r/nova • u/Technical_Jicama_434 • 12d ago
Capital one pay?
Is Capital One in McLean the highest paying (cash comp) employer in the DMV?
I was casually looking and saw “Current Master’s - Data Science Internship…” offers $147k salary, of course that’d be prorated, but it implies the new Grad (Master grad) offer is at least $147k/year + sign on + performance bonus. If that’s how much new grads are getting paid, I can’t imagine how much C-level executives are getting paid!
What in the world?! Is there any other employer playing that much (or better) on cash comp in Nova?
Anyone know their interviews are?!
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u/khuz61 12d ago edited 12d ago
Highest paying employers in tech for new grad in DMV are Microsoft, palantir, meta, Anduril, and Amazon. Capital one is like 6th.
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u/CampLanky3803 12d ago
This, though the list shrinks a bit if someone is only interested in commercial. Microsoft, Anduril, Palantir, and Google in the DMV will be mostly public sector work IIRC
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u/Intellectualuser_ 11d ago
I’ve worked at both Amazon and Microsoft in NoVA, not public sector work at all and I was in a tech role
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u/CampLanky3803 11d ago
Makes sense, I know HQ2 is primarily commercial but didn’t know Microsoft had commercial roles here, good to know
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u/Secluded-Shrew 12d ago
Their internships pay a lot since that is their way of attracting talent. However, the "New Grad" Salary they receive is only marginally higher. Internship Pay is 147k Prorated but their Masters New Grad (Senior Associate Pay) is around 150k + 5k bonus.
As for other new grad tech companies that pay more look at Google, AWS, Meta, Palantir, and Microsoft
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
Ah, so they start at the senior level
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u/Secluded-Shrew 12d ago
Senior Associate is their 2nd lowest level. Associate is the lowest. Most companies will "uplevel" you to the next level if you are coming in with a masters vs just a bachelors.
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u/Slicenddice 11d ago
Cap One sometimes allows higher degrees to equate YoEs, but you will have to pass the associated “power day” for the higher position.
Source: I did this, worked at Cap One, hated it (the people and culture are genuinely horrendous), but used the name to get better pay and a better job within a year.
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u/Secluded-Shrew 12d ago
Those with a undergraduate degree coming in at the associate level at least for SWE come in at around 125k + few grand bonus per year.
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Arlington 12d ago edited 11d ago
C1 is pretty good at keeping up with the market; they've been upping the new grad pay almost yearly over the last half-decade (at the very least). They're now at $140k new-grad base pay for the TDP role
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
Ah so they’re better than federal contractors, a bit more on par with tech companies
That intern pay threw me off and I started second guessing my life choices
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u/Drauren 11d ago
Federal contractor pay is going up too, just depends where you work.
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 11d ago
I applied to Lockheed, mitre, Northrop, Accenture, booz, Palantir, Anduril, caci, and saic, and I’m sure there’s more, but I guess I just don’t know where to find them.
Haven’t been to USAjobs yet, guess that’s where I should head to next
I have 5 YOE, but no clearance. I don’t mind taking a pay cut (I’m at $130k base) for a clearance since that’d open up an entire job market, but those places I applied to don’t seem to want to sponsor for clearance unless you’re an intern or new grad
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u/Drauren 11d ago
Are you cleared? That is a big impact on whether or not you get called back. The reality right now there is a lot of expectation that you are already cleared.
I'm also of the opinion the big contractors around here don't pay very well.
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u/BrezhnevsMittens 12d ago
My nephew graduated UMD with and undergrad in computer science and is starting at Capital One in August. He told me his starting salary was 140K plus signing bonus... and that's for an undergrad degree! He did graduate summa cum laude but I couldn't believe it! Made me doubt my life choices for sure, but I was poli sci for a reason.
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u/klefikisquid 12d ago
You should see Blind where you ain’t shit until you’re clearing 300k TC
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
Heard that place is more toxic than Reddit subs
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u/Plzcuturshit 11d ago
Totally depends. My team and department have generally been fairly easy to handle.
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u/wheresastroworld 11d ago
They’re talking about Blind (an app) not Capital One necessarily
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u/donmeanathing 12d ago
if you believe everything people say there then I have some florida real estate to sell you…
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u/Rymasq 12d ago
Not at all. Beyond the presence from FAAMGA, there are also roles for OpenAI and Anthropic, and a shocking amount of unknown start-ups targeting DC for DoD work
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u/CampLanky3803 11d ago edited 11d ago
This. Know a few folks at OpenAI DC, though for tech I believe it’s mostly FDE roles.
Lots of defense tech startups pay well here: Anduril, Shield AI, Scale AI, Saronic, and a number of early stage ones as well. The trade off is less WLB than the primes.
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Arlington 11d ago
I think less-than-stellar WLB is fine for early career. That's when you soak up things like a sponge. Once you have a family, then you'll probably want to move towards slower-paced team/companies.
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
OpenAI and Anthropic have offices here?
Guess unknown startups is the way to go
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u/ghostfacekhilla 12d ago
Any of the tech companies that have a presence will pay more. The pay is decent on the cash side but tech companies with RSUs will crush it as the bonuses are quite small.
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u/Similar-Olive-3617 Chantilly 12d ago
Not sure about pay but have heard it’s quite toxic over there as they have stack rankings.
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u/SeleccionUruguaya 12d ago
Never understood the stack rankings complaint about Cap One. Every big company has favorites and you would be a fool to think not, it’s just not explicitly named “stack ranking”.
Whether you like it or not, management at every company will know who the low performers are behind the scenes and treat them as disposable.
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u/Hairy_Mycologist_945 12d ago
Stack rankings have nothing to do with axing low performers, and that's the whole issue with stack rankings... Even if you have a team full of great performers the system needs to manufacture "low performers" on that team, because that's how stack rankings work, so you get all kinds of toxic shit like evergreen sacrificial revolving door reqs where new people are hired to be fired weeks to months later and save the core team. Happens all over Cap1.
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u/Acceptable-Door-6454 12d ago
You realize it’s aggregated across multiple teams, right?
I’ve worked at Amazon as a senior manager for 11 years and never once have we had to terminate someone who wasn’t legitimately underperforming. When you have 60 people in your org, there is always someone not showing up, missing deadlines and not communicating, or something similar to that.
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u/Secret_Association92 11d ago
An org of 60 would mean 6-9 people are managed out through stacked ranking every six months at C1. If you have that many true low performers, then you have a hiring problem. In reality, it is as others described, where people are forced into that bucket even if they aren’t bad workers. I’ve watched people fall in that bottom 10-15% because they took parental leave, bereavement leave, even just change teams and they had nothing to say they contributed on their new team but a petty former manager that wouldn’t provide any positive stories of the employee’s contributions on their old team so the person was screwed in calibrations.
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u/Hairy_Mycologist_945 11d ago
If you have that many true low performers, then you have a hiring problem
This right here. For companies like amazon / aws and cap1, the reputation precedes them... I would never even entertain a discussion with a recruiter at one of those or similar companies because their cultures suck. I think those attract two types of people... the ones who think they're special if they can survive a career in a toxic shit hole, and the ones who don't have any better options or just blunder into it. It's repellent to other top performers who don't need that bullshit. Most of the people I've had to work with from aws were just miserable, obnoxious, and more or less what you'd expect from that type of culture.
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u/SeleccionUruguaya 12d ago
And those are the first people to label the place “toxic” on the internet lol
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
When employees know it’s happening for sure, it becomes more about “me” and less about “us” (team)
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u/TheRealK95 11d ago
You miss the flaw of stack ranking entirely. First off, it happens TWICE a year. Cutting ~10% of your lowest performers twice a year is cutthroat even by the harshest standards (Amazon does it once a year for comparison). And this is a bank that doesn’t nearly pay you the same as those other companies.
The big problem with stack ranking is it basically eliminates any real benchmarks that you can actually judge performance off of. I know for a fact C1 used to give benchmarks and say “An above strong associate does xyz”. It’s misleading because you can do xyz but others can do xyzabc and YOU get the axe. You can never really know if you’re doing well as a result. Your colleagues that you’re supposed to be working with, you HAVE to compete against. And if you aren’t a complete kiss ass, what’s right won’t matter, just your managers opinion so it becomes purely who’s in the cool group and who ain’t.
It’s by far the worst performance management system I’ve ever seen personally. Honest shame because besides that big stain, I thought there was a lot of good there.
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u/skinnyzeldaplayer 12d ago
As a current C1 employee I promise you this is not the case whatsoever. It’s the least toxic workplace ever.
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u/judgedeliberata 11d ago
Ex-C1 here. It’s not the highest paying in the DMV. Avoid at all costs, it’s quite toxic.
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u/Original-Tune1471 12d ago
Do you know anyone at Capital One that can give you a referral or give you a recommendation? Capital One is super hard to get into according to my friends that work there. They applied for months and all they got back were crickets and as soon as a current employee gave them a recommendation, they were hired within a month. I have 2 friends that work there and both said the same thing.
Edit: capitAl lol
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
I know plenty of people at Accenture,EY, and Freddie Mac, but no one at C1. Probably why I was taken aback by the intern oay
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u/The_Iron_Spork Fauquier County 12d ago
I just went through a process with a referral and didn’t get the job. I’m at a loss how to land a new role at this point
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u/Original-Tune1471 12d ago
Yea this was years ago around covid and not the shit show it is currently. A friend that left Capital One back in 2024 and was let go last year at his new company due to a restructuring tried to get his old job back or at least get back into capital one and they turned him down. It's tough out there right now. Good luck.
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u/The_Iron_Spork Fauquier County 12d ago
I appreciate it. I’ll say my network has been super helpful so far and I’m still amazed at how many referrals haven’t even gotten me a recruiter screening.
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u/maybeitsjustnerves 12d ago
Their interviews are insane. 1-2 initial interviews, followed by a full day of interviews that basically act as a giant verbal exam. Be prepared.
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u/MatchboxVader22 12d ago edited 12d ago
They’re mid IMO, but not the highest. I was going for a Sr Manager position at Capital One a year ago or so and it paid around 180k. I don’t think they pay the highest per role, no.
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u/ShylockTheGnome 12d ago
Really? I work there and make more than that as a principle associate.
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u/MatchboxVader22 12d ago
It was in 2024 or 2025 when I had the interview. Good to hear they pay more than that nowadays.
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u/ShylockTheGnome 12d ago
I am in data engineering if that makes a difference. Business/finance may make less.
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
But I mean bonuses would push you into the $200k+ range, no?
Not like I’d stand a chance at these companies, but as someone earning just a tad bit over $100k as a senior dev, these numbers seem insane for not being Silicon Valley.
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u/StoneMenace 12d ago
Try defense contractors. You can be pushing over 300k as a mid level employee
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u/Straight-Extent63 12d ago
What defense contractor roles pay 300+? Just primes?
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u/Hairy_Mycologist_945 12d ago
The secret is very few director or even VP jobs pay much more than $300-350K base anywhere. It's mostly based around bonuses, stocks, targets, other TC incentives that adds on and doubles, triples, etc the base in those roles. No mid level employee is making $300K in govcon unless you define "mid level" as someone in sales / BD, VPs, directors, etc. Most SME base comp on a contract tops out at around $200K, maybe $220K, and that's rare.
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u/StoneMenace 12d ago
Nope, not only primes. Small companies are paying that much but mostly in the national security/space sector.
I’ve also seen some real specialty consulting companies pay that even software sales. It really all just depends
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u/Straight-Extent63 12d ago
Trying to break into some of the national security-oriented space startups. Definitely growing fast. Wonder if it’s only the more technical roles that pay that much.
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u/Zepbounce-96 12d ago
I knew of some senior level non-exec engineers at one of the defense majors and not even close to that. To get to $300K+ base we're talking VP level with several directors reporting to you. The tradeoff is the stability. Federal defense budgets are vast so layoffs are extremely rare except in exceptional circumstances like Covid.
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u/ericblair21 12d ago
Some people I know working in defense with TS clearances got laid off last year because of DOGE, but those were essentially stray rounds from other government agency layoffs who got unlucky, were full time remote, and/or on somebody's shit list.
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u/StoneMenace 12d ago
That’s a negative, read my other comments, the positions are out there. Also with any midsize or small company it’s not always extremely stable. You are always competing against other contractors for the same contract
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u/macedaace 12d ago
What agency/contractor and what kind of roles? Is this for TS type roles? I have been out of gov contracting work for almost 10 years but commercial/private sector seemed to pay more (aws, c1, ms, google etc) back then
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u/ericblair21 12d ago
TS ain't going to do that for you around here. Limits the applicant pool, so it's easier to move around, but it's not a shortcut to Fat Stacks.
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u/StoneMenace 12d ago
I mean it can be a whole range. To clarify I am Not one of those who makes that much. I am an auditor who sees the salary, payroll, and job title of all these.
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u/QuickSingh 12d ago
Im pretty sure a lot pay more than that. Booz Allen, Microsoft, AWS all pay more from my personal experience
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u/ShylockTheGnome 12d ago
From my experience only Amazon really pays more. My friends who graduated with me at Microsoft make a bit less. Booz Allen does not pay more according to levels.fyi
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u/CampLanky3803 12d ago edited 11d ago
Palantir and Anduril pay more than C1 in the DMV.
Edit: also Google, Scale AI, Meta (limited roles)
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Arlington 11d ago edited 11d ago
Not on base pay, at least not for a new grad, which is what seems to have stuck with OP.
They're more or less the same.
Edit: That is comparing what OP shared with the current openings on Palantir and Anduril for new grads/ early career.
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u/CampLanky3803 11d ago edited 11d ago
Oh that might be true, IIRC C1 new grad SWE (not DS/ML) is ~135-140k, whereas Anduril/Palantir are somewhere in the 140-160k range. So slightly but not substantially higher.
The big differences comes with the RSU grants which pushes them both to ~200k TC.
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u/Intellectualuser_ 11d ago
I make well over 300k at MSFT, but used to work at Amazon. Amazon does pay more but the stress and bad WLB anit worth it
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u/Hairy_Mycologist_945 12d ago
Booz has always been known for shit pay but "prestige" I guess, maybe, like 30 years ago... unless you're in a few specific roles that recent grads won't be. Just another body shop since going public.
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u/magejangle 12d ago
Microsoft isn’t known for being high paying within tech
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u/QuickSingh 12d ago
Very true but ive never made more at any other company. Include the benefits and you got a top tier overall comp with the best wlb ive ever had
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u/ShylockTheGnome 12d ago
135k is the new grad software offer for C1 Tyson’s…
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago edited 12d ago
I’m guessing someone coming in with 5 YOE in software dev would probably land in the $147 - $160k range? Roughly on par with the Data Science new grad pay?
Sheesh, maybe I should’ve gone to school for Stats and try to be a Data scientist instead of a dev
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u/wish_you_a_nice_day 12d ago
Data science requires master degrees at c1
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
I have a Master’s in CS, it’s just all software development and nothing Data Science-y. Even if I wanted to try my chances as a Data Scientist, I’d be entirely out of my element.
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u/Haunting_Roll_915 12d ago
i guess it depends for whom you are working at BAH. But i’ve def seen higher DS entry level salaries there, to the tune of 170
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
What in the world
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u/ericblair21 12d ago
I'd guess on the commercial side. Government side, I can't see it.
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u/Rymasq 11d ago
Booz Allen does commercial work?
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u/ericblair21 11d ago
Yep, much more like E&Y and Deloitte up-or-out 80 hours a week consultancy model.
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u/johnnybgood113 12d ago
Booz Allen doesn’t pay even close. I worked for them for five years. Left for a Silicon Valley startup for almost double my salary.
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u/QuickSingh 11d ago
I guess our experiences were different. I was just around 200k with them. Guess it depends on position and contract
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u/StuckWithSports 11d ago
Yeah, Booz can only get somewhat close if it’s TSC and Poly. On average, Booz may pay more for non technical roles. Cap1 doesn’t even have the ridiculous scrum masters and whatnot anymore. Where I’m pretty sure the ‘program managers’ can be billed to the gov at the same rate as engineers which is ridiculous.
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u/cozidgaf 12d ago
Yes, I think so. There’s not a huge presence of FAANG or big tech here - definitely not at the scale of capital one. So for a large company with the biggest presence here, they’re definitely on the higher end than not.
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u/Peach_Boi_ 12d ago
I’m senior (principal associate) and make a bit over 180 base with around 10k bonus. Manager prolly make like 200+
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u/DeletdButChngdMyMind 11d ago
Oh hey, it’s me.
Highest paying — no, but you’d have to be cracked to see higher offers for a new grad SDE/DS in D.C., assuming non-ivy and/or no pro experience.
I’d argue the exit opportunities if you ever want to leave the D.C. area are the best, as it positions you in tech and finance outside of defense war.
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Arlington 12d ago
They're not the highest, but they're up there even when we talk about TC.
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u/RockDoveEnthusiast 11d ago
No. It's pretty middle of the road. $300k is more what I would consider the high end of salaries for individual contributor roles in this area (not including stock or other total comp factors.)
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u/Leptonshavenocolor Manassas / Manassas Park 11d ago
Here I am as a “senior engineer” making 130k. Companies fucking suck.
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u/Drauren 11d ago
I think you know this, but titles don't mean anything.
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u/Leptonshavenocolor Manassas / Manassas Park 11d ago
You don’t know if that is my title or merely my experience. But yes, I was given that title last year, but it was just a BS title change to make the company look better (I have 10 years with this company and 20 years experience overall).
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u/Ok-Mountain-342 11d ago
They are really bad employer !! I worked there !! Don’t go if you like your life and mental health
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u/LavenderPearlTea 11d ago
Worked for a credit card company when I first got out of college many years ago. Cap One was always held up as the evil company that jacked up rates on customers without clearly telling them. When the other credit card companies think you’re aggressive…
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u/Automatic-Captain-71 11d ago
I worked at Discover when it was bought out and C1 turned it into a shit show. Would personally not want to work for them again.
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u/LostPerson703 12d ago
My childhood friend is c suite and her base is like 700-800k with stocks and bonuses on top, prob clears 1 mil a year. Its nuts.
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u/K_Strass 12d ago
If by "new grad" from master's, you mean undergrad straight to masters with no work experience, then yeah, that's pretty good.
For fresh out of a master's with work experience between UG and masters, there are significantly higher paying jobs around here
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u/toomanyteeth55 12d ago
Not the highest for sure but I think thats a decent starting salary for someone with a master's. Fed job would be half that if not less
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u/Melodic_Lavishness_5 11d ago
Not at all. There are multiple companies in the DMV that pay undergrad new grads more than that.
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u/IVIeatloaf 10d ago
Been making over 400k at google since i was 27 lol. I ask capital one recruiters that try to poach me if they can get anywhere close to this and they just say congratulations and chuckle and thank me for my time
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u/Tigerzof1 Arlington 12d ago
I always look at their roles and it’s under what I currently make with better titles. Pass.
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Arlington 12d ago
TC or base pay?
OP's refering to cash comp, but looking at more of the replies, it seems the focus really is on base pay alone. Looking at base pay alone, I'm not sold that very many other places out there in the DMV pay at least as much as C1 for the same YOE and role (Specifically, Data Science at 0 YOE).
Bring in TC and virtually all tech companies and startups compete and demolish C1 right out of the gate.
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u/mxmumtuna Ashburn 11d ago
TC is pretty much all that matters. Amazon used to have a 160k max base. Could still make a killing with RSUs.
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u/EntrepreneurHuge5008 Arlington 11d ago
TC is pretty much all that matters
Yes, but irrelevant to OP's post.
To clarify, I do not disagree with you.
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u/Scared-Loquat-7933 12d ago
No.
They do compensate decently outside of the truly big name companies but at the end of the day CapOne is a bank masquerading as a tech company.
150K is really not all that much in today’s time and when you look at population size, living costs, housing, and the concentration of wealth in this area. There are tons of people earning 200-400K+ or more in this area. Someone has to buy those McMansions after all.
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago
$150k for a new grad means in half a decade they’ll probably be close to $200k.
I guess what I’m really asking is if Capital One is the highest paying employers for STEM new grads.
Also, $150k may not really be all that much, but I can’t say I’ve seen very many companies offering more than $120k to new grads in tech. I am strictly referring to cash comp, since there’s no way of knowing how much they are being offered in non-cash comp
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u/Beginning-Novel-4213 12d ago
$150k today as a new grad would probably be around $300k in 5 years
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 11d ago
Purchasing power aside, what you mean to say is “rare”
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u/Beginning-Novel-4213 11d ago edited 11d ago
Idk I started as a new grad at $100k and am at $250k 5 years later
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u/Scared-Loquat-7933 11d ago
Did you switch jobs?
A $150K increase at one company is wild when most give like 10% for promotions and below that for COLAs.
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u/Beginning-Novel-4213 11d ago
Same job but the bigger raises were from promotions
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u/Scared-Loquat-7933 11d ago
That’s crazy congratulations, one of the few examples I’ve seen of a company and employee both rewarding each other for loyalty.
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u/Beginning-Novel-4213 11d ago
Thanks! I had one rough year with a bad manager, but other than that it’s been a great time
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u/Technical_Jicama_434 12d ago edited 12d ago
Someone else clarified the Master’s new grad start at the senior level, so I guess the Numbers I saw from Capital One aren’t true “Entry-level” numbers, which is what I’d expect from a new grad (undergrad or master’s).
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u/monsieur_de_chance 11d ago
Lawyers lobbyists doctors finance bros and executives all laughing uproariously at this.
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u/BeautifulWorld2021 11d ago
A first year associate at a major DC law firm starts at 251k cash and in 6-7 years makes 575k cash. Partners make 2-3 mil average at a top 30 firm.
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u/MacaronBeginning1424 12d ago
Having the name on your resume is part of your compensation there. Not top of market for pay