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I joined Amazon as an SDE 1 in early 2015. I was promoted to an SDE 2 in q4 2016. I just was promoted this year to SDE 3. Hard work, navigating to the right pr
by stella_r 8y ago
I joined Amazon as an SDE 1 in early 2015. I was promoted to an SDE 2 in q4 2016. I just was promoted this year to SDE 3.
Hard work, navigating to the right projects, and managing both upwards and down... senior and junior people on my part... I feel a bit ripped off. I'm not sure I would have wanted to get promoted knowing where my comp now falls.
The thing I'm unhappy about is that my target comp isn't actually that much more than where it already was as an SDE 2.
Without going into specific numbers, what Amazon does is if the stock value goes up, you only reap the benefits insofar as your existing grants are worth more. That means if you're above the target comp they assigned you, then you get no additional stock.
My job role as an SDE 3 has changed. I have more responsibilities and the influence I built as an SDE 2 has solidified. It's not easy by any means.
I'm going to just a bit longer as there is some initial vest that's wrapping up early next year... and then I go somewhere else.
My total comp this year is upwards of $250k because of the stock appreciation, but basically I got shafted with the promo raise. My salary and total comp didn't increase. I'm just reaping a higher stock price of vested shares.
Edit
In response to the article
>A warehouse worker hired now at Amazon who stays until retirement would leave with a fraction of that.
A buddy of mine works at the NYT in a tech role. NYT isn't doing anything different than Amazon. It takes a lot of nerve to write these kinds of articles... Hypocrisy at its finest.
- jrmg 8y agoMy total comp this year is upwards of $250k, but basically I got shafted Only in our industry...
- chii 8y agoIf the person did 1 mil dollars worth of work, but only got compensated a quarter of a mil, isn't that getting shafted? Just because the numbers are bigger, doesn't mean it is less deserving of being fair.
- mirceal 8y agoNope. You need to make more than you’re paid (on average of course). If this does not happen it does not make sense keeping you around.
- biocomputation 8y ago> My total comp this year is upwards of $250k This attitude is why there's been so much pushback against tech in places like San Francisco and Seattle.
- patrickg_zill 8y agoCurious about how many hours you would say you work each week? Or how many total hours per year? A normal 40 hours per week is usually seen as about 2000 hours per year.
- CydeWeys 8y agoThe exact definition of a full time salaried position, as defined by the federal government, is 2087 hours per year, FYI. Why such a weird number? Because it takes leap years into account: 365.24 × 5/7 × 8
- bildung 8y agoIs there no legal minimum number of paid vacation days in the US?
- hiram112 8y agoNo
- boomboomsubban 8y agoThere is no required paid leave in the US. No paid vacation, no paid sick leave, no paid parental leave. *edited a typo.
- leesalminen 8y ago> paternal Parental? Maternal leave is also unpaid AFAIK.
- boomboomsubban 8y agoI think I typed parental and went "no, the other one" and changed it to paternal. My mistake.
- leesalminen 8y ago
- CobrastanJorji 8y agoFirst, back up a second and appreciate your position. You were an SDE 1 in 2015, and you're an SDE 3 now. You're making over a quarter million a year. Your career is on a rocket trajectory. Most SDEs don't ever even make it to 3. Should you leave? Yeah, probably, but only because that's my general advise to most Amazon SDEs. Many (but certainly not all) of the teams there are not super fun to work for. Odds are you'd be happier at any given alternative. Maybe your team's great, but you seem pretty unsatisfied, so yeah, leave. Should you leave because of the money? Probably not, no. You're at the bottom of a new pay grade. You'll probably be making more over the next couple of years, and if you're on track to Principal, whoo boy is there money there. On the other hand, they say a recent promotion is a great time to quit. Go interview with Facebook or whoever and see if they'll pay more for an Amazon SDE 3 than Amazon will. Who knows, maybe they'll even buy you your unvested shares.
- _cs2017_ 8y agoGenerally, every American who makes less money than they deserve, has two choices: (1) Find a way to make more money. (2) Appeal to the sense of fairness to get sympathy from the community. Sadly, according to US federal law (4 U.S.C. §§ 888), anyone who earned a total compensation in excess of 7 times national average individual median income, loses the right to option (2). Any attempt to exercise it will result in penalties such as heavy downvoting and ridicule on social media. If not for these harsh legal restrictions, I would have offered you my very sincere sympathy and words of support. The good news is that with your fast career progression at Amazon, and willingness to work hard, you will likely significantly increase your compensation when you enter the job market again.
- anticensor 8y agoIn the US, one earning more than 7 times national average income cannot accept gifts at all? Have I read right? "4 USC 888" does not exist.
- aaron_oxenrider 8y agoIt's a joke using a very dry sense of humor. The mix of cultures on this site make that hard to pick out at times but this one is wholly a joke. As you found, that is not law.
- _cs2017_ 8y agoI didn't say anything about gifts, sorry for any confusion. Please feel free to send gifts! By the way, I also happily accept gifts myself :)
- anticensor 8y agoI refuse all kinds of gifts, except for information and knowledge material, from anyone except my immediate family. I also do not gift anyone who may have a business or personal relationship with me now or any time in the future.
- kkarakk 8y agothe only reason this is downvoted is because of "you make so much money, be grateful and stop whining" and I feel like it shouldn't be.