7 ms·

Silicon Valley newcomers are still dreaming big

57 points by johnnyn 15y ago

jpdus 15y ago
changing the world instead of hitting the jackpot? Sounds like what business majors are pretending too nowadays...
victork2 15y ago
Sorry to be cynical here but I see that the myriad of new Tech companies do all pretty much the same thing and users don't stick to their product. However at the end of the day these companies do not survive and I don't even know if workers see that fact. For Business Investors it's a typical situation where it's "Make a lot of cash, fast, SELL". They all know that the company is not going to survive past the buzz, but they don't care because in the meantime they can make money out of it. People if you want to dream, do a product that is really useful, forget the "social", "new consumption" keywords that we hear everywhere and build a product that will last. Also 70k in Silicon Valley is not great. Living there is very expensive. I know they have stocks but look at the fine prints to resell them! Remember that a salary is relative to an area. But anyway keep on dreaming, it is not forbidden. </cynicalguyrant>
- jsnk 15y ago
  >Also 70k in Silicon Valley is not great. Living there is very expensive. Wow, I had no idea. Here in Canada, 70K in Canada is definitely above average for entry or junior level developers. I think high 50k to low 60k is around the average here for developers right out of college. How much is the average salary for established developers and entry-level developers around the Valley and the Bay area?
  - tmurray 15y ago
    $85-100k seems to be about entry level for software engineers with a BS in CS from a good school at established companies in this area. My impression is that the Google/Facebook talent war has significantly increased this over the past few years.
    - fam 15y ago
      I'm guessing these guys have several years internship experience and a load of side projects coming out of school? I know a few guys who came out with just a degree and 0 exp starting at around the mid $50k range.
    - mahyarm 15y ago
      I've just moved recently to Palo Alto, but I've heard that compared to several years ago the rent, utilities and general cost of living has gone up significantly too. A coworker of mine has a studio in the Richmond District,SF for $800/month, but now that same studio would probably rent for $1300/month. That's an almost $10'000 increase in pre-tax income needed to cover the difference.
- gxs 15y ago
  You know, I'm tired of hearing this. I live very comfortably and my total expenses are <$1500/mo. This might get a small bump if I go out more than usual in a particular month. But really, I wonder what everyone else does so differently.
  - victork2 15y ago
    Agreed, but after Engineering studies you want to make "big money" if you go to SV. And if you read the article it is worded as such: > "Her more than $70,000 salary, stock options and personal investment portfolio, though, go a long way to alleviate any parental concerns. " Which seems to be so much money that her parents forget their worries. What I am saying is, in term of SV salary that's not much to have 70k. Actually 75k in S.V. ~ 55k in Atlanta for example. Personally I have a very good salary (> 70k) and I have way to much money per month. I don't buy gadgets or anything so yeah I am way below $1500 / mo.
    - gxs 15y ago
      Agreed. I rent a room in a house and my rent is about $600/mo. including utilities. (this isn't hard to find, unless you want to live in a highly desirable area of SF. I personally have found I can get all the benefits without living in the epicenter) Insurance, phone, and gas run about 200 dollars a month. The rest consists of food and drink, by far my worst habit and biggest expense, varies between 700 and 800 per month. This puts me anywhere between 1500 and 1800 in expenses per month. I suppose if I were to amortize unforeseen costs (the occasional 300 dollar repair on the car, occasional shopping for clothes) those figures would creep a bit higher. It all depends on where you're coming from I guess, I grew up with frugal parents who placed value on family and good times around the dinner table as opposed to expensive clothes and cars.
  - ipince 15y ago
    Rent alone (in SF) will _easily_ put you above 1500/month
    - lansing 15y ago
- dpres 15y ago
  Here are some of my friend's salaries. 1-4 graduated from the same school as me in TX in the same year, not sure where 5 went to school: (1) $120k/yr - tester - Seattle area - large company - interned 1 yr at same large company as tester. (2) $75k/yr - software dev - bay area - small company - interned 4 yr at different small company as software dev. (3) $65k/yr - Java dev - Dallas, TX - medium size company - no internship experience, but competent programmer (4) $60k/yr - software dev - Dallas, TX - large company - never wrote a line of code through University (5) $110k/yr - M$ sharepoint maintainer - Dallas, TX - large company - n/a
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
t342 15y ago
"Bansi Shah, 23, picked up her undergraduate diploma, then took a job at Lattice Engines, a small San Mateo startup, where she makes “near the top” of the company’s $80,000 to $130,000 range for an entry level product manager, plus equity" Is this the norm in silicon valley, entry level positions making close to 130k plus equity? If this is the exception great!, but where does someone go from there? If right out of school your making 130k, does that mean your going to make 200k after 6 years?
- johnnyn 15y ago
  Pretty sure that's the exception. She actually has a Masters degree as well, so I think that line is pretty misleading. $130k is still high for an entry level product manager though I think.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
  - hello_moto 15y ago
    Article requires a little bit sensationalism. Would people bite if they knew that Bansi had a master degree, amazing internships, smart, and has made incredible accomplishments? Translation: she's probably top 1%. Not the norm/average.
  - pp33 15y ago
    According to glass door, of the people who submitted salaries from Lattice, no one has salary of close to 130k of base income. So she definitely seems like an exception. It must be awkward though having your co-workers know approximately what you make now. I would be uncomfortable. http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Lattice-Engines-Salaries-E319120.htm http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Lattice-Engines-Salaries-E31...
- gaius 15y ago
  Lattice Engines doesn't make engines. It's just another fluffy dotcom.
jteo 15y ago
This time it's different..
kmfrk 15y ago
The salary listings in http://angel.co/jobs http://angel.co/jobs are a decent way to get an impression of the amount of money people are paid in the business. It's quite high by my standards.
gxs 15y ago
>>Still emerging from their student years, most have yet to translate their earnings into material tokens of success. This sentence rubbed me the wrong way. I don't think it's a coincidence that the same people who command these salaries are the same people that would be smart enough to drive a Ford or Honda and not splurge on a 5-series.
- pork 15y ago
  Now see, your comment rubs me the wrong way. After I got my first job, I splurged on a used 911 Turbo. It got terrible mileage, but made me smile every single day I drove it (which wasn't everyday). Attitudes to money are varied, and the accumulation of wealth, like squirrel nuts, is not everyone's goal.
  - gxs 15y ago
    I agree, you make a valid point. But the reason her comment rubbed me the wrong way is precisely because it seemed to gloss over the point you just made - a great one at that- "attitudes to money are varied, and the accumulation of wealth ... is not everyone's goal."
- mahyarm 15y ago
  Hey you can buy a used 5 series/boxster/etc in good condition for about the price of a new subcompact. It's not that unwise.
jsherry 15y ago
"They go hiking rather than clubbing, look with a hint of impatience at their less social-media-savvy elders, are picky about their sushi and unhappy with iceberg lettuce." There is nothing necessarily wrong or untrue about this statement, but it's definitely an unflattering generalization that made me chuckle during my lunchtime HN binge.
RobPfeifer 15y ago
This: “My guess is that at some point the music stops and we find out that there’s not just one less chair but hundreds of thousands of less chairs, and we’ll have thousands of kids who haven’t learned anything because they’re all expecting to learn from each other,” he said." A lot of people are going to come out of this boom with less useful experience than is commonly assumed.
funkah 15y ago
130k for an entry-level product manager. Whew.

57 points by johnnyn 15y ago

jpdus 15y ago

changing the world instead of hitting the jackpot? Sounds like what business majors are pretending too nowadays...

Sorry to be cynical here but I see that the myriad of new Tech companies do all pretty much the same thing and users don't stick to their product. However at the end of the day these companies do not survive and I don't even know if workers see that fact. For Business Investors it's a typical situation where it's "Make a lot of cash, fast, SELL". They all know that the company is not going to survive past the buzz, but they don't care because in the meantime they can make money out of it. People if you want to dream, do a product that is really useful, forget the "social", "new consumption" keywords that we hear everywhere and build a product that will last. Also 70k in Silicon Valley is not great. Living there is very expensive. I know they have stocks but look at the fine prints to resell them! Remember that a salary is relative to an area. But anyway keep on dreaming, it is not forbidden. </cynicalguyrant>

jsnk 15y ago
>Also 70k in Silicon Valley is not great. Living there is very expensive. Wow, I had no idea. Here in Canada, 70K in Canada is definitely above average for entry or junior level developers. I think high 50k to low 60k is around the average here for developers right out of college. How much is the average salary for established developers and entry-level developers around the Valley and the Bay area?
- tmurray 15y ago
  $85-100k seems to be about entry level for software engineers with a BS in CS from a good school at established companies in this area. My impression is that the Google/Facebook talent war has significantly increased this over the past few years.
  - fam 15y ago
    I'm guessing these guys have several years internship experience and a load of side projects coming out of school? I know a few guys who came out with just a degree and 0 exp starting at around the mid $50k range.
  - mahyarm 15y ago
    I've just moved recently to Palo Alto, but I've heard that compared to several years ago the rent, utilities and general cost of living has gone up significantly too. A coworker of mine has a studio in the Richmond District,SF for $800/month, but now that same studio would probably rent for $1300/month. That's an almost $10'000 increase in pre-tax income needed to cover the difference.
gxs 15y ago
You know, I'm tired of hearing this. I live very comfortably and my total expenses are <$1500/mo. This might get a small bump if I go out more than usual in a particular month. But really, I wonder what everyone else does so differently.
- victork2 15y ago
  Agreed, but after Engineering studies you want to make "big money" if you go to SV. And if you read the article it is worded as such: > "Her more than $70,000 salary, stock options and personal investment portfolio, though, go a long way to alleviate any parental concerns. " Which seems to be so much money that her parents forget their worries. What I am saying is, in term of SV salary that's not much to have 70k. Actually 75k in S.V. ~ 55k in Atlanta for example. Personally I have a very good salary (> 70k) and I have way to much money per month. I don't buy gadgets or anything so yeah I am way below $1500 / mo.
  - gxs 15y ago
    Agreed. I rent a room in a house and my rent is about $600/mo. including utilities. (this isn't hard to find, unless you want to live in a highly desirable area of SF. I personally have found I can get all the benefits without living in the epicenter) Insurance, phone, and gas run about 200 dollars a month. The rest consists of food and drink, by far my worst habit and biggest expense, varies between 700 and 800 per month. This puts me anywhere between 1500 and 1800 in expenses per month. I suppose if I were to amortize unforeseen costs (the occasional 300 dollar repair on the car, occasional shopping for clothes) those figures would creep a bit higher. It all depends on where you're coming from I guess, I grew up with frugal parents who placed value on family and good times around the dinner table as opposed to expensive clothes and cars.
- ipince 15y ago
  Rent alone (in SF) will _easily_ put you above 1500/month
  - lansing 15y ago
dpres 15y ago
Here are some of my friend's salaries. 1-4 graduated from the same school as me in TX in the same year, not sure where 5 went to school: (1) $120k/yr - tester - Seattle area - large company - interned 1 yr at same large company as tester. (2) $75k/yr - software dev - bay area - small company - interned 4 yr at different small company as software dev. (3) $65k/yr - Java dev - Dallas, TX - medium size company - no internship experience, but competent programmer (4) $60k/yr - software dev - Dallas, TX - large company - never wrote a line of code through University (5) $110k/yr - M$ sharepoint maintainer - Dallas, TX - large company - n/a

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

t342 15y ago

"Bansi Shah, 23, picked up her undergraduate diploma, then took a job at Lattice Engines, a small San Mateo startup, where she makes “near the top” of the company’s $80,000 to $130,000 range for an entry level product manager, plus equity" Is this the norm in silicon valley, entry level positions making close to 130k plus equity? If this is the exception great!, but where does someone go from there? If right out of school your making 130k, does that mean your going to make 200k after 6 years?

johnnyn 15y ago
Pretty sure that's the exception. She actually has a Masters degree as well, so I think that line is pretty misleading. $130k is still high for an entry level product manager though I think.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
- hello_moto 15y ago
  Article requires a little bit sensationalism. Would people bite if they knew that Bansi had a master degree, amazing internships, smart, and has made incredible accomplishments? Translation: she's probably top 1%. Not the norm/average.
- pp33 15y ago
  According to glass door, of the people who submitted salaries from Lattice, no one has salary of close to 130k of base income. So she definitely seems like an exception. It must be awkward though having your co-workers know approximately what you make now. I would be uncomfortable. http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Lattice-Engines-Salaries-E319120.htm http://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Lattice-Engines-Salaries-E31...
gaius 15y ago
Lattice Engines doesn't make engines. It's just another fluffy dotcom.

jteo 15y ago

This time it's different..

kmfrk 15y ago

The salary listings in http://angel.co/jobs http://angel.co/jobs are a decent way to get an impression of the amount of money people are paid in the business. It's quite high by my standards.

gxs 15y ago

>>Still emerging from their student years, most have yet to translate their earnings into material tokens of success. This sentence rubbed me the wrong way. I don't think it's a coincidence that the same people who command these salaries are the same people that would be smart enough to drive a Ford or Honda and not splurge on a 5-series.

pork 15y ago
Now see, your comment rubs me the wrong way. After I got my first job, I splurged on a used 911 Turbo. It got terrible mileage, but made me smile every single day I drove it (which wasn't everyday). Attitudes to money are varied, and the accumulation of wealth, like squirrel nuts, is not everyone's goal.
- gxs 15y ago
  I agree, you make a valid point. But the reason her comment rubbed me the wrong way is precisely because it seemed to gloss over the point you just made - a great one at that- "attitudes to money are varied, and the accumulation of wealth ... is not everyone's goal."
mahyarm 15y ago
Hey you can buy a used 5 series/boxster/etc in good condition for about the price of a new subcompact. It's not that unwise.

jsherry 15y ago

"They go hiking rather than clubbing, look with a hint of impatience at their less social-media-savvy elders, are picky about their sushi and unhappy with iceberg lettuce." There is nothing necessarily wrong or untrue about this statement, but it's definitely an unflattering generalization that made me chuckle during my lunchtime HN binge.

RobPfeifer 15y ago

This: “My guess is that at some point the music stops and we find out that there’s not just one less chair but hundreds of thousands of less chairs, and we’ll have thousands of kids who haven’t learned anything because they’re all expecting to learn from each other,” he said." A lot of people are going to come out of this boom with less useful experience than is commonly assumed.

funkah 15y ago

130k for an entry-level product manager. Whew.