Yes, I have been trying to transition out of govt contracting for years and finally managed to do it, but not at a FAANG as I had hoped. |
| Geez these salaries are insane. I’m at 235k plus bonus which is around 5 to 10 percent. I do gov contracting with ts sci and feel underpaid given the immense need for cleared software engineers and how few of us there are. Not many young folks coming in either. Have an interview scheduled with a FANG to see what I can pull in if I sell my soul. |
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Sell your soul. That’s my advice. I’ve had a several years where I made 5X my prior comp. Ive had two where I made even more. If I sit down and calculate how much I’ve made in a few years, I would have had to work the rest of my natural born life at my prior company to even get within spitting distances. My tax bill this year is more than I made at my prior job.
5 years at FAANG can, literally, be the same as 25 at another company. A decade can be a lifetime of earnings, and if you happen to be lucky (say at Tesla) then it’s generational wealth. |
| Don’t want to give away too much but recently left Gov contracting role for big tech company and comp went up 55% overnight. I pushed year after year for a promotion at old company, taking on more and more work, getting the right visibility, etc. and it was never “the right time” for a promotion. I was so done. Big tech company was like, wow! You’ve done some incredible work! Here’s a boatload of money and an awesome culture to match! Can’t believe I stayed som many years at the Gov contractor company. Please know there’s more out there, folks. |
| My nephew just got a position as a software engineer at a defense contractor at 82k. |
| I thought we were over this crap and resigning for more quality of life jobs. |
To help people? Not harm like most of these big tech . . . |
I joined my first pure tech job at 57. When I graduated college tech was IBM, Arrow Electronics and Computer Associates, Microsoft and Apple type companies barely existed. Heck Cable TV was new and no laptops. Exactly how does older folk do it Young? Hardly any jobs. To be honest I thought email, cell phones and the internet was a fad. My first friend who has cell phone was 40 cents a minute to use and cost $3000. And no one to call as he was only one with one and pay phones everywhere. Age is not a barrier. You can join an IT company at 65 if you want! |
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wow this thread is eye opening. It makes me feel underpaid. I have 15 yoe and I'm making only $250k at a local company.
I'm getting paid less than new grads? I'm sending my application for a job at a FAANG tomorrow. |
Depending on your skills, you may not may more. Some of these salaries are exaggerated. |
Not exaggerated. Not just FAANG but random unicorn startups pay 150-250k to fresh grads and 4-5 yoe can make over 300k. There’s a few dozen companies like this. The down side for someone with decades of experience outside big tech is that you may get treated the same as someone right out of school. I see some folks who are 10-20 yoe at a no name and they are given a junior position |
When you start whole new career you go in at entry level rates. Nobody is going to give you 250k just because you are 35. |
This is very rare. |
it’s a minority of companies that pay this much yes. But within these companies it’s not rare to make 250k |
Even in the TS/SCI world, it's still a race to the bottom (low bid). I am in that same world but in slightly different field - same dilemma. Most of us are 50-60 or above. None of the younger talents want it. They all want to work from home in their PJ. |