If by large companies you mean Amazon/Microsoft/Google, look at about 100k/year (inc. stock) if you make it thru the interviews, but there are like 5 of them.

If by large companies you mean Amazon/Microsoft/Google, look at about 100k/year (inc. stock) if you make it thru the interviews, but there are like 5 of them. It is mostly C++, but Amazon's back end is alot of perl, and you would be on call much of the time. There is no state income tax, so you could save lots of money.