4 ms·

You're not wrong. COBOL programmers aren't paid well AT ALL.

Taylor_OD 10y ago
I've got a uncle whose a COBOL solutions architect at a large company and he makes less than 125K. It's a decent living but he doesnt really have the ability to make a move like many of his .net based colleagues.
- Spooky23 10y ago
  For every one of your uncle, there are 10 bodyshop guys billing out at $40-60/hr.
- toomanybeersies 10y ago
  > It's a decent living It's over double the average family income in the USA.
  - morgante 10y ago
    So? Developers straight out of college can sometimes make triple the average household income.
    - vacri 10y ago
      The point is to compare yourself to the entirety of society, and not just 'keep up with the joneses' in your own special bubble.
      - morgante 10y ago
        Sure. I feel quite lucky that my particular skillset is richly rewarded. That doesn't mean there aren't underpaid software engineers. Even when their lowball salary is higher than the average household income.
        pc86 10y ago
        "Decent living" doesn't mean that you're under or overpaid for your skill set, position and responsibilities. It usually means based on your geographic area as a whole (or objectively whether or not you can sustain yourself). The median household income in the US is a "decent living" in almost the entire country, even some urban centers. Saying that 2x+ is a "decent living" is completely tone deaf.
    - amyjess 10y ago
      Depends on where you live. In SV, sure, but they have the highest cost of living in the world. In Dallas, a fresh out of college CS grad can probably expect a salary in the lower 40s. And the cost of living is cheap enough you can afford a house on that.
      - CoachRufus87 10y ago
        Where in DFW can you purchase a nice home on 40k?
        amyjess 10y ago
        I'm talking about renting, not purchasing.
      - mywittyname 10y ago
        That's a sad salary. Especially when moving a few hours away to San Antonio will yield a 20k+/yr salary increase. Even if housing in Dallas were free, it's still better to move from a financial perspective.
      - mklim 10y ago
        Really? That seems weirdly low, even with a lower COL taken into a account. In Southeast Michigan a new grad would expect to start somewhere around 60, and that's enough to buy a decent to huge house depending on where you end up living.
  - NoGravitas 10y ago
    Well over double (halfway to triple).
icelancer 10y ago
I made a decent salary as a COBOL developer (more like maintainer since nothing new was written). I was a first-year graduate making $80k+ in a Midwestern town. Senior salaries are probably hard to come by, I imagine, though...

I've got a uncle whose a COBOL solutions architect at a large company and he makes less than 125K. It's a decent living but he doesnt really have the ability to make a move like many of his .net based colleagues.

Spooky23 10y ago
For every one of your uncle, there are 10 bodyshop guys billing out at $40-60/hr.
toomanybeersies 10y ago
> It's a decent living It's over double the average family income in the USA.
- morgante 10y ago
  So? Developers straight out of college can sometimes make triple the average household income.
  - vacri 10y ago
    The point is to compare yourself to the entirety of society, and not just 'keep up with the joneses' in your own special bubble.
    - morgante 10y ago
      Sure. I feel quite lucky that my particular skillset is richly rewarded. That doesn't mean there aren't underpaid software engineers. Even when their lowball salary is higher than the average household income.
      - pc86 10y ago
        "Decent living" doesn't mean that you're under or overpaid for your skill set, position and responsibilities. It usually means based on your geographic area as a whole (or objectively whether or not you can sustain yourself). The median household income in the US is a "decent living" in almost the entire country, even some urban centers. Saying that 2x+ is a "decent living" is completely tone deaf.
  - amyjess 10y ago
    Depends on where you live. In SV, sure, but they have the highest cost of living in the world. In Dallas, a fresh out of college CS grad can probably expect a salary in the lower 40s. And the cost of living is cheap enough you can afford a house on that.
    - CoachRufus87 10y ago
      Where in DFW can you purchase a nice home on 40k?
      - amyjess 10y ago
        I'm talking about renting, not purchasing.
    - mywittyname 10y ago
      That's a sad salary. Especially when moving a few hours away to San Antonio will yield a 20k+/yr salary increase. Even if housing in Dallas were free, it's still better to move from a financial perspective.
    - mklim 10y ago
      Really? That seems weirdly low, even with a lower COL taken into a account. In Southeast Michigan a new grad would expect to start somewhere around 60, and that's enough to buy a decent to huge house depending on where you end up living.
- NoGravitas 10y ago
  Well over double (halfway to triple).

icelancer 10y ago

I made a decent salary as a COBOL developer (more like maintainer since nothing new was written). I was a first-year graduate making $80k+ in a Midwestern town. Senior salaries are probably hard to come by, I imagine, though...