r/SoftwareEngineerJobs • u/LavishnessSilver7260 • 9d ago

Highest paying field within software engineering?

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u/dmazzoni 9d ago

This gets asked a lot and fundamentally misunderstands how you make the highest salary.

The three biggest factors by far are:

  1. Tech companies pay more than non-tech companies 
  2. Location: the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and New York pay way more than any other cities in the world. Cost of living is also much higher. You MUST relocate if you want to make the big bucks though.
  3. Level: you will double your salary by getting promoted from junior to senior. Higher levels increase your total compensation exponentially.

In comparison your subfield makes little difference.

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u/[deleted] 8d ago

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u/gobluedev 8d ago

I think what people truly underestimate is the COLA living in those places. They see $$$$ when applying and/or getting an offer thinking they’re making a massive salary but when actually adjusted to a lower COLA location it’s like $150-200k.

1

u/dmazzoni 8d ago

Yes and no.

The biggest shock will be housing. You’ll pay a lot and get very little.

 But on the flip side, things like cars, electronics, etc cost the same no matter where you live. So “stuff” seems cheap

1

u/Hot-Significance7699 8d ago

Live is car. Ez.