4 ms·
So my impression is largely a bay area/silicon valley impression, every time I try to work elsewhere, people start asking for degrees, which I don't have, and t
by lsc 8y ago
So my impression is largely a bay area/silicon valley impression, every time I try to work elsewhere, people start asking for degrees, which I don't have, and they also mention that they pay dramatically less. Or, at least, that is my experience, with the jobs I have been offered.
My perception is that salaries for direct-hire software engineers at top-tier companies have gone way up in the last ten years or so. My impression is that contractor wages are... keeping up with inflation.
Also note, my perception is that contractor interviews have not gotten much more difficult at all, while direct hire interviews have practically become contests of endurance; like you are expected to spend like 5x as much time on a direct hire interview than, say, 10 or 15 years ago, while you can do a contract interview over a long lunch.
Companies also seem to be okay paying Engineers very significant sales-style performance bonuses (in fact, this is where almost all of that increase in pay has come from) and this really helps them keep the gamblers; the people like me who jump every few years 'cause someone offered 20% more. (I mean, the bonus system is another system you need to learn to game, but it's not harder than the interview system.)
My speculation (and I'm totally unqualified to speculate on sociological trends, but you asked.) is that something has changed, and the cultural prestige of the Engineer has gone way up, and that this has changed management's willingness to spend directly on Engineer compensation.
- Aloha 8y agoMy last contract job, I was hired sight unseen, with only a cursory technical interview, that mostly established I could breathe.
- halfastack 8y agoThat was my experience as well. Needless to say, I was woefully unprepared for the job, but that also meant I have learnt a ton of interesting things.
- WalterBright 8y agoA contractor can be let go on a moment's notice, so there is much less risk of a bad hire than a direct. So no need to expend the effort on an interview.
- xfitm3 8y agoWhat do you do where a degree is critical? I've never even been asked about my education in over 20 years.
- lsc 8y ago>What do you do where a degree is critical? I've never even been asked about my education in over 20 years. I am a "linux systems administrator and programmer" in silicon valley, me too. I mean, I'm sure that my lack of a degree gets my resume binned some places, but almost nobody mentions it, and there are plenty of jobs where they clearly don't care; I don't have trouble finding work. My experience is that if I try to get a job outside of silicon valley (and especially if I try to get a job outside the USA) my lack of credentials becomes a big issue. Part of this is cultural, I think, though a lot of it has to do with work visas. As a US citizen, I can vacation most places without too much trouble, but I still need to jump through hoops if I want to work elsewhere, and if I want to get a 'skilled worker' visa, they usually expect a degree.
- 0xADEADBEE 8y agoThanks for the insight. I've experienced British, Australian and New Zealand contract markets and contracting is far and away the only way to get even close to Bay Area salary levels so I'll be watching this trend closely. I really appreciate you commenting; thank you.