The 2004 Quality Digest 2004 Salary Survey is out - the below link is to the home page.

http://www.qualitydigest.com/

From the article:

"If you like numbers (And what self-respecting quality professional doesn’t?), salary surveys present hours of entertainment. This is particularly true if you try to correlate survey results to your own situation or if you compare one year’s results to another’s.

Questions abound: “Why don’t I make as much as what the survey shows I should?” “Why does a vice president make more than a president or CEO?” “Should I move to the West Coast, home of higher salaries, Starbucks and a governor who can bench press twice his weight in quality consultants?”

Unfortunately, we can’t answer these questions. However, we can present all the data, let you draw your own conclusions and offer a few observations of our own.

If you’re new to salary surveys, here are some of the rules: A survey of this type is only a guideline, a yardstick that gives some indication of where your salary should be relative to other positions--not an absolute indicator of how much you should be making. To get the most out of the data, look at your position from every angle: regional, industry and broad title classification (e.g., executive, manager, technical). This will give you a general idea of where you stand. If you find your salary is much lower than the average salary, no matter which table you look at, you may have cause for concern."

I voted less than what the survey shows for more than 45 hours. However, I need to state that is for the job I am currently working. Now with that said I will only be here two more weeks and if I was to vote based on my new employeer I would have voted the same for about 40-45 hours.

I voted "more" based on my most recent full-time employment. I have finally pulled the pin on full-time employment and am now ready to consider interesting opportunities to help folks on relatively short-term projects where I can help on-site folks learn how to continue once I leave. I will continue to expand my speech and seminar business, but I do not intend to become a full-time road warrior like some of my friends who are away from home 200 days and nights per year.

I'm really looking for situations which will make good case-study material for a book I am starting to flesh out. If you hear of one, be sure to let me know.

I am currently making much less than stated but next Monday is my last day at this employer. I just took a promotion to a director of quality at an iron powder facility for a significant increase in salary with the likelyhood of an excellent bonus as well. Taking the position was not just for money there is also a much greater appreciation for quality there as well. Where I am at now production is the rule. If we make it someone will buy it.

Sean, Wes, Aaron,

Congratulations! Nothing like moving-up in the work world, and doing it on your terms. May your tribe increase!

If you take CQE, consultant, master's degree and western, you pretty much hit my salary at my 40 hour job within a few thousand dollars. But in addition I teach evening courses and do a little side consulting, so that would bring me to I make more than the salary survey predicts, but at about 48 to 55 total hours worked.

- Steve

Does the survey take into account effects of Multiple ASQ Certifications?

Say an employee gets an increment for every additional ASQ certifications that adds value to the organization and relevant to job responsibility. How should we interpret this in the survey?
Govind.
Note: Iam not rewarded like this method in my organizations:) Just a question!

Well above. Ofcourse european salary levels may differ significantly from american but one thing i do get out of is that i don't need to move to the states or Canada to earn more money! :D

Does the survey take into account effects of Multiple ASQ Certifications?

Say an employee gets an increment for every additional ASQ certifications that adds value to the organization and relevant to job responsibility. How should we interpret this in the survey?
Govind.
Note: Iam not rewarded like this method in my organizations:) Just a question!Quite frankly, in all the years I have been a manager or an executive, I can't recall one instance where we paid anything extra for a degree or certification (especially extra ones gained during employment with us.)

However:
We paid for value received. If the additional degree or certification meant the employee could qualify for a different job or job level within our company, he or she got an opportunity to move to that level if it was open.

Think of it this way - does a PhD create more value for a taxi driver? We encouraged folks who had gained skills and experience (including degrees and certifications not required by us) to pursue different job opportunities within our organization or outside with other organizations. We didn't act like the "dog in the manger" by trying to keep highly qualified employees in low level jobs beneath their skills and experience.

Although it may be true that your current employer may not increase your salary for certifications, the employee should still consider obtaining the certifications. If the employee loses their job or just wants to look around at other opportunities, job postings normally include a need for CQE, Six Sigma etc. for consideration for the job. If your resume includes the certification then it may be added to the pile that gets an interview rather the the pile that only gets looked at if all else fails. You would still need to sell yourself during the interview.

If you were a valued employee who took the initiative to get a certification, then you would hope that your employee would take that into consideration for other opportunities or increased responsibilities which could result in a salary increase.

Bill Pflanz

Wes,Bill,
Thanks to both of you for sharing your valuable experience.
I agree with Wes rationale as to paying for the value. Bill and I have always been a strong advocate of ASQ Certification in both ASQ and Elsmar forums.

I think ASQ Certification coupled with relevant experience is a good combination and the employers should consider better compensation. I have mentioned even in the ASQ Forum, ASQ Certification covers only the necessary width in a given Body of Knowledge(BOK). For depth, we have to do additional reading and acquire more practical experience in BOK.

Speaking of multiple certifications, eventhough there are overlap in BOK between various certifications, each of them have their unique advantages.
Example;
Quality Engineer with CQE and CQA has better advantage in the market compared to a Quality Engineer with CQE and some knowledge of auditing.Similarly CSQE,CQA,etc.I was referring to this kind of examples. I dont think this types of combinations which are very common are not considered in the survey. They apprear seperately as two different data each showing higher salary independently. The employer would have paid higher salary for this combination.Survey does not reflect this. This is the point I was trying to make.
Govind.

Wes,Bill,
Thanks to both of you for sharing your valuable experience.
I agree with Wes rationale as to paying for the value. Bill and I have always been a strong advocate of ASQ Certification in both ASQ and Elsmar forums.

I think ASQ Certification coupled with relevant experience is a good combination and the employers should consider better compensation. I have mentioned even in the ASQ Forum, ASQ Certification covers only the necessary width in a given Body of Knowledge(BOK). For depth, we have to do additional reading and acquire more practical experience in BOK.

Speaking of multiple certifications, eventhough there are overlap in BOK between various certifications, each of them have their unique advantages.
Example;
Quality Engineer with CQE and CQA has better advantage in the market compared to a Quality Engineer with CQE and some knowledge of auditing.Similarly CSQE,CQA,etc.I was referring to this kind of examples. I dont think this types of combinations which are very common are not considered in the survey. They apprear seperately as two different data each showing higher salary independently. The employer would have paid higher salary for this combination.Survey does not reflect this. This is the point I was trying to make.
Govind.I don't decry ASQ certifications. Certainly not the BOK behind them.
Consider, though, that organizations which try to get "triple threat" guys with multiple ASQ certifications of CQE, CQA, CQM, and maybe even Six Sigma Black belt and Master Black Belt usually are trying to do one of two things (neither of which I approve):

Expect the candidate to do everything without staff and also expect the guy to walk on water during his break and "feed the multitude" during the lunch hour.
OR
Expect the guy to work for the same wage as a guy with only one of the certifications (even though they use him in various capacities.)
I agree with Bill that a guy with one or more professional certifications may get his resume shuffled to the top of the pile for an interview, but he still has to score well in the interview and then score well on the job or he'll be back on the street in a heartbeat. Worse, the employer may unfairly get a bad case of bias against other candidates because one guy with certifications didn't cut the mustard.

The curse of a survey is that most folks expect details from a survey which were never queried in the first place. They [surveys] don't ask questions like,

"Do you have a bipolar individual as a boss who is heII on wheels when he doesn't take his medication?"
OR
"Do you work in a company where only family members of the boss get a promotion or raise?"
OR
"Do you have the title [and pay] of Quality Engineer, but really have the responsibility and duties of Materials Manager?"
OR
"Are the work processes in your organization like horrible examples of the Red Bead Experiment?"

Wes & Bill,

I agree with the professional certifications, the more people I meet that have all those letters after their name, the less they mean to me.
For my current job I didn't put my certifications on the app or in my resume. One thing I learned while job hunting is that most people don't know what they mean and those that do think that they "demand" more money. You have a strike against you. They really don't mean much.

Definitely less....but I only work 35hrs per week and I NEVER take work home and get to enjoy my daughter and golf and teaching!!!!!!!!

As for ASQ certifications, I had CQE(94) and CQA(01) but I did not renew since I saw no financial gains.......i wrote the exams for personal gratification and that was it.

btw, i have no complaints regarding my job nor money. (if i convert $/hr, i am sure i am paid more than the average.... :D )

Hi,:)
In this day of major automotive shakeups, I am glad to still have a job. The big trouble spot is "do more with less". but if we are to remain a mfr. in the US then we must be cost competetive and do more with less untill the inevitable occurs 10-20 years down the road. Then we will be teaching english to our host country fellow employees.:nopity:

Hi,:)
In this day of major automotive shakeups, I am glad to still have a job. The big trouble spot is "do more with less". but if we are to remain a mfr. in the US then we must be cost competetive and do more with less untill the inevitable occurs 10-20 years down the road. Then we will be teaching english to our host country fellow employees.:nopity: Welcome to The Cove, Schmudy! :bigwave: Here I think you will find responses to questions you may have so you can, indeed save your employer money. Hope to see you again!

Definitely less....but I only work 35hrs per week and I NEVER take work home and get to enjoy my daughter and golf and teaching!!!!!!!!

...btw, i have no complaints regarding my job nor money. (if i convert $/hr, i am sure i am paid more than the average.... :D )

Golf?! You have time for golf?! Wow...I vaguely recall enjoying that game...:(

If you really look at the survey, you would find the difference can go either way (more or less) depending on your "title" and status in company on pay.

Once you get passed the floor level (I say this respectfully) you reach a plateau that doesn't matter if you are a CQM, CQA, CQE and so forth.

For me, I see no value to receive any type of certification (I have been in this business for over 20 years).

On the hours worked: That all depends on a person's time management. I have worked from 40-60 hours (it now ranges from 40-45) depending on what has to be accomplished.



Coury Ferguson
Program/Contracts Manager