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Tech compensation in 2021

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Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#301

Post by kyawzazaw »

websap wrote: post #201
hnxs wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the companies you listed have been competing with faang for talent since they were formed. they’ve always had to pay competitively

Which is the point I'm trying to make. To think that only FAANG companies pay that much is incorrect. Multiple companies are now competing to hire great talent and the only way forward is that they pay competitively. I wouldn't want any engineer to ever consider a job which doesn't pay them a fair market wage.

I think within these conversations FAANG is just a term to stand-in for those type of companies and not just the 5 listed ones. Maybe FAANG+ would be more explicit and clearer?

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#302

Post by Jensson »

throwaway2016a wrote: post #255
da39a3ee wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a bit confused about what you're saying. levels.fyi is accurate and there are plenty of remote jobs available. So the 300k+ salaries are certainly available from Boston. If you're not willing to prove that you can pass system design, coding, and leadership interviews then that's a different matter. FWIW I recently interviewed for staff at a bay area big tech company and there was no leetcode-style coding intervie…

The comment I'm replying to specifically mentions Leet Code (I am assuming that is what LC stood for) which is the only reason I brought it up. Your point is exactly my point, leet code is not relevant to the type of position I'd be looking for. So assuming Levels.fyi is accurate (their numbers are $20k more than salary.com which is more accurate in my opinion): my point was that I am average, right in the middle. Bu…

> Your point is exactly my point, leet code is not relevant to the type of position I'd be looking for.

But the jobs you'd get with leetcode would pay twice your current expected liquid compensation at least (assuming 0 stock growth) for your experience level. If you don't want those then fine, but then you can't complain about threads like this either.

Google has jobs in Boston, I bet there are many other tech companies paying similar as well. Pay at these varies by location, but not more than around 10% within USA, so it isn't like it is your locations fault, if you worked at these companies you'd be earning very close to the same you'd earn in silicon valley.

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#303

Post by matthewbauer »

eegg7 wrote: post #210
throwaway2016a wrote: post #90

20 years experience, two books under my belt, and lead architect (with a CTO title) on several good sized projects and most I have ever gotten in $175k... every time I see an article like this, I think I am doing something "very wrong" I live about 40 miles outside of Boston. Edit: Looking at levels.fyi for Boston that actually puts me above the median[1]. Why the heck is Boston so low compared to other markets? Edit…

The best thing I did for my career was leave Boston for an entry level FANG job on the West Coast 10 years ago. I currently make more than 10x what I was making in Boston. But it has been a grind no doubt. And probably some luck.

Sorry, 10x seems like a crazy difference when talking about salary. Could you be more specific? I’m trying to figure out numbers that make sense. Like you were getting $30,000 a year in 2011 and now getting $300,000+ in 2021? In the same field? Either the Boston salary was crazy low or fang salary is crazy high.

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#304

Post by [deleted] »

throwaway2016a wrote: post #90

20 years experience, two books under my belt, and lead architect (with a CTO title) on several good sized projects and most I have ever gotten in $175k... every time I see an article like this, I think I am doing something "very wrong" I live about 40 miles outside of Boston. Edit: Looking at levels.fyi for Boston that actually puts me above the median[1]. Why the heck is Boston so low compared to other markets? Edit…

[deleted]

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#305

Post by tyingq »

throwaway2016a wrote: post #169
ceras wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The levels.fyi number you're looking at is across companies, so it's skewed by the type of companies hiring SWE's in Boston vs the Bay Area, which have different pay scales. Large Bay Area tech companies (e.g. FAANG) pay Boston SWE's pretty close[0] to what they pay SF SWE's. If you use the "Robert Half" site[1] from the original article, it says Boston is +34% compared to US baseline (vs SF's +42%, NYC's +40.5%) whi…

Just at first look it seems the 50th percentile is roughly the same (slightly higher) on the Robert Half numbers. But either way, not everyone can work for FAANG, so I think looking at the overall picture is fair. I'm pretty confident even with 20 years of experience and I can't even get a FAANG interview (let alone pass it), I'm just not their type.

Robert Half only includes base salary. I can't cut and paste from their pdf, but see https://www.ficpa.org/Content/Files/Docs/Futurecpas/2019%20R... , page 11.

The levels.fyi median seems to be on total comp.

The Robert Half data seems more likely to be accurate.

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#306

Post by the_only_law »

rgrmrts wrote: post #133
helsinki wrote: post #84

> What should Robin, Chris, or you do with this information? Work at a hedge fund.

Some big tech company salaries are higher than equivalent hedge funds salaries. Also, work life balance is better. I know some folks more senior than me at top hedgefunds making less than I am.

> I know some folks more senior than me at top hedgefunds making less than I am.

Where is the money in hedge funds? I look at salaries on glass door i nuthatch industry and even the highest are pretty disappointing.

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#307

Post by dominotw »

Osiris wrote: post #217
ggregoire wrote: post #21

> Chris can expect to make $300k at a non-FAANG company, but nearly double that if they’re willing to compromise on that “no-FAANG” stance Ok but aren't the expectations for a Staff+ way higher at FAANG than at non-FAANG? Or we assume Chris already got the offer from FAANG for a Staff+ role and so it's just a personal choice? Those articles and discussions about salary always assume everybody is able to work at FAANG…

I'm a Staff engineer are a small company with about 15 years of experience in Denver. As a full time employee I've never made over $160K base. As a contractor I've made over $250k (but with about $40k of that going to taxes and benefits virtually paid by an employer.) I have a feeling I'm underpaid but I'm also very happy with where I work and the team I work with and I'm not currently willing to sacrifice that for a…

> I'm not currently willing to sacrifice that for a higher paying but probably much less enjoyable experience somewhere else.

my coworker lives in denver and works remotely for my company in NY. You can easily make 250k+. We have good work-life balance ect ect.

> I'm not currently willing to sacrifice that for a higher paying but probably much less enjoyable experience somewhere else.

lots of good companies with higher pay. higher pay doesn't equate lo 'no family time' ect, it has been the opposite in my expreience.

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#308

Post by m_ke »

kyawzazaw wrote: post #298
m_ke wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Important tip for people considering startups: only join ones that recently raised an A or B round from one of the top VC firms. VCs get to see all of the numbers and won't invest unless there's some sign of upside.

Is round C or D too late?

All of the rounds have shifted a bunch lately and companies are going public sooner than they used to. What I really meant was that you should join companies that are on a clear path to have a major exit within the next 2-3 years.

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#309

Post by the_only_law »

ska wrote: post #195
throwaway2016a wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was data. The "I must be doing something wrong" was tongue in cheek. The specific data point was that I am not seeing any salaries anywhere near that. And Salary.com actually backs me up. Just the fact "grind Leet Code" is a recommendation to someone who's most recent job title was CTO and has written two books may be a sign these interviews are broken. But point taken, I'm sure if I studied specifically for inter…

> My point was actually that the article and ones like this seem well research but don't match the reality Isn't it more that they match the reality, but the reality only for a relatively small section of a bimodal (or more) distribution?

This seems to be my experience with these sort of topics.

Re: Tech compensation in 2021

#310

Post by thaumasiotes »

throwaway2016a wrote: post #169
ceras wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The levels.fyi number you're looking at is across companies, so it's skewed by the type of companies hiring SWE's in Boston vs the Bay Area, which have different pay scales. Large Bay Area tech companies (e.g. FAANG) pay Boston SWE's pretty close[0] to what they pay SF SWE's. If you use the "Robert Half" site[1] from the original article, it says Boston is +34% compared to US baseline (vs SF's +42%, NYC's +40.5%) whi…

Just at first look it seems the 50th percentile is roughly the same (slightly higher) on the Robert Half numbers. But either way, not everyone can work for FAANG, so I think looking at the overall picture is fair. I'm pretty confident even with 20 years of experience and I can't even get a FAANG interview (let alone pass it), I'm just not their type.

> even with 20 years of experience and I can't even get a FAANG interview (let alone pass it)

If you want one, I've never had the impression that getting an interview was the hard part. I participated in Google Code Jam maybe 9 years ago, passed either 0 or 1 rounds (there's a "qualification round" which I definitely passed, and later a "round 1" which I have a feeling I probably didn't pass), and every so often they offer me an interview unprompted because of that.

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