I am studying civil engineering.what I want to do the future for my dream??.please reply to me sir
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Sir i completed my bachelors in civil engineering how i became strucutural engineer ... sir please make a video for guidance to beacme strucutural engineer.
Hi Mohd Asif Khan, after you have gotten your Bachelors(some countries require a masters) you can start working as a graduate Structural engineer. That first position is the hardest to get, so look for a wide range of companies to apply to, tailor your CV for each company(do your research) and at last resort use a recruiter. good luck
I'm currently in my final year applying for graduate jobs, the salaries for a graduate civil/structural/geotechnical engineer here in the UK is around 27-30k per year for the big companies. I think it may be lower for small engineering firms though.
As a mid level UK Civil engineer follow Brendans advice i work for a big consultant and they are all the same, most do not invest in the staff. Go for a small to medium size company 20-1500person company, the wage initially will be lower but you will fly ahead and get better experience, the same happened with all those i graduated with who went to smaller companies. Long term look to go self employed if you want to make money.
@@bean6099 No problem, the big few in UK i.e Aecom, JBA, Jacobs, Arcadis etc will all have similar graduate programmes that will bring everyone upto the similar standard with the company "culture". They generally teach you networking, have a group project with graduates from differing disciplines, i.e river, ports, geotech, ecology and you have to produce and idea or project report/presentation. But many of the big company will employ you into a team in a group like rivers, or tunnelling, or roads and you will be trained to be good at that area of expertise. Where smaller companies are better is they will expect you to know more about many aspects of differing project disciplines, and areas such as project management, structural steel design, consents and licencing, client engagement, programming etc so in my experience you get more diverse experience in a smaller company but on smaller projects. The big companies will eventually push you towards being a single role such as a PM or a drainage designer or only do sheet pile walls. Worth noting the big companies will get you in the door with bigger starting salaries and pay increase will be very slow after, a typical just become CEng chartered engineer will be on £36-38k a year and that takes on average 4-5 years and they will glass ceiling you until you get chartered i.e slow your progression. Small companies offer less to start but typically offer bigger more regular pay increases and you may even get company bonuses. My opinion is that my engineering friends who joined smaller firms generally got better experience and become more diverse engineers....and are now paid more.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Hey Breden, I am graduate civil engineer working in uae and its been 2 years of experience in the field, specifically designing g+5 structures. I wanna get my masters from Australia, which top universities you would recommend.
Great video as always! It'd be interesting to show the method you use to keep notes at work and to log projects. Handwriting or digital notes and also how you track your competencies and/or project progress.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Hello Brendan, I need an explanation regarding the difference between Engineering Assistant and Assistant Engineering Job Role. If you could distinguish them it will be grate to know about it for me . ty
Hi Brendan! Thanks so much for your high-quality videos. I am planning to move to Australia from Europe and I wonder how much should I ask for the expected salary for a graduate structural engineer role. I have a total of 6 months of experience as a design engineer, not a structural engineer though.
Hi Downtown, it depents anywhere from 45k to 70k but more commonly on the lower end. Eurocode isnt that far from australian standards so it shouldn't be too hard of a transition.
@@BrendanHasty Thanks so much, Brendan! It's gonna help me a lot. I am curious to know what you will do next and look forward to following your journey :)
I live in an a city more on the expensive end (Chicago) and make good money for just under 3 yrs of experience compared to those averages for a same level engineer in the U.S.
"value of good engineering", if they do their job. My experience has been sloppy, careless and expensive. Three times the quoted price!! Said I asked them to redesign. I did because the drawings were "not for construction" drawings supplied for quotation immediately followed by final design drawings. So they designed to the wrong set of drawings. Not for construction, means just that. Ended up costing 1.5% of project cost. Ended up doing all the analysis myself just to check the engineer. Oh, and I was using pre-engineered systems which the engineer thought he'd redesign and re-specify.
How much money is a human life worth to you ? What percentage of you car cost was paid to engineers ? Way more than 1.5 percent. Your phone ? Do you think engineering is free ? Your engineer designed to a bid set of drawings, that is standard practice. Your engineer protects the lives of your projects future occupants. That has a dollar value.
Dear Mr.Bendan .. i follow all your lectures .. and we hope you make lecture in steel structure talks on milty story building more than 10 story as a Thumb rule ( foundation - column - beams - slab - connection ) .. thanks alot
Hi Brendon. It was a very transparent session about the challenges faced by a Structural Engineer. My self a Structural Engineer with 7 years of experience in Precast industry in the middle east. I am looking at the possibilities of migrating to Australia or Canada for better opportunities. May i know your opinion in this matter? Is there enough demand for Structural Engineers in Australia or Canada for considering the risk of switch from a present stable profession?
Hi Rohit, there is a great demand for structural engineers in Australia at the moment. Also engineering skills are transferralable between countries, just need to know the code differences. When changing countries you many need to drop down a level or two until you get better with the local standards.
@@BrendanHasty Thank you so much for the response. Being in the middle east mostly the ACI and BS standards are followed here for design. Which codes are followed for RCC and steel in AUS as a standard and is it the same all the states? Thanks in advance.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Hi sir, I am a civil engineer from India. I've been working in Structural design over the past year using softwares like Etabs, SAFE, StaadPro, RCDC. I am planning for my masters in structural engineering from Australia. I needed some advice on what college i should choose and what softwares you use in Australia etc.
Hi Prem gohil, as me know, curtin university still good design civil engineering, I’m from in Vietnam and living in Saigon City, my mother company Structerre in Australia and they outsource jobs in Sai Gon Vietnam. We are design residential, industry and small commercial. We are using Raft, mult, tube design column, SLB for design concrete house. Hope you enjoy structure engineer and have good job in the future!
Hi, I recently graduated with a biology degree which I don’t love. I’m considering becoming an engineer. Is this profession something you would highly recommend and what skills do you believe a good engineer needs?
I’m a mechanical engineer in building services. I get $255k inc super in aus. You need to demand your worth. You get what you pay for so if they don’t pay Then look elsewhere. I work for a builder and that pays much more than consulting. What’s happening now though is women are getting paid simply for being women. That’s because the government have mandated it. For that reason a lot of men are walking.
Also an early career Mech. Good to hear you pushed hard for what you're worth. Something too few Engineers seem to do sadly. I think most of them just think "If I get enough experience and do my chores, the money will come" and then 10 years later wonder why they're being overworked on lousy pay.
USA here, 27 years experience $127,000 per year. No raise in the past 4 years. My take home pay is only 60% of this after subtracting taxes and insurance and 5% I pay into my retirement. Heath insurance is about $7000 per year for family. I will be changing jobs soon, going into forensic engineering which is more pay and offers part time work.
Hi Tom, thanks for sharing. globally engineering has fallen into a slump, hope it comes out soon. Hope the move is good.
31 years experience in US, $128k per year, no raise for 4.5 years. I will get a raise this year, either where I am or by finding a job somewhere else.
I think the problem of being a structural engineer is that we are too far from the source of money. In my opinion, after getting enough experience, I found more profitable work in small to medium projects independently than large projects for a company. I wish I had more lectures about client management and public relationships. I consider it a bit tough for our merely technical formation. Nice video thanks for the info.
Agree. In addition I also think, the larger the projects the more important it is to have good managers, unfortunately a good engineer doesn't necessarily make a good manager. Too many times do engineers get promoted into management roles without training or the knowledge. Smaller projects engineers can get away with basic management skills.
That's in my experience why larger projects (excluding cash cow Government projects) with large overheads rarely make decent profits. The easy answer is to make staff work harder - engineers love working for free, they wear it like a badge of honour.
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Pay for structural engineers is immorally low for the risk, sacrifice, responsibility and stress.
Thank you Brendon. I am a structural engineer with over 30years of experience in the residential and small industrial and commercial projects. My advise to my fellow engineers is to raise your fees without fear of losing business. You will end up earning more salary for less time, less stress and less liability. There is plenty of work out there for good engineers. We don't need to undercut each other's fees. It worked for me, my competion strategy is by producing quality design instead of reducing my design fees.
Hi Souheil, we are in total agreement. The low fee is half our issue.
It's worldwide trend. Probably the most exciting and well paid projects moved to the internet.
Hi Ireneusz, agree software/internet companies pay better, it requires engineers to market ourselves better so we can get better fees.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
lets get down to the numbers in Sweden an engineer is paid from 2000 - 4000 dollars per month depending on experience. 1/3 is tax 1/3 is living costs and you must raise the family with the left 1/3.
Thanks for sharing Mr p
I'm a PE here in the US and I do small projects typically at $1 per Sq foot. I also do structural steel at flat rates per project and retaining walls. I have more work than I can handle and make over $200k per year. Work independently, do residential and light commercial.
did you grab your experience, passed the pe test and started your own shop?
Hi Bill, that sounds like you are on a good place with good clients.
That sounds good until you are sued. Even if you carry E&O insurance, a law suit can wipe out many hundreds of thousands of $$ very quickly. Remember, E&O coverage is only in affect as long as you carry it; many of sole practitioners go " bare".
@@Qwerty-y9h pull about $20k off th t for phone, eo, etc. I don't do any marketing etc and I work contract for the Govt part time so get health insurance etc. Through them. All told, I will probly up my game soon with another area I'm going into. Any pe that works independent of a firm can knock down serious money.
True that the way to go Bill! Greetings from Sweden.
Was sitting with a number of my engineering peers (30 years) - mentioned that I would not be encouraging my boys to go in to engineering. Too much work for too much liability and too little rewards. Better to be a plumber or electrician.
Hi Ian it can fell like that, but throught improving the image of engineers and better sales approach it can help raise fees.
Totally agree with you Ian, seems in the UK for me to only way to make good money as an engineer is to go freelance/self employed
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
@@BrendanHasty Australia does their best to drop engineering wages as much as possible
I'm a bridge engineer for a consultancy in the UK. From what I understand salaries are around:
Graduate Engineer (0-2 years) - £25,000 to £30,000
Engineer (until chartered*) - £30,000 to £34,000
Senior Engineer (once chartered) - £38,000 to £46,000
Principal Engineer (chartered + 3-5 years) - £45,000 to £55,000
Associate (15+ years) - £60,000 to £75,000
Technical Director (20+ years) - £80,000+
*chartership with the Institution of Civil Engineers usually takes around 4-6 years.
We are an underpaid profession, unfortunately. But like you say, compared to other industries the pay is fine, but I imagine other industries have nowhere near as much stress!
Hi Jake thanks for sharing. Agree that our profession has more stress the most others, if you compare us to doctors or lawyers we are underpaid.
@@BrendanHasty What is the difference between a doctor and a structural engineer? A doctor's mistake can only kill people one at a time.
Graduate Bridge Engineer here, also in UK.
I agree that these brackets are about right as of 2021.
Hi Jake. I would lower the top two tiers by £5,000 to £10,000 there rest I am in full agreement with.
Your race to the bottom comment really hits home. I constantly push back on management on the scope of our services. I am constantly arguing that we can only reduce them so much to reduce our fees. As structural engineers, a certain level of analysis and detailing is absolutely required not only by code but to ensure that our buildings our built as we’ve considered them our design. This is a bigger responsibility than making sure we stay within our budgeted hours. I get that if we don’t get the job, we don’t get paid but there’s a minimum threshold of design and drawing development that we absolutely need to be meeting. Meeting this minimum threshold is our ethical responsibility.
The competition in engineering has caused this. 50 years ago there were fewer engineers and engineering companies had more clout, then there was a big depression with engineers not having much work to do so they had to beg for jobs. This pushed engineering fees down quite a bit and they are not able to recover. People continue to say that we need more engineers, and in general this may be true, but I don't think it is the case in structural engineering. We probably have too many engineering companies competing with each other, each company needing engineers to do the work that it gets, but the companies that don't get the work end up with too many engineers. If we really did not have enough engineers then the market would respond with higher fees and higher salaries. Fees are kept low by too many companies competing for each project.
Hi Cory, agree there is a minimum level design and detailing must be maintained regardless of price. This may require the budget hour to be exceeded. And engineering isn't a charity, fee would need to raise.
Hi Bill, agree that competition has dropped the fees too much. Tho in forcing minimum standards and compliance may get rid of some who cut corners.
I'm not a structural engineer but I am certain it is an underpaid and underappreciated profession for the training and responsibility. Constant 'shortages' in Australia also for some reason. 🤔
It’s very true what your saying. There’s a lot of factors at work. Buildings aren’t designed to last anymore, and the life expectancy of a building isn’t really incorporated into its value. It’s about how cheap and fast can you build it. Constructibility is more important than material cost savings many times because of interest on the loans/ labor costs / crane rental. It cost 20k a day in NYC to rent a crane! So senior engineers need to have a sense of the engineering cost as a whole in order to direct clients to make good decisions and engineers with less experience are very valuable when they can design the building quickly (in modeling software) and if they can coordinate with architects then that’s an even bigger plus - these engineers are hard to find but the ones that do this should and would be paid more. Yes we are racing to the bottom with prices but that’s cyclical, we’ve been in a global booming economy for over 10 years now and the next downturn will weed out a lot of competition in our field
Hi Peter a downturn will likely hit out fees more, putting pressure on wages. Yes some may stick around but others will look for more money elsewhere. Hope people start to value engineering more, we also need to get better at selling our value.
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys
So many times have I been in a meeting where the client changed everything but the deadline, and the engineers will not say a word about a change in scope requiring additional compensation. Try that with a contractor and he will immediately start talking about a change order! I have seen it in many firms of all sizes. Engineers are lousy businessmen. I have over 30 years of experience, mostly in Texas, and I have yet to see an engineer as good at negotiating change orders as the standard run of the mill contractor. How can we make money when we end up designing the same project three times for one fee?
Hi Steven, agree as engineers need to get better a tracking scope creep and charging for it. Projects can lose money through many small changes.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
I am a Senior Structural Engineer in the UK, salaries are bad because most engineers are clueless about how to value their own jobs, as long it is a bit above the average salary and enough to pay the bills people will accept it, it is pathetic. Our job is to control the risk exposure of our clients associated with the construction process and final reliability of the project, the value of our services is all the money the client is saving by avoiding that risk.....like using insurance policies or lifetime maintenance, for example, this can be measured precisely....................and the big problem is that the companies are destroying every single discipline transforming professional industries into express services, fast food mentality applied to engineering.......and professionals are allowing that to happen
Agree engineers aren't great a pricing project but as everyone is lowering fee to win work you need to match. Or you need to educate clients why they need to raise fees and the better service they will get.
the UK is ridiculous the process one goes through to become chartered it’s not worth the salaries these companies offer. I think the US is better. I wish I started my career over there. The Construction industry is lucrative if you are willing to work as a freelancer as a project Engineer or Site Engineer
@@user-gq8xd8bx5q that’s true, I am about to become chartered and I never felt my skills as engineer were tested, is more about having patience with the process and the bureaucracy rather than proving value engineering skills…..I often find that is just another negotiation tool given to companies to justify paying as little as possible
@@carlosberrios1506 Congrats for achieving your chartership. I graduated a while ago almost 10 years now. I've given up on that route and went into Construction instead working as Engineer as the pay was way better than what the consultancies were offering at the time. I couldn't go for a job that was offering £25000 per year. Now I am thinking about taking the Chartership assessment. I know what you mean exactly, I felt the same way. In fact, it is sad to say the Structural Engineer sector is one of the worst sector to get into for a young ambitious graduate. It is controlled by elite people who care less about innovation. It is better if you take your skills and start freelancing work for small work or go abroad or develop your skills and get into something lucrative.
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Well done! Your observation regarding the commissions of brokers and the recurring nature of these commissions over the life of the building is illuminating. Society values the wrong things, and, as a retired financial analyst, I say this without being influenced by my own circumstances. Thank you!
Hi Theodore, thanks for the support. Agree society is chasing cheaper and cheaper fees. Save a buck and pass the issue on to future self. Saving money on engineering could end up cost more, and it is relatively small cost compared to the project.
After rubbing my brain on the structure all day the next day the architect calls us and says there are some customer concerns so we need to make some changes. this thing happen all the time 😂 and I have 2 years of experience as Structural engineer and they are paying 150 dollar per month
Hi fahad Architect always like changes, and they can cause a complete redesign.
my opinion.. You struct enggs get what you deserve.your IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Sir, I'm indian structural engineer working in a multinational company with the experience of 1.5 years right now. When i see my seniors, almost everyone complains about the low amount they are paid. Some seniors even suggest me to change the field and go for IT jobs becuase their salaries are almost three time that of ours. Even the government employees with less work stress earn 1.5 times than us. The place/building where i work, has other IT companies on different floors, where some of my college friends from computer science and IT work, they earn 2-3 times than me, even though we were of same caliber. Some of my college friends, who chose to go for MBA earn 4 times my salary. When i see them, it just fills me with inferiority complex and i start thinking if i've taken a wrong decision taking this field. It's even depressing to know that this situation is same in other countries also. I don't see any eay to improve my salary even if i switch to other companies. The only way i see to earn more in this field is to move abroad, bcs ofcourse..1 US dollar = 75 Indian rupees. Your work, even if u like it, won't give u happiness if u are constantly under stress, paid less and not respected (people are not aware).
Hey, no offense but how much do you make from your current job
@@muwaffaqm.7877 Now, around 8 lakh rupees per annum. Growth is slow but steady.
@@harmony318 on the plus side for an experience of 1.5 years it's a lot better than architects 😬. I've heard people get paid 15k for freshers ...Good luck & keep pushing
The USA engineering company I worked for used to sub-contract designs to India for this reason
@@harmony318 8 lakh with 1.5 year experience is good salary i think
I think you're right, in the "grand old days" (before my career) engineering used to be a fixed 2-3% of project cost according to my leads over the years. Now though it is a race to the bottom, often with poor results on-site. Add in the shift to 3d modelling instead of drawings and the value of the engineer is diminished further. With the introduction of AI and similar, I expect we'll see less engineers required and the engineers present taking more of an "over-view" type role for the 3d modellers.
Hi chickenhawk agree that engineer may get side lined with the rise of computers. We need to keep looking for additional value we can add.
USA fee rates vary wildly. A residential project could be 0.25 percent or a maximum of maybe $2000. Not worth it unless doing repetitive simple layouts. 3 to 4 percent can be charged in the oil and gas projects.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
I would comment that if you're looking to work within a respectful firm, then yes the numbers you mentioned are applicable. However, you have to remember that a lot of engineers need to get their experience in a way where they start considering jobs like structural drafting or any paying role-related just to kick off their career. Not to mention the case regarding pricing jobs as I come from the residential sector of the industry; Some clients don't want to understand what we suppose to do and only focus on the final product which put pressure on engineers to cut corners in the design process. We have to remember that our job plays a vital role in one of the most significant industries in Australia, so at the end of the day, it's all about money more than safety in my opinion.
Hi Ibrahim, agree that getting your foot in the door can be hard. As engineers we need to promote/educate client on the value of good engineering, maybe even add additional value. But this will take time to increases of fees as a industry.
Engineer here, payment is horrible... It was my biggest shock becoming an engineer and I do want to leave the engineering field for a better paying job.
Get a magnificent project done which doesn’t necessarily mean you get paid well. Some medium and small scale project may offer good pay. But complex like wind turbine and crusher station offers you a solid understanding on dynamic loading . After that you probably would like to move forward to more profitable projects in small scales with confidence.
Hi Bo Zhao, agree some smaller projects can make more money then large projects.
I have to like this video and share it to the clients.
Hi Yuan, thanks for watching, supporting and sharing.
Hi Brendan, love your channel...we struggle here in Canada as well to get compensated for the amount risk we take on compared to most other professions. I started out at 55k/year in an entry role, eventually moved into construction and practise part time and freelance small projects. Good Information you provided, glad we’re all on the same boat around the world lol.
Hi Naveed, thanks for the support. From all the comment it is similar all over the world, we need to work as a collective to raise fees to were they should be.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
I can't speak for the other countries, but I agree with the numbers you showed for the US. Great content Brendan!
Hi QQE thanks for the support. Glad that they align with your experiences.
Well done, I'm an Australian engineer myself, I reckon your Australian salary estimates are fairly accurate. This race to the bottom like you mentioned may not be a sustainable approach going forward, especially since the professional engineers registration scheme is now in place, and already being mismanaged (my opinion) by the labyrinth of regulatory bodies (BLA, VBA and EA). The one emerging issue which was raised by a PI insurance broker at an ACSEV meeting not that long ago was that due to this change, at least one insurance underwriter has pulled out of offering PI for engineers, and the others are either considering it, or increasing premiums and minimum criteria due to the level of exposure.
Something has to give, this may cause a problem soon!
Hi Santa if PI becomes a issue thus will cause issues. But hopefully with all these changes in Aus hopefully they raise the fees we can win work on
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
in my country, Republic of North Macedonia, in the first 5years you will get no more then 6k$/year. Remember that gas, groceries and electricity are roughly on the same range as of those in U.S. so be happy with your salaries.
Hi Ditar, thos first 5 years must be hard. Hope the salaries increase.
@@BrendanHasty I forget to mention that even engineers with over 20 years of experience will get a maximum of 10-12k$/year. Anyway, love your content, they are very educative, keep it up.
At that rate I would choose a different line of work.
I t is difficult to compare US/UK/AU salaries. For example, the UK has national health care whereas the US does not, although most engineering firms in the US provide healtcare insurance. Taxes are another factor. You would have to make a detailed analysis of the cost of living and disposable income.............
Hi Craig agree you can just do a direct comparison, you also need to consider cost of housing rent and shopping thanks for watching.
Thanks for putting this together. As a structural engineer with 10 years experience I have found it’s very competitive with fees and the technical depth we have to go to is not understood or rewarded. We are just too far down the value chain, or too dar from the source of money as someone below mentioned. It’s quite a ridiculous situation you mentioned re our salary compared to for example real estate agents. Do we need to work together to push out wages up and get out skills and contribution recognized? I’m not going to say a union as this as implications I
Don’t want to suggest but it does feel like something has to be done to get our contributions recognized
We don't have to do anything. Bridges and buildings, roads are falling apart here. No one cares about anything but money, phones and cars here. Idiots like Tesla guy think that building tunnels is easy. Our fees should be risk based. Based on the number of people who could die if our structure fails. Or based on the cost of economic loss. No one knows what we do and no one cares.
It can be hard, to raise fees, we need to show value for good engineering. It also requires everyone to come together and raise fees but I feel it will be a slow process to raise fees.
@@BrendanHasty that's the key! We all need to stick together and all engineers need to understand not to do with for basement fees
@@MichaelFaron agree we need to know our worth and not race to the bottom on fees.
It's about time that directors of companies put their footdown with scope creep. On all too many occasions am I "just tweaking" or "commenting on" information well past the point of our fee drawdown. I understand the need to follow a job through but we should start to hold the clients to ransoms.. money first, solutions after. It's how every other consultant works.
How we take 0.5%-1% of project budget whilst a project manager who can't even be arsed to get to grips the design and is only interested in dates on am excel sheet takes home upward of 5% is stunning.
The istructe in the UK needs to be pushing for change in the industry.. it's disgusting that someone with a master's in engineering, working 40+ hours a week, taking in huge amounts of stress and liability is rewarded with a salary similar to that of a recruitment consultant !
80k base salary In Texas. PE. 7 years experience. 20% bonus some years
Thanks for sharing!
Most offices are top heavy with managers pushing paper. Last office I was in had an Engineering Manager and a Manager of Engineering. ???? Hours burned up.....
The manager of Engineering all read the book called
There is only one way wages will go up, like the medical profession they are gate keeping how many doctors can join the field and they always make sure the demand is higher than supply hence the high wages.
I think what you mentioned is just happening in almost every aspect of the engineering, together with the trend of talent people lured to financial sector instead of STEM....until the 737-MAX takes away hundreds of lives and the tall building in Sydney is just not suitable for habitation, capital want quick money and so as the project manager.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Brendan, keep up the good work! Im currently completing my B.Eng ( Civil ) in Canada, I try to watch your content once a week, its very informative!
Thanks for the support. Hope you find it really helpful.
Bro how much civil engineer earns in Canada 🤔
@@anu6389 depends on ur role, PM’s 100k easy…
@@AJ9O9 ohh as I am studying civil engineering so I was a little bit tensed for my future . Thanks bro.
Hi Brendan, I'm a graduate structural engineer from Perth working in the mining industry. I primarily work on mining structures such as conveyors, screening buildings, take up structures, reclaim tunnels, warehouses and other miscellaneous structures that can be found in a mining site.
My first ever engineering related job was as an intern to get my hours in order to graduate. I was earning $52k.
After 3 months and after I graduated, I started earning $65k.
After the first year of graduating, and currently reaching 2 years of experience, I am earning $80k.
Hello. I'm going to Perth next year and my brief experience (1y9m) is quite similar to your job description, dealing with conveyors structures, reclaimers, warehouses (sheds), etc. I graduated in mechanical engineer though. However, my main expecience is based in steel structures inside mining field (or industrial field). Do you have any advice to get a job in this field in Perth? Do you think I should candidate firstly for a internship or aplying directly for a graduate job? I also deal with mechanical devices and I am really excited to get there.
Does mining industry pay more than other industries (ie transportation, buildings) ?
QUESTION, WHY DON'T YOU CREATE A COMPANY, OR BECOME A CONTRACTOR?
?
all the bosses I used to work with say the same thing. 'compare the commission of a real estate agent with our less than 1% fee' We should increase the fee to justify our engineering skills and stop undercutting each other.
Agree people need to stop undercutting but it can be hard. Thanks for the support Roger.
I have tried to point this out to people outside of engineering and they don't see it that way. An architect may have 5 people working on a project to design a building, they hire other consultants maybe employing another 10 people, and this combined team works for 12 months to design a building, all for a total fee of about 6%. Then a real estate agent with a secretary sells the building in a couple of months only working on it a little bit each week among his other deals and gets paid the same 6%. Over my career I've seen the amount of engineering work put into buildings double, triple, quadruple, with no change in fees. If there wasn't so much competition between engineering companies the fees would go up to match.
I think those numbers are also accurate for Canada. I’m at my 9th year of structural engineering and my salary followed those numbers. (Montreal, Quebec region)
Hi Eric, nice to hear we are in a similar boat.
Currently I’m working as structural engineer in Australia. There is a reason why senior/lead engineers get paid well but personally not enough compare with their work.
The greater the responsibilities, the higher the stress levels😂
Can I get your Instagram please because I am also structural engineer .
Here in India back in 2018, I made 6000 inr/month as a civil site engineer.. It was like 92 USD a month.. 😂
I'm earnining that right now. How much are you earning now, 5 year later
@@kimaniian433 Hi.. Right now I’m a Structural Engineer making ₹1,10,000 (1,340 USD)a month.. Don’t worry.. Things will change..
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys
Exellent analysis. I think the client does not havd a clue about our field. That is the major issue. Also the raise that we get is very gradual and low comparing to other jobs. Too tedious to meet ends sometimes.
Hi Deepak, agree but it is somewhat our fault chasing for lower fees. This turned our work into a commodity. We need to educate clients this will take time.
Looks like Ashraf Habibullah inspired you. As a structural engineer, I agree with most things you say in this video
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys
I think one of the biggest problems associated with fees is the proliferation of easily available and easy to use design software. Using such packages has doubtless speed up the design process exponentially, but two consultants using the same software package will trend towards an identical solution for any given problem. As such innovation suffers and clients can't see the value of one firm over another - so they just go for the cheapest.
We aren't going to get paid more by comparing ourselves with doctors or trying to suggest we form some sort of informal cartel to control fees. If we want more money we have to offer more value to our clients just like everything else in a free market economy.
Hi Peter agree that we need to increase our value. Having fixed fees in not the why to go.
4 months into my apprenticeship earning £19,750 a year. We are a steel fabrication consultant so most of my days are spent designing connections
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
In india the starting salary is 300k rupees per annum, that sums up to roughly 5660 Australian dollar per annum 😂😂😂. And u guys are complaining about less salary
Maybe everyone should get paid more, thanks for watching Amey.
That explains why we have so many Indian engineers trying to immigrate to the US! Most of them are good engineers, too.
@@1962recon yes for getting good salary, knowledge growth, lifestyle as compare to india.
Thanks for the video Brendan!
I suppose this would vary a fair bit from state-to-state and sector-to-sector.
I've done some market research into this very recently for the NSW market, and was surprised how much the value for engineers had increased in only 2 years (which was the last time I did a market search). As you've mentioned, data from Glassdoor can be pretty broad and subject to a fair bit of variability, so it should not be the sole basis for an individual looking to determine salary prospects for a specific role.
Perhaps the viewers might benefit from a video on how to determine their market value and negotiate salary in engineering?
For a high performing 5-7 year structural engineer in NSW (Vic would be similar?) within the civil infrastructure and transport industry (highways, bridges, rail, etc) the range would be a package (including super) of 90 to 130k. These are guide ranges at the end of the day so I would not be too fixated on it as you can also get more than the guidance, but would require a strong case to justify your worth / value. If you have a set of skills that differentiates you from the pack, your salary may also differentiate from pack. It's a hot market right now.
Hi James thanks for sharing, it is a hot market now lots of jobs around with the boarders closed this is increasing the demand
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
U really deserve a subscribe
Thanks for your support Ali!
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys
I m a struct ENGG. We are fool
What is the monthly salary for freshers structural engineer in UK
in Colombia as Structural engineer one earn 7000 dolars at year (With magister degree)
Are those AUD numbers "including super contributions"?
Great video!
Thanks for the support Ed, typically these will include super
Thanks for the video Brendan. In slovakia the average salary for SE is about 17000-25000euros/year, which is pathetic. Maybe video suggestion- jobs, that structural engineers could possibly move to{is it possible to do something like mathematician/actuary/data scientist?}
Hi Marian that seem really low, hope it improves. There is many fields you can move into, the engineering approach can lead to a unique problem solving skills.
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys
As a fresher structural engineer how much earn in a month?
Hey mate can u share top unis in Canada to do my masters in structural engineering
As a structural engineer in SEQ, I think the D&C market combined with abolition of fee regulation is a key factor. And I think we are seeing less quality as a result due to less fees, less time, less experience etc.
Additionally, the lack of a nationally registration requirement for project sign off, or in the case of QLD, the very basic RPEQ system, which only requires the engineer to pay a fee, also contributes to this. Anyone can pay for their RPEQ and sign off a 100 storey building. The only thing holding it back from getting worse now is the indemnity insurance costs, which naturally are going up to counter the problem
Hi chiano, hope the increased responsibility required for the NSW regulations help to change this, and with the increased responsibility increases our fees.
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys
I do not support increased regulation for engineers. It makes is difficult for small and medium sized practices to expand and grow organically into different areas of work, which in turn kills productivity. The family law society provides guidance on hourly rates whilst AFAIK Engineers Australia is silent on the matter.
Pilots have unions and that’s why they earn up to $500k without a college degree. We engineers have…?!
Yikes - that salary is quite low. Glad I studied petroleum engineering, high risk (yes), but extremely high reward (paycheck).
Hi Hazetbafoon, yes at the moment wages are low moat due to fees. Hopefully something that can be turned around. And as you said some streams pay more then others.
I am looking for a job. Could you please help me?
I am a self-employed structural engineer. We will gross $1.5 million. We have 12 employees. My take-home pay is $400,000 annually.
Congratulations, on the pay Jim that is a nice return.
In wich city?
Hello dear ..I am a civil engineer from Lebanon interested to work as structure engineer with you in any prices I can work all designs you need ...
I am a master student specializing in earthquake and structural engineering and I am graduating next year. I am now kind of preparing for my job search upon graduation and I always have the problem of asking for the reasonable salary. I don’t know much practicing structural engineer and I find the salary survey online to be somewhat skeptical. I don’t want to be underpaid but at the same time I don’t want to scared the potential employees away for asking to height of the salary. Any suggestions regarding my situation from an experienced engineer like you would very much be appreciated.
Hi Billy, for your first job what you are going to get in experience is more important then what you get paid. Great experience early on in your career will pay of in the long run. what you also need to consider in your first job you have heaps to learn so your new compaine is also investing in you. good luck on your job hunt.
About 65k starting in the US. Bonuses are where you can make decent money if your company does well.
In which country?
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Better shift to computer finance
In india, for structural engineer beginners you get something around 122$ per month which is very poor
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
@@shishirdhawade2613 feeling so sad for you. finding you in almost all the comments.
Do you copy some of lines from Mr. Ashraf Habibullah video..?
Hi Shamas love that video, resonates with me, similar sentiment likely why it feels similar.
@@BrendanHasty i need some advice from you because in my knows, I know only you as a structure engineer.
Hi Shama feel free to ask. I get lots of emails so it can be hard to keep track. Typically I try and reply to most comments. Patreons get more priority but that cost some money, comments are free.
Haha sound good my question is as a civil engineer if i want to choose structure engineering as a career then i go for masters or certification like software certification or advance diploma of 6 month is sufficient..because I'm very much interested in Ancient structure of India (like old temples, mosque, soloman temples and piramid etc,etc)
Sir can get a job as a Revit BIM designer
What are the structural software used in us and uk
Hi, I made a video before about this --> ua-cam.com/video/c4wm96hLSBc/v-deo.html
hey im a high school australian thinking of getting into engineering my question is does it matter what university you go to as an engineer
For the big consulting firms, it does. But also it depends how much knowledge you have when you come down to the final interview. Getting yourself intership while in Uni helps too.
@@BrendanHasty thanks mate
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys, engg.. No
Not anymore in the UAE
Hi Brooks, are fee going up in UAE? Hope so
Hi sir I am thushyanthan from srilanka.i want to become structural engineer.now, I am studying civil engineering.what I want to do the future for my dream??.please reply to me sir
What I must be study in design software?
Focus on understanding structural mechanics you can pick up d
Software later.
@@BrendanHasty thank you sir
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Sir i completed my bachelors in civil engineering how i became strucutural engineer ...
sir please make a video for guidance to beacme strucutural engineer.
Hi Mohd Asif Khan, after you have gotten your Bachelors(some countries require a masters) you can start working as a graduate Structural engineer. That first position is the hardest to get, so look for a wide range of companies to apply to, tailor your CV for each company(do your research) and at last resort use a recruiter. good luck
You will starve. Better try computer or finance
I'm currently in my final year applying for graduate jobs, the salaries for a graduate civil/structural/geotechnical engineer here in the UK is around 27-30k per year for the big companies. I think it may be lower for small engineering firms though.
Hi bean typically you get lower wages a smaller firms but you get better all round experiences. It can help you get promotions faster.
As a mid level UK Civil engineer follow Brendans advice i work for a big consultant and they are all the same, most do not invest in the staff. Go for a small to medium size company 20-1500person company, the wage initially will be lower but you will fly ahead and get better experience, the same happened with all those i graduated with who went to smaller companies. Long term look to go self employed if you want to make money.
@@jasonr5681 thank you very much for the advice, would this also apply to big companies that have graduate schemes (a structured training program)?
@@bean6099 No problem, the big few in UK i.e Aecom, JBA, Jacobs, Arcadis etc will all have similar graduate programmes that will bring everyone upto the similar standard with the company "culture". They generally teach you networking, have a group project with graduates from differing disciplines, i.e river, ports, geotech, ecology and you have to produce and idea or project report/presentation. But many of the big company will employ you into a team in a group like rivers, or tunnelling, or roads and you will be trained to be good at that area of expertise. Where smaller companies are better is they will expect you to know more about many aspects of differing project disciplines, and areas such as project management, structural steel design, consents and licencing, client engagement, programming etc so in my experience you get more diverse experience in a smaller company but on smaller projects. The big companies will eventually push you towards being a single role such as a PM or a drainage designer or only do sheet pile walls. Worth noting the big companies will get you in the door with bigger starting salaries and pay increase will be very slow after, a typical just become CEng chartered engineer will be on £36-38k a year and that takes on average 4-5 years and they will glass ceiling you until you get chartered i.e slow your progression. Small companies offer less to start but typically offer bigger more regular pay increases and you may even get company bonuses. My opinion is that my engineering friends who joined smaller firms generally got better experience and become more diverse engineers....and are now paid more.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
british and American don't like to hire aussie because aussie cannot perform up to standard.
LOL, I could out engineering you. Not sure where you get your information from but from my experance from multipe sources you are incorrect.
@@BrendanHasty American prefer their American or Japanese. British prefer German or Italian.
Hey Breden, I am graduate civil engineer working in uae and its been 2 years of experience in the field, specifically designing g+5 structures.
I wanna get my masters from Australia, which top universities you would recommend.
Go for uni of suthern Queensland
Great video as always! It'd be interesting to show the method you use to keep notes at work and to log projects. Handwriting or digital notes and also how you track your competencies and/or project progress.
Hi Dimitrios thanks for the suggest. I will add it to the list.
I m a struct engg, India. Our fees are very very less only because we charge less. We never unite. We are just foolish donkeys
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Hello Brendan, I need an explanation regarding the difference between Engineering Assistant and Assistant Engineering Job Role. If you could distinguish them it will be grate to know about it for me . ty
Hi Kiruba, they sounds very similar, do the roles have different job discriptions? they maybe the same
In iran, we get 6k$/year as a civil engineer :))))
Thanks for letting me know, how is that compared to typically wages.
Hi Brendan! Thanks so much for your high-quality videos. I am planning to move to Australia from Europe and I wonder how much should I ask for the expected salary for a graduate structural engineer role. I have a total of 6 months of experience as a design engineer, not a structural engineer though.
Hi Downtown, it depents anywhere from 45k to 70k but more commonly on the lower end. Eurocode isnt that far from australian standards so it shouldn't be too hard of a transition.
@@BrendanHasty Thanks so much, Brendan! It's gonna help me a lot. I am curious to know what you will do next and look forward to following your journey :)
Clicked like and waiting for my pay rise.... Cheers.
Money will be drawn to you (law of attraction) ....thanks for watching mate!
@@BrendanHasty That's a nice thought. I think that law requires significant (financial) mass already. Hope you're well.
Matt
I live in an a city more on the expensive end (Chicago) and make good money for just under 3 yrs of experience compared to those averages for a same level engineer in the U.S.
Hi Norberto, that it good would also need to normalise it to cost of living to, or how much can you save each month.
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks for the support.
"value of good engineering", if they do their job. My experience has been sloppy, careless and expensive. Three times the quoted price!! Said I asked them to redesign. I did because the drawings were "not for construction" drawings supplied for quotation immediately followed by final design drawings. So they designed to the wrong set of drawings. Not for construction, means just that. Ended up costing 1.5% of project cost. Ended up doing all the analysis myself just to check the engineer. Oh, and I was using pre-engineered systems which the engineer thought he'd redesign and re-specify.
Hi Divergent Aussie sounds like you have had bad experience, not all engineers are the same.
How much money is a human life worth to you ? What percentage of you car cost was paid to engineers ? Way more than 1.5 percent. Your phone ? Do you think engineering is free ? Your engineer designed to a bid set of drawings, that is standard practice. Your engineer protects the lives of your projects future occupants. That has a dollar value.
Dear Mr.Bendan .. i follow all your lectures .. and we hope you make lecture in steel structure talks on milty story building more than 10 story as a Thumb rule ( foundation - column - beams - slab - connection ) .. thanks alot
Hi Ayad, thanks for the support and your suggestion. There will be More steel drawing in the future.
Hi Brendon. It was a very transparent session about the challenges faced by a Structural Engineer. My self a Structural Engineer with 7 years of experience in Precast industry in the middle east. I am looking at the possibilities of migrating to Australia or Canada for better opportunities. May i know your opinion in this matter? Is there enough demand for Structural Engineers in Australia or Canada for considering the risk of switch from a present stable profession?
Hi Rohit, there is a great demand for structural engineers in Australia at the moment. Also engineering skills are transferralable between countries, just need to know the code differences. When changing countries you many need to drop down a level or two until you get better with the local standards.
@@BrendanHasty Thank you so much for the response. Being in the middle east mostly the ACI and BS standards are followed here for design. Which codes are followed for RCC and steel in AUS as a standard and is it the same all the states? Thanks in advance.
my opinion.. struct enggs get what they deserve.their IQ must be very less than that of a property broker or architect. Only those students study civil and struct engg who do not get admission in computers. With very very low grade. 😂I think so.forgive me.
Hi sir, I am a civil engineer from India. I've been working in Structural design over the past year using softwares like Etabs, SAFE, StaadPro, RCDC. I am planning for my masters in structural engineering from Australia. I needed some advice on what college i should choose and what softwares you use in Australia etc.
If coming to Victoria Melbourne university is the best. It would also be good to know Rapt and RamConcept.
Ok. So etabs and staad pro are not in use there?
Etabs is widely used for stability, for steel design spacegass or microstrand. Skyciv is starting to pick up, I have that linked in my description.
@@BrendanHasty ok i will check!
Hi Prem gohil, as me know, curtin university still good design civil engineering, I’m from in Vietnam and living in Saigon City, my mother company Structerre in Australia and they outsource jobs in Sai Gon Vietnam. We are design residential, industry and small commercial. We are using Raft, mult, tube design column, SLB for design concrete house. Hope you enjoy structure engineer and have good job in the future!
Hi, I recently graduated with a biology degree which I don’t love. I’m considering becoming an engineer. Is this profession something you would highly recommend and what skills do you believe a good engineer needs?
Hi Daniella, if you like maths and problem solving, you will love to be a structural enginner.
Who's that 1 dislike??.....
Comment below 👇
YOU WILL EARN MORE BY NOT STUDYING AND WORKING ON MANUAL CONSTRUCTION JOBS.
I’m a mechanical engineer in building services. I get $255k inc super in aus. You need to demand your worth. You get what you pay for so if they don’t pay Then look elsewhere. I work for a builder and that pays much more than consulting. What’s happening now though is women are getting paid simply for being women. That’s because the government have mandated it. For that reason a lot of men are walking.
Thanks for sharing!
Also an early career Mech. Good to hear you pushed hard for what you're worth. Something too few Engineers seem to do sadly. I think most of them just think "If I get enough experience and do my chores, the money will come" and then 10 years later wonder why they're being overworked on lousy pay.
Left Canadians off your list?
Sorry yes i did, how do you find canadians salary are they similar to the US or Australia?
all lies MOST engineers are OVER WORKED & stressed. My opinion
A lot of complaining for a job you supposedly love, you picked it, you knew the pay beforehand..suck it up and think how blessed you are..
not sure you watched the whole video, but why cannot people get paid what they are worth. otherwise no one should get a pay raise