It always strikes me as odd at how much HN complanies about hiring practices in tech. Spend a few weeks with Leetcode and CTCI and you have a decent shot at salaries in this range at the BigCo's (depends on location of course). What other industry has it's interview process so transparent with such high rewards?
What is CTCI? Search engines didn't return any results that make sense.
My offer numbers from big companies
131–140 of 295 posts
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is one of the things that really sucks about the industry. It is a new "boy's club", and if you know people in the club then the barrier to entry is easier (if you can code at a reasonable capacity).
The entry fee for a referral is striking up a single conversation at a conference. If someone from a big tech company is speaking at a conference, the fact that they are speaking isn't the primary reason for being present. They are there to recruit.
Hah, that assumes their current employer will let them go to conferences.
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#133Jesus christ, $50k as a sign on bonus. I haven't seen anything like that in Aus for that sort of experience.
It's good, but a huge chunk of this will be lost to taxes because he's in SV (I know because I live and work here as well, have been in a similar situation, and his numbers are plausible). So it's something to marvel at, but the actual amount going in the bank is much smaller.
Huge as in like 7-9% of their sign on bonus for living in SV.
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#134I live in the UK, to me these numbers are insane. How are these salaries at that work experience possible? Is the pay increase from then on slow? Are these salaries sustainable for the industry long term? I know experienced professionals who would be considered successful in the UK who finish their careers nowhere near this level of salary (not programmers but certainly engineers). I’m astounded.
It's worth remembering that these numbers are essentially for contractors in UK terms. No job security, no long-term promise of employment, if you don't fit what the company wants, you'll be gone with little or no come back. This all leads to very long working hours, little or no holiday, and a different lifestyle than we have in the UK. I know plenty of UK (and European) software developers who wouldn't dream of ans…
None of these things are true at Google, Facebook or half the other places on OP's list. These companies will not fire you at will. You will go through at least 2 cycles of poor reviews and a performance improvement plan, it should be obvious at least a year out that you're not cutting it.
All of those companies have great benefits and generous holiday time. Some people have an oncall rotation, but they know what it is ahead of time. Others don't.
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#135Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#136Can someone explain what RSU's are? I'm assuming its something specific to being American and since i'm not i'm afraid i'm not familiar with the term.
Thanks
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#137True, if big.
Anyone could write up such a Blind post. And when it comes to anonymously bragging via lies on the internet, there is no shortage of prior art.
To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised if the growth rate of engineering applications to these bigcos has declined over the past few years. A decline in the supply of candidates relative to demand, among other factors, could lead to an increase in compensation per offer.
That being said, I'm still leaning towards this post being BS.
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#138I guess I need to move to Silicon Valley. These numbers are insane for two years and an undergrad degree. I have 32 years experience and I don't get these kinds of offers. This is either complete BS or the guy is a savant. Something smells fishy here.
No, they're par for the course in the bay area (well, among the set of companies that are oft-discussed on HN: FAMG and well funded startups).
I still find it a little hard to believe... When I was a new grad, I got offers from several of the companies you listed, and the comp didn't come close to OP's post. I can't imagine 2 years of experience and some negotiating changes the compensation that drastically.
Google, for example, offered a base salary just over 100k. Is the difference between level 3 and 4 (what I assume 2 years of experience gets you) really ~60%? The annual RSU difference is also drastic, as OPs offer was 100k in stock annually.
Note: I'm calculating the 60% by looking at annual salary + stock + target bonus each year.
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#139I guess I need to move to Silicon Valley. These numbers are insane for two years and an undergrad degree. I have 32 years experience and I don't get these kinds of offers. This is either complete BS or the guy is a savant. Something smells fishy here.
They seem a bit higher than what I would normally expect for 2 year experience; sometimes a successful startup and some salary negotiations can give you a boost. But recall: $1 USD (SFO) != $1 USD (Almost anywhere else). And there are some other downsides, you work very long hours in a company of 70%+ men. I think quality of life in South Bay for most isn't as nice as much less affluent places. It depends on your cup…
Is working in a company with 70%+ men really a bad thing, or are you just leaning on existing cultural biases?
Re: My offer numbers from big companies
#140Well this makes me feel terrible... Your sign on was probably for more than I've made in my professional career. My first job after graduating 10 years ago was for 45k per year. I have had an awful lot of bad luck since graduating and have yet to be paid more than that since. Every job I've had paid progressively less, always took them cause I needed the job. My last programming job paid $14 an hour. Can anyone offer…
Regionally: The wealthiest companies pay the highest salaries. In the tech world, those live on the west coast or the east coast. Texas probably isn’t going to give you much room to grow in the tech world. Some of it is regional, and some of it will depend on what you do. The best salaries will go to the most valuable roles, so you may need to find out how to develop a specialty to make your work more valuable. $14/h…
> Texas probably isn’t going to give you much room to grow in the tech world.
Outside of Austin, Texas definitely isn't a tech hub, but there's tons of work in energy and health care, and the pay isn't bad. Your average tech worker in Dallas or Houston is probably on par with the average SV tech worker, when you adjust for cost of living.