4 ms·

I'm currently looking for a new job. I've noticed that the demand for my skills is as high as in 1999, but the market rate for those skills has dropped nearly

I'm currently looking for a new job. I've noticed that the demand for my skills is as high as in 1999, but the market rate for those skills has dropped nearly 20%.

menloparkbum 18y ago
That's because you are old (I've experienced the same thing.) Salaries for recent grads are higher than ever.
- nostrademons 18y ago
  Do folks 3 years out of college count as "old" or "recent grads"?
  - menloparkbum 18y ago
    It depends on what you're doing. Raw details: I've been at it for 10 years, half in california, half in boston. Just interviewed at a bunch of startups and one big firm. Offers were all around $95K + post series A equity. I made the same salary 18 months out of college. College senior interns at the last "real job" I had got hired away for $86K starting at Amazon, and I didn't think they were necessarily the cream of the crop. I decided to keep contracting until the end of the year at $95/hr and continue working on my improbable startup, even with the heinous economy. In my experience engineering salaries plateau around $100K. Maybe more if you are doing something hard (VMWare) or heinous ("web scaling expert") or are looking to be an exec (VP Eng / CTO). Age/Experience doesn't really translate into significantly more money unless you're looking to move up the management chain. Best to make hay while you are young. Although, I haven't had a model career - I usually make lateral moves to work on something new and interesting, and have some employment gaps where I decided to travel the world instead of slogging it out. 'Your mileage may vary'
    - coglethorpe 18y ago
      > Age/Experience doesn't really translate into significantly more money unless you're looking to move up the management chain. I'm actually looking at salaried positions that will pay close to what I'm at now and have me one or two notches up the food chain. Wages have stagnated for now at least.
    - byrneseyeview 18y ago
      In my experience engineering salaries plateau around $100K. Investment banks and hedge funds offer more than this (some of them are doing quite well, and still hiring).

I'm currently looking for a new job. I've noticed that the demand for my skills is as high as in 1999, but the market rate for those skills has dropped nearly 20%.

menloparkbum 18y ago

That's because you are old (I've experienced the same thing.) Salaries for recent grads are higher than ever.

nostrademons 18y ago
Do folks 3 years out of college count as "old" or "recent grads"?
- menloparkbum 18y ago
  It depends on what you're doing. Raw details: I've been at it for 10 years, half in california, half in boston. Just interviewed at a bunch of startups and one big firm. Offers were all around $95K + post series A equity. I made the same salary 18 months out of college. College senior interns at the last "real job" I had got hired away for $86K starting at Amazon, and I didn't think they were necessarily the cream of the crop. I decided to keep contracting until the end of the year at $95/hr and continue working on my improbable startup, even with the heinous economy. In my experience engineering salaries plateau around $100K. Maybe more if you are doing something hard (VMWare) or heinous ("web scaling expert") or are looking to be an exec (VP Eng / CTO). Age/Experience doesn't really translate into significantly more money unless you're looking to move up the management chain. Best to make hay while you are young. Although, I haven't had a model career - I usually make lateral moves to work on something new and interesting, and have some employment gaps where I decided to travel the world instead of slogging it out. 'Your mileage may vary'
  - coglethorpe 18y ago
    > Age/Experience doesn't really translate into significantly more money unless you're looking to move up the management chain. I'm actually looking at salaried positions that will pay close to what I'm at now and have me one or two notches up the food chain. Wages have stagnated for now at least.
  - byrneseyeview 18y ago
    In my experience engineering salaries plateau around $100K. Investment banks and hedge funds offer more than this (some of them are doing quite well, and still hiring).