Unfair Deviations in wages of Computer Engineers

As an aspiring computer engineer naturally I was very interested in the salary of the profession. While investigating some averages I came across some quite jaw dropping statistics. The most amusing came from a website correctly titled "computerengineeringsalarydata.com" this was the most reputable sight I could find because it's information was drawn directly from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. My amusement was truly sparked when I read that the lowest paid Computer Engineer received $56,000 per year where as the highest paid received $149,000 dollars respectively. Surely this is such a puzzling difference considering the highest is almost 3 times that of the lowest. However the sight does provide background information on why the differences are so large. This is all alarming because it involves the largest growing economics field in the Nation at the moment and millions of young aspiring students.

The sight relates: location, company and track to be a reason for the differences in pay. Firstly location affects pay in every job field the article states that Silicon Valley is the highest paying place for Computer Engineers yet goes on to explain how other places rival this such as Apple in Boulder, Colorado but neglects to mention possibly the most intuitive technology company Microsoft which is located in Redmond, Washington. There are two tracks which Computer Engineers can follow one being Hardware and the other Software. Hardware engineers earn respectively $8,000 dollars than Software Engineers and there is almost no reasoning behind it whatsoever. The only logical explanation for the differences in pay is experience and even that is somewhat hard to believe. The article does state that the more experience you have in the field the larger pay you will receive which I agree is true however 3 times more?!?!? That is something I find hard to believe especially in a field where things such as mathematics are always constant; yes technology evolves very rapidly but processors will hit a wall in their progression in the near future. This is due to the fact that they are so tiny that they cannot become any smaller.

Doing this research I've come to realize that there is little evidence that supports such a large deviation in wages of Computer Engineers. So either the highest paid engineer must get paid less or the lowest paid must get paid more. Which do you believe is just?

lol that moment when you try to make a point from ECE 101. You might want to try and get actual research and not trust the internet. try these the website they said in there web site. These are actual sources and sited and don't have reasons created by people. What is the point you are trying to make? Is it to get a peoples opinions on this topic? what is your stance? Are you sure that it is just to even out the pay? That is not right on so many ways.

Realistically, there are so many different positions for computer engineers. An individual working for Northrop Grumman compared to Intel will probably make a bit more, being that his purpose is government sponsored, making his "value" go up drastically. A prime thing is that a D.O.D contract usually involves a secret or top secret clearance, meaning you cant discuss anything about your job. The amount of time it takes to hire individuals of this caliber takes up to 6 months, meaning you can't even work for the company until the background check clears. Usually these are contract positions also, making around $120K+ for the nature of the work.

AdamMkIV wrote:Realistically, there are so many different positions for computer engineers. An individual working for Northrop Grumman compared to Intel will probably make a bit more, being that his purpose is government sponsored, making his "value" go up drastically. A prime thing is that a D.O.D contract usually involves a secret or top secret clearance, meaning you cant discuss anything about your job. The amount of time it takes to hire individuals of this caliber takes up to 6 months, meaning you can't even work for the company until the background check clears. Usually these are contract positions also, making around $120K+ for the nature of the work.

Ok there is are alot of positions in Comp-E but what are you trying to say about the DOD positions? Way from left field.

My point is that D.O.D positions for computer engineers deserve the extra amount compared to those who work for a small computing firm that only services that immediate area or the like.

True very true... so do you think like me and that the wage discrepancy is just.

mhamel wrote:True very true... so do you think like me and that the wage discrepancy is just.

Indeed I do actually. Also, skill is everything in this job. A fact of life is some people are better at certain things. It is no different when it comes to programming/software creation.

mhamel I wasn't aware the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was untrutworthy:?: