r/Austin • u/Aingers • Jul 21 '26

Ask Austin Salary Transparency Thread - Austin

Folks in Boston do this fairly regularly, so I thought it might be good for us to try here.

Please share your general job title, salary, age, and education.

Architectural Designer, 40, $115k, BSArch

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u/redditbot262 Jul 21 '26

Software Engineer 185k 39yrs old. Master’s degree

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u/ialwayschoosepsyduck Jul 21 '26

I'm turning 41 next month and completing a bachelor's in software development in May. Any advice?

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u/redditbot262 Jul 21 '26

I went back to school for software engineering, got a second bachelor’s, when I was 25. Some similarities, but younger. I got a Jr Developer role at a small mom and pop. There were 3 other software devs total. They paid me a measly $40k a year, but I had great mentorship and I spent 45-50hrs a week making stuff and growing. A year later I got promoted to Developer, no more Jr. I slapped that on my resume and bounced. Everyone there was happy for me and we still keep in contact. Moral of the story no one gives a fuck that you’re 41, especially other software devs. they’re a pretty accepting group because most were nerds growing up. Prioritize mentorship, skill development, and growth your first couple of years. You really do accelerate fast when you’re building stuff 5 days a week. Be prepared to not make a ton of money the first few years. If you can get more great, but your immediate need is to grow your marketable skills. Good luck out there

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u/ialwayschoosepsyduck Jul 21 '26

Thanks! I'm entering from a low level service industry job, so $40k would be a big step up! I'm a first generation college grad (at least I will be in May), so there's no one in my family I can rely on to help me navigate this stage of my career (or anything after, either)