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Ask HN: How much should I ask for?

3 points by aashishkoirala ↗ HN
I am thinking of moving to the Bay Area (Sunnyvale and around). I'm currently making a base of $125K as a Principal Software Engineer in Boston. Does anyone know what the market rate for that position is in the Bay Area? Given the difference in cost of living and housing, I would hope it was much higher, but it does not seem so. Is it even worth moving to the Bay Area if that's the case given the higher taxes?

12 comments

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codegeek
I am not familiar with that part of the world but you might want to give more information before others can try and give you some pointers. Salary is not just about market rate even though it is a benchmark to start. What do you do exactly ? What is your experience so far ? What kind of companies have you worked for ?
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epicureanideal
It should be significantly higher. I would think around $200k and possibly more depending on if you have highly specific relevant experience.
_dztf
I would have thought so too. But when I applied with a floor of $160K, a lot of the responses I got claimed they don't pay that high. Then I was quite floored when a friend of mine who works in the area told me to ask for $135K. Also, how much does technology matter as long it's mainstream? I'm looking for .NET openings, but my general impression is .NET is not that popular in the Bay Area as I see a lot more Java openings. Do Java folks stand to make more money in the same positions?
brd
I would imagine that the answer is yes, Java will pay more than .NET in the Bay Area. .NET seems to be oddly popular in niche markets and demand drives up salary in those specific areas but otherwise the market is lukewarm at best.

Some quick and dirty google-fu shows a 1:3 ratio of .NET:java in Boston.

The .NET:java ratio is San Francisco is 1:25

On a side note, Louisville is a very hot .NET market and their job ratio is 1:1

epicureanideal
If they claim they don't pay that high they are not really looking for Principal Software Engineers. Maybe the title system is different where they are. As I understand it, a Principal Software Engineer is between one and three steps above a Senior Software Engineer. If it's only one step higher for them and they're a relatively low to average paying company, then perhaps they don't pay that much. But if it's 2 or 3 steps higher than a Senior Software Engineer and they're at least an average paying company, you should be able to get more.
epicureanideal
Can I ask where you've applied so far? Or at least what kind of companies? Are you applying at large enterprise companies? Startups?
_dztf
It has mostly been startups. But the figure of $135K I got from a large company (Symantec). I know they're a Java shop, but they do have .NET teams, and again - this figure is not "official" - it was suggested to me by my friend who works in Symantec when I asked him how much I should ask for.
collyw
Sorry, a bit off topic but in Spain the top end of the salary range would seem to be a fair bit less than half of what you are on. How expensive is it to live in the States (Boston, rent for example)?

And does anyone want to hire an experienced Django developer remotely?

gamblor956
The SF Bay Area is a lot more expensive than Boston, even before California and local taxes. There are cost-of-living calculators you can use, but most of them have not been updated to take into account the tech industry's effect on SF Bar Area COL. You should look for a job that pays at least the same after taxes and living expenses, unless you have non-economic reasons for moving to SF Bay Area.
lingua_franca
depends upon which companies u r going to. if it's Nextflix or Facebook, u definitely can ask for $200k. if it's a small startup, u won't get any number close to that.

WARNING: Nextflix and Facebook r both sweat shops.

namenotrequired
"Is it even worth moving"

That depends solely on your motivations, which you did not specify.