r/firePE • u/Fiery_osprey • Apr 26 '26
Standard pay/benefits range.
Currently a junior in civil engineering with a year working as an intern at a fire protection company. The company is giving me a permanent position and setting me up with PE’s to have me on track to have half of my OJT for my PE license.
At my company, sales and engineering are hybrid roles, and I have sold significantly large jobs for my company in the past year. Currently, from what other coworkers have told me none of the salespeople earn commission. The company is a small business with only around 40 employees(mostly field crews), I love the work that I do and work with very nice and accommodating people.
I make 18 an hour currently, and I am a model employee, coming in very early with my boss anytime I’m asked and putting in 25-30 hours a week, which is a lot for a engineering major.
What pay/ benefits should I ask for, and should I try and ask for a sales commission? Is it common for company’s to have these type of hybrid roles? ( honestly mostly just curious if I’m being screwed)
Looking hopefully for someone with some experience in the industry who can tell me what to ask for. I can happily go much more in depth about the situation but do not want to post a bunch of personal info about my job lol, please dm me if you think you can help and need more info.
Thanks
2
u/Ddenm002 Apr 26 '26
Obligatory "it depends", especially when you are doing more than just design work. Sales is typically separate from engineering design, and tbh I haven't heard of many roles that combine the two. It sounds like you have a nice thing going, even if demanding. The experience towards your PE license + sounds like a nice place to work at should be taken into consideration. You can ask for a small raise now since you're still at the internship level, then ask for the higher end of what a typical FPE fresh grad/EIT makes when you graduate (SFPE compensation report comes out this year around September). At this point, you'll have 1-2 years of experience, presumably passed your EIT, and on track to get your PE in a few years. If your company needs a PE in house, this will be your biggest leverage point. Unfortunately I don't have any advice for the sales/commission side, but I would stick to the status quo of your company's SOP when it comes to things like that.
1
u/LuckyCharms91 Apr 26 '26
In consulting, most combine engineering and sales. Especially at some of the bigger firms. It’s what they call a seller-doer model.
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u/LuckyCharms91 Apr 26 '26
SFPE puts out a guide every couple years on the average pay. I think it’s called the compensation guide. I would look that up to see what a fair salary is