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Counterpoint, I am also a senior engineer. I was hired as an L1 support specialist talking with end users almost 20 years ago. I was promoted through the ranks

Counterpoint, I am also a senior engineer. I was hired as an L1 support specialist talking with end users almost 20 years ago. I was promoted through the ranks of support followed by software development. Over that time, my salary has increased more than 4x. My current salary is comparable to what I could get elsewhere in my area. Could I have done better had I jumped ship every couple of years, maybe. But I love my job and the people I work with. I’ve been working with some of the same people this whole time.

wikibob 4y ago
A data point you may find useful: If your salary has only increased 4x over what you made doing tier 1 support it is likely you are leaving a massive amount of money on the table. Check https://levels.fyi https://levels.fyi Now you might not be willing to do the work to pass interviews at higher paying companies. That’s fine too, but I wanted to make sure you know what the actual numbers are.
- heywire 4y ago
  I’ve interviewed over the years and kept touch with colleagues who went elsewhere. There are certainly tracks I could have taken to raise my salary more aggressively, but at my current salary, I wouldn’t call it a massive amount of money. I’m currently between the 75th and 90th percentile for my area according to the site you provided (closer 90th than the 75th). I have a low stress 8-5 job that allows me to spend time with my family while working on exciting projects with experts in our field who have become like family to me. I’m not earning Silicon Valley money, but I’m also not paying Silicon Valley prices here in Ohio either :).
  - kodah 4y ago
    > I’m not earning Silicon Valley money, but I’m also not paying Silicon Valley prices here in Ohio either :). Folks in Texas used to say this. Unfortunately when average state incomes start to have large departures from each other it creates a chasm of cascading failures. What it really harms is your ability to retire. If your salary is only designed to compete locally then when you have to retire you'll have to select lower than locally. The lower you are on that chain the fewer places there are. Personally, I'd like to see geographic pay incentives die. People in Silicon Valley don't deserve to freely shovel money into their home equity more than anyone else does, so why subsidize it, much less call it equal?

wikibob 4y ago

A data point you may find useful: If your salary has only increased 4x over what you made doing tier 1 support it is likely you are leaving a massive amount of money on the table. Check https://levels.fyi https://levels.fyi Now you might not be willing to do the work to pass interviews at higher paying companies. That’s fine too, but I wanted to make sure you know what the actual numbers are.

heywire 4y ago
I’ve interviewed over the years and kept touch with colleagues who went elsewhere. There are certainly tracks I could have taken to raise my salary more aggressively, but at my current salary, I wouldn’t call it a massive amount of money. I’m currently between the 75th and 90th percentile for my area according to the site you provided (closer 90th than the 75th). I have a low stress 8-5 job that allows me to spend time with my family while working on exciting projects with experts in our field who have become like family to me. I’m not earning Silicon Valley money, but I’m also not paying Silicon Valley prices here in Ohio either :).
- kodah 4y ago
  > I’m not earning Silicon Valley money, but I’m also not paying Silicon Valley prices here in Ohio either :). Folks in Texas used to say this. Unfortunately when average state incomes start to have large departures from each other it creates a chasm of cascading failures. What it really harms is your ability to retire. If your salary is only designed to compete locally then when you have to retire you'll have to select lower than locally. The lower you are on that chain the fewer places there are. Personally, I'd like to see geographic pay incentives die. People in Silicon Valley don't deserve to freely shovel money into their home equity more than anyone else does, so why subsidize it, much less call it equal?