Just a note from a person who has worked both sides...9 years in Elec. Design & Proj Mngmnt and currently serving in an IBEW apprenticeship.
Two items:
1) most engineering contracts are not awarded T&, they are a lump-sum price with a few paypoints throughout the project. Therefore the more an engr/designer spends on a project the more they eat at their budget - which are not as high as most is the construction world think.
2) Most firms have only 1 or 2 actual PE engineers that work for them, the rest being Managers, designers and drafters - the highest paid of which may be $30.00 an hour/salaried. Lots of unpaid overtime.
Life is greener on both sides...lol
