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  • Hey, Tak.

  • Later, welcome back to another exciting episode with your host.

  • Ex Google ex Facebook Tech lead Today we're going to be talking about money.

  • How much do suffer engineers really get paid?

  • And I think that there was a lot of miss confusion going around here.

  • The public perception seems to be that software engineers get paid some six figure salary, even 100 K, whereas in reality is actually far harder than that.

  • A lot of you guys were surprised when they said that junior entry level engineers get paid 200 K at fame companies, and they do they really do by mid career after three or four years, software engineers are doing 300 k Arizona salary by Senior.

  • They're doing about 400.

  • Kate, my last job over I Facebook was paying 500 K.

  • And if you include the Cylon bonus, it was like a 600 K income for just one year of work.

  • Software engineers get paid a lot, and I want to explain for you how you too, can achieve these levels of income because there are some tricks involved.

  • First of all, you need to realize that there are two factors at play here.

  • Number one is which company you work for, and number two is where you do it.

  • The cream of the crop companies where you will be able to get salaries like this is to look in Valley.

  • Top tier tech companies were talking about Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, maybe Microsoft in Silicon Valley, because geography really matters.

  • I've personally checked the internal compensation tables before, and cellars just totally depend on location.

  • The fact is, most of the world doesn't view software engineering as a white collar job.

  • It's more like a blue collar, low class type of labor.

  • I have a brother.

  • He was working 120 k programming job in Silicon Valley, moved to Japan because he wanted to be there.

  • And then he had to put up with, like, a 60 day job over there and that first stories like this over and over again.

  • So that's the first thing geography.

  • If you're a software engineer, I recommend checking out Silicon Valley.

  • Maybe just figure address on your resume and see if you can play and what type of offers you may be getting.

  • And if you actually get something interesting.

  • Take a fly over and do the interview and just move over.

  • Because Silicon Valley just pays better the entire culture.

  • Their respect around the profession of sulfur engineering is just at a higher level.

  • Not the other factor is which company you're working it, and you really have to take.

  • A look at these top tier tech companies is like most companies are paying some amount pretty average above average.

  • And then you look at Facebook Google, and it's like much higher than that.

  • And there's a number of reasons for this.

  • One is thes top tier tech companies.

  • They could just afford to pay more because they're making so much money and they have their pick.

  • Of course, you have to be extremely qualified.

  • I think a lot of the numbers you generally hear about software engineers making 75 k 85 k, maybe 100 k.

  • Those air, usually quoted from, say, base salary amounts from people, work in start ups where the equity is worthless, or from smaller suffer engineering firms around the country, which is pretty common now.

  • Silicon Valley may be the most concentrated area for high paying tech jobs, but there's also other areas like Seattle L.

  • A.

  • New York and then some areas like I hear Switzerland pays pretty well as well.

  • Now, if you're living anywhere else, I might recommend looking into these global Top their tech companies because they still would generally pay higher because they have that culture of respect for software engineers.

  • So I'll quickly run over the salary breakdown for you suffer engineers.

  • They're generally categorized into levels from level 2345678 and nine.

  • Level two is like interns.

  • They may get paid 85 k or so, and they only work three months or so.

  • You really start in that level three, which is entry level software engineers.

  • A standard package may look like 100 tank, a base salary plus 15% performance bonus, plus another 150 taels stock over four years and then maybe another 50 K and sign on bonus, which brings out the total compensation in the first year to about 200 K.

  • And that's not even not because you also get equity.

  • Refreshers.

  • The way Refreshers work is when you would sign on to a company usually get stuck over four years.

  • But after four years, all of that stock just dissolves.

  • There's nothing left, and then you just quit the company.

  • So in order to retain people, cos we usually continue to offer you about 1/4 of your stock every year.

  • So after the first year usually get another 1/4 of your stock and so on and your income just bills such that by the time you get to your second or third year, you're actually pulling in like 250 came.

  • Even by that time, you may also just get promoted to Level four, which is considered a solid individual contributor.

  • Somebody who doesn't need any hand holding and who can just take on tests start to finish completely on their own.

  • This is mid level, probably the broadest range, maybe 70% or so.

  • If suffer engineers on in here, a standard package may look like 150 k pay salary, 320 k stock over four years, 15% bonus, and then another 50 K signing bonus or so, which rounds out the package to about through intricate income with the equity Refreshers.

  • After a few years, you could be getting to 350 k, and you may know this that this is a huge jump from level three to Level four is like 100 Kate difference.

  • And that's why a lot of software engineers are self motivated.

  • To get promoted is why they push themselves to work hard.

  • And I think it's over a great system where you really give people like a carrot that's worth chasing afternoons after saying, Well, yeah, if you work really hard to get, like a 5% raise, 15% raise like this is actually something sizable that people would really go after.

  • From there you get to senior level, which is L five at Google or E five at Facebook, and this is sometimes considered the terminal level.

  • You really don't need to put yourself much further than that, and many people just there at the senior level for many years.

  • It's a sweet spot.

  • You have a decent amount of responsibility.

  • You lead small teams.

  • You generally have learned to multiply your impact beyond yourself.

  • A standard compensation packages 100 de que pais, 20% bonus target, 500 k and stock thrown some equity.

  • Refreshers put it in the signing bonus, and you're looking at 400 to 450 k and total camp.

  • And then, if you wanted to put you somewhere, you can get the Level six, which is where I was at staff software engineer, and you really need an excellent opportunity for this.

  • Sometimes opportunities just don't exist.

  • You just can't make enough impact.

  • Generally, though, you need to be leading teams of people down complete projects that are impactful, that are delivering results that impact the company's bottom line.

  • You're responsible for coordinating the success of a project cross team collaboration and coding.

  • What it is still important begins to take a bit of a backseat.

  • People may do it, say 20 to 30% 3rd time only or even less.

  • I know some level six engineers.

  • They barely even code anymore.

  • Most of the time, they're just right in design ducks.

  • They're still responsible for understanding the technical design and architecture implementation of project.

  • They're not necessarily a people manager, but they do a lot more delegation.

  • A typical salary here is 220 k pay salary, 20% bonus, a 1,000,000 stock over four years.

  • 75 case.

  • I know, throwing some equity.

  • Refreshers.

  • You're looking at 500 K to 600 k.

  • Total calm when you get the level seven or eight.

  • These air usually distinguished software engineers, well respected in their industries.

  • Well known.

  • I've met a few of them myself, and they're generally impressive all around great technical skills and communication skills.

  • So I hope that rundown gave you an idea of what it takes to succeed in South for engineering.

  • It's not just all about coding, in fact, coding ability pretty much picks up out level for and then after that is really about multiplying your impact.

  • Leading people mentoring cross team collaboration take down the initiative, leading projects to success, and this doesn't even include all the other percent benefits you might get.

  • Like Pharrell, one came matching health insurance, medical dental vision, computer equipment, free food, parties on the offsides and, best of all, free coffee.

  • Okay, so let's take a step back.

  • I remember when I used to be running my own naps and websites.

  • I would think that suffer engineers are making about 100 tape and if I could only be 100 k, then I would be good and I'd be happy.

  • And that's served me well for a few years until I realized later on, when that got into Google that most engineers there are making 200 k, if not way more than that.

  • And now I realize I am I over.

  • A recommendation is that most offer engineers tried to land the job at one of these.

  • Top their attack cos it's like a marathon, and it's something that you might try year after year, honing your interview skills.

  • So overall, the biggest mistake I see a lot of software engineers doing is that they somehow convince themselves that they don't need to work in Silicon Valley at the top there.

  • Attack company.

  • Don't say things like, Oh, the cost of living is to hide there or yeah, I don't want to work out the corrupt company like Facebook.

  • These air just giant monopolies.

  • I'm good with my current job.

  • I like my co workers, and that's all good.

  • That's great.

  • And quite frankly, I used to be like this as well.

  • I would be jaded and better at those Googlers writing their Googler buzzes, and I still kind of em, but overall I would still recommend that you give it a shot because it's going to change.

  • Your life is going to open so many doors and you can still quit after, say, a year or two and just be on your merry way with that brand name equity on your resume.

  • The last thing I want to know is I think a lot of us are focusing too much on salary, and what we're really choosing is a lifestyle, because no matter how much you're getting paid, if you're working in the company, no matter if you're junior mid level senior staff or the CEO, you're all living a very similar lifestyle.

  • You live in the same city.

  • You're eating the same food, going to the same bathrooms, drinking the same coffee, going to the same company events, living in the same city, working in the same office under the same working conditions for the same 8 to 12 hours a day that you may be there and the higher paid people are actually working even harder.

  • And maybe they just have a nicer car or nicer house or family vacations.

  • And that's pretty much about it at the salary range.

  • Everybody can afford nice things.

  • Anybody can go buy a Porsche, everyone can go out to nice restaurants.

  • Everyone can take nice vacations, Taxes eat up half their salaries.

  • And everybody is so changed to their jobs for health insurance.

  • Because health insurance is so ridiculously expensive in our country that if you decide to quit, you're just be paying through the nose for some pretty poor, weak coverage.

  • Retirement is just pretty difficult in this country.

  • And the funny thing is, any additional income you make, it may not even be for yourself, right and may just go into your house.

  • Would you pass on to your kids?

  • And didn't your kids kids just squander over in Vegas?

  • So that's the funny thing.

  • A lot of us are busy working away our lives in our 9 to 5 jobs to save up, to buy a bigger house, which is just going to be passed on to somebody who we don't even know.

  • And my piece of advice here is to just remember to enjoy that journey.

  • Pick a lifestyle that you enjoy.

  • Don't work yourself to death over a job.

  • It's not all about the money, because that game of chasing money it's always going to be there.

  • There's no end.

  • Even today.

  • I continue to chase it, so that would do for me over.

  • I just hope I inspired you to continue applying to these top tier tech companies.

  • I think it's going to be a worthwhile move, especially for some, for engineers to think a little bit about your lifestyle, to enjoy your journey.

  • If you like the video, give the like and subscribe, and I'll see you next time.

  • Thanks, bye.

Hey, Tak.

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