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engineering graduate salaries compared to apprenticships

Imadeapoopsie

By Imadeapoopsie
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Imadeapoopsie Member

Imadeapoopsie

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im taking Bachelor of Engineering Technolgies, in a uinversity in New Zealand, and i have completed two years already, i failed 5 papers so far, and i really dont want to continue studying in uni, writing long essays and doing calculations all day long. oh and i hate listening to people clicking their pen and shaking their legs ALL DAY long everytime...

recently heard from a someone, that the jobs i can get from completing this degree was engineering planning/engineering desgin.. stuff like that.. and i was initially looking for a engineering career involving physical engineering labour, so i can move around more

so i want to know what kind of salaries do graduates with a degree get in comparison to someone who completed a 3-4 year apprenticeship only. And i also wana kno the difference in salaries of theoretical engineers, compared to the engineers that do the physical work, because thats what im interested in doing.

also, I know other things like social skills are needed most, something im not very good at, but will have to learn.. but first i wana kno the difference in salaries

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severe Senior member

severe

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Not trying to take this thread elsewhere, but this has to be asked: surely you looked into all this BEFORE you started the degree? :roll:

2 years in and you are asking strangers what is going to happen to you. Why don't you ask others on your course?

Follow this:

You: "hey mate, what are your intentions with this degree"?

they respond here: "********"

you then ask: "That sounds great, what is the apporximate starting salary for that"?

and keep asking people that are in that world.

I spent 3 years in a bachelor degree, and knew from the beginning where I was going to end up and the approximate starting salary. Too much time and money invested to have no idea about the end result.

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crazyfacials Veteran member

crazyfacials

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^ lol dunno mate when I did my first degree I just did it for the hell of it and cause it sounded good (then found out I hate programming) #2 is going real well, but yeah what my shirtless buddy says is what any young man/woman should be doing nowdays

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nate225 Veteran member

nate225

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Some apprentices are contractors to us, as in their employer is the ITO (e.g. Competenz / ATNZ) and we pay the ITO, so I couldn't comment on what the apprentices earn.

Sawdoctor apprentices are on a % of normal sawdoctor rates that starts just above minimum wage but rises incrementally as they progress through block courses. Within 3 years or so they are on full rates ($65K-ish starting for shift work).

Graduate engineers, in first roles or with limited experience are on around $50K starting.

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Grover Senior member

Grover

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im taking Bachelor of Engineering Technolgies, in a uinversity in New Zealand, and i have completed two years already, i failed 5 papers so far, and i really dont want to continue studying in uni, writing long essays and doing calculations all day long. oh and i hate listening to people clicking their pen and shaking their legs ALL DAY long everytime...

recently heard from a someone, that the jobs i can get from completing this degree was engineering planning/engineering desgin.. stuff like that.. and i was initially looking for a engineering career involving physical engineering labour, so i can move around more

so i want to know what kind of salaries do graduates with a degree get in comparison to someone who completed a 3-4 year apprenticeship only. And i also wana kno the difference in salaries of theoretical engineers, compared to the engineers that do the physical work, because thats what im interested in doing.

also, I know other things like social skills are needed most, something im not very good at, but will have to learn.. but first i wana kno the difference in salaries

Heres the kicker!

To be blunt you have failed 5 papers! how many have you passed?

As an employer myself you would have to be showing me something great to want to take you on as an apprentice!

AND then you still have to do theoretical work and PASS to achieve a qualification.

Having said that though some of the best trades people (of old) had few paper quals but heaps of practical know how.But as I tell my apprentices those days are gone now and you need paper to prove things and progress these days.

An average qualified electrician would earn $20 to $25 an hour - good ones heaps more

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nate225 Veteran member

nate225

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An average qualified electrician would earn $20 to $25 an hour - good ones heaps more

Between $30 - $40 an hour on shift here, the sharp ones make heaps on T1.5 overtime too.

Fonterra apparently have some on base salaries of $100K

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Grover Senior member

Grover

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An average qualified electrician would earn $20 to $25 an hour - good ones heaps more

Between $30 - $40 an hour on shift here, the sharp ones make heaps on T1.5 overtime too.

Fonterra apparently have some on base salaries of $100K

Yeah but these would be the smart cookies who passed their papers in Programmable logic controls etc

Don't think the OP will be in this league!

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nate225 Veteran member

nate225

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An average qualified electrician would earn $20 to $25 an hour - good ones heaps more

Between $30 - $40 an hour on shift here, the sharp ones make heaps on T1.5 overtime too.

Fonterra apparently have some on base salaries of $100K

Yeah but these would be the smart cookies who passed their papers in Programmable logic controls etc

Don't think the OP will be in this league!

Yup!

PLC experience is nearly a given if you want an industrial role of any magnitude.

We also look for peeps with instrumentation experience.

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vracula Senior member

vracula

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^ lol dunno mate when I did my first degree I just did it for the hell of it and cause it sounded good (then found out I hate programming) #2 is going real well, but yeah what my shirtless buddy says is what any young man/woman should be doing nowdays

hey forgot to ask how is fashion design going for you?

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vracula Senior member

vracula

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recently heard from a someone, that the jobs i can get from completing this degree was engineering planning/engineering desgin.. stuff like that.. and i was initially looking for a engineering career involving physical engineering labour, so i can move around more

when u mean move around more ? do u mean travel? u like travel? how about the travel industry?

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Luigi Veteran member

Luigi

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An average qualified electrician would earn $20 to $25 an hour - good ones heaps more

This is what people my age working in nz are earning, of course if you are self-employed or have more experience, higher quals you will earn more also. Or you could just move to aussie, do a few hours overtime every day and make over 100k AUD. Or get into the mines and earn well over that.... You can make money at whatever you do but wouldnt you rather do something that you enjoy rather than just picking a random degree or trade ?

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mxguy New member

mxguy

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no offense dude but you wont be on 50g when you finish your course, IPENZ figures are for BE grads not BEngTech grads and if you fail 5 papers you ll be lucky to even get a job. there arent hundreds of jobs around and people failing five papers arent going to get jobs, maybe think about what you want to do and change careers?

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k.c. New member

k.c.

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Just to offer a perspective from the civil field. I got my BE(civil) three years ago, starting salary $50000 + bonuses. At the moment I am on $65000 + bonuses. Expecting more after I got my CPEng.

I work for a consultant so work is mainly in the office in front of the computer with the occasional site visit. Get to work pretty flexible hours, normally 8-5. Can always bring the work home if I need to leave early.

If you want to be more hands on then working for contractors will be more appropriate. Salary are about the same, but tends to hit a ceiling faster unless you go to a management role. Tends to get things like staying away allowance and company vehicle, be prepare to travel a lot, and working long hours with no overtime.

If you want to work for a consultant then getting a Bachelor of Engineering Technologies doesn't make sense. You never end up making any real decision when doing any design work. You just do what the someone with a BE tells you to do. Mainly CAD work for someone else.

If you work for a contractor then it doesn't matter. Experience trumps theory most of the time.

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