I moved from Midwest to Bay area for a compensation of 105k with 3 years of experience as a backend Java Engineer. I came to know that my colleague with 2 years exp has 120k compensation. Should I work silently and look for a change or talk to my manager.
105k for a Java engineer in the bay area is far too low. Start looking.
Like every job I've ever had, prove your worth and ask for a raise. Make it impossible for them to say no...
I started fresh out of college 2.5 years ago at over 100k as a Java dev. You certainly could be making more.
Look up market price, subtract 15-25%. That's considered 'ok.' Look up "prevailing wage requirement" or "pwr" and what the government expects to pay immigrants who get a Green Card - it should be based on location and title/responsibility, which is much more accurate than volunteered salary aggregates. Why? It becomes legally binding wages once someone gets a Green Card. Aggregate sites will give you a sense of range, but no concrete amounts. It's a good pulse check. If you have a hunch it's too low, reneg. For what it's worth, the newbies probably came at a time when the company was desperate and offered additional pay. They probably had referrals. They probably negotiated. Don't rely on these to determine fair market pay.
Ask for a raise, obviously don't mention coworker. If you don't get one, it doesn't hurt to get another offer and decide then...
How long have you been there? How good are you compared to your colleague?
been there for a month now. I would rate myself at par with my colleagues. I am learning GO for this new job and they have been working on it for two months now.
If this was your first job in the Bay, I'd start the conversation now, and see what happens in a year