How To Become A $500K-Per-Year Software Engineer

It's no secret that software engineers make a lot of money. But some software engineers make $500K per year and even more. In this video, ‪@RahulPandeyrkp‬ and I explain exactly how some software engineers are able to command such high salaries.
Check out the video we recorded on Rahul's channel about why the best software engineers leave FAANG: • Why The Best Engineers...
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[@Khari99]

Clement, I love your videos, but I don't agree with this one. I've been developing for 9 years now. Not trying to rant against this because of how my own career has played out. But the landscape of the jobs today max out at around 250k, and even those are extremely difficult to land. Most jobs are paying between 130k-180k for experienced engineers. There may be some jobs that pay higher than 250k but they're generally putting up insane numbers of experience to even be considered (15-20) or they require you to live in Silicon Valley which is a joke cost of living. Most of these companies aren't big tech FAANG companies. They're mostly SAAS, consulting agencies and smaller corporations with even smaller engineering teams. I've talked to fortune 500 companies that have said 200k is a lot for them to offer people. The point I'm getting at is that the types of jobs you're describing are in the 1% of the 1% of the 1% of the industry. And I get the urge to sell the dream to a lot of up and coming engineers, but this is not attainable for 99.99% of engineers because they will likely not work at a company that even offers that much. And even for those that are able to get into FAANG companies, job security is far from guaranteed even with high levels of output. The best people could hope to do to break that 200k barrier realistically is to work multiple jobs remotely and even that can wear down the best of people. It doesn't feel responsible to put FAANG companies as the roadmap for people for a "how to" video when realistically, maybe 1-3 people will ever be able to replicate this. The other route of picking a start up that just so happens to make it to a large evaluation by getting equity and praying that its worth something one day while simultaneously praying that the startup doesn't run out of funding or lays you off before you can cash out your equity due to "budget cuts" is equally as unlikely. Now I'm not trying to sound pessimistic about everything. I know software dev is a viable way to make 6 figures a year. I've done it myself. But I don't think that using this example for a career path is anywhere near realistic. Frankly, even with the rate of startups failing, I think its more realistic for a dev to make this much starting their own SAAS company like you have. The reason I wanted to watch this video as an experienced engineer was to figure out if there was anything I could do to make advancements in my career and the answer being "get paid more from your company" is not really viable no matter what amount of work I put in. The "just get another job" approach isn't really viable either for the reasons I mentioned before. I was hoping to see ways that I can better leverage my skills.

[@leotravel85]

Paragraphs exist. Just sayin

[@clem]

I very much appreciate this comment! And I agree with parts of it, but I would argue a few things: 1) The two high-level ways to become a $500K+/year software engineer that we covered in the video are ultimately still valid, even if they might be very difficult to achieve (statistically and empirically). And they are effectively the *only* ways to become a $500K+/year engineer (aside from starting your own business as an engineer, which is equally difficult, if not more so). 2) I disagree that they require you to live in Silicon Valley. Perhaps they do require you to live in the U.S. (we should have indeed mentioned that in the video), but even in lower-cost-of-living areas like Denver and Austin, you can land very high-paying engineering jobs at the L6+ level. And also, while I'm not a fan of Silicon Valley or New York City (the two highest-paying cities in the U.S.), having a $500K+/year job in those areas does trump their high cost of living quite a bit. 3) As far as actionable advice that you could follow to make advancements in your career (without actually knowing where you currently stand), I would say that doing everything you can to become an L6+ engineer *is* the advice. If you're currently working at a company where you can tell that L6+ isn't compensated nearly as much as it could be, then unfortunately, the follow-up advice is indeed to "just get another job [at a higher-paying company]" (this will *literally* dictate how high your income can go more than anything else). You can also use a competing offer to negotiate a higher salary from your existing company, if they simply need a fire to be lit under them in order to compensate you more. And then, do everything you can to have the most impact at the new company or the existing one and keep getting promoted. I hope this clarifies things a little bit, and thanks again for the comment!

[@clem]

@@leotravel85 🤣😂

[@Khari99]

@@leotravel85 It wont let me edit it now smh. I guess I should be applying to KZbin lmao

[@Khari99]

​@@clem The last point of yours is the only one I still can't really wrap my head around. I was unfortunate enough to be caught up in the tech layoffs back in early Jan/Feb. I was lucky enough to find some part time contract work to get me through, but I have been scanning all of the job boards for the last few months like a hawk so when I'm talking about the average salaries, I'm referring to everything I've seen. I've only seen maybe 3-4 jobs that pay 300k+. And for the ones I have seen, a lot of these companies pay based on where people are located. Mind you, this is out of hundreds and hundreds of job listings. One I just spoke to a recruiter for said that they will pay 230k in California but cap out at 170k In Maryland for example. I've just never seen these higher salaried positions posted really anywhere. Corporations that do pay that type of money certainly don't advertise it. Thats why it makes the whole "get a new job" thing difficult because 99% of people are only going to transitions to jobs they find open on the market and if most companies are maxing out at 180-250, I don't see how someone is supposed to reasonably find a place that is offering more than that when its impossible to know where these jobs exist since the higher pay is not advertised. Say you were one of these engineers that got laid off making that much money. If you try getting a new job saying that you made 500k at Meta, most places would look at you crazy and turn you away even if they are Fortune 500 companies that can afford it. Now if I saw job postings that were > 400k, even if I saw like 5 of them in the past year or so, you probably wouldn't have got a comment from me in the first place. But I didn't even see those before the economy fell. Its really only a handful of big tech companies that these opportunities even exist at. At least thats just been my experience. Either way, I appreciate the work you do.

[@my_yt666]

Impossible with 0 FAANG engineering openings in the EU/EFTA and 758994 eligible H1B registrations in 2023... it's an US-only option for the foreseeable future. Only way for Europeans since May 2022 is to become a successful founder (probably without venture capital), fight for the same 5 quant positions in London/Amsterdam or just hope to win the (H1B) lottery next year. Thumbs up if you think you missed the train, too.

[@cogs11]

With SVB collapse, its unclear if venture capital will be easy to come by.

[@krmunoz2169]

@@cogs11 I'm going to tell you a secret but a lot of EU entrepreneurs are thriving in South America because here you're valued because EU.

[@johnsmith2956]

It's possible to do ~200k$, working 40-45 hours per week in Europe in Software Engineering in high paying fields, such as automotive, as contractor. It's probably way harder than in US tech, though. Some US companies hire very specialized EU SWE freelancers for 100$+ per hour. Really rarely though

[@mr.mystiks9968]

Demand for jobs goes up and down. Where were you when hiring went down at the beginning of the pandemic? VC Funding might actually accelerate your progress on a startup. But is this a US option only? Yes, pretty much.

[@sandysandilya3852]

Um are you bots ? 😳

[@xvoidee]

> How To Become A $500K-Per-Year Software Engineer Live in a country where you can invest, buy-sell shares, etc. Base salary still will be 150k-250k depending on location.

[@remixisthis]

In US, higher level SWEs will DEFINITELY make at least $300k including RSUs at FAANG. If you transition to certain startups you can potentially get more. I know several people in FAANGs who did this

[@cogs11]

True and you have to be based in a high cost of living area. Also being in the US has an advantage.

[@ggg-ox3hr]

Clement talks a lot about gold and wants us to forget that he sells the pickaxes.

[@coderider3022]

Answer : move to country where wage inflation and living costs are much higher than rest of world. I don’t think you can really compare salaries and not factor in location and living costs.

[@cogs11]

100% also covid related stock boom is a one off event IMO and META had had several layoff rounds. Your position is not secure.

[@archmad]

not entirely true, you can move to cheaper country but the price for electronics, boats, cars, etc are the same as the wealthy places.

[@anouar-fadili]

​@@archmad I agree with you, maybe in a low-cost living country, you will pay less in rent, food and transportation... But the cost of owning a car or latest phone is HUGE.

[@mr.mystiks9968]

If you think that making $250K+ or $500K+ makes you struggle in the USA due to cost of living, you need a reality check. Families live off $50K a year. Wake up.

[@sunnyk007]

​@@mr.mystiks9968 family of how many live on 50K a year? And how much are food, transport, healthcare, mortgage, school costs, bills etc.

[@hinskwok5385]

Entry level FAANG SDE in Seattle makes 160k USD where makes 160k CAD in Vancouver, just 3 hours drive from one city to another, 30% differences. Man, it really depends on which country you live in.

[@RahulPandeyrkp]

What should we talk about in our next collab?

[@KillasStayFly]

Enjoyed the interview, one thing though, I found the video a little jarring with the cutting back and forth, and would’ve preferred a split screen setup. The way it is now feels like the questions and answers were filmed separately lmao Again, loved the video

[@TomNook.]

He's the real ex Facebook ex Google tech lead

[@youssefessid106]

If there is sthg i like abt this guy it's that he is up to date and knows what to cover as a topic and knows who to bring as youtubers i watched that guest a few days ago and here i find him again good job Clément

[@faruzzy]

Be proactive instead of reactive.

[@rogerdoger303]

Have you read, Art of Computer Programming, by Donald Knuth? Any opinion here?

[@shatexposure4467]

You were only an engineer for 3 years dude. When was the last time you even developed?

[@lardofthedance4394]

Hahaha, don't be rude

[@Nonsense116]

These titles and thumbnails are reminiscent of techlead videos. Throwing big numbers out there to get eyeballs. Really embarrassing. I used to love this channel back in the day

[@leotravel85]

Clickbait

[@i_am_acai]

How? His answer is to get lucky with startups, or get promoted to staff+ by expanding scope and more impact

[@amjads8971]

How the hell he makes that much let on h1b? Totally disagree with this person sorry

[@prostokrasavchik8837]

Compared to what you described at 7th minute, I impacted 300 engineers in the org, saved them hours on a daily basis, and guess what's my level at Amazon - just middle engineer (L5)

[@machinelearningid3931]

this is really inspiring, thank you soo much

[@last-life]

Like what's the point when everyone was like "I did this but don't do it any more". There obviously is some aspect that no one enjoys hence quitting this golden paycheck

[@yash33888]

Thank you Clement 😊

[@MatthewRobinson3]

When it comes to the world of investment, most people like me don't know where to start from. I really need guidance

[@dagame614]

Wow! I'm currently on my fourth peddle with Mrs Nancy Williams Laplace also. She's the best! the expertise of a crypto proficient who work in a registered crypto platform is what you need for making profits.

[@Jamiewhite663]

What a coincidence!! Mrs Nancy Williams did help me too, trading has been going smoothly for me as I've been able to raise over almost 2 BTC when I started at 5k in my first deposit last year

[@MatthewRobinson3]

​@Butter smart Where can I contact Mrs Nancy Williams please?

[@OwenMaureen]

​@Ezra Anderson Mrs Nancy Williams is the real deal when it come to trading. Lot of testimonies in Canada

[@MatthewRobinson3]

​@Butter smart Thanks for sharing her contact information. Texting up right away!

[@MatttKelly]

Litterally starts the video off saying FAANG or luck. GGGGGG BOYS

[@justinoleary911]

If you work that hard at creating 800k in value for a company you should be able to start your own google or meta and make 800 million

[@younesslaoui8327]

Then stfu and do it

[@OakQueso]

no lmao

[@anildangol]

I really appreciate your videos but can you please more videos which are bit realistic and not just FAANG companies? There are life outside of FAANG.

[@fluffingfluff]

The only take away from this video is this "you need to be lucky". I don't mean to offend this gentlemen working for facebook, but let's be real, everything Facebook has built sucks big time. So it's definitely not skill based.

[@dipanjanmandal1771]

THANKS FOR THE VIDEO SIR

[@eonryan8491]

5:08, 5:53

[@boot-strapper]

just get 2 or 3 jobs. easy

[@Metachief_X]

“Be lucky”

[@demonwaterdemonwater4993]

You just apply for it

[@yodude2493]

Man, I have the worst way of pronouncing words.

[@harispapadopoulos4295]

Clement with the back to back content 😎

[@paulsinih7404]

It's terrible clickbait content

[@galdamez3]

Business is slower on the Algo platforms this year, but he hasn’t said by how much.

[@HalloBro393]

did rahul panday go to any uni? if yes, then which one?

[@mecanuktutorials6476]

I think he went to Stanford according to his KZbin channel

[@kamal-hassan]

This man is not aware of the world. AI is here bro

[@mattiaslp9645]

so what? you just gonna sit at home and cry? the males of this generation have zero ambition and scared of everything. no wonder these women don’t like y’all lol.

[@christersmith5470]

Basicallly, act like a consultant.

[@mattmuyres7720]

does he have a mouthguard in his mouth?

[@demonwaterdemonwater4993]

I singed up fo a job that had that but then I like couldn't find the they called me I forgot the name

[@clem]

Check out the video we recorded on Rahul's channel about why the best software engineers leave FAANG: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqC7gZ19e5iasJo

[@whiteF0x9091]

I always laugh and click like as soon as u start shamelessly advertise ur algoexpert company! damn u always get me @clement !

[@SachinSharma590]

Clickbait

[@pedroluiz2741]

the only bad part of those videos is that they are too short :( wish this was an entire podcast

[@shartjen]

Great video showing how scope and initiative can impact on your career path. And amounts aside, it shows how you can excel at your dev job and what kind of mindset can help you get foward. If your code can improve productivity of 20+ other developers you produced substantial gains to your company as a whole and the initiative of searching out a problem and finding a great solution will make you stand out in colding but also in general. Great highlight. Read other comments doubting if you can really reach those 500k, though this matters less I think. When you show this mindset considering scope and showing initiative successfully, you will max out your pay anyways, whatever the precise number will be in your case/situation.

[@i_am_acai]

Left out the quant companies

[@amingaming6754]

Bro can I make that much as a software engineer working remotely