Why Some Tech Workers Make High Six Figures Compensation

Hello! In this video, I chat about a few factors that can impact your tech compensation!
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BUSINESS INQUIRIES
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[@Bukola1]

First Video of the year!! Let me know what videos you’d like to see this year

[@croy4268]

Hi Bukola, are you in LinkedIn?

[@AcidLite]

Great video!. Honestly, I would have found that type of pay hard to believe 2-3 years ago. The first job I got as a software engineer paid a decent amount of money but not six figured, plus the senior level engineers at that company was paying like 140k - 160k.. And that was the experience for a lot of my friends. I had some of my classmates get a jobs at Amazon, Intel, Microsoft and Google. I just assumed they were making more than me but not like way over 6 figures more haha. I recently got a new job making more then double what I was making. I was kinda shocked with how much they were paying. It was the first time I ever got Equity. I learned what that was from your video lol. Now that I am more aware of what total compensation is at some of these big tech companies, I am pretty sure those classmates are making well over 6 figures lol. Either way, please keep up the good content!

[@Zeek509]

Thanks for all the info you put out! I've worked in the logistics field for the past 7 years and would love to see more videos on how people from unrelated industries got into tech. Or even an interviews with recruiters on their criteria specifically for people making a career switch. I still have some videos to catch up on so I apologize if you touched more on this already. Thanks again!

[@cwhit6249]

When it comes to tech degrees, what would you suggest including for highly specialized skills(like machine learning, data science, etc.) or other growing tech interests?

[@zombietavern]

Thanks for the great videos! I'd be very interested in a video about how your acquire your non-technical industry knowledge. Even just the jargon that you seem to use so fluidly. I have been a junior dev / engineer for almost two years and am also interested in how to advance, what hard and soft skills would help etc.

[@diggoran]

Big tech company: “Here’s six figures, thanks for joining the team!” Housing near the company: “I’ll be taking that back, thank you!”

[@mxbx307]

Exactly. I live an hour from London and earn 20-30% less than some of my peers who are in London itself. Guess who has a car and is paying the mortgage on a proper house he lives in by himself? Hint - not them. It's actually me. Despite earning less on paper, I am more financially stable and have more disposable income. London can be done on a day trip or a long weekend - and I actually have the disposable income to enjoy it while I'm there.

[@BIG2hats]

@@mxbx307 You've done living in the UK correctly good Sir. That's why I live in Bedfordshire.

[@0Blaire0]

WFH is now changing that. I’m a dev at a big tech company and one of my coworkers worked on the road during the pandemic to explore where he wanted to move to permanently. He’s now buying a home in a “cheaper” state.

[@wittenberg5]

Simply not true. When you're making half a million a year you come out ahead any way you slice it nonmatter what city you're in.

[@diggoran]

​@@wittenberg5 Hi Tom, I work at a big 5 tech company, I live near Seattle, and after 3 promotions, I'm still nowhere near half a million a year. Those stories are definitely the outliers around here, and anyone making that much is either a unicorn or much further along in their career. For the rest of us tech workers, not even considering the majority of residents working outside of tech (!), housing is a real drain on our finances. The houses themselves are too expensive, and any apartments you live in while saving up to buy a house are priced so that they take as much of your savings away as possible. Yes, standards of living are better, but they are not 5x better to justify the 5x price hike. I will not complain about my quality of life, but I do want to point out that the housing market is tied to the incomes of the people buying/renting the homes in the area, so naturally, if there's money available, sellers/landlords will step up to take it. This is true of any industry, but property is the biggest driver of cost of living, because it not only makes your home more expensive, but it makes the store fronts more expensive for local businesses to rent as well, meaning all local businesses need to raise their prices too. It doesn't matter what they're selling, it will cost more because they need to pay their rent too. Additionally, employees of minimum wage business have to live further away to afford their homes, and naturally they would prefer not to drive in traffic to a minimum wage job they could get closer to their homes, so local businesses need to pay their employees more to keep them coming to work. This also raises the cost of living, when even the absolute cheapest fast food joints have to raise prices. For an easy example, when I moved here, I was surprised to learn that the Subway "$5 Footlong" was actually $7 here (pre-tax), and there was no extra $2 of quality ingredients inside to justify it. For a business famous for being cheap and easy to franchise, even Subway was not immune to the higher cost of living. So no, making half a million dollars a year does not mean you pocket half a million dollars at the end of the year. And you shouldn't believe everything you hear about tech salaries anyway. They're high, but not typically that high. The only smart way to take away money from this system is to save it up until you can move away. If you spend it where you're earning it, you're just wasting your money on the increased cost of living. You have to be willing to sacrifice your quality of life today to be rich somewhere else in the future.

[@guybaronti3867]

Recruiter here for a big tech company and location is no longer a factor in our compensations. Due to remote and how hot the market is, you have to pay that CA salary to the person in Ohio. Location based compensation is dying for remote tech roles. It's 100% driven by how competitive the market is right now. For example, we hired a Data Engineer for around 250k TC in Seattle, and they let us know they would be relocating to North Carolina in May of this year. If we docked their pay, they would just go look for another job, get one in less than a month (Out of Apple and Amazon) at the same comp level, but living in NC. Then we are stuck spending 2-3 months finding another person. Beggars can't be choosers, and you don't let a fantastic engineer walk away because of where he lives when you already have the budget to pay someone living in CA. Disclaimer: This is not all tech companies, but the one I work at is actually extremely altruistic and values its employees very highly. We have one of the lowest attrition rates in all of tech!

[@Bukola1]

That’s amazing to hear honestly!

[@Slov_]

which company? Im interested haha

[@segunlaja9174]

Which company 😢😮😮I'd like to apply

[@WithSandra]

I know people in big tech who make mid-6 figs with just a few years of experience and it definitely blows my mind but that's just how much companies are willing to pay, really appreciate the transparency!

[@ALCRAN2010]

What job titles?

[@lala0913]

@@ALCRAN2010 software developer

[@xavierguzman6420]

@@ALCRAN2010 most cybersecurity positions also pay that much

[@TheSoulCrisis]

@@xavierguzman6420 data scientists and data engineers also do well

[@Sushi-Katana]

Sales, Solutions Architect & Customer Success as well. The business side of tech is nice & cozy.

[@WhenInDoubt_Pink]

I’m glad that more people are becoming willing to talk about this, because it seems like if you are speaking about some of the give-and-take in the tech world then you’re a hater. But there’s ups and downs to everything🤷🏾‍♀️

[@lilrockstar77]

Yes!

[@AcePlay1000]

Negotiation also plays a HUGE role. You can get the most bang for you buck if you have offers from 2-3 companies and have them raise/match each other which if done right, you can be in the 90%+ percentile on your salary range in the market. If you don't negotiate, usually they'll put you in the 60-70 above the market median.

[@JelaniWood]

Sometimes you dont even need that. Just research and know your worth. It makes all the difference a lot of the times. A lot of people truly dont know their worth.

[@AcePlay1000]

@@JelaniWood not true. In most negotiation stages, having another offer on hand gives you more leverage and the opportunity to ask for more. Even if you know you worth and ask they'll almost always like I said put you in the mid part of the range.

[@hasaniqbal233]

@@JelaniWood can't really negotiate that hard if you don't have other options

[@TheJynx2011]

Moved to Missouri for a fine 75k/yr salary right out of college. The other offer I had was 98k/yr in New Jersey. Didn't want to live there.. happy with my choices and definitely living nicely.

[@emiv5342]

Yes to all of this! I live in a city in the south and Junior software engineers make around $65-70k starting out. Same job out in SF or NY would pay over $100k for a Junior. Just depends where you live!

[@chukukaogude5894]

70k starting in Texas is so great. (Except Austin, the cost of living there is going up as it's becoming the silicon valley of Texas)

[@itcareercoaching2623]

This is very true.

[@cxa011500]

Do they have Bachelors degrees or just certificates?

[@weicc84]

Yep... started out at 45k for nine months through a job broker. Got hired full time after doing a good job. Pay bumped to 65k. Then 94k after one year thats not counting 401k match 100% for max 6% of base salary. I lived in atlanta area which money stretches very far. 5 hours to the beach, 3 to 4 hours to ski resort, 2 hours to woodsie areas. And I have no mortgage life... eh it's just a job. There's so much hype in software development.

[@pf3820]

Same, but if you go towards more dense cities in the South they’ll pay more because there’s also more competition

[@anthonybeckford5608]

I live in Boston and it’s expensive up here (not as expensive as NYC or the Bay Area) but tech salaries are pretty good here as well. Like you said though it’s definitely a double edge sword

[@Republic1ders]

Yep, from Boston as well all my Jr. Tech/Analyst friends started right around 90k+ in the seaport area, but living in that area that 90k means little when rent/COL is like 2500+ for a 1BR in that area on average

[@louisceaseriv985]

Pro tip- most tech companies have sales training programs for undergraduates and graduates. If you graduate from the program, then you'll become an SDR and then jump to being an inside sales account manager. Inside Sales will definitely get you in the six figures. Sales is hard but every tech company needs salespeople to thrive; a career worth exploring.

[@thebossrickyross15]

She said “flavorless” 😂😂😂 NY Is where it’s at lol

[@drag-ha]

You are everything hunni. I’m not even into tech at all but I’m STILL engaged in what you have to say

[@Bukola1]

Aww this makes me happy to hear, thank you ❤️❤️

[@z.k.7472]

Showing some love here🥰🥰 honestly this video was amazing and even though I’ve been following quite a lot of tech/tech jobs content and studying CS for 2 years, some of the info/tips you gave was brand new to me! I’m one of the people who thought that “big company -> big salary for devs”…also after being reminded how much machine learning is trending rn, I’m almost set on the topic of my dissertation, so thank a lot!

[@OblongPolkaDots]

I have lived in Seattle most of my life and can attest to what you were saying regarding culture and cost of living. Excellent video! Thank you so much for sharing.

[@nadine7327]

wow! Your channel has grown so much. I am sure by end of the year you will have reached at least 500k. Congratulations for the hard work.

[@TheSoulCrisis]

There's definitely a whole host of ranges, for one many companies have "levels" for positions: SE I, SE II, SE III, Senior Software Engineer, Tech Lead, Manager, Project Manager, etc. On top of company size and culture altering pay and the location you live in (except if you're remote most likely).

[@AkinBelieve]

Your pacing is always excellent. Keep it up!

[@Smiley957]

The pay by level salaries blew my mind 🤯 Can’t wait to be done with my studies and get a job in tech

[@davidshank2906]

Thank you for making the distinction about "which employees are generating revenue for the company". I have felt for a while there is something different about companies like Google, Uber, and Netflix as opposed to Goldman Sachs, even though both employ developers. You summed up the difference perfectly!

[@zachandbro]

Very informative video. Always appreciate you giving us the straight up facts, Bukola!

[@kylacruz3733]

I'm an economics graduate and I didn't think Bukola would explain the factors like an economist would. Super love watching your videos everytime!

[@prestonrasmussen1758]

Turns out tech people tend to be very curious and analytical, and in top of that a lot of them approach understanding their compensation and marketability in the same way they try to understand tech

[@ttmoore8750]

I'll definitely be looking into my options again and start looking for the experience where needed.

[@skylosuno]

I like that you did not sugar coat anything and gave real facts. Awesome video! I am in San Diego and just landed a cloud engineering job that pays above 100k. no degree, just a GED., no certs yet, but I am pursuing the AWS associate.

[@travismorganbrown]

IT side of the house or Devops? That seems like a lot for a more entry level position

[@mariedesignz1659]

Great content as always!! Thanks ☺️

[@Bukola1]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jroseme]

I did a really bad job picking my first developer job out of a bootcamp because it paid a little extra based on my past experience in telecom...but turned out to not really be a developer position but instead a tech support position for the devices we sell where they let us develop on the side because no full time support agent has ever kept their sanity and stuck around. I found out there was no potential for a raise for at least a year after my first review (6 month mark) so my pay was going backwards due to the recent inflation. Meanwhile someone I'm close to started at 55k out of his bootcamp, jumped to a sister company for 70k 6 months later, and then left for a $100k position for a different company 3 months later.

[@Suave26]

What position would I apply for with companies that bank of software somehow?

[@tkocikrena]

I'm glad you mentioned location, as a Canadian I always see US salaries and it is a different ball game compared to here. Also great point about what the company values/where they generate revenue, didn't fully think about that before but makes sense with companies like banks compared to something like Google.

[@aglovecraft]

@@yourfavpersuasion9385 there are a good number of US companies who will hire remotely from Canada and pay much higher than any Canadian company would

[@TheSoulCrisis]

@@yourfavpersuasion9385 Doesn't Canada have subsidized healthcare, education? That means their taxes will be higher but those things being built in means their paychecks can be much smaller. I know Europe covers those areas + retirement funding.

[@f.p.5410]

@@TheSoulCrisis Yeah but, honestly, when you earn enough (and tech definitely falls in this bucket) you will have health insurance anyway, either as part of your compensation or just because you can afford it. So healthcare is kind of a moot point for high-income people. Salaries in the US are definitely higher, it's just harder to get a job if you are a foreigner because of visa issues and costs.

[@v-7815]

Lots of people also fail to understand that yeah....you might be earning a 6-figure salary BUT the cost of living where you're based in most likely eats through a LOT of that salary. Thus balancing it out compared to a high 5 figure salary in an area that not as expensive to live on.

[@begreat22]

Love the video! 1. I feel like people rely on Glassdoor too much, not realizing that it's not really accurate. 2. I think it's REALLY hard for people to imagine that a 22 year old can make $200,000 fresh out of undergrad at some companies. When in reality that's a drop in the bucket for companies like Facebook and Google are bringing in well over $1 million for each employee

[@airops423]

Yup, I'm one of those people who make $200K right after undergrad after just turning 23. I couldn't believe it myself either.

[@llwa2098]

so nicely explained! awesome job!

[@-reasoning-]

Loved this video 💯 you've added a great perspective

[@Bukola1]

Thank you 🙌

[@saltesi]

The fact that I’m up @6AM watching this as part of my morning routine. Thanks again 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@jo_yeowand]

Very informative, thank you ✌🏾

[@andreamorgan3573]

Very interesting and useful review of tech salaries!!!!

[@justind6983]

What she says is true. My previous company most of my skills weren't utilized and the primary source of revenue were not devs.. base pay was 87k for mid-level. At my new company, more of my skills are used and the devs are the revenue generators. base pay: 140k.

[@brandonhunter3036]

This is spot on! Well done 👍

[@609neo]

Very nicely and calmly explained. 👌🏼👍🏼

[@dtn6000]

Really great information here, thanks! This helps clarify why SWE compensation can be anywhere from 50k to 500k :| (and more)

[@GreenStephh]

Could you do a video on the differences to consider for software engineering and data science?

[@great-garden-watch]

Very good point about companies where tech workers contribute to revenue vs companies where they play supporting roles. This is the most important factor, I’ve found. And the salary difference can be huge.

[@allenayodejijames2840]

Nice One Bukola! Can you do a video on perhaps best tech companies for Interns! And perhaps skills required!

[@daliasour978]

Agreed that would be a really great topic!

[@joshbedo8291]

Its actually really easy just be good, communicate well, and ask for what you want. I moved to NYC when i was 19 and my first engineering salary was 100k a year. Its only doubled since then and now I'm working remote and have an agency.

[@michaels1813]

Your analysis is excellent!

[@Tiger.x801]

UR EVERY VIDEO CONTENT IS SO BEAUTIFUL & UNIQUE.💕💕 LOVE U 😘

[@ALCRAN2010]

Can you do a full remote work video? Thank you very much!!

[@Bukola1]

Yes I’ll have one out soon!

[@linuxdeveloper2325]

Great video! Thanks!

[@olu3783]

Great content and very informative, if I may ask, what software do you use for your video editing and content creation on YT?

[@manifest2203]

This is all true. My brother who works in Tech in Seattle makes 380K per year. He is around L3 to my knowledge. Thanks for the video. Best wishes to you.

[@amazingabby25]

My husband makes 380 at google as well

[@manilaspade1005]

Fabulous. Is that $380K in the W-2? Or is that stocks

[@amazingabby25]

Manila Spade it’s total comp for us. He has around 5 million in stocks promised over the next 7 years, already and it will go up

[@blackgira7056]

I agree NY is definitely diverse. When I start to work from home I will most likely be in Texas/ Arizona. A lot of high income earners live there. Cost of living is just increasing everywhere. 😩

[@yourbroquincy]

In my experience the tech salaries are real i started at 12 an hour 2 years ago went deep into cloud development started making a little over a 100k in the past year due to the shortage of Devs out there, it was so crazy that after I accepted the new job offer and I get 3-4 offers a week in cloud, offering the same figures, this may not apply to everyone but I’ve seen it personally, good luck to everyone and their careers stay curious you’ll make it!

[@compton8301]

Congratulations. Could you please share how you "went deep into cloud development"? Got many cloud certificates?

[@yourbroquincy]

@@compton8301 yeah I got the 3 AWS associates certs in about 2 years and was working on trade finance tools for lending primarily in python with lambda scripts, I got lucky and was working for a small private equity firm (originally as an intern but got promoted to a main dev) then got recruited from a bigger company for my experience and certs, I was in college and haven’t even graduated yet, the interview was 3 main questions around a certain problem and a white boarding sessions to resolve them all centered around Cloud architecture and automation and the job started out at 102k lol first task on the job was the interview problem I was asked lol!!

[@compton8301]

@@yourbroquincy Damn, that's fantastic! Thank you for responding.

[@elizaleke8373]

Do you think bachelor's degree in business administration can learn cloud also?

[@compton8301]

@@elizaleke8373 Yes.

[@oluwagbemigaoyeniran8157]

Thank you bukola!

[@joyandpeacefullaughter5307]

Your voice is so soothing 😘

[@novanoskillz4151]

yeah here in san antonio, junior developers make anywhere between $50k-$70k on average. but its also super cheap to live here. you can get a massive 5-6 bedroom home with a huge front and backyard. for like $410k, and thats in the really nice areas.

[@MakTony]

I can't speak for others, but I work for a car company located in Texas. We start around 70k

[@mxbx307]

It's a complete myth unless you're with FAANG, or doing very well for yourself out in the US. In Europe you won't get a six figure salary in tech unless you are FAANG in a major city where six figures doesn't go very far, or you're doing something *very* niche that nobody else can do (which comes down to simple supply and demand), or you are at a *very* high level of management - and again those roles are in/around big cities with an awful CoL. The highest tech salary I ever saw in the UK was £550k basic for a C++ developer on the London fintech circuit, building realtime trading applications. To be successful in that role you probably want to be near enough an actual genius.

[@coreydouglas1920]

Thanks very good info

[@nicandromartinezsotelo3300]

u gotta dig real deep into studying several different disciplines to land such salaries. On the other hand, if you look upon legacy techs like AEM, you can easily get that juicy salary given that you make your way into it.

[@captaincrazy6710]

I live in ny but i want to save up for a few years then move to some where thats cheaper and have a lot more space

[@SanskarWagley]

I work in tech and have yet to earn six figures, mostly because I've only worked as a contractor

[@girlanonymous]

But at least you will have that contractor experience under your belt then you’ll be able to get a permanent role with that 6 figure salary.

[@mediatoor]

Thanks for the video.

[@JupiterCamelz]

Northern Virginia is a tech hotspot as well! All of the world Data Centers are their. And it’s where I started my career in tech

[@JohnTube2K]

Lots great companies that are not FAANG. In did software engineering at Lockheed Martin where I got to work on things on very few get to see. Then worked at IBM the original Blue Chip where I had a great experience there. And later in my career, I worked at other non-FAANG notables.

[@ryanoliver5269]

Well Done!

[@shielamariejara9087]

Would it make difference if the company location in those 3 places offered a wfh set up?

[@Gmkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk]

VERY INFORMATIVE!!!!!!!

[@airops423]

I think CoL has a bit too much emphasis unless you are looking to settle down, start a family, purchase a house, etc. but for a young person making big tech salary, it's not a big deal.

[@vmachacek]

I didn't hear such a nice voice in a long time, so nice in fact it made me write a comment

[@aceflamez00]

NYC forever, born native here. Finishing my degree this year and hope to find something in the city

[@amoledor]

Very informative and thorough video. Gorgeous as well. Thank you!! I’m moving to tech from public service because it’s just too much stress mentally and physically. I’m getting soft in my old age but have a knack for computers

[@Boldupmotivation]

Hi Bukky. When you say tech, does these figures apply to project management positions in tech too, entry levels. What kind of salaries and compensations can a new entrant into the agile/scrum job space in tech be looking at. I live in Boston btw. Thanks

[@amazingabby25]

Following

[@cobrachannel100]

No, not project managers. Those are way easier to find than software engineers for example. Supply and demand...

[@coog2011]

Hey just a quick question… when you see a job posting on Glassdoor or on linked in and gives a salary range for that position… is the salary that is attached to those jobs usually base salary expectations or is that total compensation salary expectations?

[@Tw33tMonsta14]

Base salary

[@Bukola1]

It really depends, but from the couple job posting with salaries I saw on Linkedin it does look like base salary! I'd also use tools like levels.fyi and teamblind.com to get a better understanding of what total compensation to expect.

[@coog2011]

@@Bukola1 thanks

[@marcos223ful]

I feel Glassdoor has the most information because it also breaks down the salary from equity to bonuses. But your best bet is to always ask the recruiter for the salary band, happened to me. I expected $60k but for my area i was told $80k was starting.

[@tam6011]

Glassdoor is usually low salary wise

[@dejanahmetovic612]

Good video although I would not agree when you said if you want more money, you should move to the 3 cities you have mentioned. That does not make sense because if I live in Atlanta and I want more money I move to NY, Cali or Seattle where rent is super high so getting more money there would be eaten up by housing which then brings me back to Atlanta salary.

[@Leadnotfollow]

Do you recommend getting a Macbook instead of a Windows laptop?

[@JoeDoe1]

Thank you.

[@SegenDebesai]

Not flavorless city 😂😂😂😂 (I’m from Seattle) but will not be moving back for that reason lol

[@Bukola1]

I went for a weekend and I was shocked, I have no plans to return 😂

[@vans4lyf2013]

Yh seattle and SF are so dry, NYC is a proper city.

[@girlanonymous]

@@ColinLate I don’t think they’re talking about just food 😆

[@chisombili]

Can you please discuss some non coding related jobs in the tech industry that are interesting. Thank you

[@Zeek509]

I'd like to see what coding bootcamps actual recruiters would recommend or find acceptable on someone's resume. And how can someone market themselves on their resume coming from a totally or mostly unrelated field when they dont have any work experience in tech yet.

[@bert88sta]

I know a few bootcamps in Pittsburgh PA, and they usually are really good about getting their students decent paying co-op / internship. It might not be at a top company, but you get paid to fill your resume up until the point that recruiters no longer care that you 'only' went to a bootcamp. If I could do it over again, I would go to a bootcamp and try to find a yearlong co-op or internship position, then go full time.

[@Zeek509]

@@bert88sta Thanks for the info! What are the names of these bootcamps?

[@cet1606]

Nymphomaniac pp kpp0yyu

[@bert88sta]

The only one I remember off the top of my head is tech elevator, but he originally was from another one in the area that I can't remember

[@Zeek509]

@@bert88sta Thanks!

[@rablair1966]

I am a 155k salried individual in the Tech field. However, I am not a developer. I am a mixture of Tech BA, SME & SCRUM MASTER. Specifically in the Mortgage Banking Software area. My over all knowledge of the Mortgage industry has proven to be invauable. I am able to be the bridge between IT & the business. Talking both lagnuages is KEY.

[@jaybrown5661]

Very good video so spot on

[@bmeebmee1507]

I have a room for rent in Montréal Québec Canada surrounded with nature but only 10 to get to buy food I rent only 800$(cnd) first year the second year only cost 500$ we do gardening,eggs as well huge place to relaxing,many activities,ski,higing,fishing.

[@cbg4]

Woah, I didn’t know the bay and Seattle wasn’t diverse. I thought the bay was more diverse than New York - good to know!

[@dnwanja]

But also visit for yourself. U might have a different view.

[@vans4lyf2013]

I'm from abroad and recently moved to the bay area and was shocked by the lack of diversity too. Essentially there's lots of white and asian people here, but no black people lol. Whereas new york has every race represented quite well. I think this is what she means by diversity but I could be wrong.

[@Bukola1]

Compared to NYC, the difference was pretty stark when I visited a couple years ago! But I was mostly in SF so maybe I just didn't see enough of other areas

[@kinkyink4227]

@@ColinLate thanks cuz I live in oakland and it broke my heart when she called the bay flavorless!

[@desertflwrs]

You get diversity in the south end of Seattle, there is a large Asian population here and a sizable African /immigrant pop as well from East Africa- Somalia, Ethiopia. I guess If you’re coming from New York it may not feel diverse.

[@leoklenber5359]

I hope people don't assume everyone makes 6 figures, median is JUST below 100k. Not that it particularly matters, not sure I know anyone who wouldn't be able to sustain off of 80k.

[@girlanonymous]

Depends on where you live.

[@kristiangoranov]

Def depends on location. Do the math when ur rent is 2500 a month, subtract taxes, food and life expenses. You aren't let with much. To give perspective if you work at a hospital and have pretty much any two year degree your make well over 100k in the Bay Area. So starting at 100k I'm sf is pretty low especially after putting 4 years of college in

[@cobrachannel100]

Try living off of $80K in SoCal. Not possible, unless you live in a tent or have some real estate gifted or bought a few decades ago. In short, you have no significant mortgage payments. Otherwise, in San Diego, where I am at, I wouldnt survive off of less than $150K. Even then, I would need to cut down on a lot of activities, purchases that I like or need.

[@Pete-tc4rd]

Girl....Amazing content....

[@tonythomas4647]

New sub!❤️

[@AngelNjoku]

big facts on sf and seattle being flavorless! And it's so hard to get tech jobs in NY that aren't finance related or pay enough for new grads

[@vag4lvevo22]

I got a couple of question to asked you, 1. To what college you went to, to get you software engineer degree? 2. How long did it took you to complete it? 3. How hard was it ? And do you recommend someone who isn’t good with math to go for it? Because im interested in that field but im not good with math. And thank you. 🙏

[@chiamakabrowneyes]

Hey, Bukola didnt study Software Engineering in College. She is self taught and its so incredible how far she has come

[@zucchinigreen]

Check her previous videos. She's addressed this already.

[@toddboothbee1361]

Would you say that looking at the median income for a developer would give you a more accurate picture than mean income? Averages are often/usually misleading. Thanks!

[@Bukola1]

Yes! the data shown in the video from levels.fyi is median income there's more info here:www.levels.fyi/2021/

[@toddboothbee1361]

@@Bukola1 Thanks! Somehow I missed the opening of your video when you explained that. I think someone used my computer to watch the opening of your video so when I got to it, the video resumed where she left off. That said, I should've checked your sources. Apparently, web dev pay is actually better than I expected. Cheers!

[@contactsjones]

GA here took an SF remote role. Range still in the top

[@kayyykay]

I’ve been very disappointed by the salaries of the tech careers I’m interested in. Currently I would love to switch to data analytics but the pay is so much lower than in my current career so even though I would like the job taking a huge pay cut is becoming a deal breaker.

[@tam6011]

Go data engineering

[@ampersignia]

What are you doing where data analytics is lower? Data analyst here myself and depending on the niche (like a product analyst, reporting into an Engineering or Data Science org), the pay is slightly under a data scientist or software engineer.

[@kayyykay]

@@ampersignia So I compared salaries from salary reports, self reported salaries, and salaries listed on job posting and entry level data analyst positions appear to offer ~ $55-65k/yr. There are outliers but I’m not going to base my expectations on outliers. I typically exclude salaries from SF, Seattle, and NYC because I feel like they skew the salaries so much since those are very HCOL areas. Anyways, that’s a pretty low salary IMO but it does look like it has good potential to grow. Ultimately I would be starting in data analytics then increasing my skill set to move towards data science or data engineering.

[@celicagreen7255]

Is it possible for a person (from Spain) to work in another country (like India,thai,japan,us or anything) and vice versa? Without transferring to that country?

[@stevenroshni1228]

I don't think it's reasonable to use the words salary and compensation interchangeably. One is certain the other isn't and might even be clawed back if you quit or get fired too soon.

[@terrycrews1760]

Agreed

[@Martina_E]

True!

[@Bukola1]

I understand and I agree! It’s a mistake I made in the video, but I wanted to make it right by adding the text slide before going into the video

[@jean-sebastiengauthier4967]

I believe those salaries for devs and very highly technical technicians. But for the general "tech" like support and level 1,2,3, junior analysts --- you can DREAM of 6 figures. It will not happen.

[@mremy8813]

How is Boston as a market? I'm a developer on the business side, and good blockchain developers are rare.

[@MikeEMikenificent]

Loved this video? Are there specific technologies that are more in demand in these areas? Ex: Back-end vs Front end, ML vs Deep Learning?

[@prestonrasmussen1758]

All skills in the tech industry are in really high demand and I would try to focus on the ones you feel you’re best at or find it most interesting. It’s true that the average ML engineer is going to make more than the average front end developer, but that difference in pay is reduced or vanishes as you get good at what you do. For example, at Google the ML engineers are making basically the same as the full stack developers, and the difference in compensation comes in performance. So it’s always better to optimize for what you’re most motivated to get good at, since skill in an area will always trump how niche it is.

[@Alicilius]

Hi Bukola, love your videos! I'm going to graduate next year with MSc in Data Science and AI, but it seems nearly impossible to get an internship or entry level in this field in the US right now unless you're a real genius. I thought it would be more lucrative but its the thing where entry level requires '2-5 years of experience'. Also a lot of entry level things are outsourced to countries where its cheaper. Plus, companies tend to want only senior-lvl experience people. Im hoping i can find something in ML when I graduate but its a lot harder than I was expecting and not as in demand as a I thought. When I look at how many people applied to an entry lvl position on linkedin for example it will be like 50+ people after the posting has been up for a couple days. Anyone have advice?

[@chukukaogude5894]

I'd say lean on your teachers for references/letter of recommendations. You should have done a project right? Post it up, if you can't put that specific one up, make another project that you can. Apply to those jobs. Master's degree usually is the experience. Think of the job postings as a wish list. Nobody has all those skills. Show that you can apply your knowledge with a project and apply. Most may not reply. So don't just hone into one and wait. Apply to many. You don't have to be a genius, you just have to show you know a thing or two about your field and willing to learn! My biggest mistake was thinking I could stay in the city I was born in.

[@duncanbug]

I know it's cliche but the goal is to become more extraverted. Get referred into a company from meetups and talking to people on linkedin. Applying online you're just a number.

[@strider2k2]

Also, consider building connections with tech recruiters on LinkedIn. Their job is to help source candidates. Good luck!

[@IQuickscopeCA]

i dont agree with geogrphical payrates, it just incentivises google to get the same quality of work but pay people less who work remotely. which is the entire reason im a data analyst

[@innocentmadanhire2391]

Your fav friend is me from zim

[@jazmineworthy2311]

Hello! I began teaching myself how to code in css and javascript since I was 12. I want to get into tech, but a computer science degree is intimidating given that im so bad at math. Any advice on how to break into the industry?

[@crazylazy812]

When people make that statement I always say, “well Wal mart is always hiring”. Just take a look around I’m sure there’s a bunch of people who didn’t do something because it was intimidating or to hard.

[@RyanKOnk]

Git gud is the best advice

[@AZ-gs6hj]

Thank god I live in Seattle. Got free housing too . COL is no issue.

[@tfh5575]

i have interviews and they all are around $80k-$85k in NYC with almost two years experience. one of them was talkin bout some $52k i said huhhh? also one is offering $93k. but i’m like dang where the $200k+ at

[@reisezone4574]

do u edit your videos alone or you have hired a videographer