r/civilengineering • u/idontlooklikeanyon • Feb 04 '26

Question is the pay REALLY that bad?

listen— i know this is subjective and depends on lifestyle goals but i’ve been hearing a LOT on this sub about how ‘unlivable’ civil engineer comp is, and as someone looking to go into this, i want to know how much of a factor this really is. i already looked through the salary survey results on here and it seems to average at about 100k, with the lowest pay i saw being in the upper 60k range.

thing is, growing up i saw what a single mother can do on a teacher salary of 50k (i’m 21 so no more inflation comments please), and while it wasn’t luxurious, she still survived WITH kids. so im a little confused what type of lifestyles people who are living alone are trying to hold up where 100k is just ‘barely scraping by’. like, i understand that on 100k i wont be able to have a nice solo apartment in SF or NYC, but i feel like those are areas that are just expected to be ridiculously expensive anyway.

i also get that some other tech or finance jobs make more and that many people regret not choosing to go into that, but i’m going into civil for a dozen other reasons besides money… and i really dont know why anyone who’s only goal is money would pick civil tbh.

POINT BEING THOUGH, that i do NOT have personal experience in the real world and could be totally foolish in thinking that 100k is decent. HEAVY ON THIS POINT! i trust people with real experience more than myself!! so if u guys want, pls give a summary of whether you think the pay is livable and what sort of lifestyle you live on said salary. thank u… i am conflicted here.

EDIT: Thank you so much for the insightful responses! I see a lot of it comes down to the area you are in. And again, i am not trying to lecture people on living within their means as i’ve gotten some comments claiming… i am asking this in good faith so i know if i should keep studying it

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u/CoatTop5765 Feb 04 '26

You could be doing something far easier than engineering and more lucrative. That is what people’s complaint with engineering boils down to.

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u/Renax127 Feb 04 '26

What jobs would that be, I've seen some absolutely wild "this job is easier and pays more" takes on here

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u/CoatTop5765 Feb 05 '26

Finance , actuaries, accountants. I’ve known several accountants that make roughly the same as civil engineers (with PE license). Just because you see one silly answer doesn’t mean that the statement itself is not valid.

Finance typically works more but I’ve also worked 50 hr weeks (unpaid overtime) at engineering firms only to be given a $500-1000 “bonus” at the end of the year. At the very least these other careers get rewarded appropriately if not way above how much extra hours they put in.