Career advancement, outsourcing, and job security are foremost on the minds of readers polled in the second annual Medical Design Salary Survey. One survey participant tells us, “engineering is hard work, harder than being president of the United States.” And the pay isn't as good. The average salary of all participants is $73,000, and 63% of them had a 1 to 5% raise from last year. About 65% of them receive a bonus, overtime, or special incentive equal to 1 to 5% of their base pay. Most say their bonus is based on personal performance and company profit sharing.

The best paid survey participants hold job titles such as technical director, director of engineering, and engineering manager. Average salary for these folks is $122,800. Next in line were president, CEO, and owner titles with an average of $115,600.

If a promotion isn't in your future, consider a move across the country. The highest-paid region is the Pacific coast, with an average salary of $102,500. The Mountain region followed next with an average of $91,400.

If you can't manage a promotion or move, try holding on for the long run. Engineers with more than 21 years experience reported an average salary of $96,000.

But will there be jobs?

Among those surveyed, a recurring concern was offshore outsourcing, and the treatment of engineers as another commodity. “Engineering demand in the US is dropping as more jobs move overseas. Jobs flipping burgers will be more plentiful,” says one unhappy respondent. Fifty-three percent of survey participants say their companies outsource design or manufacturing. About 25% outsource manufacturing, 17% outsource sterilization, and 16% outsource mechanical design.

We asked readers if they would recommend engineering to friends and children, and 63% said yes. And when we asked whether engineering was fun, 73% also responded positively. What makes engineering attractive? Many say they enjoy problem solving and seeing their ideas used in everyday life.

Others add that the work is interesting and stimulating. “I get to play with expensive toys and make detailed reports on fascinating projects,” says one reader. Another suggests engineers use their positions to improve the healthcare system, “Engineering is a chance to experience cutting-edge technology and make improvements to existing policies and procedures.”

But others would not recommend engineering to friends. One respondent notes a lack of respect from management, “Company appreciation of engineering in general is lacking. We are seen as overhead, not the asset we can be.” Others feel “opportunities for advancement are limited. I would recommend combining engineering with a business background.”

Despite the negatives, many say they can't help but be engineers. Comments like “It is fun coming up with new solutions to problems” and “It's a blast!” are sprinkled throughout the survey results.

Who they are

Eighty-seven percent of Medical Design survey participants are male, 27% live in the North Central part of the country, and 30% have less than 3 years experience in engineering. Ninety percent have some college degree, and 37% have a bachelor's in engineering.

Average wages by years of engineering experience

Less than 3 years	$55,300
4 to 6 years	$50,700
7 to 10 years	$72,100
11 to 15 years	$75,400
16 to 20 years	$68,700
More than 21 years	$96,000

Average wages by geographical location

New England	$78K
Middle Atlantic	$63K
South Atlantic	$76K
North Central	$79K
South Central	$55K
Mountain	$91K
Pacific	$102K

Average wages by job title

President, owner, CEO, or other executive management	$115,600
Vice president or VP of engineering	$97,500
Department or section head	$70,200
Technical director, director of engineering, R&D, or engineering manager	$122,800
Group leader, project team leader, or project manager	$71,400
Chief or senior engineer, lead or principal engineer	$87,600
Applications or systems engineering manager	$65,000
Manufacturing or production manager	$63,000
QC, evaluation, or test manager	$46,300
Design, project, or R&D engineer	$57,400
Systems or applications engineer	$65,000
Manufacturing or production engineer	$62,600
Consulting engineer or scientist	$94,000

New England: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island

Middle Atlantic: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania

South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands

North Central: Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri

South Central: Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas

Mountain: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico

Pacific: Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Guam

Average wages by degree

No college degree	$66,400
Associates	$69,000
Bachelors in engineering	$82,000
Bachelors, non engineering	$67,200
Masters in Business Administration	$122,200
Masters in engineering	$82,200
Masters, non engineering	$93,500
Doctorate in engineering	$89,500
Doctorate, non engineering	$94,000

What perks do you get?

Health benefits	96%
Tuition reimbursement	67%
401k match	83%
Company-paid phone, fax, cable modem, or DSL lines	22%
Stock options	32%
Stock purchase plan	26%
Further education or training	56%
Company car or car allowance	9%
Health club membership	24%
Sabbatical or extended vacation	2%
Certification reimbursement	12%
Day care or day-care subsidy	2%

Average wages by gender

Female	$54,500
Male	$75,600

What gives you the most job satisfaction as an engineer

1. Challenging work assignments
2. Constantly changing technology
3. Work environment and colleagues
4. Good compensation
5. Potential for advancement

What displeases you most about your job

1. Too much nonengineering work
2. Poor compensation
3. Lack of support from management
4. Long hours
5. No potential for advancement

What causes the most problems at work

1. Insufficient people resources to get the job done
2. Time-to-market pressures
3. Insufficient funding for design projects
4. Having to compromise design approaches
5. Difficulty finding optimal components for designs