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Fair point about state/local. My statement about FAANG was based on some napkin math I did with regard to published rates for certain labor categories by some b

by dimmke 6y ago

Fair point about state/local. My statement about FAANG was based on some napkin math I did with regard to published rates for certain labor categories by some big contracting companies on some vehicles they were a part of. But even doing a quick comparison, levels.fyi estimates about $160 - 180k cash compensation for new hires for FAANG. GS-15 Step 3 in DC is 150k. Plus excellent government benefits. It's spitting distance at least.

jolux 6y ago
Point taken, but I think that's probably a best case scenario for government IT in general. I am lucky enough to work for a state-level 18F-alike that has the latitude to pay people market rates, but looking at what my coworkers outside of my direct org get paid I often feel incredibly guilty.
minhazm 6y ago
USDS isn’t going to hire a new grad at GS-15. Also government benefits are not as good as FAANG benefits. Also GS-15 is the absolute max. 2 yrs at FAANG and your comp will be closed to 220-250k, which is already passed the absolute max you can get paid on the government pay scale.
- dimmke 6y ago
  I wasn’t really talking about direct government roles when I made that comment. I was more talking about what the government shells out to contractors for programming jobs which as many have pointed out is the vast majority of programmers that get hired to do work for the government. And admittedly, it is a little hyperbolic. I don’t have actual data to directly back it up beyond some research I did earlier this year. But FAANG really represents the most you could get paid as a software engineer and it’s pretty clear to me that these salaries are at least average/middle of the road. There isn’t some widespread low pay issue for software engineers doing this kind of work.
gbh444g 6y ago
FANG pays 450-550 to someone with 10 yoe. GS-15, on the other hand, requires a PhD and even if it's reachable within 10 years, pays only 180.
- acdha 6y ago
  A GS-15 doesn’t require a PhD but it definitely requires considerable experience.

by dimmke 6y ago

jolux 6y ago

Point taken, but I think that's probably a best case scenario for government IT in general. I am lucky enough to work for a state-level 18F-alike that has the latitude to pay people market rates, but looking at what my coworkers outside of my direct org get paid I often feel incredibly guilty.

minhazm 6y ago

USDS isn’t going to hire a new grad at GS-15. Also government benefits are not as good as FAANG benefits. Also GS-15 is the absolute max. 2 yrs at FAANG and your comp will be closed to 220-250k, which is already passed the absolute max you can get paid on the government pay scale.

dimmke 6y ago
I wasn’t really talking about direct government roles when I made that comment. I was more talking about what the government shells out to contractors for programming jobs which as many have pointed out is the vast majority of programmers that get hired to do work for the government. And admittedly, it is a little hyperbolic. I don’t have actual data to directly back it up beyond some research I did earlier this year. But FAANG really represents the most you could get paid as a software engineer and it’s pretty clear to me that these salaries are at least average/middle of the road. There isn’t some widespread low pay issue for software engineers doing this kind of work.

gbh444g 6y ago

FANG pays 450-550 to someone with 10 yoe. GS-15, on the other hand, requires a PhD and even if it's reachable within 10 years, pays only 180.

acdha 6y ago
A GS-15 doesn’t require a PhD but it definitely requires considerable experience.