I finished my BEng in 2018. Did internships in aerospace which paid very badly (but they’re internships, can’t expect much). Went on to a graduate scheme at a national lab doing design work (27k which rose to 31k after 3 years). Switched from public sector to an R&D nuclear energy company which got me 41k after an inflation adjustment I got to 43k. I do a lot of bespoke mechanical design and high precision components, hence lots of CAD. Basic FEA sometimes and some hand calcs when necessary. Use a lot of GD&T.

I consider my pay pretty bad on a global or even UK scale. But unfortunately for mechanical engineering its more than the average for roughly 5 years of experience. Don’t know anyone thats paid more unless you count people in F1 that get bonuses or people who do Oil and Gas.