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I hear Boeing is a good company. ANy jobs in Huntsville for an Auburn graduate in engineering next year?
Don't just limit yourself to Boeing there are plenty of good large aerospace companies in Huntsville including Raytheon, Lockheed, Northrup. There are lots of other great small companies too that offer salaries that are competive and sometimes more than the larger companies in Huntsville. I pretty much think every engineering company is doing some form of hiring right now especially in anticipation of the at least 4500 brac jobs coming this way.
I\'ve never heard of brac but they probably couldn\'t afford me. What I really want to do is work in the missile defense field. I have some new ideas that I\'m just waiting to try. Can I send you my resume?
I\'ve never heard of brac but they probably couldn\'t afford me. What I really want to do is work in the missile defense field. I have some new ideas that I\'m just waiting to try. Can I send you my resume?
Are you serious??? You're coming off as arrogant.
If you are serious, go to The Boeing Company. That's where they post jobs. And attend career days/fairs while you're in school. It might give you a more realistic insight into your pay as a fresh-from-college beginner.
Are you serious??? You're coming off as arrogant.
If you are serious, go to The Boeing Company. That's where they post jobs. And attend career days/fairs while you're in school. It might give you a more realistic insight into your pay as a fresh-from-college beginner.
Southlander, you took the words right out of my mouth. Or keyboard. Whatever.
Giving the OP the benefit of the doubt, I'll pass along what I've heard from my college age/recent grad children and their friends. Starting salaries seem to run $50 - 55K, with higher base pay a possibility for someone with a stellar GPA and/or some experience. Some companies also pay signing bonuses (which must be repaid if the new hire leaves in less than a year) of $5K or more. Little difference was found between the large and small companies as far as salary, but major differences in benefits.
As for dazzling your new employer with your genius...just try not to make a fool of your self. The old folks running the show (who are younger than I am...) aren't exactly bereft of new insights and flashes of brilliance. They do expect team work, a willingness to put in as many hours as the project requires, and a positive attitude - not arrogance.
If you've truly never heard of BRAC, perhaps you should do some homework on your intended new hometown.
I\'ve never heard of brac but they probably couldn\'t afford me. What I really want to do is work in the missile defense field. I have some new ideas that I\'m just waiting to try. Can I send you my resume?
BRAC Is missile defense at least half of the BRAC jobs are MDA which is the Missile Defense Agency(at the pentagon)they are relocated a majority of their jobs to Huntsville.
Surely a soon-to-be college grad would know enough about an industry to check the company jobsite first for employment before posting to a bulletin board? LOL
Surely a soon-to-be college grad would know enough about an industry to check the company jobsite first for employment before posting to a bulletin board? LOL
You'd be surprised. I myself am a Junior in pursuit of my Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, and most of my peers care only about three things:
1.) "How much money ya gonna give me?"
2.) "How much money ya gonna give me?"
3.) "How much money ya gonna give me?"
I'd be happy starting out as a CPA at around $40,000 annually, which is actually less than the national average for starting CPA salaries. I realize that there are MANY more important facets to consider in a career opportunity besides starting salary. Most of my friends are clamoring to move to Manhattan, about two hours away, because CPAs tend to start there in the $60k range. What they fail to realize is that they are actually going to be worse off than they would have been in Pennsylvania at a lower starting salary. Why? Three words: COST OF LIVING! If they're earning $60,000 as a CPA for PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, they'll be lucky to afford a 1-BR flat in Manhattan for $1,800/month. Here in Scranton, Pennsylvania I could take my $40,000 and purchase a modest (yet liveable) 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath home on a 1/4-acre lot in a nice neighborhood. You just can't put a price tag on quality-of-life. What good is an extra $20,000 per year if it goes solely to finance the higher cost-of-living where you're relocating to?
Another thing our rather presumptuous and somewhat arrogant sounding aerospace-seeking friend ought to consider is the value that BENEFITS have. Don't say "Boeing has starting salaries of $56,000 while Lockheed-Martin will only start me at $49,000, so I'm going to go there" because Lockheed-Martin's benefits package might just be valuable enough to exceed that $7,000 starting salary gap. When you're a physically-fit 21-year-old you may not care much about health care, but a car accident, chronic illness, etc. can occur in the blink of an eye, and with the exorbitant cost of health care today, that extra $7,000 premium in starting salary will be exhausted quite expediently to compensate for what your diminished benefits package does not cover whereas a company with a lower starting salary but a PREMIUM benefits package would be a blessing in such a situation.
From what I understand Huntsville's cost-of-living is high for Alabama but low for the nation overall. You should be able to live comfortably there on whatever starting salary in the $45k-$60k range that is offered to you, so I'd opt for the company with the best perks (the aforementioned benefits, sick pay, vacation time, flex time, etc.) It also couldn't hurt to contact employees of these companies (off the record) and ask them how they enjoy (or dislike) working there.
Most importantly, please lost that arrogant "they can't afford ME" attitude, as it is a HUGE turn-off to a prospective employer, especially in our impending Bush-spawned economic recession. I'd be gracious for ANY accounting position I could obtain in this upcoming recession, and I'm just praying that some employer WILL hire me. You should feel the same. Don't forget that many of these aerospace companies (especially Lockheed-Martin) receive a lot of business via government contracts, and if a Democrat is elected this year, chances are that the war will be over in 2009, and the demand for military equipment that these companies produce will cease, leading to potential layoffs. If you want to weather that downturn as a newbie, you'll have to prove yourself to be a worthy long-term employee---arrogance will have you packing the contents of your desk into a box in no time.
Finally, be VERY courteous to secretaries, receptionists, janitorial staff, and other "underlings" that you may come across en route to an interview. They may not have a fancy college degree or a high salary, but they are still HUMAN BEINGS and in many cases they even have some insight into whom gets hired and whom doesn't get hired. I've heard that some companies even intentionally place you into pre-interview situations where you'll interact with those in other positions within the organization (including those that I just referenced) in order to observe your social skills and how you deal with others. Afterwards, these "plants" then report back to your interviewer. If you gave them the cold shoulder or any air of snobbery/superiority, that alone could cost you the job. If you smile, introduce yourself to them, and perhaps even strike up idle chit-chat while waiting to be called into your interview, you'll be given a much more favorable "boost." It's amazing the number of people, even on my own campus, who are already class elitists, even at such young ages. I always greet the janitors I pass at my college because not only do I respect them as people doing a necessary job, but I also realize that one of these people could just be the brother/sister/aunt of a human resources director for the firm you're applying to and could "remember" your courtesy.
There's much more to the job application process than just a GPA or degree. Your interpersonal skills, demeanor, and apperance are just as important! If you walk into that interview with such an arrogant "you can't afford me" attitude, you'll have the door hitting your rear-end on the way out!
You'd be surprised. I myself am a Junior in pursuit of my Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, and most of my peers care only about three things:
1.) "How much money ya gonna give me?"
2.) "How much money ya gonna give me?"
3.) "How much money ya gonna give me?"
I'd be happy starting out as a CPA at around $40,000 annually, which is actually less than the national average for starting CPA salaries. I realize that there are MANY more important facets to consider in a career opportunity besides starting salary. Most of my friends are clamoring to move to Manhattan, about two hours away, because CPAs tend to start there in the $60k range. What they fail to realize is that they are actually going to be worse off than they would have been in Pennsylvania at a lower starting salary. Why? Three words: COST OF LIVING! If they're earning $60,000 as a CPA for PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York City, they'll be lucky to afford a 1-BR flat in Manhattan for $1,800/month. Here in Scranton, Pennsylvania I could take my $40,000 and purchase a modest (yet liveable) 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath home on a 1/4-acre lot in a nice neighborhood. You just can't put a price tag on quality-of-life. What good is an extra $20,000 per year if it goes solely to finance the higher cost-of-living where you're relocating to?
Another thing our rather presumptuous and somewhat arrogant sounding aerospace-seeking friend ought to consider is the value that BENEFITS have. Don't say "Boeing has starting salaries of $56,000 while Lockheed-Martin will only start me at $49,000, so I'm going to go there" because Lockheed-Martin's benefits package might just be valuable enough to exceed that $7,000 starting salary gap. When you're a physically-fit 21-year-old you may not care much about health care, but a car accident, chronic illness, etc. can occur in the blink of an eye, and with the exorbitant cost of health care today, that extra $7,000 premium in starting salary will be exhausted quite expediently to compensate for what your diminished benefits package does not cover whereas a company with a lower starting salary but a PREMIUM benefits package would be a blessing in such a situation.
From what I understand Huntsville's cost-of-living is high for Alabama but low for the nation overall. You should be able to live comfortably there on whatever starting salary in the $45k-$60k range that is offered to you, so I'd opt for the company with the best perks (the aforementioned benefits, sick pay, vacation time, flex time, etc.) It also couldn't hurt to contact employees of these companies (off the record) and ask them how they enjoy (or dislike) working there.
Most importantly, please lost that arrogant "they can't afford ME" attitude, as it is a HUGE turn-off to a prospective employer, especially in our impending Bush-spawned economic recession. I'd be gracious for ANY accounting position I could obtain in this upcoming recession, and I'm just praying that some employer WILL hire me. You should feel the same. Don't forget that many of these aerospace companies (especially Lockheed-Martin) receive a lot of business via government contracts, and if a Democrat is elected this year, chances are that the war will be over in 2009, and the demand for military equipment that these companies produce will cease, leading to potential layoffs. If you want to weather that downturn as a newbie, you'll have to prove yourself to be a worthy long-term employee---arrogance will have you packing the contents of your desk into a box in no time.
Finally, be VERY courteous to secretaries, receptionists, janitorial staff, and other "underlings" that you may come across en route to an interview. They may not have a fancy college degree or a high salary, but they are still HUMAN BEINGS and in many cases they even have some insight into whom gets hired and whom doesn't get hired. I've heard that some companies even intentionally place you into pre-interview situations where you'll interact with those in other positions within the organization (including those that I just referenced) in order to observe your social skills and how you deal with others. Afterwards, these "plants" then report back to your interviewer. If you gave them the cold shoulder or any air of snobbery/superiority, that alone could cost you the job. If you smile, introduce yourself to them, and perhaps even strike up idle chit-chat while waiting to be called into your interview, you'll be given a much more favorable "boost." It's amazing the number of people, even on my own campus, who are already class elitists, even at such young ages. I always greet the janitors I pass at my college because not only do I respect them as people doing a necessary job, but I also realize that one of these people could just be the brother/sister/aunt of a human resources director for the firm you're applying to and could "remember" your courtesy.
There's much more to the job application process than just a GPA or degree. Your interpersonal skills, demeanor, and apperance are just as important! If you walk into that interview with such an arrogant "you can't afford me" attitude, you'll have the door hitting your rear-end on the way out!
From my understanding Huntsville used to have the lowest cost of living in the state at least as far as the top 10 largest cities, especially with housing cost. Thats probably changed dramatically in the last 2-3 years because of this ridiculous price increase with BRAC but there should be some adjustment soon.
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cdfrules, you're kidding with this, right?
