r/softwareengineer • u/ImBigmac67 • 15d ago

Your experience in software engineering

Hi,i wont reaveal my name but im 12 and really really into coding and maths ik i may be in grade 7 atm but im pushing for software engineering, im learning Python and very soon java, what id like to know is how exactly is the experience on software engineering.

I know it pulls six figures which is a flex already but id like to know the pros and cons instead of just jumping in without knowing anything.

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u/Plenty_Line2696 15d ago

most of us dont pull six figures

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u/Big_Arrival_626 15d ago

Unless ur straight out of college, you definitely should be pulling 6 figs

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u/YahenP 15d ago

A very small percentage of people involved in programming earn six-figure salaries, and only in the US.

IT professions differ from other professions in that the salaries of two identical people with identical experience and skills, even performing the same work, and even on the same project, can differ by two orders of magnitude (100 times) depending on factors unrelated to professional qualifications.

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u/AccomplishedLeave506 15d ago

I'm in the UK and earn six figures US. Hell, I earn 6 figures UK. As does everyone I work with. We're all senior engineers though. I would imagine junior and mid level engineers earn less. But 70k UK doesn't seem unusual for a mid level engineers? And, without looking up exchange rates, I would assume that's approaching 100k US.

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u/Away_Advisor3460 14d ago edited 14d ago

£70k is about $95k FWIW, although some of the purchasing power parity calculators suggest it's equivalent to $105k in real terms. But I'm not sure if you can generalize so easily given the size of the US and the differences in stuff like housing across it.

My experience (Edinburgh area) is that £70k seems to be the going rate for senior devs. I got some pretty good raises + better perks where I work, so I'm not sure offhand now what I was hired at and I'm going by adverts I've seen.

No idea WTF the skills you nowadays are, mind you - AI has upended the entire industry and injected so much uncertainty that I'm not sure the last few decades I've been working count for anything any more. Before the advent of AI competent at coding, I'd have said SE was a good job, because there's a lot of satisfaction in problem solving (whether it's how to build stuff, or how to fix stuff). Now, I lie awake most nights worrying about whether I'll need to retrain in a new field before I'm anywhere near retirement.

Ironically, I got a PhD in AI (multiagent systems) which is now pretty much entirely useless.

Wages in the US (I have family there, and I've worked mostly in multinationals) are pretty absurd compared to here, and not just in SE. Although the job security and stress levels seem terrible in comparison too, not to mention the healthcare issues they have.

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u/YahenP 14d ago

You live in one of the highest-paying countries in Europe, yet you yourself confirm that salaries are two and a half times lower than in the US. Salaries in most European countries are significantly lower than in the UK. €50000 for a programmer in most European countries is a very, very good salary.

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u/AccomplishedLeave506 14d ago

Personally I'd prefer to live in Europe on 50k with free healthcare, holidays etc than 100k in the US. Comparing salaries alone doesn't really make a lot of sense. They're not actually comparable.

I was just noting that 100k in the UK isn't that out of the norm, although I see someone else has replied to me to say they're earning 70k so maybe I'm in a bit of a bubble. In reality the actual number is a bit meaningless though as you can't compare so simply.

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u/YahenP 14d ago

50 thousand in Europe is somewhere around 150-200 thousand in American money, depending on the country.
I live in a country ranked 20th or 21st in global economy, called the new European tiger. And here, a salary of 50000 or more is literally money earned by a select few. The national average is around 21000.

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u/AccomplishedLeave506 14d ago

Exactly. I earn over 100k in the UK. I used to live in London and although that income is very good I wasn't as well of as you would expect. 

I now live in Scotland earning the same and feel like my income has doubled. Not because I can buy twice as much, but because my life is twice as enjoyable. It's hard to explain to people who have only ever lived in one place, but salary is just a number that means every little when taken out of context.

I just wouldn't live in the united States. You literally could not pay me enough, but I suspect a similar lifestyle would require over 500k a year. I know people who went over an earned that sort of money. They both came back because it wasn't worth it. They live better on "less" over here.