Thinking of Engineering..

[SkittleFreak]

I'm thinking of becoming an Engineer. Looking into Software Engineer at UofC. But not exactly sure yet. Anyone in that field? Or other engineering fields that you could tell me about?

[Phenix]

I'm a mech eng. Run away from eng while you can.

[Disoblige]

It's fun when you're in 4th year lol.

Because you see the light! Hopefully it's the light of the end of tunnel, not the other light. ;)

[kaput]

.

[ExtraSlow]

I'm an engineer, and I'm glad daily that I choise this career path.

as for listing types of engineers, it's pretty much any industry.
Anywhere you find pipes, pumps, machines or chemicals, there are engineers. Anywhere you make something dirty, or clean something up.

Maybe think about the type of problems you like to solve. What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?

[Skyline_Addict]

Surviving the first 2 years is the biggest trick. Be prepared to sacrafice your social life to do it. It's all good once you get an intership done and are in 4th year!

[Sasuke_Kensai]

Going through school and a few years, I always hear people say, "Everyone asks me what an engineer does, and I never know what to tell them."

Get very good answers to this before taking the plunge - not with regards to schooling, but rather the career afterwards. If you know any engineers who are working, ask them everything you can think of - I find there is a lot more 'business/management' to it than I first thought coming out of HS, which isn't fully to my taste. Of course that won't apply to everyone, but it's still something I would research.

[SkittleFreak]

Well after looking into school, engineer does somewhat fit my lifestyle.
For what I know of it at least.
I do enjoy computers and the likes, hence why I was looking into software engineer.
I was going to go down the path of a mechanic, and it got boring because i prefer cars as a hobby.
I went to the rigs but I came to the conclusion i was smarter then that and the money wasn't worth it.
Now I'm deciding what to do with my life. For I've wasted so many years I want to decide to do something with it.

[V6-BoI]

Originally posted by SkittleFreak
Well after looking into school, engineer does somewhat fit my lifestyle.
For what I know of it at least.
I do enjoy computers and the likes, hence why I was looking into software engineer.
I was going to go down the path of a mechanic, and it got boring because i prefer cars as a hobby.
I went to the rigs but I came to the conclusion i was smarter then that and the money wasn't worth it.
Now I'm deciding what to do with my life. For I've wasted so many years I want to decide to do something with it.

Do you like computers at a software level, or maybe closer to a hardware level? You should look into Electrical Engineering too, because they take some classes that get you more familiar with electronics, and going down into the hardware level.

[dirtsniffer]

Like having a well paying job? Like being able to get hired as a new grad? like being able to (almost) completely change you career and still have your degree to get you the job? Do you handle stress well? Are you keen on learning new technologies? Engineering will probably be a good fit.
and fyi i know3 guys who did internships and have now graduated into jobs at 65-70k a year plus 10-20k a year in bonuses (their in mining, o&g, and mircochips). also basically, the only 1 one them is doing any reasonable ammount of design work

[Idratherbsidewayz]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
Like having a well paying job? Like being able to get hired as a new grad? like being able to (almost) completely change you career and still have your degree to get you the job? Do you handle stress well? Are you keen on learning new technologies? Engineering will probably be a good fit.
and fyi i know3 guys who did internships and have now graduated into jobs at 65-70k a year plus 10-20k a year in bonuses (their in mining, o&g, and mircochips). also basically, the only 1 one them is doing any reasonable ammount of design work

Amen, brother. That's engineering in a nutshell. Once you've had one job, people know you can problem solve and you can move around in the industry.

As for the internship, it definitely has it's monetary perks. I didn't go the internship route (too much summer fun), and I make less money, am doing gruntwork, but learning an absolute TON in a consulting company. Wouldn't change a thing. Since you have to deal with vendors and shit FOR big oil companies, you get to know the industry much better. This will in turn help you become a better rounded project manager with a greater understanding of the industry once you go big oil.

At least that's what I tell myself as I collect 3/4 of what my friends are making. Start from the bottom up, be better in the end!

[Little Dragon]

What do software engineers do for most of their days?
Just sit at a computer and write code/troubleshoot?

[realazy]

I totally agree with the comment on the business/management side of engineering, especially if you get hired on with a large petroleum producer.

You barely do any design work and typically only do the management of capital/cost/vendors, and other paperwork that's involved with the business.

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by Little Dragon
What do software engineers do for most of their days?
Just sit at a computer and write code/troubleshoot?

That's a question I've had, don't have any friends that have gone that route and I'm in computer science, I've been wondering what the difference is.

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by realazy
I totally agree with the comment on the business/management side of engineering, especially if you get hired on with a large petroleum producer.

You barely do any design work and typically only do the management of capital/cost/vendors, and other paperwork that's involved with the business.

Yep, I've had a couple differnet roles with producer companies, and I'd say, even right from the start, my job was 90% project managment and 10% "hard" engineering. Lucky for me, that is what I really like to do. Actually sitting down and designing a process vessel or mechanical part doesn't interest me.

The good thing about that type of work is that your skills are hugely transferrable within and outside the petroleum industry.

If anyone actually likes doing the other kind of engineering design, your best bet is to get into facilities engineering, or work for one of the EPC companies like Colt, Flour, AMEC etc.

[Markov7]

Software engineers plan the project, for example, coming up with how the "product" will function and how it will get programmed and what it will do. Then the software engineers tell the computer programmers what to code.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by Phenix
I'm a mech eng. Run away from eng while you can.

Structural... although I dropped out of university, I've been in the field ever since.

[Wraith]

Originally posted by SkittleFreak
Well after looking into school, engineer does somewhat fit my lifestyle.
For what I know of it at least.
I do enjoy computers and the likes, hence why I was looking into software engineer.
I was going to go down the path of a mechanic, and it got boring because i prefer cars as a hobby.
I went to the rigs but I came to the conclusion i was smarter then that and the money wasn't worth it.
Now I'm deciding what to do with my life. For I've wasted so many years I want to decide to do something with it.

Have you taken a look at the courses you'll have to take?

I share your same interests in computers, and technology in general, however after digging through the degree curriculum I decided it was not for me. I absolutely despised first year physics when I was in biosci, but if you think you can tolerate, and feel motivated enough to succeed in those courses then go for it.

http://schulich.ucalgary.ca/undergraduate/curriculum_sheets

[tch7]

Originally posted by Idratherbsidewayz
As for the internship, it definitely has it's monetary perks.

I don't entirely agree with that.

A guy I graduated with who did an internship, and who I now work with, is only making $1000 more per year than me (no internship).

Hypothetically, let's suppose his salary is $61k, and it was $45k during his internship, which is roughly in line with current APEGGA stats for consulting engineers.
We'll therefore say that my salary is $60k.
After 5 years of working (ignoring raises, interest, and such), he will have earned $289k ($45+$61(4)). I will have earned $300k ($60(5)).

It's been a similar situation for nearly everyone else that I've met through work. It'll vary from company to company and industry to industry, but where I am (transportation engineering), internship experience doesn't gain you diddly.


As for the original question, all that I can say is that the majority of what you learn in university is completely irrelevant to what you'll actually do as an engineer on a day-to-day basis.

[SkittleFreak]

I do enjoy physics and math. Both come easy to me. I'll give them a call in the next few days maybe go talk to someone in person.

[no_joke]

They have "shadowing" programs at the U of C where you can see a day in the life of an engg student but typically this is for high school students and it sounds like you're already done so it might be harder to swing. Maybe check out the Electrical/Software professors website and find out if there is an Undergraduate chair or Student Liason prof or someone like that who used to dealing with students and arrange a meeting. Until you're actually doing it- whether school or working- you won't know if it's right for you... or wrong I suppose. That's not too positive but I really am trying to help. Or you can contact the Electrical or Software Engg student rep in the Engineering Students Society who would probably be a knowledgeable and enthusiastic person to talke to.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
Like having a well paying job?

and fyi i know3 guys who did internships and have now graduated into jobs at 65-70k a year plus 10-20k a year in bonuses (their in mining, o&g, and mircochips).

Just a counter point but eh... I find engineering in Calgary actually pays rather poorly unless you are working in a field related to oil and gas. It's not unusual to find P.Eng's making less than 70k in electrical engineering lines of work AKA comp engg, soft engg and elec engg. In fact I would say it's more the norm rather than the exception.

Engineering just doesn't pay nearly as well as people think when compared to what you could be making welding or even being a plumber. The really big salaries that skew the average are all the people working for oil and gas. If you want a more realistic view of salaries you should specifically look at the high tech section of the salary survey for APEGGA and keep in mind company participation is voluntary so it's not really as great a picture of your salary as you may think.

Anyways thats my two cents :P Don't go into it thinking you are going to make loads of cash because frankly accounting would likely pay better or hell teaching. Pretty funny but teachers with the same amount of experience make more than I do and they have way better benefits. And don't even get me started on nurses... :facepalm:

[V6-BoI]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


Just a counter point but eh... I find engineering in Calgary actually pays rather poorly unless you are working in a field related to oil and gas. It's not unusual to find P.Eng's making less than 70k in electrical engineering lines of work AKA comp engg, soft engg and elec engg. In fact I would say it's more the norm rather than the exception.

Engineering just doesn't pay nearly as well as people think when compared to what you could be making welding or even being a plumber. The really big salaries that skew the average are all the people working for oil and gas. If you want a more realistic view of salaries you should specifically look at the high tech section of the salary survey for APEGGA and keep in mind company participation is voluntary so it's not really as great a picture of your salary as you may think.

Anyways thats my two cents :P Don't go into it thinking you are going to make loads of cash because frankly accounting would likely pay better or hell teaching. Pretty funny but teachers with the same amount of experience make more than I do and they have way better benefits. And don't even get me started on nurses... :facepalm:

Very good points stated here. Some trades people like welders or electricians can make lots of cash.

I dunno about teachers though, they might make more money coming out, but I think their salary is pretty much capped. I don't think there's much room for them to go up.

And as for nurses, I dunno I think some of them deserve the pay. They gotta put up with a lot of shit (literally) and their job is pretty damn messy. I don't think I'd ever be able to be a nurse.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by V6-BoI
I dunno about teachers though, they might make more money coming out, but I think their salary is pretty much capped. I don't think there's much room for them to go up.

And as for nurses, I dunno I think some of them deserve the pay. They gotta put up with a lot of shit (literally) and their job is pretty damn messy. I don't think I'd ever be able to be a nurse.

I have no qualms with nurses or teachers being well paid. The two professions were more examples to illustrate that engineering doesn't pay nearly as well as most people believe. Teachers might cap out but they are making a really good wage with some very generous benefits including an excellent pension. Not to mention the insane amount of time off. Same goes for nurses whose pay is typically even higher than teachers due to their shift differentials for working nights or overtime etc... The benefits on there own are probably worth another 10-15k a year when you figure it all out. The same applies for nurses.

Here are the numbers from the ATA for 2007 the salaries have been adjusted upwards as per contract negotiations. I don't know the exact percentages but I believe the top salary bracket for teachers is now somewhere close to 95k. Frankly a lot of engineers won't be making 95k with 10 years experience unless of course again they are in oil and gas.



Dec 2007
Years of University Education

Four
48,790
51,641
54,492
57,343
60,194
63,045
65,896
68,747
71,598
74,449
77,300

Five
51,537
54,394
57,252
60,109
62,966
65,823
68,680
71,538
74,395
77,252
80,109

Six
54,600
57,460
60,319
63,178
66,037
68,897
71,756
74,615
77,475
80,334
83,193


Nurses on the other hand are currently making



Dec 2009

$29.59

$30.51

$31.15

$31.72

$32.22

$32.89

$33.94

$34.92

$36.15


So we have a range of 62,000 to 75,000 for 2009 which has been adjusted up as per contract again don't know the exact percentages. Not including shift differentials and overtime hours. I know nurses who gross over 100k after 2-3 years on the job.

Some numbers may be off since this is just what I could find from the collective agreements posted online.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


Just a counter point but eh... I find engineering in Calgary actually pays rather poorly unless you are working in a field related to oil and gas. It's not unusual to find P.Eng's making less than 70k in electrical engineering lines of work AKA comp engg, soft engg and elec engg. In fact I would say it's more the norm rather than the exception.

Engineering just doesn't pay nearly as well as people think when compared to what you could be making welding or even being a plumber. The really big salaries that skew the average are all the people working for oil and gas. If you want a more realistic view of salaries you should specifically look at the high tech section of the salary survey for APEGGA and keep in mind company participation is voluntary so it's not really as great a picture of your salary as you may think.

Anyways thats my two cents :P Don't go into it thinking you are going to make loads of cash because frankly accounting would likely pay better or hell teaching. Pretty funny but teachers with the same amount of experience make more than I do and they have way better benefits. And don't even get me started on nurses... :facepalm:

This is a very good point. And this is exactly why I quit university (It worked out well for me), I was halfway through my first year when I realized, I was already making 3X.XX/hr, but knew that after graduating, I'd be making the same amount... maybe less, depending on which company I went to. That's what led me to leave. Some might say it was short sighted, but looking back, I made the right choice. Really though, I don't know many structural engineers with 5-10 years exp making more than 70k

[J-hop]

Originally posted by no_joke
They have "shadowing" programs at the U of C where you can see a day in the life of an engg student but typically this is for high school students and it sounds like you're already done so it might be harder to swing. Maybe check out the Electrical/Software professors website and find out if there is an Undergraduate chair or Student Liason prof or someone like that who used to dealing with students and arrange a meeting. Until you're actually doing it- whether school or working- you won't know if it's right for you... or wrong I suppose. That's not too positive but I really am trying to help. Or you can contact the Electrical or Software Engg student rep in the Engineering Students Society who would probably be a knowledgeable and enthusiastic person to talke to.

good points, also search around on the U of C website for the courses you will be taking and some profs have sites with all their notes and course syllabus uploaded so you can see what you will be taking.

also you could post in the campus chat section and see if an eng student can send you their time table so you could sit in on a couple lectures or something, with the amount of people in 1st/2nd year eng courses no one will notice an extra face in the crowd.

[Dumbass17]

anyone taken or thought about taking Automotive Engineering? i'm considering it.
i took civil engineering technology at sait and got a diploma in 2007. but i know i don't want to do it any longer, i just don't really give a shit about civil stuff. i have been doing structural drafting on/off for 3 years now and just can't see myself doing it for more than another year.
engineering sucks, take a trade, work with your hands. sitting infront of a computer all day in a cubicle farm is DEPRESSING.
i highly recommend anyone considering engineering to watch "Office Space". Cause cubicle life is JUST LIKE IT, to a tee. it's pretty embarassing and sad actually.

on a side note, yay engineering LOL :nut:

[Ekliptix]

I'm a fan of SAIT.

I find it very practical, and also recognized in Alberta. Among my friends who went to University and those who went to SAIT, my SAIT friends are making more money (and like their jobs more). This includes me, being at an oil & gas consulting firm for 5 years now.

Whether it's University or SAIT, I believe you need both an 'in' to get get your foot in the door at a good company, then you need to work your ass off and prove yourself there to get to the $100k/yr mark. The Engineering ring doesn't make a difference in my experience.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by Ekliptix
The Engineering ring doesn't make a difference in my experience.

Agreed.

[JBreaks]

SAIT "eng' guys do pretty well in O&G... personally I wish I had done engineering instead of B.Comm - Energy Management which is what I ultimately chose.... like some others stated, I didnt do eng because I was more interested in the management side of things, and thought that business would be more in line with this... Ultimately after getting into the industry you see that there are all sorts of engineering roles that were more what I was looking for... IMO those rings are cheap as hell and I've only ever seen younger generation guys wearing them? Met dozens of well respected 25+ yrs exp. P.eng broskis with no rings to speak of?

[Skyline_Addict]

Also, in Engineering Careers, there are essentially two paths you can take.

Technical or Non-Technical.

Many people get caught up in wanting to be "Managers or Executives" and aren't necessarily suited to be so. They rush through their careers with the peripheral blinders on and don't take the time to understand what it is to really be an Engineer.
Upon finding out that they're not up to the task, they soon realize that they lack the technical foundation they've neglected in pursuit of being a manager. This is 10-15, sometimes 20 years into their career, so its very hard to turn back. Their MBA may not have really helped them either, so it can lead to alot of frustration and feeling of incompetence.

My dad has shared stories about seeing many people go through this in his 40 years as an Engineer. My dad is on the technical side of engineering and loves every moment of it. He has been offered management positions numerous times in his careers, but rejected higher salaries (at the time) knowing he doesn't like or feel as competent as a manager and loves and excels at the technical side of things. That is not to say he wasn't well respected by his peers or compensated very well for what he did. You don't have to be a manager to do so, and quite possibly did better in this regard as a technical person because he was so good at what he did and loved it. My dad always said that if you're one of the best at what you do, that's what matters. People wanted him to work for them.

With sharing that, it is important to do research about your career path. Ok, so you take Engineering and complete the program. But what is it that you really want to do for the next 40 years? What are you good at? What do you like? Important questions to ask....

p.s my dad is a a Petroleum Engineer and P.Eng, not a technologist.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by JBreaks
IMO those rings are cheap as hell and I've only ever seen younger generation guys wearing them? Met dozens of well respected 25+ yrs exp. P.eng broskis with no rings to speak of?

They are not meant to be expensive they cost 20$ to replace. Frankly more of the old engineers wear them than the young ones. Pretty much all the old guys where I work have them on. That or if they are not wearing them they just put them on for interviews... Keep in mind that the rings are more of a proof that you actually graduated from Engineering than anything else. You can have a P.Eng and not have the right to wear the ring. As a counter point to the whole Oil and Gas thing I have listened to countless rants from people at Encana and other big shops that you can't get into upper management unless you are an engineer.

Just so we are clear anyone from SAIT is not an engineer the are technologists.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by V6-BoI


Very good points stated here. Some trades people like welders or electricians can make lots of cash.

I dunno about teachers though, they might make more money coming out, but I think their salary is pretty much capped. I don't think there's much room for them to go up.

And as for nurses, I dunno I think some of them deserve the pay. They gotta put up with a lot of shit (literally) and their job is pretty damn messy. I don't think I'd ever be able to be a nurse.

Teachers cap around $85k and only work about 9 months of the year. That's well over $100k/year equivalent if you look at it that way. If you taught high school gym classes or something you would have it made. Basically zero work.

----------------------------------------------


Back to the OP's question about engineering, most of my friends are engineers (mechanical and chemical). They did 10X the school work as anyone else seemed to do in other departments and didn't have much of a social life for 5 years but they are all successful now. To me it wasn't worth it. Lots of other ways to make just as good money without sacrificing 5 years of your life unless you truly love engineering.

[Pahnda]

Engineering looks good when going into law, or so people have said... :D

But really, engineers aren't as baller as some people think. Just super easy to find jobs and overall a more 'mobile' profession that appeals to the constructive kid in a lot of people. I find on average the more tedious the job the more you get paid when you're a non-manager level Engineer with only a BSc, which is kind of funny.

[Aaaaaron]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin



Just so we are clear anyone from SAIT is not an engineer the are technologists.
Haha, I agree but always find it funny when an engineer loses it on a tech cause they call themselves a engineer.

Like it was said earlier, I've also found no difference between engineers and technologists. The company I work for start both at the same straight out of school salary and then after that it's in your own hands. We have tonnes of CET project managers making over $100,000.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by Aaaaaron

Haha, I agree but always find it funny when an engineer loses it on a tech cause they call themselves a engineer.

Like it was said earlier, I've also found no difference between engineers and technologists. The company I work for start both at the same straight out of school salary and then after that it's in your own hands. We have tonnes of CET project managers making over $100,000.

Lots of companies will not allow Techs into management types of positions I've found, at most they will get to run their own smaller projects.

And anyone who is a tech that calls themselves an engineer is a turd head. The technology programs are nowhere NEAR as hard as the engineering ones. It is also illegal (technically).

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Aaaaaron

Haha, I agree but always find it funny when an engineer loses it on a tech cause they call themselves a engineer.

Like it was said earlier, I've also found no difference between engineers and technologists. The company I work for start both at the same straight out of school salary and then after that it's in your own hands. We have tonnes of CET project managers making over $100,000.

It is obvious that there are differences that makes and engineer an engineer, and a technologist a technologist. But, that is not the point. The point is, we should all treat one another in the workplace with respect, plain and simple. If I was a tech, I would be proud to be a tech. My role in the company would be slightly different but doesn't mean I should be less respected.

[J-hop]

I agree with the workplace respect thing but I can see why some engineering grads get pissed when sait techs call themselves engineers. I knew a couple people in engineering that did the sait route, couldn't get where they wanted so went to get an engineering degree at the U and couldn't believe how much more work it was at the U. I did 2 years of eng at the U before switching to my current degree and I can tell you every single one of those engineering grads has earned the right to be called an engineer. Granted I haven't personally done the sait route but from what those that did the sait route and then came to the U after have told me its a completely different level at the U.

Its the same concept as an auto mechanic at a dealer (or other shops) that has gone through the proper schooling and put in the time getting annoyed when his buddy from jiffy lube calls himself an auto tech. Now I'm not saying SAIT is bad, but what i'm saying is you have to respect the amount of extra time and work that goes into completing an University engineering degree over a sait engineering technicians ticket.


But back to the marketability, the company I will be working for starting this year will not even look at eng techs from sait. And rumor has it in my field at this company I will be part of one of the last streams of hires that doesn't have to have a Masters or greater to get looked at.

Post secondary has become so popular these days that soon to stand out in a pile of resumes even a Bachelors degree won't be good enough.

[Type_S1]

Originally posted by J-hop


Post secondary has become so popular these days that soon to stand out in a pile of resumes even a Bachelors degree won't be good enough.

That has a lot to say about people without a bcomm or degree.

[Type_S1]

double post

[J-hop]

I'm obviously not saying that it can't be done with a sait ticket, however Engineering especially is a highly competitive field and with Schulich mass producing eng grads these days (can't remember how many grads were in my buddies grad year but it was a lot), it is getting harder and harder for sait techs to get jobs because 99% of the time if you pit a tech vs a degree (unless the person is a major tool with no interpersonal skills) they will chose the degree.

[Disoblige]

Had some colleagues who switched from SAIT and said it was way easier at SAIT than U of C.

However, they dropped out of U of C shortly after :rofl:

[sabad66]

Classic beyond thread with the word "engineer" in the title. Always ends up being a technologist vs. p. eng thread.

Anyways, regarding your original question. If you're actually willing to do it, just do it. The thing about the U of C is that you don't pick which discipline you are in right off the bat (although it may seem like it when you apply). Basically first year gives you a little "taste" of each discipline:

ENGG 225 (now a 1st yr course instead of 2nd) - Circuits - Electrical/Computer
ENGG 233 - Programming Fundamentals - Software/Computer
ENGG 201 - Chemical/Oil & Gas
ENGG 202 - Statics (back when i took it it was statics and dynamics. you guys have it easier now ;)) - Civil/Mechanical/Manufacturing
ENGG 201 - Design - General design principles applicable to all engineering

I'm definitely oversimplifying things a bit with that description, but the point is you'll figure out what you like based on your first year. At the end of the year, you rate your choices for which discipline you'd like to go into, and depending on your GPA (you're pretty safe with a 3.0 (B)), you may or may not be accepted in your first choice.

So yeah, if you want to get an engineering degree but not sure which one, just apply and you have a year to figure it out.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by sabad66
Classic beyond thread with the word "engineer" in the title. Always ends up being a technologist vs. p. eng thread.

It took longer than usual for the thread to turn...

[dirtsniffer]

haha but they always do. always

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by sabad66
Classic beyond thread with the word "engineer" in the title. Always ends up being a technologist vs. p. eng thread.

Furthermore, it is pretty funny that the first response in the thread is from a tech calling himself an eng while telling others to steer clear of eng... that is a damn good microcosm of how all these threads turn out.

[ZenOps]

If you plan on staying in Alberta, do yourself a huge favour and take a few geology to fill in any holes in what you might otherwise major in.

They used to call it "Rocks for Jocks" back in my day because it was considered to be just filler classes back when oil was less than $12 and gold was just used for fillings.

[SkittleFreak]

Thanks all for the input, I did get a hold of someone from UofC and going to check out in March.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/admissions/infoevenings/


All the links and information posted here has been a help.

[g-m]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


Just a counter point but eh... I find engineering in Calgary actually pays rather poorly unless you are working in a field related to oil and gas. It's not unusual to find P.Eng's making less than 70k in electrical engineering lines of work AKA comp engg, soft engg and elec engg. In fact I would say it's more the norm rather than the exception.

Engineering just doesn't pay nearly as well as people think when compared to what you could be making welding or even being a plumber. The really big salaries that skew the average are all the people working for oil and gas. If you want a more realistic view of salaries you should specifically look at the high tech section of the salary survey for APEGGA and keep in mind company participation is voluntary so it's not really as great a picture of your salary as you may think.

Anyways thats my two cents :P Don't go into it thinking you are going to make loads of cash because frankly accounting would likely pay better or hell teaching. Pretty funny but teachers with the same amount of experience make more than I do and they have way better benefits. And don't even get me started on nurses... :facepalm:
lol so go into oil and gas? It seems really common sense to me thats why I did it.

I would highly highly recommend it. The school isn't as hard as everyone says it is, the jobs are awesome, the pay is awesome, the benefits are awesome. Pretty much a dream job and it only goes up and up and up

[ExtraSlow]

+1. Oil and Gas is fun!

[realazy]

+2 I have nothing bad to say about o&g either.

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by g-m

lol so go into oil and gas? It seems really common sense to me thats why I did it.

I would highly highly recommend it. The school isn't as hard as everyone says it is, the jobs are awesome, the pay is awesome, the benefits are awesome. Pretty much a dream job and it only goes up and up and up

I'm not complaining... I was illustrating a point. Everyone seems to think engineers make a killing when it is not true unless you work in certain industries. Personally I do R&D in the high tech sector. I enjoy it enough to do it for lesser pay rather than making more cash and being bored out of my skull.

All I was getting at is that the thinking that engineering is a sure fire way to a high paying job is not really accurate. High paying jobs in Alberta are in oil and gas. If I was willing to move to the states and work in the same field I work in currently in Silicon Valley I would likely be making something comparable to people in oil and gas.

I know lots of people who make a killing in oil and gas but then again they complain that all they do is excel spreadsheets all day. Not my cup of tea no matter how high the pay.

PS: As a counter point to the whole tech thing. There are pretty much no technologists in R&D divisions due to their lack of theoretical knowledge which is needed when you are doing research. So frankly it really depends where you want to end up with your career path...

[g-m]

there are near infinite specializations in oil and gas in the engineering field. The only ones who do excel spreadsheets against their will are the ones who don't know what they want.

You can do everything from high tech design (what other field has budgets like o&g companies?), to project management, to field engineering, to reservoir, to operations, hell even up to executive if you want.

Every possible tech field is represented in the oil and gas field. If you haven't found what you're looking for you aren't looking hard enough.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Pahnda]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin
PS: As a counter point to the whole tech thing. There are pretty much no technologists in R&D divisions due to their lack of theoretical knowledge which is needed when you are doing research. So frankly it really depends where you want to end up with your career path...

I find that to be fairly true... I work in R&D for my company and everyone either has a electrical or software engineering degree or a comp sci degree. I have yet to find anyone (even in our technical writing team) that has anything less than an actual 4 year degree in my department. Actually, two of the QA people have a masters degree... But I think their BScs were from Chinese Universities. I've heard/seen similar in other companies.

[dirtsniffer]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
I am torn on if an Engineering Degree is worth it... money wise, I am happy I didn't pursue it because I easily make the same as any engineer. I am also happy that I am not on the hook when it comes to stamping & my job involves no number crunching... I get to do all of the fun design work with none of the liability.

But on the flip side I really need a degree, but not for the reasons people might think. It has been hurting me career wise because I can't move into an overall project management role without it.

So you make as much as any engineer, but you aren't elligible for the same promotions as them? Maybe I'm missing something.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by mazdavirgin


PS: As a counter point to the whole tech thing. There are pretty much no technologists in R&D divisions due to their lack of theoretical knowledge which is needed when you are doing research. So frankly it really depends where you want to end up with your career path...

I'm in R&D, and am a tech :dunno: I also know of quite a few places that I have considered going to if/when I decide I'm ready to move on. Now of course, are you mainly the "R" in R&D (you specifically single out research in your post, so I would assume so)? We do lots of design/physical manufacturing of the products we create, so us techs are useful to do the bitch work. But, we all have our own projects that we research, design, protoype etc.

At the same time, I am not disagreeing at all. I would laugh at some of the mouth breathers I went to NAIT with ever being in the research field (its appalling to think actually)!

[J-hop]

Originally posted by ZenOps
If you plan on staying in Alberta, do yourself a huge favour and take a few geology to fill in any holes in what you might otherwise major in.

They used to call it "Rocks for Jocks" back in my day because it was considered to be just filler classes back when oil was less than $12 and gold was just used for fillings.

haha yea geo 209, its called "rocks for jocks" because it is dumbed down quite a bit. If you are going into O&G it might be ok just so you know what the heck the geos are talking about but I think with a lot of majors they like you to specialize and utilize the skills of the rest of your team to maintain a high level of efficiency. None of the engineers I worked with last summer had any geo knowledge and didn't care to have any lol.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by Pahnda


I find that to be fairly true... I work in R&D for my company and everyone either has a electrical or software engineering degree or a comp sci degree. I have yet to find anyone (even in our technical writing team) that has anything less than an actual 4 year degree in my department. Actually, two of the QA people have a masters degree... But I think their BScs were from Chinese Universities. I've heard/seen similar in other companies.


I do R&D for one of my clients (fairly large engineering firm across Canada) and I'm not even a tech!

[Pahnda]

Originally posted by Jlude
I do R&D for one of my clients (fairly large engineering firm across Canada) and I'm not even a tech!

Yeah, I'm a pretty strong believer in the idea that people can do pretty much whatever they want regardless of formal qualifications. Qualifications just highly increase the probability of achieving what you're working towards. It's useful for people without connections or some kind of 'springboard' to get them where they want in a lot of cases.

I'm sure there are many examples of successful founders/CEOs/presidents with no more than high school and some without even that.

Sightly unrelated, but when I was working in Japan a number of my coworkers doing R&D and other design work had little education in the field they were working in. They could do their jobs fine, but it ended up in pretty heavy specialization and many of them would have no clue how to proceed with problems outside of what they've seen.

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
But on the flip side I really need a degree, but not for the reasons people might think. It has been hurting me career wise because I can't move into an overall project management role without it.

A degree is always worth it, and there is no degree more versatile than an engineering degree. There are literally no doors that are closed career wise (except accounting, haha but I don't know many people who aren't accountants who wanted to shift careers into auditing). I recently moved out of engineering and into finance and I forget the exact number but I called back for an interview at over half the ibanks I applied to.

While it's true that techs can make the same as an engineer, that is usually the exception and not the rule... and usually only at smaller engineering consulting companies. The E&Ps like hiring and promoting people with degrees.

[ExtraSlow]

For the first few years of my career, i regretted not taking the SAIT route and getting into the workforce faster. Now that I'm established, I can really see the opportunities that the degree, and P.Eng status afford me.

both ASET and APEGGA publish salary surveys. I looked at the ASET one, and it looks like a lot of the categories had only one or two respondents, which is not very good from a statistical perspective.
Can anyone draw some conclusions about average ASET vs APEGGA salaries?