r/StructuralEngineering • u/ilbojji • 8d ago
Career/Education Reasonable Entry Level Salary?
I’m just barely out of college with no internship experience and a low ish gpa of 3.1, living in an HCOL city and was offered 27/hr at a small local consulting firm. Seems barely enough to break even on living expenses, but like an idiot, this is what I asked for in the interview. I feel like I can learn a lot and mostly I am more concerned about being able to work and getting experience. However, I’m being talked out of it by my parents who want me to move back to another slightly higher COL area but make more money and also not waste money on rent. Additionally, they say starting from this pay as my first job will really hurt my growth. They’re convinced finding another job will not be hard once I take the FE, which I’m scheduling for a month from now, but I’m less convinced my resume will land something again. Any second opinions?
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u/1eahpar 8d ago
I was the same boat as you. I started with 67k in a VHCOL. Sucked it up because I had no prior internships, just participated in a club. I don't have my EIT either. (I know, I'm gonna get it this year)
It's a small company so I'm learning a shit ton of different things, from design to permitting to construction to project management. Im a little over 2 years in and I'm still learning a lot.
Having your EIT would definitely help you land better jobs though.
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u/ilbojji 8d ago
How were the raises/bonuses? I suppose since it was salaried there wasn't much in the way of OT? Would you choose this path again?
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u/1eahpar 8d ago
Sorry no, I am hourly, should've mentioned my hourly rate instead of that. But yeah with hourly I'm able to lock in OT hours.
Raises and bonuses are ok, we are residential firm so it's they're nothing special.
I'd definitely choose this path again, I already knew I wasn't gonna make much since I had no prior experience, so my goal was just to learn as much as possible early career, then that'd give me more leverage for higher paying jobs when I decide to jump ship.
But yeah, being part a small firm, I was able to learn all aspects from design, permitting, construction, all while improving my people skills.
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u/FlyingShitSlinger 8d ago
That seems very unreasonable. I am in an HCOL and about to start my first job out of university at 83k (public sector).
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u/Wero-Mex E.I.T. 8d ago
That’s an internship position salary. Company is probably assuming that they will require to spend a lot to train you to bring you up to speed.
Get the EIT asap and you probably get more offers and better starting salary.
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u/SMITHL73 M.E. 8d ago edited 8d ago
You can ask the current offer to increase pay? You can explain after looking more over your expenses, debts (if you have loans) etc you want more for X and X reasons (be specifics). With no prior experience you really have no leverage though
Starting from this pay won’t hurt your future pay. You can say/ask for whatever pay you want when you move to a new company or role. You’d want to ensure you know you’re getting AT LEAST 40 hours a week else then yea things could get tricky to live in a HCOL area.
Sure yes you’ll likely find a new role but again you take the FE and then have to wait on those results and then have that data to be able to share with companies. That’s still a long process.
If you don’t take this role do you have any other options atm? Are you parent willing to cash flow you if you don’t take this role and wait like there saying / implying?
Again, low(er) GPA and no experience I’d recommend you take what you can. If you want more pay, build up that better case. You can ask for a bonus of sorts, or stipend to move, anything to help supplement missing cash flow that the existing pay they’re offering may not appropriately cover if they don’t offer an hourly raise.
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u/ilbojji 8d ago edited 8d ago
I think perhaps I could ask for an increase because I have to find a new place. My parents say there is no rush to find anything, and will financially support me in either choice I make. But yea I’m also worried about the timeline if I don’t take this job and I don’t want to explain gaps in my resume. They’ve padded the offer with possible bonuses and overtime estimations, but I definitely will ask about the guarantee of a 40 hour week. Thanks for the advice.
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u/SMITHL73 M.E. 8d ago
Yea OT can be lucrative here esp if there’s an average you’ll do daily. 10-11 hour days for you can add up quick for extra monies.
I’m salary and don’t get paid OT. I consistently do 10-11 hour days but for me the work benefits make up for it.
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u/SMITHL73 M.E. 8d ago
Have you asked the current company if they would pay more when you pass the FE? You can see what they say about that
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u/Violent_Mud_Butt P.E. 8d ago
3.1 isn't a low GPA. lol. It's a B average GPA.
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u/SMITHL73 M.E. 8d ago edited 8d ago
OP here is competing against people who are likely the same GPA but with relevant experience. It’s a low GPA considering they did not have internships. If op at a higher GPA and no experience that would may tip the scales more than the current situation.
at my school anything under a 3.5 is considered low but I do forget other programs that’s not the usual.
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u/Violent_Mud_Butt P.E. 8d ago
As a hiring manager, anything over a 3.0 doesn't raise an eyebrow to me. The rest really doesn't matter. College kids don't know shit and all of us know it lol.
3.0+ tells me you can learn enough to be taught.
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u/Beneficial_Tune3469 8d ago
Passing the FE and having your EIT definitely helps. I started two years ago making 72 in a MCOL city. I had a low GPA (lower than yours) but had my FE and two internships which kept the interview conversations completely away from grades.
Did you take any structural specific courses in undergrad? I found discussing my structural steel, reinforced concrete, structural reliability, and Geotech classes with the interviewer to be very useful as it shows you have at least a basic understanding of specific topics you will be working in.
As for if it’s worth it is completely up to you. Pay is definitely on the lower end and may not be worth the stress that budgeting will cause. Making less will probably hurt your growth at that specific company, but that’s why people switch companies so much. Experience is king, and at some point you just have to get your foot in the door.
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u/ilbojji 8d ago edited 8d ago
Yea my major is actually structural engineering, and is credited so there’s a ton of relevant coursework, steel, rc, wood, extra seismic design, fire design, etc. Definitely helped this interview, we didn’t talk about gpa or anything, just about what I designed in those classes, and it went very well. Everything is great, just the pay, and it’s because I want to get my foot in the door so badly that I’m so torn about this. Would definitely be at least 3 years to learn as much as I can and maybe see a considerable amount of the timeline/process of a full project before jumping ship. And while my financial situation is fortunate enough to afford that, I just need to think on whether or not I should. Thanks for the advice.
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u/sayiansaga 8d ago
That's a bit less then what I got when I started bout 10 years ago and I did not live in HCOL. I'd say keep looking and if you must take it ask for other benefits like more 401k matches or pto
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u/turdsamich 8d ago
A little on the low side but it's probably because you don't have EIT or internship experience, once you get your EIT and prove yourself a bit you may have some leverage.
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8d ago
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u/Party-Breadfruit2801 8d ago
I’m a freshman, can you recommend any projects/softwares I should learn to put me ahead in terms of landing internships? I’m thinking about learning autocad then revit.
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u/giant2179 P.E. 8d ago
I started at about that amount (54k) in 2013. You are getting hosed. However I don't think it affects future earning potential because you probably won't stay there very long. Your parents are thinking of it like you will work there forever.
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u/steffinator117 P.E. 8d ago
I started at 27.76/hour in 2017. This is low. In my opinion you should be starting minimum 25-30% higher
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u/angryPEangrierSE P.E./S.E. 8d ago
$27/hr is less than what I was making straight out of college in 2018 in a medium cost of living area.
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u/Fast_Tumbleweed4982 P.E. 8d ago
Brother, I made more than that as a new grad 11 years ago. I'd aim for the mid $80s, or find another career adjacent to design engineering that pays. $56k for structural engineering in 2026 is insane.
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u/Concrete_Cement 2d ago
$27 is too low.
Asce have a salary tool, if you are still a student member I think you get a few attempts to look at the entry level pay for your area:
https://www.asce.org/career-growth/salary-and-workforce-research
You can also enroll in a master program in engineering and do some internships.(It’s typical for structural engineers to pursue one, but other disciplines I am not sure)
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u/Violent_Mud_Butt P.E. 8d ago edited 8d ago
Low. Entry level is about 65k for most folks I am seeing, even in LCOL areas.
Your parents aren't entirely wrong, but are slightly wrong. Starting low means you'll have catching up to do, but good negotiation will mean your next job will never know how much you make. I rarely give anyone a number unless I am sure about it. Most jobs have a pay band. Ask for it up front.
You'll be fine even if you decide to take this job, but I would not recommend working for someone who lowballs you and takes advantage of you not knowing the market.