I was born in 1982..will turn 40 soon. I am still an IC , I feel my salary is really low. I have worked in application support /functional BA for very long (17 yrs) .. What is your story ? I feel having a lot of work experience is actually not helping me in salary negotiations and I am not able to move to mgmt as I do not have relevant experience..I hope to change this in near future by moving to a management role and increasing my salary.When I look at people younger than me at a higher role I feel I have done following career mistakes 1) not applying to faang / top tech , good start up early..I always thought I was not that smart. I joined companies where there was no career progression e.g. govt, utilities, stupid indian IT. 2) working in application support for really long without proper career planning..unfortunately, I feel in IT, application support and testing are underrated as far as salary is concerned 3) not learning cloud based technologies early e.g. AWS , Salesforce etc 4) not doing MS or MBA in 2008 - 2009 recession when I was in US ..my colleagues who did at that time are directors/ VPs at the top tech now..no one has got GC but , still earning a lot better in USD than me and have better net worth. 5) Not marrying an IT professional/ someone with similar income as mine. After having kids and older parents, mortgage to pay, we both feel double income would have been better. The milestones in my career are : 2004 - 180000(4k USD / yr) - indian salary 1st job 2007 - 67K USD - Client site in California 2009 - GFC recession, back to india with 12K USD salary I.e. 6 L INR 2013 - moved to Australia 90 K AUD 2022 - 180 K AUD including benefits I see most of my friends/ batchmates in with similar TC and role ..IC, tech lead ..a few are staff engg or program managers at FAANG.I know I am not the only one in this situation but just wanted to write this for those who are younger than me. Please let me know your TC story / comments. Thank you.#it #engineer #career #TCstory
Im on the younger side of your range. My career was stalled in my younger days thanks to bad management. Then I moved and worked my way all the way up to Director. Decided that with young kids the stress and extra TC just wasn't worth it so now I'm back to IC and loving it. My advice, the grass isn't always greener. Try not to compare yourself. And if there really is something you want to change, you have the power to do so, if you just dedicate yourself to it.
SAS thanks - I feel IC roles are mostly tactical and doesn't earn you much $ and job satisfaction/strategic impact ..what you hated about director role ? ..it feels from outside it is all just communication and coordination..
Definitely true that above first line manager it is mostly communication and coordination. As an IC you can go home at the end of the day knowing whether you've done your work or not. At the higher roles you are responsible for everyone's work and when people are involved there's always a problem to fix or conflict to mitigate. It's nice only worrying about myself for a change.
I was moving really fast in my early career ended up 1 level below VP and then suddenly life not worth living due to so much stress and constant cat fights and politics. Take a huge career switch and became a lowly IC then now senior engineer, life is much better as IC, grass looks greener on other side but it is often not.
Yes but IC = less pay ..how to earn more then in a salaried job/ corporate world ? I know ICs get paid well in top tech like yours but unfortunately this is not the case with other companies in the industry.
you understand more money = more stress, just balance it out, to me I value wlb and less stressful life even at expense of lower TC
Reading your comments I must suggest you that job is not the only way to make more $$$. So you remain an IC, diversify your income streams slowly and still lead a good life. Not every person is destined to be the ceo svp or vp. Get into your comfort zone whether it's IC or mgmt role and keep cruising from there.
It’s not always true that ICs earn less than Mgmt. I’ve seen higher level, specialised ICs earning more than people directors
E.g of such IC roles ? Software architect / scientists?
Only Software Engineer, the only IC to beat management track
@OP, its the same story for many of us. I let go my AUS PR and chose to stay in US with constant fear of recession, job loss and having to leave country! If you had come to a US Faang for more TC, you would be going through this anxiety through prime of your youth! Everyone has a story with its own challenges !
Yes i agree...if I would have come to the US , today my net worth would have been a lot more.My net worth is $400K. I know I have Australian citizen and stability in terms of immigration status which I am grateful for.
IC E6. I like it. Not looking to be an M1 for now.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, comparing yourself with others and playing the violin here, figure out what makes you happy and work towards it.
Amazon- sorry , comparison is not the motive ..sorry if you felt that way
Born 1982 as well, started 2004 with 108000 INR, moved to US with 55k in 2007. Did all sort of things including contracting, now still an IC but with 450k TC. Each of us have a different story and trust me yours is way better than 90% of the people at your age, enjoy!
Microsoft- thanks. If you don't mind me asking, what is your title and location please. I agree. If I'd have things differently, would have been better for my career that's all ..yes I do count my blessings every day.
Seattle, principal sde
Doesn't feel that long ago that 1982-1987ers were older kids in my elementary school who didn't let me play soccer with them because I was too young. Now to think they are almost 40... damn.
Yes and soon we will retire..time files
Next time you visit India, take public transport in the morning and look at the people around you.
Google- read this book ..https://youtu.be/oHlA35MZg7w ..thank me later
Salesforce - look up and read about stoicism. Thank me later. Hustle culture and comparing yourselves to others will not make you fucking happy or reflect favorably on your life when you are on your deathbed.