For those with recent TC offers of 400+: What is your role and location? How much is base and how much in equity? And how do you filter out recruiters wasting your time interviewing for a role that isn’t even in the ballpark for TC? — I have never had a recruiter offer me any where close to 750k or even 400k as others on Blind have claimed with much much less experience. Im in Boulder and I have 25-30 yrs experience and title of Principal Engineer, although perhaps more of a Feature Lead in practice at the moment after my last job change. Before changing jobs my base was only 145k but my stock had done very well doubling my first year and in practice was making about 300k in year 4. Although recruiters would occasionally say they could get me 180-220k I mostly ignored them because my TC was already much higher. I assumed at that time they meant TC so I pretty much ignored recruiters thinking I was doing pretty well. However, after checking out levels.fyi I began to realize that recruiters were only giving me base salary and actual equity package could potentially exceed my current equity package. So I started to respond to some of the recruiters looking for more experienced engineers and although I tried not to say exactly what I was making I probably did give away a bit more info than I should have. I got a higher base at 195k and 200k equity (half in rsu and half in options). Which was less in equity then I had previously but I felt I had hit a ceiling where I was and that a job change might open new opportunities for growth and higher TC. But I think I made a mistake with my last job change. The benefits suck and UNH stock isn’t likely to experience the growth I previously experienced. I was also being groomed to be a manager before I left. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a manager. I enjoy coding and managers generally don’t code. Although Im told that you can make more in technical path I think in practice there is more competition with very few technical leaders in an organization often those who have been their from the beginning and have in depth knowledge of the organizations specific systems that unless you are joining a startup it seems unlikely you will become one of the few architects without many years at the organization and the high TC probably from accumulated equity growth. Manager seems like a much easier growth path with a manager for every team and skills that are more transferrable between companies. I suspect that most of you with high TC have taken the managerial path? What do I need to do differently to get a high TC? I honestly don’t want to work for any for any of the FANG or whatever they are called these days. My preferred programming language is Clojure and I don’t think many of these orgs are using or open to using Clojure. Should I get my old job back and transition to manager? Join a FANG and learn to love Java or php? Join a early stage startup and cross my fingers that one day they will have a successful exit?
I won’t entertain a recruiter at an unknown company unless they include bands in the pitch. Too many solid places to choose from to waste time on that.
If you have a preferred programming language and do not want to work with other languages, you will have a difficult time as an SWE.
You are a fake SWE if you can't work with multiple languages. Concepts are the same
I didn’t say I cant work in multiple languages. I currently doing scala, previous job was node service in typescript also java spring boot. My preferred language is Clojure. IMO java < scala < typescript < clojure.
IMHO, after 25-30 years, to pick up a new language, framework, concept it should take you <= 10 working days. If that’s not happening then probably you never really loved building software or being curious. I don’t work in a FAANG but am surrounded by such people who never stopped learning or trying different things.
Again imho, you have experienced wrong kind of organization(s). You as a swe — given a often ‘moving’ requirement — thinks the big scalable picture and build the best app/tool/product for your end customer. While doing so you hit technical roadblocks and solve them on your own. — what politics, trust, tribal knowledge etc have to do with that ? Obviously, if after 25-30 years of coding you could not visualize where to put your exception blocks or places where your application throughput can get hit— for example— then that’s a problem
Yes, join a FANG if you haven’t worked at one before. You won’t get in at principal level, but your TC will be greater. Eventually you’ll start getting offers like the ones you read about here.
Join faang if you want to hit $500k
I am 430k at Senior eng, non managerial, I just asked recruiter after the initial interview what the comp range was, I am remote
Mind doing a referral?
How much of that is equity and did you start with that or is that after few years of equity growth?