Amazon Pathways Ops L6 Vs Tech L6 Salary
Folks, I joined Amazon Pathways Ops program (L6) last year. I am surprised by the huge salary differential between Tech and Non Tech at the same level. Any other Pathways here feeling the same (underpaid)? For people who don't know about Amzn Pathways program, most of the folks in this program have worked/experience in leading tech companies (avg 5 years experience) and hired from Top B schools after completing masters, so fail to understand such big gap in salaries? Thoughts? #Amazon YOE: 6 TC: 185K 130K (Base)+ 80K (Sign on bonus, 50K on joinging & 30 K on completion of 1 year) + 95K (RSU over 4 years)
Interesting
For anyone nontech who works at a tech company, I recommend taking a basic coding class to pick up empathy for why tech gets paid so much more.
I can tell you that PMing is in no way an easier job than coding. If anything, I can tell you that SDEs have less empathy towards other roles than the other way around. The primary reason for the salary delta is the demand supply gap. Usually, there is maybe 1 PM required for 7-8 devs and this drives the salary difference. (source - I have done both SDE and PM roles, not SDE at Amazon though)
I hear ya, I've done both as well. Challenges on the two sides for sure. My comment was more for our friends in ops and ex MBAs who expect to be compensated like tech.
This is such an entitled post. OP, you need to cool it. First of all, pathways is a ridiculous program to get you to L8 within 4 years. Nothing else at amazon offers that. Then as a L8 you can transfer to a director program management job at corporate and 4x your pay. Top B school candidates by the way do not go to Pathways, they go to leadership development roles in retail or AWS. The program you are in recruits heavily from junior military officers with no corporate experience and pays accordingly. It also has a 80 percent attrition rate so good luck. Btw, in most corporate roles with 6 YOE, you would be a L5 IC or maybe a L4. You certainly aren’t raising the bar at L6.
I am in this program, and while you are right about the L8 trajectory being unique, you make ops sound like some cakewalk that's only there for bottom of the barrel MBAs. That is deeply inaccurate. My cohort had MBAs from the top programs in the world, and quite a few people from top engineering masters worldwide as well. Your "military" reference is an entirely separate pathways stream that recruits military folks, and they are valued for their experience and leadership. MBA/MSc pathways are valued for their technical expertise, and are only able to go from L6 to L8 in five years because they have been able to deliver on that premise. OP might be off with trying to value ops I'm the same league as tech, fair. But you are way off base as well.
Easy champ. Part truth part farce. 80% attrition is false. operations attrition is much much much lower than Seattle. and directors of program management don’t make 4x from Ops. Is their TC 1.4 - 1.6MM. Nope. Wrong again. That said, OP tech roles make a bit more but pathways is the best spot to promote to L8 quickly and the growth is fantastic.
How much does a L8 OPs director make?
What are you categorizing as tech ? If by tech you mean, SDE, then yes, the salary range is significantly different because there is a supply demand gap out there in the market. If by tech you mean PMT, then I can tell you that campus hire pay for PMT isn’t very different to the Pathways pay, about a 10%ish delta I would say.