Bay Area - non big tech non finance salaries

[Anonymous]

And by new I mean, buying in recent years, not decades ago.

[Anonymous]

OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

In non covid times you will spend all your free time commuting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stupid decision. I assume you are a GS 15 and you’re giving that up for what exactly? To be near your in laws?

DW desperately misses California and now with COVID wants to be near family.

I know it’s trade offs. We will end up in townhouse in some suburbs, just trying to gauge strategy for salary b/c COL conversion makes it kinda ridiculous.

No you won’t be in a nice townhouse in a nice burb . Maybe a 1960s stucco box in San Leandro or Morgan Hill lol.

+ 1. Plan for something small and old, a very, very long commute, or both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

I won’t mind a hour plus commute; many of my colleagues do it now, but how are those towns?
In non covid times you will spend all your free time commuting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stupid decision. I assume you are a GS 15 and you’re giving that up for what exactly? To be near your in laws?

DW desperately misses California and now with COVID wants to be near family.

I know it’s trade offs. We will end up in townhouse in some suburbs, just trying to gauge strategy for salary b/c COL conversion makes it kinda ridiculous.

No you won’t be in a nice townhouse in a nice burb . Maybe a 1960s stucco box in San Leandro or Morgan Hill lol.

+ 1. Plan for something small and old, a very, very long commute, or both.

Yeah the housing stock out there is old. Lots of 60s houses with minimal upgrades. And like I said there are very few later model townhomes like there are in the DC area so forget about your fantasy of a nice townhouse community in the commutable suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

In the private sector in DC your 150 would probably be 170 (well VA). In CA maybe 200-220?

[Anonymous]

OP, think long and hard about this. This is what 1.1m gets you in Walnut Creek, which is probably a 90 minute commute from Cupertino. And this listing will probably get bid up from 1.1m.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3091-Walnut-Blvd_Walnut-Creek_CA_94596_M13316-03337?view=qv

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

In the private sector in DC your 150 would probably be 170 (well VA). In CA maybe 200-220?

Probably not that high in CA. There is a CA premium for salaries, but the %age increase is not that much unless your skillset is rare and in demand out there, not run of the mill technical managers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

In the private sector in DC your 150 would probably be 170 (well VA). In CA maybe 200-220?

Not that high. Maybe 180-190 at the legacy companies. They don't pay very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I earn $85K and live in a 1 bedroom rent-controlled apt in SF Proper.

Unless op has a time machine that can go back a couple of decades, that information isn’t particularly useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

In the private sector in DC your 150 would probably be 170 (well VA). In CA maybe 200-220?

Not that high. Maybe 180-190 at the legacy companies. They don't pay very well.

So going in with a salary of $250k will just shot down things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

I would not do Richmond. Walnut Creek is fine, but super far.

I don't know the company obviously, but generally, tech leads should pay about $200K+ outside of FAANG. I used to work for one of them years ago as a BSA Lead, and got paid about $170K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I used to live on the Peninsula. It's one of the more expensive places in the Bay Area.

What city will you be working in? Do you have kids?

Put in perspective, 8 years ago, we made $350K there. This was 8 years ago when prices were much lower.

Near Cupertino (not apple obviously). DW will try to work but her job is not portable so I'm not sure she can find work there, maybe have to transition into something TBD.

Yes we have kids in middle school, so schools are important.

What is a realistic salary I should aim for as a lead for a small technical team? How would places like Richmond, Walnut Creek work for a family?

In the private sector in DC your 150 would probably be 170 (well VA). In CA maybe 200-220?

Not that high. Maybe 180-190 at the legacy companies. They don't pay very well.

So going in with a salary of $250k will just shot down things?

They probably wouldn’t even bother negotiating. People in DC grossly overestimate what Bay Area tech firms pay. I assume you have a technical background - you might be able to make that much here at a tech firm, but in the Bay Area there are tons of techy people willing to work for less.