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Tech Salaries Had Biggest Year-Over-Year Leap In 2015 (dice.com)
Nerval's Lobster writes: Average technology salaries in the U.S. saw the biggest year-over-year leap ever, up 7.7 percent to $96,370 annually, according to Dice's new survey data. Bonuses and contract rates also rose from 2014, and tech salaries in seven metro areas reached six-figures for the first time since the survey began more than a decade ago. Contract workers saw a rise (5%) in hourly compensation, with contractors earning $70.26 per hour. Other Websites have shown similarly high salaries for tech professionals; Glassdoor, for example, called data scientist the best job in America, with an average salary of $116,840 and bountiful job prospects. But while everything might seem great on a macro level, that doesn't mean tech workers don't face their share of stagnant salaries, brutal workplaces, and annoying managers.
Amazing what can happen when Steve Jobs and his criminal conspirators don't collude to no-poach rob working families of billions of dollars.
You are probably making more money.
When I did the contractor thing, I was increasing my salary by 6-10% every time I moved to a different company.
I then landed a very secure full time job where I am not really challenged and ended up taking about a 20% cut for that security. I am basically back to where I started before contract work.... but, I have serious job security, good retirement plan + matching, great health coverage, yearly raise + bonus, free metro transit and a bunch of other perks...
So, I guess it is all about what you are willing to handle.
I do miss the days of challenge and uncertainty a little bit. I sort of feel my skills slip a little bit more every day as I get more and more comfortable in this job.
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
50% more in SF? You must live cheap. When I go and visit my family in Berkeley, I look around and see that I'd need over 100% increase. In the paper there (San Fransisco Chronicle), a reporter said that to be able to have an apartment, eat, have a life, go out and so forth, you'd need to make at least $150,000 and looking at payscale, the average out there is about $120K - they're screwing you guys. All the free pizza and video games at work doesn't compensate for shit pay. But they count on geeks spending all their free time at work and being grateful for shitty Californian pizza.
Then one day, you wake up in your late 30s - alone - and wonder where your life went. You go and pay through the nose for a dating service, go out on dates with obese headcases and maybe find someone you like.
Find a job, and do whatever it takes to keep it. When you lose it, you'll never find another one [..]
That's funny. I was laid off my IT contract job because the Fortune 500 company wanted twice the performance for half the cost. I was out of work for two years (2009-2010), underemployed for six months (working 20 hours per month) and filed for Chapter Seven bankruptcy. For two years recruiters told me I was unemployable and hiring managers told me I was overqualified for minimum wage jobs. The day after my bankruptcy got finalized, I got a new full time job and been working steadily since then.
With inflation, $120K is $165K in today's dollars - that is the pay necessary to keep up with inflation. To have the same buying power in 2016 you need to make that much more - today.
Yes, I understand that. And someone who was making $120k in 2000 and hasn't let their career stagnate should have no problem making over $165k now. I'm a software developer who was making $40k in 2006 when I started, did a horrible job of curating my career until 2010, and I'm only one more poach away from making about $165k in the Midwest an hour outside of the closest major city.
The software developers in their late 40's and 50's that I know who decided to advance their career instead of keeping the same job role are making much closer to if not above $200k now. The rest decided to stay as senior developers and make closer to $150k. Add 25-50% to these salaries if you are talking about Manhattan or Valley salaries.
Just because you were not able to keep up with industry doesn't mean there aren't a lot of senior engineers / architects making or exceeding $165k in this industry.
Secondly, you missed the point entirely. The fact that pay is going down across the board shows that not only is there no shortage of workers but there is a surplus of workers. And couple that with the unnecessary H1-b program, pay is going to continue to decline.
You will need to come up with at least one reputable survey showing IT salaries are going down to make that assertion. The surveys my company uses show IT salaries going up just under 7%, and the Dice survey here shows closer to 8%. Whatever the real number is, it is not negative. That doesn't mean 100% of IT workers are seeing 7-8% salary increases, but it does mean a significant increase for most of the IT workforce.
Hardly. Considering the ridiculous work schedules we have to deal with in this profession and having to be on call 24/7, we all should be making that as our starting pay. But since there are plenty of workers, there is downward pressure on pay.
Save the sob story. My father (farmer) and uncle (construction) had tough jobs. Occasionally having the work all nighters at a desk in an air conditioned or heated office is not slave labor. If you are really working 70+ hour weeks regularly then you are being taken advantage of by a crappy employer. Either leave now or grow your skillsets if you are having trouble finding other work. There are plenty of employers out there for skilled IT workers.
And if you really think there are plenty of skilled IT workers out there, you have obviously not had to hire for any position above mid-level tech support.
-- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke