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.
Move with your wife. Get her that sweet tenure. Don’t get into the rat race in Bay.
Is tenure sweet ? How about the money ?
Money and financial Independence is the true tenure
Tech Industry
10h
1089
Question about women in their 30’s?
Software Engineering Career
16h
2832
L4 Google -> 45 interviews, 5 offers, AMA
Tech Industry
10h
1028
The man I love hates me because I’m Vietnamese
Tech Industry
2h
397
What is driving the decline in Tech Jobs?
Tech Industry
3d
42691
What happens when most of your team is Indian?
What’s ur total house hold income in Arizona? In Arizona, 200 is pretty darn good