But could you be underselling yourself by staying and working in your nation of origin? Or is doing that the golden carrot you need to use to keep a potentially unhappy employee from leaving? I wonder because that seems quite low by my experience. Engineers are amazingly productive. In these circumstances, your income might not be as high as in the continental U. According to the BLS, the median annual wages in for mechanical engineers in the top industries were:. Working overseas also exposes you to new and exciting cultures and has other benefits including boosting your CV and skills.