4 ms·

Woah, in all seriousness please let me know where $161k + great benefits is "hundreds of thousands" lower than similar private sector SWE jobs in total comp. I

Woah, in all seriousness please let me know where $161k + great benefits is "hundreds of thousands" lower than similar private sector SWE jobs in total comp. I will be applying today. (I'm obviously assuming you're not comparing compensation for a swe at 18F with head of BeyondCorp or something, because that would be disingenuous and you seem like a reasonable person)

mtberatwork 9y ago
"hundreds of thousands" is a bit of a stretch, but SWE w/security clearance at a small outfit will net you significantly more. Lots of tiny PO Box'd contractors around DC.
- vonmoltke 9y ago
  Funny, in 15 years as a SwE with a clearance (not in DC) I never broke $100k total comp. Also, "hundreds of thousands" is a gross exaggeration. Most software engineers nationwide don't make that to begin with.
  - mtberatwork 9y ago
    > SwE with a clearance (not in DC) I never broke $100k total comp YMMV of course, but even without a clearance you are selling yourself short here.
    - vonmoltke 9y ago
      I wasn't selling myself anything. I could barely get non-government contractors to even give me an interview, and nobody in the government space offered me anywhere near that much. I managed to get to $95k via same-company salary progression before I escaped to the private sector (and a better metro area).
vostok 9y ago
You can use Facebook's annual report to find that the average annual stock based compensation at Facebook is around $188k. That's real, liquid stock that you can turn around and sell. It's not monopoly money. Add salary and bonus and you're well over $300k in total compensation. Is it hard to believe that some are going to be hitting more than $200k above the 18F numbers? Note that we're comparing the absolute max for GS employees to the average at Facebook.
- vonmoltke 9y ago
  > Is it hard to believe that some are going to be hitting more than $200k above the 18F numbers? "Some people at Facebook" is a much smaller set than "quite a few private sector jobs", which the statement GP was responding to.
  - vostok 9y ago
    Some people at Facebook can be extended to some people at other companies too. I specifically picked a large, visible example where the information is publicly available. Perhaps GP misread "quite a few private sector jobs" as "most private sector jobs"?

mtberatwork 9y ago

"hundreds of thousands" is a bit of a stretch, but SWE w/security clearance at a small outfit will net you significantly more. Lots of tiny PO Box'd contractors around DC.

vonmoltke 9y ago
Funny, in 15 years as a SwE with a clearance (not in DC) I never broke $100k total comp. Also, "hundreds of thousands" is a gross exaggeration. Most software engineers nationwide don't make that to begin with.
- mtberatwork 9y ago
  > SwE with a clearance (not in DC) I never broke $100k total comp YMMV of course, but even without a clearance you are selling yourself short here.
  - vonmoltke 9y ago
    I wasn't selling myself anything. I could barely get non-government contractors to even give me an interview, and nobody in the government space offered me anywhere near that much. I managed to get to $95k via same-company salary progression before I escaped to the private sector (and a better metro area).

vostok 9y ago

You can use Facebook's annual report to find that the average annual stock based compensation at Facebook is around $188k. That's real, liquid stock that you can turn around and sell. It's not monopoly money. Add salary and bonus and you're well over $300k in total compensation. Is it hard to believe that some are going to be hitting more than $200k above the 18F numbers? Note that we're comparing the absolute max for GS employees to the average at Facebook.

vonmoltke 9y ago
> Is it hard to believe that some are going to be hitting more than $200k above the 18F numbers? "Some people at Facebook" is a much smaller set than "quite a few private sector jobs", which the statement GP was responding to.
- vostok 9y ago
  Some people at Facebook can be extended to some people at other companies too. I specifically picked a large, visible example where the information is publicly available. Perhaps GP misread "quite a few private sector jobs" as "most private sector jobs"?