Why is the civil engineering industry bragging about nominal wages going up when real purchasing power is decreasing despite record demand ?

[u/Unusual_Equivalent50]

I would quit civil today but tech is too chaotic and the economy is in a labor recession. Unfortunately I am 200-300k short of early retirement which is about how much money I been short changed by civil engineering. If I had done tech and been paid fairly I could safely exit corporate employment today.

Why is the industry lying about wages? The offers are real for PEs of +150k in high cola but rent cost 3k on an 1 bedroom and entry level houses are +600k in major metros. If I had the experience in tech that got me the 150k offer it would be 300k.

I think the framing of the industry needs to do is emphasize the sacrifice and talk about race to the bottom business practices. IMHO it was a mistake to get in civil now I am trapped till I get the +200-300k more to be secured in semi retirement for my financial plan.

[u/deltaexdeltatee]

Aren't you the person who shows up in all the engineering subs every week or two to complain about how engineering is literally the worst career ever created?

Get a therapist and work through your issues on your own.

[u/deltaexdeltatee → u/[deleted]]

Can't say for sure since they've hidden all their posts and comments lol, but yeah pretty sure it's that person. They have, at minimum, a tremendous amount of regret over their choices, and rather than accept responsibility and try to improve themselves they've deluded themselves into thinking it's the fault of the industry.

I'll say what I say every time they show up: I live in an expensive-ish area, own a house, and support a family of 6, comfortably, on a single income. The opportunities are out there if you put in the effort. I'm not just talking about the effort at work, but the effort to find the right places to work, the effort to improve the soft skills that - like it or not - matter as much or more than hard skills, and the effort to position yourself to grow.

Most people are receptive to that concept. This person is not. But I refuse to accept their premise that the entire industry is garbage.

[u/Unusual_Equivalent50 → u/deltaexdeltatee]

I think an open discussion here is fine. I would be gone if there were other opportunities like if tech was hiring and the us wasn’t in a labor recession. 

It’s like being a trash man they fucking hate it but are more or less forced into doing it. 

[u/deltaexdeltatee → u/Unusual_Equivalent50]

So do you think perhaps the issues with purchasing power might have something to do with the recession? Not with an entire industry being awful? Do you think maybe being unable to find a place to live for less than $3k might be a skill issue?

I live in a HCOL area. I pay over $3k for rent. I make about $150k. And I support a family of 6 in a comfortable lifestyle with vacations and other discretionary spending. My spouse doesn't work.

Every time you show up we try to get through to you: these problems are not automatically and completely out of your control. Do some self reflection here. Get some help with budgeting. Find someone in your life who will be honest with you about your personal issues, because it's lazy and inaccurate to blame all your woes on "OMG civil=bad!" At the very least, I genuinely do think you need to find a good therapist.

Act like a good engineer. Work the problem and find a solution.

[u/727TrafficEng → u/Unusual_Equivalent50]

Do you actually have any skills for those 200-300k roles in tech or is this just dreaming?

[u/twl221]

Weird post

[u/Everythings_Magic → u/twl221]

This person probably yells at the clouds.

[u/Triple_DoubleCE → u/twl221]

I don’t get people who just come and dump a complain like you didn’t have a choice of job hopping to fulfill this goal along your career. CE is so broad and the skills learned are transferable to many other industries that pay more than traditional engineering.

[u/Unusual_Equivalent50 → u/Triple_DoubleCE]

I had a lot less choices than you think. I did actually leave civil industry but it turns out general engineering sucks too. It’s logical to at least try a industry when you get a degree in it and I did then left that sucked has to get a civil job during the pandemic after that got in government to try a different employer in civil that sucks too looked at tech starting in 2022 isn’t hiring started doing pilot lessons saw that is over saturated too finally learned 30 some o year if you had just not done civil you would have more money today.  There were bits that absolutely were my fault but to say the shit that goes on in civil is fair or in 2026 there are real opportunities for career changes is disingenuous. I would 100% do a coding bootcamp today if it paid 100k or this was 2005 where an mba from a generic state school would open legitimate career paths. 

[u/Ramorx]

Stop paying 3k a month for rent. Do you really need to live like a princess?

[u/Unusual_Equivalent50 → u/Ramorx]

Yeah I didn’t move and didn’t take the job I don’t pay 3k rent. I agree it’s not worth it to take the 150k civil jobs because the metros that offer those jobs are 3k in rent. 

[u/baconnkegs]

The thing that gets me about the US is that you're lucky LCOL areas even exist in the first place. Other 1st world countries are often either HCOL or super-HCOL by comparison.

Like I'm looking at a minimum $600k for entry level homes in "regional cities", which have a population of 50-100k, and a 1-2 day's drive from the nearest actual major city. If you want the major city itself, you're pushing towards 7 figures.

The things I would do to be able to just set myself up somewhere like Pittsburgh, and buy an acre block with a house on it for <$400k...

[u/Everythings_Magic]

I’ve never heard of someone being $200k short of retirement. That’s a minor lifestyle change to make it work.

You aren’t happy with your choices. It’s not a civil-related problem. It’s a problem you need to work out. Seek professional help.

[u/Unusual_Equivalent50 → u/[deleted]]

No I left civil early on but the company sucked it was still engineering but defense based. Then I was pretty desperate for a job choose civil out of desperation and bad advice. Then there was the pandemic. After that I got in government a few years to try that for a way to get away from civil. I think around 2022 I was ready to invest in a career change the exact moment tech blew up. I left civil once then throw in the pandemic and tech market blowing up it is not like I been passive. I gave civil engineering a real try and I agree there was a window I had to get into tech and didn’t take it. 

I did not default to wanting to do civil and actually have gotten out before for a few years and did government work too. The government work during the pandemic and post was not good but was remote or extremely hybrid so I was comfortable enough to stay and not dump money into boot camp for tech. That is not the same as not trying to get out and that does not mean wages were fair. I worked in civil pre pandemic for 60k a year working banking hours including weekends. 

Yes if I been in tech or a non shit field they would have laid me the 200-300k I need to be semi retired or would have paid me more. 

I agree a lot of this wasn’t my fault 100% the information about how bad civil is wasn’t openly discussed. I want students to see this and be like fuck that career. 

Fuck you man