mechanical engineering advice
Discussion
Im currently studying HNC Engineering which will hopefully led to a degree course next year. I would like to end up working in an oil/gas enviroment or possibly engine development, not quite sure at the moment.Could anyone give a little insight into working in either field??Also, by the time I finish my degree I'll be in my forties. Will this present a problem getting a job as an engineer?
Is this a complete change of career? IMO a lot will depend on the transferable skills you bring to an engineering role and your salary expectations. For example, do you have previous management or team leadership experience?
What do you bring to a role that a young graduate (with the same degree) doesn't have?
What do you bring to a role that a young graduate (with the same degree) doesn't have?
If you are just qualifying from a different industry you will be competing with other new engineers, I can get engineering graduates straight from university for £12K a year (oil and gas industry). If they do well they would be on permanent contract for 18k the next year going up to 25-30k after 5 years and then climbing to 40-50K after 10years if they do well and get chartered. A lot of them go chasing the money off shore so we lose a lot after initial training so no point over paying while they are building their experience, though there are always a couple we try to keep. I would say competition is tight with lots of people lacking experience. Easy to find new starts with degrees but hard to find senior engineers with experience without paying a lot more £60k+.
This is a complete change in career.I wouldnt have previously thought I had transferable skills but as you mentioned leadership then yes i do. I was self employed for over 12 yrs as a small builder so I have managed men, bugdets and jobs to a timescale. I didnt think these were revelant to engineering but you learn everyday. I do have a keen interest in all things mechanical and get a strange kick out of mathematics! so I thought engineering is the way to go.I understand being at the same level as younger degree qualified people but I see my 20+ yrs of life experience dealing with people/situations as a bonus. Wages aren't an issue as the past few years I have spent being for the most part unemployed so the only way is up.
stoop44rio said:
This is a complete change in career.I wouldnt have previously thought I had transferable skills but as you mentioned leadership then yes i do. I was self employed for over 12 yrs as a small builder so I have managed men, bugdets and jobs to a timescale. I didnt think these were revelant to engineering but you learn everyday. I do have a keen interest in all things mechanical and get a strange kick out of mathematics! so I thought engineering is the way to go.I understand being at the same level as younger degree qualified people but I see my 20+ yrs of life experience dealing with people/situations as a bonus. Wages aren't an issue as the past few years I have spent being for the most part unemployed so the only way is up.
I also work in an engineering / manufacturing company although I am not an engineer.You have a lot more transferable skills than you may realise: costing, planning, resource management, dealing with customers, conflict management/managing expectations, review of work/processes to seek improvement, the eternal budget-quality-cost-material spec-requirements conundrum.
Crusoe said:
If you are just qualifying from a different industry you will be competing with other new engineers, I can get engineering graduates straight from university for £12K a year (oil and gas industry). If they do well they would be on permanent contract for 18k the next year going up to 25-30k after 5 years and then climbing to 40-50K after 10years if they do well and get chartered. A lot of them go chasing the money off shore so we lose a lot after initial training so no point over paying while they are building their experience, though there are always a couple we try to keep. I would say competition is tight with lots of people lacking experience. Easy to find new starts with degrees but hard to find senior engineers with experience without paying a lot more £60k+.
I don't know where to start with this paragraph!12k a year in oil and gas? Doing what?!!?!? Logging?
I know hundreds people including myself (graduated 12 years ago) who started no where near as low as that. I started on 28k 12 years ago plus rig bonus (125pound/day) for a service company. Many friends earned more, especially abroad. After 7 years I moved to project engineer role with a smaller company and my salary was above 50k.
40-50k after 10years is way off. Even in operators who are known for not paying as much as the big service providers (and many small ones) after this amount of experience. This may be about right for engineering in non oil and gas.
Average salaries for snr project engineers / well engineers / snr design engineers / account managers from my friends is >60k PLUS bonus (10-20%), plus car allowance in lots of the cases. This is not that average of a couple, this is many people. (10 years experience, some with a little more)
The only bit I will agree with is that there is a clear demographic issue with young and little experience and very snr and ready to retire.
Edited by jakewright on Tuesday 7th October 17:05
jakewright said:
12k a year in oil and gas? Doing what?!!?!? Logging?
Talking on shore jobs in design offices Jake, agree if you want to work rotation off shore you can get up to £45k within a year or two. OP's building background might suit the more manual work involved offshore though he may want to keep his feet dry.Crusoe said:
Talking on shore jobs in design offices Jake, agree if you want to work rotation off shore you can get up to £45k within a year or two. OP's building background might suit the more manual work involved offshore though he may want to keep his feet dry.
12k for design for a graduate? Woeful. Any decent engineering graduate should not be accepted less than 25k in Aberdeen (including design!)I am talking about office above.
As I said, I got that as I graduated. I have edited my post for clarity.
What they advertise and what they pay vary especially for office based stuff. Just too many new graduates around and all trying to get into oil and gas. Just had a batch of good graduates in on temporary contracts over the summer for £220 a week working out of Dyce. Was surprised when it crossed my desk as we used to pay them quite a bit more only a few years back. Anyone paying £25k for a graduate today with no experience is mad IMO.
Crusoe said:
What they advertise and what they pay vary especially for office based stuff. Just too many new graduates around and all trying to get into oil and gas. Just had a batch of good graduates in on temporary contracts over the summer for £220 a week working out of Dyce. Was surprised when it crossed my desk as we used to pay them quite a bit more only a few years back. Anyone paying £25k for a graduate today with no experience is mad IMO.
You are funny.25K is high? The operators paid 34k (BP) and upwards 8 years ago! Which direction do you think the starting salaries have went?! Marathon at the time were paying a lot more.
What do you think the ones with less requirements are paying??? Big service companies?
You are way off.
McFsC said:
Yeh, a technician, onshore working for an O+G company would be looking at much more than what's been said. Don't see why people want to become engineers tbh.
Mainly because once you are through the door of a good company there are many opportunities for training, moving abroad (expat) and travel.Can technicians with 10 years experience consult at 800+ pounds / day with a high volume of work available? (choice!)
Edited by jakewright on Tuesday 7th October 17:29
jakewright said:
You are funny.25K is high? The operators paid 34k (BP) and upwards 8 years ago! Which direction do you think the starting salaries have went?! Marathon at the time were paying a lot more.
What do you think the ones with less requirements are paying??? Big service companies?
You are way off.
Crusoe said:
Can only tell you what we have paid for people I have been involved in managing and paying the budget for. On shore and off shore wages vary greatly. Reality of global working in big oil and gas companies now, can get masters level engineering graduates in asia for a lot less and we use them a lot for simple stuff like drafting marked up drawings for a quarter of the price of a basic UK graduate.
That's great that you have been able to ulitize cheap labour. Not sure why you would need grads to do draughting though.I fully understand that onshore and offshore varies! You will see in my above post I have worked in both. It took me 4-5years in office to exceed what I earned at 21 when graduating.
Nevertheless, you are way off with your view of engineering graduate market for the good graduates.
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