Posted on 12/26/2007 5:58:49 PM PST by NormsRevenge
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday released plans to boost enrollment in engineering programs at state universities.
The plan appeared aimed at appeasing the state engineers' union and Democrats, who have balked at outsourcing government jobs to design roads, schools, levees and other projects.
In a statement, Schwarzenegger said California faces a shortfall of more than 20,000 engineers. He said he wants lawmakers to establish programs at state colleges and universities to expedite degrees for military veterans with engineering backgrounds.
Such a plan could increase opportunities for some 3,000 service members discharged in California each year with engineering-related military training, he said.
The governor's plan came alongside another announcement Wednesday offering details of his evolving plan for California to contract with private companies on infrastructure projects. Those could include roads, schools, parks, levees and housing.
Schwarzenegger has said partnerships with private firms could help the state build infrastructure projects faster and cheaper. He calls the arrangement "performance-based infrastructure."
'We need to be able to tax more higher income workers.'
If we can find it in the phonebook, government shouldn’t be doing it.
The public schools can't produce enough graduates who can do the math. The education is good for about ten years before many become obsolete. The pay and job security both suck.
Great idea!
Even though engineers get paid a decent amount, on average, even they can't afford to live and prosper in Taxifornia. Besides, who wants to go to school or work when they can party hardy every day and live off the generous socialist state government tit for free, care of the compassionate Santa Claus Governator?
As an engineer, I don’t know of any that are actually in an union.
What type of engineer even has a union?
ping
Most of the engineers that my husband and I have worked with have done very well, especially with stock options.
We know quite a few millionaires, and we are in our forties. Many of them are younger than us.
The pay is good, but most of the engineers are workaholics. It’s long, long hours of work.
I didn't know California had that many trains.
Sounds like a select group of engineers that either 1) benefitted from the anomalous & brief .net boom/bust period during the late 90s, or 2) got into engineering as an initial means to pursue their real passion as a businessman/entrepreneur (e.g. Gates).
Nothing wrong with either one of course. However, I don't think either of these profiles fits the typical engineer, especially outside the SF Bay area. Those that stay in the technical field of engineering (vs. transition to business/management) earn in the $60K to $120K range, on average, for 0-20 years of experience - per the latest salary surveys I've seen. Obviously there are exceptions that pull up the upper end of the average, and the range varies by geographical area & industry. But, the vast majority of true engineers (vs. business types) are by no means even close to being rich - just your normal middle class 9-5++ working stiffs (I know - I am one, and know many others as well :).
We’re talking about the Bay Area. Someone was complaining about the cost of living here, and I said that those engineers that have stayed here have done very well.
Most of them have benefitted since the bust, and have climbed the corporate ladder from engineering to manager to VP. The higher you climb out here, the more stock options you get. However, even the lowly engineer gets stock options. My husband’s company went from $40-$60 dollars a share in less than a year. You figure most people that have worked at his company for a few years have 10,000 shares of stock, and you start getting lots of money.
We also know some of our engineer friends who went to start ups that have done very well.
It’s expensive but the Bay Area is the place for lots of stock options and also start up companies. More so than lots of other parts of the country.
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