If you move up into consulting and start your own successful firm you could potentially make $250,000 (US) and upwards - but then you are at the business level and doing more managing than pure engineering. (of course you couldn't do this right out of school.)

If you stay as a "lowly" design engineer within a large construction or EPC firm then you would be looking at around $60,000 to $125,000. Of course the more experience you gain the more you make.

Being good at math would be useful, however, in practical work you would not, necessarily, be performing triple integrations or solving partial second order differentials, like you do in school. (Those are saved for the computer programs when you work). But definitely basic algebra, trigonometry, .... are required.

See here:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm

If you are not talented enough at mathmatics then no, you cannot succeed in Structrual Engineering.

You have to be talented enough to pass your classes, and pass them with marks that will allow you to graduate with a decent GPA in order to get a good job. Then, assuming you are in the USA, you will have to pass a professional engineers exam and perhaps other local licensing exams which will require math again.

As for money, the top few may make millions of USD per year. It is not unusual for engineers in todays money to make as much as $250,000 USD per year at career end, especially engineering managers.

or you can just get a CET in Structural Engineering. that is what i am doing. and the first year i almost fail my stats class. but you build your knowledge and get it because Structural Engineering is all math. pretty much.

As salary increases, so does the probability of layoff in down cycles.

Without math, there will be frustration, not success.

Possibly lawsuits.

milo

It depends on your experience how good you are at your job and if you have had any bridges colapse in your life time that you engineered.

How much can a person make through bonuses? especially in times like these (in the USA). I hear that many civil engineers are having trouble making a living because nobody has money to build big projects.

Thanks

Hmmm, I heard that civil engineers were in high demand in the US because of all the stimulus projects to rebuild roads and bridges....

Bonus for a just plain engineer will be on the order of 10% (5-15%) of base salary, if the company pays bonuses at all. Managers might do 25%, and excutives 100%, then the really big boys make more in bonus than they do in salary.

Now I am really curious why you are asking? If you are trying to decide on structural engineering based on money, then forget it. You can go sell real estate or stocks and make way more money and not have to worry about math.

If however you have a passion for building stuff, go be a structural engineer. The money will follow and you will make a comfortable living, although you will not likely get rich.

If you aim to be rich, engineer is not where it is at.

Sad to say, but that was a really good answer....

Right on!

milo

Structural engineering really interests me because i like assembling things and looking at how large buildings can stand and stay up. Thats why i'm wondering if Structural engineering is a good and stable career to pursue because im trying to look for a career that can sustain a good standard of living, not expecting some extravagant superstar status, but better than average.

Also does this career offer time for your family, or is it too demanding on time and stress?

Structural engineering really interests me because i like assembling things and looking at how large buildings can stand and stay up.

One Million Dollars!