4 ms·

Anyone able to contextualize what "Level 59" means here? Also is that $126K base workable in the Seattle, Washington market?

captainkrtek 2y ago
$126k base is certainly livable in the Seattle area, though may be difficult to get ahead (ie: save for a house). Pretty comparable to entry level Amazon SDE 1 pay (at least years ago)
OJFord 2y ago
Junior/mid https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Microsoft&track=Software%20Engineer https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Microsoft&track=Software%20E... (The level number starting so high is I'd guess due to an homogenous pay structure, so some non-engineering, junior HR say, roles lower paid (<L59) than where engineering happens to start.)
- skt5 2y ago
  59/60 - SDE 61/62 - SDE II 63/64 - Senior SDE 65/66/67 - Principle SDE (aka Staff) 68/69 - Partner SDE (aka Senior Staff)
delusional 2y ago
I think 59 is entry level engineering.
metajack 2y ago
Level 59 is the entry level software engineer position. Similar to E3 at Meta or L3 at Google. Levels.fyi does a pretty good job at this kind of context at least for the big companies.
paxys 2y ago
59 is the level that new college hires and entry-level engineers start at.
- runamuck 2y ago
  Oh wow! I got $37k in 1999 (~$69k 2024 according to BLS) in the DC area, for a Software Engineering job. I love to hear that grads now get rewarded w/ $125k fresh out.
  - ylee 2y ago
    My Goldman Sachs starting salary as a new analyst out of college in 1999 was US$40K. During that first year, because of the dotcom bubble, Goldman raised the salary to $55/65/75K for first/second/third-year analysts, and my end-of-year bonus in 2000 was close to 100% of salary. Then the full effect of the recession/market crash hit and the 2001 bonus was, well, much smaller.
    - runamuck 2y ago
      Wow that's huge in 2024 dollars!
  - lesuorac 2y ago
    Microsoft in the DC area or somebody else like Raytheon? I would expect Raytheon and the other contractors (i.e. Booze Alan) have raised entry level to like 70/80k but they're going to be much lower than Microsoft. As well as as you get promoted it caps out much lower. It's a bit better at non-contractors like Capitol One but still not quite the same as a "Tech Company". https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Raytheon,Microsoft,Capital%20One,Booz%20Allen%20Hamilton&track=Software%20Engineer https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Raytheon,Microsoft,Capital%2...
    - runamuck 2y ago
      A Raytheon like company.
      - lesuorac 2y ago
        It's rather interesting; management at contractors seems to have their head in the sands. When you tell them what people get by leaving they're just like "I think you misunderstood what they're being paid".

captainkrtek 2y ago

$126k base is certainly livable in the Seattle area, though may be difficult to get ahead (ie: save for a house). Pretty comparable to entry level Amazon SDE 1 pay (at least years ago)

OJFord 2y ago

Junior/mid https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Microsoft&track=Software%20Engineer https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Microsoft&track=Software%20E... (The level number starting so high is I'd guess due to an homogenous pay structure, so some non-engineering, junior HR say, roles lower paid (<L59) than where engineering happens to start.)

skt5 2y ago
59/60 - SDE 61/62 - SDE II 63/64 - Senior SDE 65/66/67 - Principle SDE (aka Staff) 68/69 - Partner SDE (aka Senior Staff)

delusional 2y ago

I think 59 is entry level engineering.

metajack 2y ago

Level 59 is the entry level software engineer position. Similar to E3 at Meta or L3 at Google. Levels.fyi does a pretty good job at this kind of context at least for the big companies.

paxys 2y ago

59 is the level that new college hires and entry-level engineers start at.

runamuck 2y ago
Oh wow! I got $37k in 1999 (~$69k 2024 according to BLS) in the DC area, for a Software Engineering job. I love to hear that grads now get rewarded w/ $125k fresh out.
- ylee 2y ago
  My Goldman Sachs starting salary as a new analyst out of college in 1999 was US$40K. During that first year, because of the dotcom bubble, Goldman raised the salary to $55/65/75K for first/second/third-year analysts, and my end-of-year bonus in 2000 was close to 100% of salary. Then the full effect of the recession/market crash hit and the 2001 bonus was, well, much smaller.
  - runamuck 2y ago
    Wow that's huge in 2024 dollars!
- lesuorac 2y ago
  Microsoft in the DC area or somebody else like Raytheon? I would expect Raytheon and the other contractors (i.e. Booze Alan) have raised entry level to like 70/80k but they're going to be much lower than Microsoft. As well as as you get promoted it caps out much lower. It's a bit better at non-contractors like Capitol One but still not quite the same as a "Tech Company". https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Raytheon,Microsoft,Capital%20One,Booz%20Allen%20Hamilton&track=Software%20Engineer https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Raytheon,Microsoft,Capital%2...
  - runamuck 2y ago
    A Raytheon like company.
    - lesuorac 2y ago
      It's rather interesting; management at contractors seems to have their head in the sands. When you tell them what people get by leaving they're just like "I think you misunderstood what they're being paid".