Engineering has been a tough
profession over the past few
years. Averse to market risk
in the wake of the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks, the
market constrained its
investment in R&D. Offshore
outsourcing and an influx of
lower-priced labor exerted a downward pressure
on salaries and other compensation. And,
uncertainty about the future had a chilling
effect on engineers' hopes and dreams.
But things seem to be warming up. According
to our 2007 Reader Survey, nearly 70% of engineers
saw an increase in their paychecks this
year, while only 8% saw their incomes dip. Also,
63% of engineers feel adequately compensated
for the work they do - up somewhat from 58% two
years ago - and nearly 60% believe their pay package
is equal to or more competitive than what's
being offered by other employers. In addition,
nearly four out of five engineers are still willing to
promote their chosen profession to students considering
an engineering career.
"Engineering affords a young person who has
the drive and motivation to explore many avenues
through out all technologies and industries," said
one engineer. "This diversity can create many
opportunities that continually expand the boundaries
of one's career. As an example I have been
involved in solar physics, space science, alternative
fuels and energy, medical products, SCADA,
RF, aviation, and industrial controls. Each of
these allowed me to grow and learn and reinvent
myself as an engineer."
But that doesn't mean engineering is a bed of
roses. Nearly a third of engineers say they were
saddled with increased workloads due to staff
cuts and budget cuts in 2007, and one in four
had to deal with canceled projects and/or permanent
staff layoffs. So why such high grades for a
profession that's challenged on so many fronts?
One engineer put it this way: "For those people
who have the innate desire to solve problems and
take great satisfaction in seeing their solutions in
action coupled with a natural propensity for logical
thinking and abstracting physical systems
mathematically, there is no better vocational fit.
Anyone looking to get into engineering simply
because the starting salaries are attractive
should consider a different career. If you can't
continually live for the challenge, in the long term
the stress of solving hard problems and keeping
up with the latest technology will drive you into
management, marketing, or burnout."
How Safe is Your Job?
The fact remains that engineering continues to
offer a fairly high degree of job security, even if
individual engineers may not always feel personally
secure in their jobs. The good news is that
only about 10% of survey respondents reported
that their company planned to scale back engineering
staff this year. On the flip side, the percentage
of those who said their company
planned to increase the number of engineering
jobs in the coming year dropped to 35% from
40% last year. That may explain why 60% of
those surveyed said they felt some degree of
uncertainty about their job security.
"There are engineers in India and China willing
to work for a fraction of what it costs to live comfortably
in the U.S.," said one survey respondent.
"As long as U.S. trade policy is willing to shift those
jobs overseas, then job security will be an issue."
Another put it this way: "There is a constant
fear of unemployment. I've been an engineer for
43 years and for at least 40 of them I was unsure if I would have a job the next year.
Other fields offer more job security,
better pay, and less chance of
being obsoleted or outsourced."
On a more positive note, more
than half of engineers say their
company plans to maintain its current
number of engineering jobs,
which suggests that, at least for
some engineers, the outlook is
stable. But one engineer noted:
"There is no shortage of engineering
jobs, but companies such as
mine have a policy of hiring an H1
visa holder over a domestic worker.
We currently have a shortage
of design people, but the department
managers are not allowed to
post the jobs outside the company.
But they can post them to our
division in India."
Other warning signs came out
of this year's survey, too. For example,
the number of engineers who
believe their company was more
focused on employee retention
this year than a year ago dropped
from 40% to 35%. Also, most
respondents still feel that the
opportunity for advancement isn't
as strong as it used to be. Today's
typical engineers have 24 years of
engineering experience, including
11 years with their present company,
and have been promoted twice
by their current employer.
Generally speaking, engineers
are content with those employers.
Fewer than 7% said they were
actively seeking a new job, down
from nearly 10% a year ago,
though nearly a third said they'd
follow up a lead if the right opportunity
came along. Another third
said they would consider another
job if they were personally
approached. But the number of
engineers who said they couldn't
envision changing jobs in the foreseeable
future rose slightly in
2007 - from 25% to 28%.
What situations are most likely to motivate engineers to
accept another job? Not surprisingly, higher compensation
tops the list of incentives, followed by more interesting
work, the opportunity to seek more personal fulfillment,
better job stability, and the chance to work for a
more dynamic company.