Job satisfaction is far more important than salary, say engineers

The majority engineers believe that enjoying their jobs (85.3%) is a better measure of career success, than having a high salary (55.9%).

Despite this, over a quarter (27.9%) believe that their career success is defined by how others see their achievements.

That’s according to the latest research from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board.

The survey asked engineering professionals how they felt about their career and whether they thought they were on the road to success.



While 82.4% said that career success is important to them, 49.3% of engineers felt that they hadn’t achieved career success yet.

Engineering professionals were asked to share how they measure career success, the top five responses include:

* Enjoying what you do – 85.3%
* Being proud of what you’ve achieved – 75%
* Earning a high salary – 55.9%
* Working for a company you love – 50%
* Having flexible working – 38.2%

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments on the findings: “It’s positive to see that engineers rate job satisfaction as the top measure of career success. This suggests that they’re putting their happiness first.

“It’s also evident that the company they work for plays a big role in how they view their success.

“As an employer, this proves that you need to prioritise employee engagement in your workplace.

“That said, it’s concerning to learn that over a quarter of professionals in the industry define their career success by how others view them, not themselves. Employers need to promote a culture where all achievements are celebrated, helping workers feel proud of their individual successes.”

Engineering professionals were also asked at what age they believe you should have achieved career success. A quarter (25%) believe that you should have achieved career success by the age of 40. That was followed by 16.1% who believe 50 is the golden age for success.

Biggins continues: “It’s interesting that engineers believe career success should be achieved by the age of 40. While everyone is different, it’s great to see that professionals are ambitious but are not putting too much pressure on themselves.

“Employers in the industry need to ensure that the opportunities are there for workers to have career development; offering internal promotions, salary reviews and regular catch-ups with their teams.”