How long on graduate wage?

Design Discussions design employment
1

Hey guys.

I have been out of uni for a year and working for a small manufacturer as an industrial designer/ design engineer. I do a lot of cad and reverse model clients ancient parts and design and model die casting tooling which we cut in house to be cast at our foundry. I do some sketching and apply standards to new parts I design, but have only designed a few products for our company.

My question is, how long is the usual stint of graduate wage? I am on a wage just above what my girlfriend gets for admin work and I have a degree in Industrial Design. I’m not sure if I should be getting a substantial pay rise this year because I have never been in this situation before, but I need more money. I’ve just turned 30 and have zero savings and am finding it hard to pay off the debts I accumulated at uni let alone the car I had to buy to get to work.

There are jobs out there which pay $10,000-$25,000 more than I am getting, but I don’t know if I have worked in the field long enough to pursue them. I also feel bad about jumping ship after one year, but need to think of my future.

Any suggestions?

2

Talk to your boss. You probably would not be around if they didn’t like you. Don’t go in demanding a raise or anything, but it’s important to be honest about your situation and maybe you could have a serious conversation about your future. Nobody will be able to tell you how long this will last. It’s all up to you to develop yourself and move on.

3

I would definitely talk you your boss, in parallel I would start to explore other positions. Is doing reverse CAD work the kind of work you want to do?