This is still wild to me.
I’m well into my career (coming close to 25 years):
— I do well when looking for work in that I interview well and get most gigs I go for.
- I trade stability for higher rates working shorter gigs without any of the usual safety net / benefits.
- Comp is top end of the range offered in a relatively well off part of the world.
And yet with all that said, $200k is still an utter pipe dream.
I’m not saying I’m necessarily jealous (I’m sure there’s the downsides I don’t see) but man-oh-man that’s a lot of money.
I’m almost reluctant to ask but what is FAANG comp typically?
The going contract dev rate is 150/hr (Java/Python).
Citation needed.
There are also roles where you just get paid way more than other roles without a need for particularly difficult expertise. People who manage very 'important' stuff for example.
Would be really curious to hear what’s out there.
The amount of stock is locked in based on how many shares the dollar amount you’re offered would buy when you start, so if the share price goes up over time then that’s going to be worth more when it vests (which I guess mostly happened in the last decade), but if it drops from when you started it’s worth less (as happened in the last year, so if you started this time last year and the company stock is down 50%, that compensation is worth a lot less now).
I definitely think it’s good to be aware of what compensation at these places looks like, I wasn’t really aware of how significant the stock thing is until recently (but I had a fun career up to now so not to worry!). I guess one of the downsides is that these are often huge companies there’s a reasonable chance you’ll end up maintaining some boring internal system or whatever, so it depends what motivates you.
It's disappointing, but it's the reality for a lot of people I'm sure.
FWIW a random survey on the internet lists Austin TX, Miami FL, and San Diego CA as the 'most stressful commutes'
If you are making Faang money you can choose a shorter commute. 30 miles is 1-2 hours in silicon valley. My limit is 10 miles/40 mins
