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Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

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Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#121
post #42

1. These salaries are for Bootcamp graduates, which means they'll be lower than someone with 5 years experience in programming. 2. These salaries are likely for the Bay Area, where a 1br apartment can cost you $3k+, and your tax rate will be 35% (state + federal). It's not comparable to places with lower tax rates and lower cost of living.

not everyone who filled this out went to bootcamp

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#122
post #85
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was it worth it with the huge increase in cost of living?

I'm from BC, so it was actually a decrease in the cost of living. Seattle had cheaper consumer goods, cheaper gas, less taxes and cheaper housing. SF is a bit more expensive, but houses cost about the same as Vancouver while rent is higher.

Thank you for sharing, Mahyarm!

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#123

Doesn't anonymous sourcing of data like this likely introduce some significant biases?

I would think anonymous contribution is likely to yield more truthful information.

It (by design) includes only people who self-select to share their compensation details. I would expect that to skew high, even if 100% truthful.

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#124

Honestly was expecting a lot more, considering the salaries people throw around on Hacker News. Using http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-l... the adjusted value for $136,000 in SF to where I live in New York is a decent chunk less. Especially being in a DevOps/Systems role, and not a Software Dev one.

You shouldn't. Everyone lies about salary or includes their options at some fictions value as part of their compensation. The reality is that the number of people making over $200k is just not that many. Very senior people and directors of certain departments, sure. And you've got some $250k+ VIPs out there. Some. For everyone else, even those in the Bay Area, it caps around $180k, or $10k/mo after tax. Stay for long…

This matches my observations. On the "technical ladder" I'm the equivalent of a Senior Manger or Director (or, less commonly, VP). My pay is definitely less than anybody at those positions in truth, and the tech ladder generally tops off just north of $200k base, as I've seen it. Outliers exist, the plural of anecdote is not data, and similar disclaimers apply.

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#125
post #51
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's because you live in Canada. Canadian devs get paid a lot less. $80k/yr CAD is typical for a sr dev there. I moved down to the USA for the big raise.

Was it worth it with the huge increase in cost of living?

Unless Silicon Valley or NYC it is going to be cheaper to live. More take home pay after all expenses (including medical, mortgage).

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#126
post #88

And here I am, living in Germany and getting told that asking for 60,000€ p.a. as a software engineer with 11 years working experience is waaay too much for most companies. Only the big ones like Bosch, Porsche, Daimler (all non-IT companies) and a few other exceptions will pay enough for a sustainable life. At the same time we hear about regular reports about "shortage of skilled professionals" here in Germany, it's…

But Germany has great public transport, excellent beers, free/close to free healthcare and liberal icon like Angela Merkel. That is all good hackers/developers care about.

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$110K as a CTO does seem low to me. Do you mind if I ask where you live?

New Hampshire. But commuting distance to Boston, MA since I live on the border and Boston is pretty close to the border. I started as a Senior Software Engineer and kept getting promoted but not getting any higher pay. As a Senior Software Engineer in 2013 it was great pay. CTO in 2017... not so much. For various reasons I'm eating the lower pay though. It's rough but I'm ok with it for now.

If you are ok commuting to Cambridge MA, you can get the SF figure +/- you cited as developer (assuming proper skills/experience) and still live in NH. Not a great commute, but I know a few folks who commute from NH. If you're interested, my team is hiring :)

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#128
post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You shouldn't. Everyone lies about salary or includes their options at some fictions value as part of their compensation. The reality is that the number of people making over $200k is just not that many. Very senior people and directors of certain departments, sure. And you've got some $250k+ VIPs out there. Some. For everyone else, even those in the Bay Area, it caps around $180k, or $10k/mo after tax. Stay for long…

This matches my observations. On the "technical ladder" I'm the equivalent of a Senior Manger or Director (or, less commonly, VP). My pay is definitely less than anybody at those positions in truth, and the tech ladder generally tops off just north of $200k base, as I've seen it. Outliers exist, the plural of anecdote is not data, and similar disclaimers apply.

This is the ladder for just about everything outside of specialized medicine and law. There's just not that many people outside of management anywhere with a $250k+ salary. There's plenty of people who make that much, but it's usually through commissions, additional equity, etc..

Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft employ over 500,000 people. I'd be surprised if there are more than 500 engineers with a salary over $250k between them.

Maybe what someone should do is poach all 500 and see what they come up with. The burn rate would only be $10 million a month. Maybe they could invent AI.

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#129

Is it only me or aren't these wages crazy high for people with only 0-2 years of experience? I started as a fresh software engineer in Tokyo this year, and I'm making around $37k a year. I think that newbies earn about that much in Helsinki, Finland, too, where I'm originally from.

In less technology oriented areas of the USA making $35,000 to $40,000 as a fresh graduate is pretty reasonable. That was my experience along with others in the rural area I grew up around. The only way to really break past that was to be willing to move to a new area.

Re: Anonymized list of engineering salaries from bootcamp grads

#130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

$110K as a CTO does seem low to me. Do you mind if I ask where you live?

New Hampshire. But commuting distance to Boston, MA since I live on the border and Boston is pretty close to the border. I started as a Senior Software Engineer and kept getting promoted but not getting any higher pay. As a Senior Software Engineer in 2013 it was great pay. CTO in 2017... not so much. For various reasons I'm eating the lower pay though. It's rough but I'm ok with it for now.

CTO out of Brookline, MA

Do you attend any CTO meetups in the area?

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