Top technology stories of 2010

The editors compiled this top 10 of the past year's most significant automotive-engineering articles based on the online activity of our readers.

Managerial responsibility is key to earning a fat paycheck, according to the results of a first-of-its-kind global survey of automotive, aerospace, off-highway, commercial vehicle, and other mobility engineers. “The biggest impact on an engineer's compensation is how many people you supervise, and the differential between managing five to 10 persons or managing 10 or more engineers was as much as $20,000. That's a real eye-opener,” said Bill Cariello, Manager of Web Strategy/Operations for SAE International, during an SAE Convergence 2010 press conference on the survey Oct. 19. SAE's mobility engineering salary survey of SAE members and nonmembers was compiled from online questionnaires completed by 5288 engineers working across the globe. “There is quite a substantial pay difference between an engineer having a bachelor's degree and a master's degree. Having a master's degree can bump an engineer's annual salary by approximately 21%. But the difference between an engineer with a master's degree and an engineer with a Ph.D. is 5% or less,” Cariello said.

Read full story at www.sae.org/mags/aei/9005