Career By Design

Hello,

My name is Katie. I completed my MS in environmental engineering last February, and since then I have been in a faith-based service corps doing non-engineering, but still environmental, work at a non-profit. I love it and I may have the option to continue in a similar role once my volunteer term is up.

My question is about salary. My supervisor has asked me what sort of minimum and mid-scale salary I'm hoping to achieve if I stay on and transition from being a volunteer. I've never negotiated or asked for a salary before. I have looked up entry-level environmental engineer salaries with my education (average in the $60k ballpark, or $45-50k in the nonprofit world), but since I am only indirectly applying my degree I assume the salary will be lower. How much lower? How much is an engineering degree worth in a non-engineering context?

I realize that the longer I stay out of a technical field, the more difficult it will be to re-enter it. I went straight to grad school from undergrad and do not really have any real engineering work experience. I have already seen the thread regarding getting into the field as entry-level as an engineer but at a later age, and I'm sure that advice will come in useful this year or down the road if I stay at my current position.

Thank you in advance for your insights!

Katie

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Kathryn Little A.M.ASCE
Detroit MI
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I would turn the question around and ask "What is your budget for this position?" This is a tactic I have used successfully in job interviews multiple times, and almost always resulted in a higher offer number than I was expecting. 

If you're able to have an informal conversation about this, you could also say the following: "I know that the average entry-level salary for someone with my degree is [x], but you'll need to tell me how that aligns with this organization. What is your budget for this position?"

You can use the ASCE salary data to find this out the typical entry-level salary in your area.

I volunteer with a number of non-profits.......from what limited discussions I've had with friends who work there, pay can vary greatly depending on the organization. One friend working for Habitat for Humanity is getting paid minimum wage for part-time work (for her, the impact is most important, some extra money is a bonus, and her husband is the primary breadwinner). Another is working for a religious-affiliated non-profit and has sufficient (but tight) funds to support his small family.

You are absolutely correct that if you have plans to get into a technical area, you should look for a job in that area sooner rather than later (even if it's part-time or an internship while you're working at the non-profit). You may also want to consider a civil engineering-related non-profit as a potential career path.

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Stephanie Slocum P.E.
Engineers Rising LLC
www.engineersrising.com
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