How to avoid the software salary ceiling • Hacker News Board

Re: How to avoid the software salary ceiling

#81

Post by PopeOfNope » Thu, Jul 09, 2015, 12:51 AM UTC

bryanlarsen wrote: post #80

PopeOfNope wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you be conflating 3d graphics artists with 3d graphics programmers? The former make 3d models for games. The latter writes 3d graphics systems to take those models and show them on the screen. The former is relatively low skill (as you say, it's a saturated market) the latter is very high skill (linear algebra).

Video game makers employ both, over work and under pay both. Artists make about $30k, programmers make $50k.

Maybe Montreal just doesn't pay for 3d graphics programmers. Triple what you just quoted and that's what an average gameplay programmer makes in the bay area. 3d graphics programmers make more because an average gameplay programmer can't do what a 3d graphics programmer does. Then again, there aren't as many jobs for 3d graphics programmers. You'd pretty much have to work for one of the big graphics engine makers (Valve, Unity3D, Unreal, ID) or a company big enough to make their own (Ubisoft, EA, Disney).

In Montreal, that's pretty much just Ubisoft, isn't it?

Anyway, the original suggestion was 3d graphics, not necessarily for games. Lots of other fields use 3d graphics as well. I don't know how well they pay, though.

Re: How to avoid the software salary ceiling

#82

Post by charlieflowers » Thu, Jul 09, 2015, 2:30 AM UTC

codingvelocity wrote: post #36

iagooar wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you elaborate, please?

Not the original person, but in any organization with a non trivial amount of code needs someone that is really on top of managing how the applications build and how dependencies mesh together. There's many tools to learn and leverage (in java you have ant/ivy, maven, gradle) and can easily take up a fairly large amount of time to organize. If done properly it can also prevent certain project failure.

It's definitely true. But does it lead to money? We developers think it's logical that it should lead to money, but does it?

Re: How to avoid the software salary ceiling

#83

Post by bryanlarsen » Thu, Jul 09, 2015, 8:42 AM UTC

PopeOfNope wrote: post #81

bryanlarsen wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Video game makers employ both, over work and under pay both. Artists make about $30k, programmers make $50k.

Maybe Montreal just doesn't pay for 3d graphics programmers. Triple what you just quoted and that's what an average gameplay programmer makes in the bay area. 3d graphics programmers make more because an average gameplay programmer can't do what a 3d graphics programmer does. Then again, there aren't as many jobs for 3d graphics programmers. You'd pretty much have to work for one of the big graphics engine makers (Va…

150K is pretty much the average salary for any programmer in silicon valley, though, right?

Autodesk also has a big presence in Montreal, and they do pay better than the video game makers, from what I hear. My OP was just saying that the best way to find 3D graphics programmers was to poach from games companies, not be one yourself. :)

I really don't know the field that well. It's been almost 30 years since I actually worked in the video game industry. Video game skills that old apply much better to the (much better paying) embedded market. We don't use assembler any more, but the experience is actually relevant there.

Re: How to avoid the software salary ceiling

#84

Post by PopeOfNope » Fri, Jul 10, 2015, 12:34 AM UTC

bryanlarsen wrote: post #83

PopeOfNope wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe Montreal just doesn't pay for 3d graphics programmers. Triple what you just quoted and that's what an average gameplay programmer makes in the bay area. 3d graphics programmers make more because an average gameplay programmer can't do what a 3d graphics programmer does. Then again, there aren't as many jobs for 3d graphics programmers. You'd pretty much have to work for one of the big graphics engine makers (Va…

150K is pretty much the average salary for any programmer in silicon valley, though, right? Autodesk also has a big presence in Montreal, and they do pay better than the video game makers, from what I hear. My OP was just saying that the best way to find 3D graphics programmers was to poach from games companies, not be one yourself. :) I really don't know the field that well. It's been almost 30 years since I actuall…

> 150K is pretty much the average salary for any programmer in silicon valley, though, right?

Pretty much :)

> Autodesk also has a big presence in Montreal

Interesting. I'm very interested in the Montreal job scene because I live just across the NY/Canadian border and have wanted to relocate to Canada for a while now. Unfortunately, the salaries haven't been there for web development or game development.

> Video game skills that old apply much better to the (much better paying) embedded market.

Do you work in embedded systems? How difficult a field is it to break into? I've been thinking about shifting in that direction for my own personal sanity, if nothing else. Doing nothing but building virtual worlds and websites for a decade makes you long for the physical world. I do, at least.