I am 36, w 7 YOE at Intel in AZ. Grade 8 TC around 200. Ashamed by the TC of FAANG lot but getting by. Wife has faculty offer from a university in a high COL area ( think Seattle kind of area, but with much smaller tech scene). They don’t pay much, something like 150, barely anything for a high col area. I am thinking of my options. Should I move to my wife’s place and get whatever job I can; we can be middle income with total income around 300 and cruise through rest of our life with Honda cars and cheap vacations. Or should I try to break free of Intel and try the high flying jobs in Bay Area. I am in software engineering, have been doing leetcode for a couple of months , and feel that I can get into the game.
Is 300k total household income middle-class income?? With how much minimum wage workers getting and others in not-as-demand fields earning, I think 300k is a pretty good TC for a family. You make it sound like you'll be scrapping by.
200 TC in AZ is ~300-350 in BA so don’t sell yourself short; not saying you can’t bump up your TC at all but you’re definitely not underpaid by any means
Exactly, this is definitely the top 5% income in Arizona. And u can safely retire in 10 years
I feel stifled in Intel. Back when I had joined , it had very good quality people at least in the couple of teams that I worked in. Most good people have left or are leaving , so I have no choice but to leave. Question I am mulling is , should I follow my wife and her dreams or create a new dream for myself. Both can’t happen , hence the existential question :)
Never settle for someone else's dream if you can help it 😉
Someone making 200k in Arizona can demand close to 400k/year (maybe more) in San Francisco. Location, location, location
If both your wife and you agree that being a faculty in a garbage university is a higher achievement than being an ic at Intel, then you should move with her. Otherwise tell her to cool it.
This is a good point. What do you suggest if we have a difference in opinion about this core question ? Also, how would you judge money vs sense of achievement?
Try Amazon in Tempe. You could get 240k+ at sde2 and 300k+ if you have great interviews.
I contacted Amazon recruiter and they are hiring for positions in Seattle only ... how do I find positions outside of advertised locations ? Any help is appreciated
Look on Amazon's career site. I found it that way.
AZ 200 is bay's 500
It's more like 280k for a single guy and 320k for married couple. 500k in CA is 300k after taxes.
What’s ur total house hold income in Arizona? In Arizona, 200 is pretty darn good