Ask HN: How to make more than $1mn+/yr as a software engineer?

built something to sell or try to find a job in the algo trading business.

Most of the more straightforward answers to this question end up with you making the majority of that million from your entrepreneurial skills rather than software development skills. (For example, "Found a software development consultancy and grow it to 8~12 employees.")

In terms of straight up W-2ing without taking entrepreneurial levels of risk, I think you're looking at either finance or (restricting 25% to ~10%) AppAmaGooBookSoft. Note that you're not aiming to have the engineering skills of Jeff Dean but rather looking to have the business impact of the guy who coded the credit card processing for AdWords. (An identifiable person who actually exists, or I would be more explicit about the returns to that example.)

There's also "Join a startup as a very early engineer" but you're primarily compensated for picking the winner there -- there's many great businesses in the ranks of e.g. YC companies but if you had joined as the first non-founding engineer the majority do not result in the outcome you're looking for.

I'll leave the obligatory disclaimer "What motivates this goal? There are probably more interesting goals if you consider your values carefully."

Social skills are skills, not talents, and develop with practice. That said, be a boss, a CTO, or technical founder. Engineers are well paid professionals, but as with any high paid profession, you make a lot more owning your own company then working for someone else who is extracting value from your efforts.

Doesn't anyone else think this post is full of arrogance? Sure you don't have to be the best programmer in the world to earn millions but this just screams "I want to be mediocre and make much, much more than others." But yes, the quickest way to millions is starting a company as others have said.

What is the "book" in AppAmaGooBookSoft?