4 ms·

I think callahad's post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27913251 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27913251) explains it quite well. You're in the firs

I think callahad's post (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27913251 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27913251) explains it quite well. You're in the first modal distribution of local companies. You can make a big jump making it to a local company that does broader benchmarking, or move to a global company that allows remote work like Twitter (unless you're happy to move near to London of course). My first salary as SWE in UK at a bank had a >50K base (60K total comp), second job in finance was 120K base (135K total), and now Google is >180K total comp. All in GBP. It certainly is possible, but getting into that third modal is probably the hardest bit and will likely involve some leetcode grind and loads of rejected interviews. After your first role, it's relatively smooth smailing (but will still involve leetcode grind every single time).

ukoki 5y ago
There is also the "expensive contractor" modal which can easily be in the 150-250k for big corporate clients. For this you don't need leetcode so much as familiarity with enterprise tech stacks -- the more obscure the better; and the patience to navigate your way through frustrating enterprise working practises and policies.
- ludamad 5y ago
  ... sounds familiar, what's the next modal?
  - ukoki 5y ago
    Next modal leaves school with a BTEC or crappy A-levels because they can't concentrate then gets a job in IT with a local firm and coasts along forever at 15-25k, automating the shit out of everything because although they have the intelligence and attention-to-detail needed to be a programmer, lack of ambition, family, and/or impostor syndrome prevent them from pursuing it as a career path.