In the greater scheme of things and for the time being, engineers--especially in North America--have it pretty good, at least according to their replies to the EE Times Annual Salary & Opinion Survey. There are deep concerns about job security and the outsourcing of engineering work to lower-cost markets, mainly in Europe and South Asia. But American engineers, with annual compensation nearly 40 percent more than their closest competitors, have reason to be satisfied with their current lot.

As one retiring tech pro put it: "The new 'Flat World' tilts back and forth and does not stay horizontal for long!"