Any Advice from OzBargain Engineers?

L[Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 15:53
Last edited 24/04/2022 - 21:07 by 1 other user

Bottom line is I want to make a heap of money and unsure on how to maximize my chances of landing a high paying job

Seen advertisements for $60k-$180k(latter demanding 5-10yrs experience) which I feel is a piss take considering I can get a 6fig job with little qualifications if I wanted. How high is the pay ceiling?

Should I aim more towards technical sales positions? Work my way up in a large engineering firm? Start some form of business venture?

I'm in my 3rd year of a bachelor majoring in chemical & bioprocess engineering and been scurrying for internships to get my foot in the door. Looking more towards Rio Tinto, BHP etc.

I've got a mate earning ~$350k/yr in exploration drilling which I could easily get into and honestly been considering it if I can't eventually exceed $300k/year in engineering after 5yrs or so.

I'd love to hear your stories, regrets, and any advice! Cheers

Education & Work

closed Comments

  • brendanm on 24/04/2022 - 16:12
    +5

    I can get a 6fig job with little qualifications if I wanted

    How so?

    • EightImmortals on 24/04/2022 - 16:22
      +3

      Politician?

      • brendanm on 24/04/2022 - 16:52
        +1

        Does op have a complete lack of morals though?

        • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 17:00
          +5

          he is interested in oil drilling

        • EightImmortals on 24/04/2022 - 17:29
          +1

          'Morals' wasn't in the listed criteria.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 16:27
      -2

      Mentioned exploration drilling but also in insurance sales

      • brendanm on 24/04/2022 - 16:51
        +5

        No qualification for exploration drilling? What are the hours in exploration drilling? I doubt insurance sales pays anywhere near $100k, and having a look online, I'm correct.

        I think you have a very skewed idea of wages, check out what the mean and median wages are for full time jobs across the country.

        • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 17:16
          -2

          I think you haven't met enough people earning stupid amounts of money
          Close friend in insurance sales is earning 150k/yr
          I guess the main purpose of my post was to sift through the salaries of unadvertised jobs in engineering (majority of jobs are gained thru nepotism/cronyism afterall)
          Insurance sales here corroborating my point of not knowing what's really out there..

          • brendanm on 24/04/2022 - 17:35
            +3

            @[Deactivated]: I do work basically exclusively for people with too much money. As in $1m+ on a toy. People with a tonne of money don't have jobs, they don't work for anyone, they own companies.

            You seem to know a lot of people with very outlier salaries, there is no state in which insurance salesman make $100k+ normally, most seem to be at $70k.

            • 7ekn00 on 24/04/2022 - 19:08
              +2

              @brendanm: But his mate told him his wage, there is no way his mate would embellish!

              OP even verified the story with three forms of ID and 6 months of payslips ;)

          • spackbace on 24/04/2022 - 18:16
            +1

            @[Deactivated]:

            Close friend in insurance sales is earning 150k/yr

            Ever think he could be lying? Shock horror…

  • Hybroid on 24/04/2022 - 16:17
    +13

    People don't get into Engineering to become rich.

    Chemical Engineering pays more than most other disciplines but you won't be on $300k after 5 years. Pipe dream.

    You're comparing a desk/lab role that's a dime a dozen vs a strenous job with hazard pay for significant health, safety, mental and physical risks. As well as major life instability. There's a big difference at play here.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 16:58
      -2

      Yes I agree that the higher paying mining roles dish out what they deserve after taking its toll on the individual. But I'd imagine there'd be companies with multimillion dollar projects/assets to sell where the technical skill of an engineer could be very well rewarded. Obviously there's not much to contribute at entry level but I can imagine senior engineers making/saving companies millions.

  • SBOB on 24/04/2022 - 16:34
    +20

    I've got a mate earning ~$350k/yr in exploration drilling which I could easily get into and honestly been considering it if I can't eventually exceed $300k/year in engineering after 5yrs or so.

    Then hit up your mate for a job.
    You won't find a regular engineering job paying $300k within 5 years, and you'd likely not find one regardless of experience. Pisstake or not.

    Eng jobs paying that much are not common and you need to be pretty specialised, pretty high in demand, pretty crappy working conditions, or pretty damn lucky.

    I love when uni students that haven't graduated, have no actual work experience (and if you were top of your class, high in demand or incredibly outstanding you'd already have an internship), and no idea on what realistic salary ranges are for the field they are in, start hoping for incredibly high salaries that would put them in the top 1% earnings of a particular field. We were all clueless once…

    • markathome on 24/04/2022 - 16:44
      +3

      You may be right in this case but…

      Everyone everywhere needs to be asking for a wage rise atm.

      People will counter "okay, but you'll have to pay for it".

      I'm already paying for it, you might as well get the wage rise anyway.

      Australia's low wage inflation is depressing and frankly worrying.

      And it's not just some guy on OzBargain saying that last bit:

      https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/us-f…

      • SBOB on 24/04/2022 - 18:33
        +2

        Everyone everywhere needs to be asking for a wage rise atm

        There's a grand canyon of space between asking for a pay rise and a 3rd year uni student expecting to get an engineering job earning $300k
        But I get your point ;)

    • baronorder on 24/04/2022 - 17:05
      +4

      There is nothing that makes an interview more entertaining than an entry level helpdesk or grad program candidate with zero experience outlining their desired salary as being roughly $60k more than what the current CIO gets as a package.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 17:09
      -5

      I'm completely sympathetic with attacking uni students with their heads in the clouds but I think if there's money out there somewhere for me it'd be in my interest to seek it out. Probably not the best place to search for it knowing people making $300k+ aren't bargain hunters haha…

      But it's a pisstake seeing how stupidly rich alot of the yuppies in my cohort's families are. Inherited wealth feels like it's always laughing at me, especially when you look at how expensive houses are.

      I think if I ever want to own a decent house I'm going to have to earn a decent wage. Rather earn it by a fulfilling technical skill like engineering than being a cog in the mines ofc.

      • brendanm on 24/04/2022 - 17:12
        +7

        Probably not the best place to search for it knowing people making $300k+ aren't bargain hunters haha…

        Again showing you have no idea about the real world.

        • 7ekn00 on 24/04/2022 - 19:15
          +1

          Yep, take Elon Musk for example, no house, even crashes on couches when he travels ;)

          Plenty of studies show the more wealth a person has, the more tight they have been/are :P

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 24/04/2022 - 16:42
    +18

    I've got a mate earning ~$350k/yr

    Whirlpool is that way ->

    • AustriaBargain on 24/04/2022 - 17:50
      +3

      OP should consider marrying his mate tbh.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 24/04/2022 - 17:54
        +4

        Mate with housing the way it is, I’d consider marrying ops mate if he doesnt

  • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 17:02
    +5

    As someone who works for one of the mining companies you've mentioned and interacts with exploration drillers on a daily basis, I can tell you, they're not earning $350k/yr, lol.

      • Hithere on 24/04/2022 - 17:54
        +4

        Obviously you can only take what randos on an online bargain hunting website say with a grain of salt

        Especially the randos posting patently exaggerated incomes eh?

      • Caped Baldy on 24/04/2022 - 19:17

        So you have two close friends earning $300k+ /yr and have to ask randos on the internet instead of them?

      • ChatCPT on 24/04/2022 - 20:17

        Especially randos called beyondr9k who have nfi what they’re on about

        Grow up young blood. You have much to learn

  • Tee Rex Arms on 24/04/2022 - 17:04
    +6

    Young flop uni student needs a taste of the real world

  • Sterio on 24/04/2022 - 17:23

    Whatever you’re on bottle it and sell it. However, you may have a little problem in finding buyers.

  • MS Paint on 24/04/2022 - 17:29
    +1

    Just become a nurse

    /thread

  • AustriaBargain on 24/04/2022 - 17:49
    +1

    Maybe you should have studied business if making money is your primary goal.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 18:23

      I think the mention of doing a degree in business to make money well & truly deserves /thread

  • Porker on 24/04/2022 - 17:56
    +1

    How many mates have you got that are working, and how many are actually making $350k/year?

    Just because one has it doesn't mean that others will or can.

    You really need to look across the spectrum of salaries, but also compromises. Eg. A engineering job in the middle of the ocean will pay more than one located 20mins drive from home in suburbia

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 18:32

      Think most of my mates have jobs like anyone else
      I'd pay money to work as an engineer in the middle of the ocean haha
      But yeah completely prepared for compromise just wondering how well people are actually paid to do so in engineering. Although from what I've heard offshore work is mainly left for maintenance crew with management working online nowadays sadly

  • rektrading on 24/04/2022 - 18:03
    +1

    This post remains me of tourists with no experience entering the market 🤔 to make a big splash and retiring after 90 days.

  • Hardlyworkin on 24/04/2022 - 18:11
    +1

    So you want to earn a lot of money as you have FOMO from hanging out with rich friends? There is always the option of working in something that interests you.

    If you're earning 300k in FIFO just remember most of it will end up your nose.

    • MS Paint on 24/04/2022 - 18:19
      +2

      remember most of it will end up your nose.

      I've heard FIFO is a dusty job but tissues aren't that expensive.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 18:41

      Think I'd happily sniff up packet if $105,667 of the 300k didn't go straight to tax

      • SBOB on 24/04/2022 - 19:01
        +4

        Try getting a job first, then worry about any tax liabilities

  • mskeggs on 24/04/2022 - 18:26
    +5

    You certainly have plenty of self belief, maybe sales could be for you.
    Do people like you on first impression when you turn on the charm?
    If they do, and you have a thick skin when people let you down, and are able to work pretty consistently, then sales could be good.

    A lot of people think they can do sales, and the only thing holding them back is their integrity. But it can be hard work, and many people just can’t be successful.

  • bobbified on 24/04/2022 - 18:31
    +2

    Why does it seem like there are so many engineers here asking about salaries - they don't know their own industry?

  • elgrande on 24/04/2022 - 18:39
    +5

    My mate earns $350k per year working in retail.

    I considered it myself, but will not accept anything under $400k for a retail job - btw if you search for retail jobs most of them are taking the piss as they are offering $45k..!

  • chrisn26 on 24/04/2022 - 18:40
    +1

    Does software engineer count? It's a kind of engineer, lol,

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 18:43

      I'd hope software architects would get paid something stunning for the job
      Probably more money to make in software engineering than the more traditional engineering jobs though

    • dust on 24/04/2022 - 18:48
      +2

      $300k is still a lot for a software engineer!

  • Stefano on 24/04/2022 - 18:52
    +1

    "I've got a mate earning ~$350k/yr in exploration drilling which I could easily get into and honestly been considering it if I can't eventually exceed $300k/year in engineering after 5yrs or so."

    I can assure you most engineers are not earning anywhere near $350k/yr, and those that do, don't do so anywhere near just 5 years out of uni.

  • chav on 24/04/2022 - 18:56
    +2

    Staying salaries for Grads in Engineering aren't likely to satisfy your ambitions and career progression in a large company isn't based on what you think.

    You have high expectations, and I don't knock you for that. If your capabilities are aligned with your expectations you would be better placed to start your own venture.

    You really have nothing to lose if you are that committed and capable, worse case you gain perspective and experience for your job at another company.

    But no… rocking up to a large company with inertia and hierarchy, you will not fare well.

  • star-ggg on 24/04/2022 - 19:01
    +3

    $350k/yr would be FIFO + rare skillset/experience + dangerous work environment. No salaried engineer would be working under all those conditions so they won't paying that amount.

    • Mokr on 24/04/2022 - 19:15

      Yep the dudes that used to go to Iraq or Afghanistan.

  • theHMASfriendship on 24/04/2022 - 19:16
    +3

    Worked as an engineer in one of the mining companies you listed. You won’t earn 300k as an engineer, that’ll be senior management positions.

    If the figure you take home is what’s most important to you then go drilling with old mate.

  • Savas on 24/04/2022 - 19:42
    +3

    I graduated from civil engineering and have been applying to woolworths.

    • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 20:01
      -1

      Had a short stint working an undergrad civvie job myself actually
      Think the construction hotshots love to tease uni students trying to get in

  • th123 on 24/04/2022 - 19:55

    Maybe go do software engineering, move over to the U.S., join a big tech firm, work up a few ranks and you'll have it.

  • xtremehell on 24/04/2022 - 20:00

    Buy crypto and then never have to work another day in your life.

    • chav on 24/04/2022 - 20:27
      +1

      I was going to suggest that in jest in my first reply, but thought I'd get so much backlash for even joking about crypto I was too scared!

  • RADICALIST on 24/04/2022 - 20:29

    I'll tell you what. You show me a pay stub for 350k dollars on it, I quit my job right now and I work for your "mate".

    • chav on 24/04/2022 - 20:32

      Only open to recent graduates i'm afraid

  • Moderatorscrimshaw on 24/04/2022 - 21:07

    Thread closed, user disabled Ozbargain account.

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