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I've observed the same thing regarding EE and embedded software compensation vs. pure software pay. Big difference, and very unfair feeling when you look at the

I've observed the same thing regarding EE and embedded software compensation vs. pure software pay. Big difference, and very unfair feeling when you look at the skill involved with being an EE. I'd argue that maybe EE's aren't underpaid on an absolute scale, but that software has completely different market conditions and rather, it's software people who are doing uniquely great.

tyingq 9y ago
It does feel like a bit of a weird bubble. I had one unique/rare skill (financial trading + network+ it security, basically Kerberos skills) that let me bill out at $350/hour for a short while. I was somewhat embarrassed, though grateful, about the whole thing. And I completely got that people smarter than me were billing at 5x lower rates for harder work.
vvanders 9y ago
+1 Back when was re-evaluating where I wanted to go with my career(post-gamedev burnout) I briefly considered getting an BS in EE and getting a hardware job since it's an area that interests me. Did a bunch of research and found similar things. I think it largely boils down to a couple factors: 1. Everything in hardware has to be spec'd to the teeth since re-spin of HW/Masks can easily run into the 7-figures. That means there's very little flexibility and opportunity for the "10x" EE to manifest. 2. Since everything is still heavily spec'd you get a lot of "replaceable cog in the machine effect". 3. A lot(but not all) HW is really removed from the end customer so you aren't as deeply tied with the business side of things which hurts visibility/etc. 4. Software is just more flexible which means you have a much easier opportunity to be "full stack" and not get pigeon-holed to a specific technology. At the end of the day I scratch the hardware itch in my spare time and I still find SW a ton of fun. Plus there's a ton of value in being a software dev that can speak/understand hardware language and fit it into the larger picture.
wcunning 9y ago
The bigger thing, at least among my friend group, is that some people will take a pay cut to work on something interesting/avoid doing CRUD work/etc. I feel like that's the most common reason a EE is willing to accept lower pay, though I've also generally felt that the bulk of EE jobs were in lower cost areas than the Bay or NYC, so it would be interesting to see a breakdown of EE salary by location and compare that to pure software.

tyingq 9y ago

It does feel like a bit of a weird bubble. I had one unique/rare skill (financial trading + network+ it security, basically Kerberos skills) that let me bill out at $350/hour for a short while. I was somewhat embarrassed, though grateful, about the whole thing. And I completely got that people smarter than me were billing at 5x lower rates for harder work.

vvanders 9y ago

+1 Back when was re-evaluating where I wanted to go with my career(post-gamedev burnout) I briefly considered getting an BS in EE and getting a hardware job since it's an area that interests me. Did a bunch of research and found similar things. I think it largely boils down to a couple factors: 1. Everything in hardware has to be spec'd to the teeth since re-spin of HW/Masks can easily run into the 7-figures. That means there's very little flexibility and opportunity for the "10x" EE to manifest. 2. Since everything is still heavily spec'd you get a lot of "replaceable cog in the machine effect". 3. A lot(but not all) HW is really removed from the end customer so you aren't as deeply tied with the business side of things which hurts visibility/etc. 4. Software is just more flexible which means you have a much easier opportunity to be "full stack" and not get pigeon-holed to a specific technology. At the end of the day I scratch the hardware itch in my spare time and I still find SW a ton of fun. Plus there's a ton of value in being a software dev that can speak/understand hardware language and fit it into the larger picture.

wcunning 9y ago

The bigger thing, at least among my friend group, is that some people will take a pay cut to work on something interesting/avoid doing CRUD work/etc. I feel like that's the most common reason a EE is willing to accept lower pay, though I've also generally felt that the bulk of EE jobs were in lower cost areas than the Bay or NYC, so it would be interesting to see a breakdown of EE salary by location and compare that to pure software.