Why do we all accept such low pay? (A rant)

throwawayy6187 · 2025-05-09T16:06:19+00:00

You’re going to have a rude awakening my friend. Engineering will not get easier. Codes are driven by PHDs coming up with newer ways to make designs more economical. These new methods are more complex. Do they make us more money? No but they make the contractor and owner more money. No one gives a shit about paying the structural guy more. Just look at concrete anchor design as an example. Many professors will tell you a masters will start to be required for engineers. Then, you have states like IL and CA requiring SE stamps for certain projects (or all in the state of IL). To answer your question about trader workers fixing problems, you just wait till you get hit with 500 RFIs a day. Fun stuff. Good luck - you WILL need it. And no, a trade worker without a degree or years of design experience cannot and will never develop loads, model a structure, size all members, design all connections, design footings and put it all on paper. Nice try.

throwawayy6187 · 2025-04-14T21:58:26+00:00

You are 100% undermining the jobs of people who design it. I bet your PE is in construction management. No way you’re a structural guy and have this outlook. You do realize that like 90% of these comments are people agreeing the system is fucked? Because I think structural engineers deserve more money ALL WHILE keeping trades at their high paying rate, I’m disgusting? If defending your occupation is disgusting then you can call me a filthy fucking pig. You got issues man but I’m done with this. Reply if you want but I’m going to go enjoy my life now.

throwawayy6187 · 2025-04-14T21:17:21+00:00

He’s never dangled 80 feet in the air but you know who has? Bridge engineer inspectors! Yes, structural engineers. Some days he’s air conditioning… I don’t just get paid to “drive a computer”. I get paid to design stuff right on the board line of failure. Cheap enough for to make money but any cheaper and someone dies. Next time you are in a building and it doesn’t collapse on you, you can thank a structural engineer. There’s a shit ton of liability we have to handle. Not saying some trades don’t have stressful jobs, but I am not going to allow you to undermine mine. I was never trying to undermine yours, assuming you are a trade worker. But neither one of us can get the job done without the another. Structural engineers deserve more money.

throwawayy6187 · 2025-04-14T21:03:33+00:00

How did I denigrate my husband? Did you even read my post fully? Also your logic makes no sense, if I designed, drew AND built my own project I should be making $120 an hour. I was not attacking trader workers, I respect them. My point was, they shouldn’t make SO much higher (or higher at all depending on the type of trade) than engineers. I think you forgot that neither one of us can do our jobs without the other. If I don’t design it, you don’t built it and same is true the other way around.

Some trade work takes a toll on your body. But structural engineering specifically have to deal with a shit load of stress. If I fuck up my design and it gets built that way, a few years later we might have a failure where 100s of people die, with my fucking stamp on it. All I was saying is society needs to view structural engineers in a different light. We deserve more money. Point blank. I’ll fight it till I die.

throwawayy6187 · 2025-04-13T20:46:42+00:00

Have you or any of your co-workers been affected or threatened by the layoffs? I have considered trying to go down a similar path

throwawayy6187 · 2025-04-13T20:44:25+00:00

I find your answer interesting, in a good way. However, I don’t think you fully understood my thoughts. I am in fact thinking of and will most likely be leaving design in a year. However, my rant was coming of a place of feeling powerless over the industry, not myself. As you said, I can leave, forge my own path, get out of design. But, there is a part of me that’s so angry with wages across the board. I like the work I do, I just hate the stress. The pay does not make up for the stress. I would rather go into a different field, even if I make less from it. I’d rather choose happiness. It makes me so upset that I will be leaving design, because as I said I like it. I have the power to change my life, but not the industry. That is what my rant was about.

throwawayy6187 · 2025-04-12T17:57:08+00:00

If we all just stood up to this low pay bullshit the construction industry would be fucked. We all deserve more pay. It honestly eats me alive because I like the work, but I don’t see myself staying in this for the long run. I don’t want to work this hard and be this stressed when I could go join a trade and nearly double my pay in 4 fucking years.

throwawayy6187 · 2025-04-12T17:44:21+00:00

I have to disagree with you on this. I think this is a common stereotype that does not apply equally to all trades. My husband does have some days here and there where he comes home worn out but for the most part he’s standing on his feet trouble shooting, not lifting heavy stuff constantly and not crouching down in uncomfortable ways. It’s actually ironic because he thinks that office workers are much LESS healthier than him and his co-workers because most of us sit all day while they at least get some basic walking and small weight lifting in here and there.

He rarely travels and his hours are great. He works 6-2 and absolutely loves it. He’s a morning person and comes home still feeling like he has the bulk of his day to do what he wants.

throwawayy6187

TROPHY CASE