When you start talking about things like career progression and the only parameter that you analyze it on is based on some salary amount, that makes me feel so sad. I understand money is a very important aspect, but it's not the only thing you base an entire career on!

Also, I'm not a FPE but I have friends who are in the program. Of what I understand, FPE is a relatively new and niche field. There are very few engineers in this field and it's bound to grow bigger with time. I know personally that my FPE friends have got paid $30/hr as an intern. Again, it's not ridiculous as what the software engineers are earning. But, it's not cheap either, and you bet you can find smart engineers in that field. Cause there are lots of them researching on wildland fire protection and so many other fields. Basically, when you get to know the work they are involved in, you might get blown over!