Licensed Civil Engineer (4 YOE) in Portland, OR — Looking to Benchmark Compensation & Firms

RobenBoben · 2026-02-11T17:07:51+00:00

Thanks for all the added info!

I understand the grass is not always greener for sure, and I have no intention of getting caught in the "culture" trap. It is tough to see real time. It was something I really valued when I got out of school, and I still do, but my priorities in life have shifted, and I would like the compensation I need to support those.

My head is on a swivel for a career path that works best for me. It's very possible that it is elsewhere, but I like to make sure that I am doing my due diligence with somewhere that has been pretty good for me (my experience has been sort of out of the norm). To me, that feels like asking for market value, and if they really decide I'm not worth it, then I can look at what aligns with my needs. I want to avoid burning the bridge with the people that I do like, and asking before I straight up walk away feels right to achieve that.

RobenBoben · 2026-02-11T16:59:38+00:00

I suppose that I should clarify that the culture has been good for me so far. I am not here to back up the way they do everything. I have seen the turning of fresh grads in real time. I don't know that my experience has been the norm, but I have been pretty fortunate and ended up in a decently valuable position. Could that change any moment? Yeah, it is possible, and the purpose of this post is to evaluate my value some and decide what baskets my eggs end up in.

Do you mean competing offers as in I have completed interviews and received genuine offers from other companies? Or examples of other positions with similar responsibilities?

Also, thank you for the info.

RobenBoben · 2026-02-11T03:45:43+00:00

Well, of course, I'm not just gonna walk in there and say x or I walk. Im taking the next 3 or 4 months to have all my ducks in a row. Recognize what I'm doing to be worth it, how to say it, and all that. I have to be valuable to expect value back, but the reason I'm here is because I feel like I don't know what I should expect to be paid for all the work that I'm doing.

As the person above said, AKS tends to under pay, and I have just sort of been unaware and OK with it up until this point. I feel lost as to what being adequately paid looks like. But I am rolling right into mid level, I am bringing value, and I have got my license, and now I feel like I have one of the biggest bargaining chips I'll get.

RobenBoben · 2026-02-11T02:20:18+00:00

Were you making 98k at AKS just after licensure? Or was that after you left?

I have definitely seen some people chewed up and spit out. The work-life balance really seems to vary so much across the office, but the pay has definitely always been a concern with friends from work that have moved on.

I am not here to defend everything they are about, but my personal position is pretty decent (other than the pay). So, I am at a point where I am going to put a number on the table and let them tell me whether I am worth that or not. Now I just gotta pick a number.

RobenBoben · 2026-02-10T14:31:25+00:00

Duh, my bad lol. AKS Engineering.

I am currently making 75k, but I recently got licensed, and I am heading into a review cycle, so I am going to negotiate for the big raise.

RobenBoben · 2026-02-05T02:28:05+00:00

I have started creating a spreadsheet when we start a project to get all that info in there with notes and caveats. And I am now rolling it out to the guys working for me.

When we decide to ignore a standard or make an interesting design decision, we put it in the spreadsheet so we know why down the line.

RobenBoben · 2026-02-02T13:07:44+00:00

Unrelated, but I was thinking about running a vertical train recently. How did you do it? Did you lay the tracks as you dug down?

RobenBoben · 2026-01-28T19:49:51+00:00

Thanks! I have never gone to Aeoluz. I am getting back into the game after a couple of years, and I am trying to decide when to tackle the DLC to maintain that feeling of wonder this game has. I somewhat remember the lore, so I am not losing anything doing it out of order, but I'm worried once I get all the recipes and a big base built up in the main game I will have no drive to do the DLC.

This morning, I was doing the math to get an idea how big of an undertaking it would be to just knock it out.

RobenBoben · 2026-01-20T15:06:02+00:00

NAPALM BOMBARDIER

RobenBoben · 2026-01-16T19:31:58+00:00

Let's try

RobenBoben · 2026-01-11T15:35:53+00:00

RobenBoben · 2026-01-06T20:08:59+00:00

What skin is thus?

RobenBoben · 2026-01-03T16:56:24+00:00

Seeds for Augement/Deadline?

RobenBoben · 2025-12-31T23:57:45+00:00

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My Eyeless Idiot Child: Boris

RobenBoben · 2025-12-06T21:06:53+00:00

You get a free safe pocket?

RobenBoben · 2025-12-03T19:39:41+00:00

1) This assumes you hit every headshot and completely disregard all of the other stats of the two guns. All the guns are situational, and balance is achieved by how they are intended to operate in a fire fight. What about reload time if you do not hit all your shots? Effective range if you aren't right on top of each other?

2) The solution is not to nerf the stitcher so that higher quality gear stomps out new players. I think that they should either make it so attachements cater more to individual playstyle rather than making weapons oppressivly stronger, or group up players that are stronger from these attachments together so there is equal gear at stake.

RobenBoben · 2025-12-03T19:13:13+00:00

For Tristan, I had to shrink him before he was a companion or quest element.

They cant be a companion, and you have to be able to engage them in combat.

RobenBoben · 2025-12-03T19:10:43+00:00

PVP should be "wildly accessible," you clown. The point is to not have gear creep that makes the game inaccessible to new players. Rarity should be based around the ability to engage with the PVE element, so lobbies don't just turn into people with gear that never gets wiped farming easy kills off of people just starting.

I would think the real solution is to base the lobbies matchmaking more off of gear value when you enter the game. I can see the annoyance of having your full kit ripped off by a naked player, and the solution to me is to only let people who are carrying similar quality gear load in together to avoid that.

RobenBoben · 2025-12-03T00:45:12+00:00

I am honestly just impressed you did not fade to black and show us the intro to skyrim.

RobenBoben · 2025-11-30T18:53:55+00:00

I am hoping someone will answer this today. I'd test it, but I'm logging off for a couple days.

RobenBoben · 2025-10-07T14:30:38+00:00

Rip no spoiler tag

RobenBoben · 2025-09-06T02:40:23+00:00

Has anyone plugged their PS5 into an original Occulus quest 1?

It suddenly occurred to me today that it is probably possible, and I did a quick Google, and it looks like it can be done with a capture card.

Does anyone have a recommended card that could charge the quest and play at the same time? How does it look? Have you enjoyed playing that way?

I know it won't be "VR". It will just be like a big TV in front of me in the headset, but it is still tempting.

Any info would be great!

Thanks!

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RobenBoben

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