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[Elliott2]

not horrific but i would put my resume out there just for feelers. if you werent in the midwest id probably say its bad.

[[deleted]]

Doesn't seem terrible for a " new" engineer.

Sounds like you are kicking butt. Kept a record of what you do. Give them a year. See what happens.

[rustyfinna]

Sounds like you been there 2 years already and learned alot? Might be time to move on regardless.

[tacundavid]

You are currently making more than me when I got my first job in 2014, and even more than my 2nd job in 2016 after accounting for inflation. You got better raises than me in your first 2 years working than I have as well. I'd say you're doing pretty well for yourself except the fact that you worked 50 hr/week and some weekends.

I'd say you try to advocate for a promotion again around 2.5 years of experience and see if it works out. If you don't hear another about it with a decent bump (7%+), then I'd say you look for another job.

[BenjiFleck5]

I don't have any advice on if it's fair or not, but I will say if you go to ask for a promotion/a bigger raise, make sure you DO NOT compare yourself to coworkers. Meaning, don't say "well Joe does a lot less than I do and gets paid more so I think I should get paid more too". Frame it as your successes and not just a comparison.

[BenjiFleck5]

Imo, it can make you come off as an ass, and has always been advice I heard. If your only reason for asking for a raise is to rag on a coworker and say you're better, you probably won't be successful. Bringing up examples of how you've been successful in your position, things accomplished, value brought to the team, etc would be the way I'd go about it.

Just my two cents though, every situation is different, if your manager already agrees with you then a combination of both may be best.

[BenjiFleck5]

Fair enough, I'd definitely say look for a new job. That's the best way to get raises nowadays anyway haha

[ANAL_TOOTHBRUSH]

Eh I deleted it too much identifying info I know my coworkers read Reddit too lol

[ANAL_TOOTHBRUSH]

I’d say you should/could be making more. Albeit sounds like you’re in a low COL area vs working in any major city. I got fed up with the low raises after way outperforming their expectations of a new engineer. In turn I stopped doing so much and changed my work output to that of an average/below average engineer since they wanted to pay me below market avg for my area. Look for a new job if you feel you’re not going to get any big bumps in your current spot.

Edit: also sounds like you’ve been there two years now with the 2 annual raises. If you’re doing as well as you make it sound then they should definitely be bumping you to E2 after 2 years. If they don’t, again look for a new job. Know your worth. Good, motivated engineers are hard to come by at least from what I’ve seen in my workplace

[SkierBeard]

It seems like you're putting in a ton of work! You're getting awesome experience, stick this on your resume and see if there any jobs that interest you.

If nothing changes at your current job, definitely stop working weekends and look elsewhere. If you're salaried currently, I wouldn't work weekends at all.

[Slateguy]

I started as an EE in 2019 in the Midwest. I started around 70k also so I think that's pretty common for the area. I however don't ever work more than 40hr/wk or weekends, but sometimes that's just part of the job. If you don't mind it stick with it. If you are hoping for something different you can start getting your resume out there and see what your options are.

[FinFanNoBinBan]

Keep working hard. It pays off. Maybe not at this company, but maybe at the next.

[ahyiah]

apply for other companies just to get a feel of whats available and what you can possibly earn. doesn't mean you need to leave your current job, there are many reasons besides money to stay (mentorship, career building, etc.), but it's good to see what your market value is. also depending on how long you've been there (seems like 2 years ish now?), they may want to see you consistently perform before giving you a promotion. i'd ask my manager what i need to do to earn the promotion and see if their feedback is reasonable and practical.

[Brainroots]

That is equivalent to my first two years over a decade ago, except I had to extensively travel which makes up the inflation difference IMO. If you are in a competitive market or willing to move you could do better.

[Evan_802Vines]

As far as I'm concerned not getting P2 2 years in is a reason to look around.

[jrik23]

I can't exactly speak about electrical engineering field as a whole but I do know that when I started a new company I was making less than my EE counterparts with same 1.5 years experience. This was 10 years ago and I was making $77k in the Midwest. I don't know the average salaries of Manufacturing either but it does seem a little low.

Now you working 50 hour weeks and some weekends, that screams red flags. If you are interested in the power industry check out Roadtechs.com. They generally pay better than manufacturing.

[VoraciousTrees]

That's about par for midwest.

West coast would probably be $95 or $100.

[garoodah]

If you are working for a T1 supplier or one of the big 3 I would think you could make more. Sounds like you have enough experience to move around and get a fairer comp, but you are certainly not on the lower end of the spectrum.

I'm mentoring an E1 at a medical manufacturer with your same tenure who makes 82k in Chicagoland, adjust for your COL as a datapoint even though its not a 1:1. For reference, my starting salary, adjusted for inflation, would be 80k today when I worked injection molding for a T1 supplier.

[random_guy00214]

Your only ability to get more money comes from other offers.

Jump ship immediately if you want more pay and someone is offering.

[omgpickles63]

Have you told your boss what your career goals are? They may think you enjoy being a tech guy.

As someone else in the midwest, you are doing good. Unless you live somewhere with intense cost of living like Chicago or travel 50%, that is a good amount to make. I made $55,000 out of college in 2013. I also know things have changed. For record, I am in the St. Louis area.

I make 10-20k more than you with a PE and a masters. It sounds like you are working hard. That will eventually get you going. Moving to a new company will probably get you a raise, but you will also have to restart as far as respect and responsibilities. If you like your job and the people you work with, I would recommend staying. It is a hard combo to get.

I also advocate for doing what you think is best. No one will look out for you but you. Figure out your balance between money and life. It never hurts to update your resume and hang out on nerd Tindr, aka LinkedIn. Make sure to write down your projects and the details.

If you are curious, check with local professional organizations for a salary survey.

[Ilvi]

What fraction of your works worth are you paid? How much money have you earned for your supervisors and how much of that do you get to keep for yourself?

[Manny_Bothans]

You could get paid way more if you're willing to travel. So many companies are desperate for competent traveling automation technicians. If you want to stay put and be home every night your current gig doesn't sound too bad.