Satisfaction With Profession Tops List of Values

The level of education received by those surveyed also determined how much they were paid to do their jobs (Figure 2). Respondents with a Ph.D. showed a median salary of $100,000. Those with a master’s in electrical engineering received a median salary of $78,000, and those with a master’s in business administration earned a median salary of $75,000. Respondents with a master’s degree in other fields showed a median salary of $88,000.

Figure 2.

So just how important is salary in the scheme of job satisfaction? Here is what a few EE readers had to say.

“Salary is not the most important thing for me to be happy in my job,” said William Marsh, a reliability engineer with Micron Electronics in Nampa, ID. “To be satisfied, I need a positive working environment and supportive management that lets me do my own thing,” he said.

Mr. Marsh, 73, is very satisfied with his 50-year career in the electronics industry. He has come out of retirement twice to go back to the grindstone. “I work because I like to work. I feel like I am contributing when I am here, and my boss lets me know that,” he said.

Salary is fairly important to a longtimer like Mr. Marsh, and the industry generally seems to appreciate the devotion. This year’s salary survey showed the longer you work in the electronics industry, the more you are paid (Figure 3). Respondents who labored more than 20 years in the field received a median salary of $69,300, and those who spent more than 25 years in the business topped the list with a median salary of $74,200. However, after 30 years, salaries retreat slightly.

Figure 3.

About 3,000 people are employed at Micron Electronics, with annual sales over $1 billion. “When I joined this company two and a half years ago, we had to blow the sawdust off a table every morning before we began working. But I felt so comfortable and appreciated within the company that I didn’t mind enduring the construction stages of our new facility,” Mr. Marsh said.

It’s More Than Money

Jeffrey Gelzer has spent 15 years in the electronics industry, with a decade of his career working in the U.S. Air Force. “Job satisfaction is number-one on my priority list,” Mr. Gelzer said. “Though salary is a motivational tool, it is not the main reason I look forward to coming to work every day. I have a great working environment, and I thoroughly enjoy my job,” he said.

Three years ago, Mr. Gelzer was hired by a former military boss to join newly formed Aerospace Integration. The company produces specialized systems integration for military aircraft. “Even though I was the fourth person hired at Aerospace Integration, and the job didn’t offer stability, I signed on because I trust the people who run the company. My boss lets me know where I stand, and he is clear about what he expects of me,” Mr. Gelzer said.

Aerospace Integration, located in Fort Walton Beach, FL, now employs 60 people, and Mr. Gelzer currently is a technical liaison engineer for the marketing department. Mr. Gelzer, 35, said he is very satisfied with his career, job, and job security. He plans to be with this employer for a long time.

“There is endless opportunity within the company. The people I work with value the job I do, and I face challenges every day at work. As long as those elements are in place, I will remain satisfied,” Mr. Gelzer said.

Son Ly, 33, is only “somewhat satisfied” with his job at ACT Corp. because he feels his supervisor is not supportive. Mr. Ly, a manufacturing and production engineer, has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering while his boss holds a degree in mechanical engineering. “Our different backgrounds clash at times, which causes friction,” Mr. Ly said.

ACT builds vacuum pump controllers that, according to Mr. Ly, require 30% mechanical engineering and 70% electrical engineering in the design work. “At times, my boss doesn’t understanding electrical engineering and does not always want to discuss my opinion,” Mr. Ly said.

Salary is not most important to Mr. Ly. He said he wants to feel that the company appreciates the job he does. He has worked seven years in the electronics industry and has been very satisfied with his overall career. However, he said his job satisfaction mostly depends on his working environment.

“I work long days and regularly put in overtime, which I don’t mind doing if I’m given recognition for my hard work,” Mr. Ly said. ACT, based in Fremont, CA, employs 19 workers, and annual sales in 1999 were about $5 million. Mr. Ly supervises 12 workers at the company.

“Security is another reason that I am not happy with my job,” Mr. Ly said. Every year, when business is slow, the company requests that employees take off two weeks without pay, according to Mr. Ly. “It is hard to feel secure in your job when you are asked to take time off without pay,” he said.

The 2000 EE Salary Survey showed that 50% of those who responded feel more secure in their jobs this year than they did last year. However, 48% said they did not find that their jobs offered more security this year.

As a production operations manager at Lockheed Martin, Charles Davenport rated his current job as only somewhat satisfying like Mr. Ly at ACT; however, his reasons were different. “Until a few years ago, our products made a difference in the world situation. Today, our company, along with the rest of the military contract industry, is in a regressive state,” Mr. Davenport said.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and recipient of an MBA, Mr. Davenport is a 24-year veteran of the electronics industry. He has been employed at Lockheed Martin for 19 years and currently works at the Clermont, FL, missiles and fire-control facility. About 4,600 workers are employed at the plant, and Mr. Davenport supervises 800 of the employees, with 200 reporting directly to him.

“We produce missiles like the Patriot and Cruise and a host of products for navigation and target systems for aircraft,” Mr. Davenport said. “The job is extremely challenging which is important to job satisfaction. But when the industry isn’t flourishing like it was in the past, it affects your opportunities as a company,” he explained.

Even though the military-contract industry is on a downslide, Mr. Davenport, 50, plans to stay at Lockheed Martin because he values the people he works with and is happy with his career progression. “My coworkers are very motivated to do a good job, and I enjoy that kind of atmosphere,” he said. “We work on very complex, expensive systems which makes the job exciting and rewarding.”

The Power of Recognition

Recognition for a job well done is significant for a test engineer, 41, whose name is being withheld for governmental security reasons. He works at the Schenectady, NY, facility of Lockheed Martin. “A boss needs to recognize the contributions an employee makes to a project, otherwise the motivation to work hard is not there,” the test engineer said. “Salary can be motivational, but that can only go so far. Being recognized for what you do is much more powerful.”

The Schenectady facility conducts R&D for U.S. naval nuclear programs and employs more than 1,500 people. The test engineer, who earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, has worked at the plant for 15 years and in the electronics industry for 23 years. He is satisfied with his current job and overall career and sees a long future with Lockheed Martin.

“I don’t feel like I have to change jobs to get a promotion or better projects. It seems to be a common practice in our industry to move around to get career advancement, but most of the engineers in my company have been here a long time. We are friends and help each other,” the test engineer said.

“There are plenty of opportunities at my current job. I am willing to grow as an engineer, and this company can accommodate that,” he said.

Location, Location, Location

If you ask Sol Black what makes him happy at his job, he will say location. The production test engineer at Lucent Technologies was reared in the area and has spent 37 years at the Columbus, OH, plant, working for all the company’s predecessors. He is very satisfied with both his current job and his overall career in the electronics industry.

“I have looked for other jobs at times, but my current employer has always offered a challenging job, good pay, and great coworkers. The company also promotes from within so there are opportunities to advance,” Mr. Black said. “But most important to me is to live near my family and where I grew up.”

At 58, Mr. Black said he can retire anytime but is not ready yet. “I come to work because I like it,” he said. His supervisor is a former coworker, which Mr. Black said makes his working environment efficient. “He knows the business and my engineering group. We work like clockwork, and we are friends,” he said.

Mr. Black also is very active in IEEE and has been a member for many years. “Lucent Technologies encourages its employees to be in professional groups. It makes you a more well-rounded engineer,” he explained.

A smaller company where employees depend on each other to pull their weight in work makes the job satisfying for one R&D manager. “The level of responsibility you hold in a small company always is greater than in a large company, and I enjoy being the big fish in a small pond,” said the manager who preferred to withhold his name.

The Texas company, which employs 35 people, manufactures memory modules. “Salary is not what gets me up in the morning raring to go to work,” he said. “My job requires that I have the latest equipment and work with technologies that the consumer hasn’t seen yet. That is exciting.” The R&D manager has worked in the electronics industry for 15 years and at his current job for 10 years.

“My job is most satisfying because my supervisor has let me write my own job descriptions over the years. He has been willing to let me explore other areas and be creative,” he said. “When I have a new idea, he lets me run with it. He lets me do my job—which is to think.”

Whether salary is number one or number 10 on the priority list, most EE readers who responded to this year’s salary survey did get a pay increase in the past year. A total of 40% of those surveyed received a raise in pay the past seven to 12 months, and 42% saw a higher salary in the past six months.

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April 2000