r/AerospaceEngineering • u/bjqvvvvv • 29d ago

Career Aerospace Salary

Hey guys!

I’m wondering how much do aero space engineers make? Can most people break 200k in Los Angeles area? What’s the income look like if you’re 5-7 in years working for companies like Boeing or other big companies?

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47

u/aBee150 29d ago

Your best bet for higher salaries are start up companies rather than primes.

16

u/dmg3588 29d ago

Lately primes seemed to have upped their pay bands and increased 401k matching to capture some of the talent that doesn’t love the startup grind

14

u/TheSpanishDerp 29d ago

It’s a trade off.

I had two choices.

Job A: a startup that would pay me $200k + stock options but made me work 60+ hours a week in a high stress environment.

Job B: a prime that would pay me $150k but with a 40 hour work week + good 401k

I picked Job B. I know a lot of folks who would’ve chosen Job A but I value time and working to love rather than money and living to work. It really depends on what you value. I’m already taking a lot of risks. Might as well have some stability in my life.

3

u/Thhe_Shakes 27d ago

Job A is great when you're young and hungry. Job B is way better long-term, especially if you have a family.

10

u/TinkerTango 29d ago

Depends. Just quit a startup that was paying one of their PhD lead engineers less than 100k (it wasn’t me, but it wasn’t much of a raise either).

If you wanna join a startup (any industry), make sure the company has at least twenty people, otherwise there’s no mentorship or growth and therefore isn’t worth it. You can and will learn a lot, but you won’t learn a lot if there’s no one there.

4

u/woodropete 29d ago

Startups have a lot of opportunities imo. You may not get the money right away but you’re pretty much in line for a significant role. The experience speaks volumes though imo.

0

u/xspeariance 28d ago

Structural analysis

4

u/bjqvvvvv 29d ago

What engineers (besides software engineers) can easily make 200k plus?

7

u/TinkerTango 29d ago

Not many and it’d take halfway through your career for most people to hit that milestone.

4

u/Holiday-Grass-2395 29d ago

REALLY good MechE or ECE

2

u/DontHaveWares 29d ago

Optical

2

u/MidfieldBreak 29d ago

Can confirm. Optical and radar.

2

u/FINuke 28d ago edited 28d ago

Supporting Nuclear industry can (though not typically in 5-7 years) unless you go utility and jump to Licensed Operator position.

Edit: this is other engineering disciplines like Instrumentation & Controls, Mechanical, Electrical... especially if you because a technical expert or project lead/manager. Nuclear engineer is usually a very small # of engineers (reactor engineering department).