Are PhD-level engineers well-compensated?
Hello,
I am an American with a PhD in Chemical Engineering from one of the top 5 universities in the US. My graduate work was related to fuel cells and my current job is in the semiconductor industry. I have 2 years of pre-PhD experience and 3 years post-PhD.
Over the past decade (including before I got my doctorate), I have watched the center of technology development shift from the US to Asia. I am considering making a strategic move to Asia so that I can shift with it. I am not Asian and my linguistic history does not support learning Chinese (tonal vs. atonal languages, etc.), so Hong Kong and China are out. Singapore is the easiest choice because of language and the fact that Singaporeans are accustomed to dealing with people from other cultures.
I've been on temporary assignments in Singapore for my US based employer in the past and found it to be an OK place to live.
My current position in the US is a fairly good one -- I make $100k + 10% bonus per year. About 30% goes to taxes and 4% goes to health insurance/health care.
Can I expect to make similar money in Singapore? Are there positions for people with my combination of high-end skills and high salary expectations?
As a foreigner, I would not have the same social networks as someone who has lived in Singapore throughout their life. How much would this hurt me?
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