9 ms·

The senior:junior salary ratio is higher, I think, elsewhere. In New York, for example, junior developers tend be around $75-95k while senior (5-10 years) are

The senior:junior salary ratio is higher, I think, elsewhere. In New York, for example, junior developers tend be around $75-95k while senior (5-10 years) are $140-200k (wide range). In the Valley, I'd guess that those numbers are $90-110k and $130-150k. The low end is higher and the high end is lower, in the Valley. One thing New York has that the Valley doesn't (unless you're a nationally-known entity, like Jeff Dean) is people making $250k+ just writing code. That does mean you're probably in finance, but it's better than having to go into management if that's not what you want to do.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago
There are plenty of people (beyond Jeff Dean), who make $200k+ writing code in the bay area. I'm not really sure where you are getting your data from, but $150k is actually a bit low for a senior developer.
lportion 13y ago
Is anyone in the UK earning anywhere near this amount of money? I'm coming up to ten years as a senior dev and I earn way less than the lower band of that Junior salary.
- randlet 13y ago
  I am always a little bit flabbergasted by the developer salary numbers that get thrown around on HN but I think that the cost of living in NY & SF may skew the numbers higher than they are in the rest of the world. edit: I am Canadian for reference and just Googling around a bit suggests anecdotaly that salaries are in the $50k-$100k range for most developers.
  - michaelochurch 13y ago
    If you want to actually be able to save decent money in the US, you should aim for the second-tier (e.g. Boston, Seattle) or emerging (e.g. Austin, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Portland, Durham) tech hubs where salaries are 80-90% of NYC/SV but cost of living is a lot lower. NY and SV are good places to build your career, but most people who are intent on being lifelong programmers (as opposed to being managers or founders by 40) get out after a decade or so. The cost of living is annoying but bearable; the culture it creates, however, sucks because everyone is competing to be a manager or founder before being judged "too old". The cultural effects of high rent (much less purchase prices at 30-50 years) are even more of a travesty than those high rents are standing alone.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago

There are plenty of people (beyond Jeff Dean), who make $200k+ writing code in the bay area. I'm not really sure where you are getting your data from, but $150k is actually a bit low for a senior developer.

lportion 13y ago

Is anyone in the UK earning anywhere near this amount of money? I'm coming up to ten years as a senior dev and I earn way less than the lower band of that Junior salary.

randlet 13y ago
I am always a little bit flabbergasted by the developer salary numbers that get thrown around on HN but I think that the cost of living in NY & SF may skew the numbers higher than they are in the rest of the world. edit: I am Canadian for reference and just Googling around a bit suggests anecdotaly that salaries are in the $50k-$100k range for most developers.
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  If you want to actually be able to save decent money in the US, you should aim for the second-tier (e.g. Boston, Seattle) or emerging (e.g. Austin, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Portland, Durham) tech hubs where salaries are 80-90% of NYC/SV but cost of living is a lot lower. NY and SV are good places to build your career, but most people who are intent on being lifelong programmers (as opposed to being managers or founders by 40) get out after a decade or so. The cost of living is annoying but bearable; the culture it creates, however, sucks because everyone is competing to be a manager or founder before being judged "too old". The cultural effects of high rent (much less purchase prices at 30-50 years) are even more of a travesty than those high rents are standing alone.