Traditional powerhouses like automotive and electronics are further behind in this Design News survey, alongside consumer products, appliances, industrial controls, and construction equipment. That's a large step up for computers, which ranked only 4th in 1995. The mom and pop shops don't offer salaries like the big boys. Another way to make more bucks is to get more education. Those with engineering Ph.D.s earn the most, followed by those with MBAs, masters in engineering, advanced degrees in non-engineering fields, then bachelors degrees.
Experience is also a surefire salary booster.
And at any level of experience in the engineering industry, those with supervisory or budget responsibilities earn significantly more than those without. And as usual, the larger companies pay more. Money isn't everything. So if engineers were just interested in money, they would all move to California and job-hop between computer companies. But the numbers say this trend isn't happening.