When do you feel that your salary is “enough”?

[roxanneadam]

@athaddeus Well good for you! *Eye twitches imperceptibly*

 

[athaddeus]

@roxanneadam ...I will add that I worked multiple jobs while in my program and it was at times overwhelming...

 

[roxanneadam]

@athaddeus Me too T.T

 

[athaddeus]

@roxanneadam things aren’t fair

 

[leny]

@bel13 If you ever go on Blind, it'll make r/cscareerquestions users look like they get paid peanuts. For example, new grads at Airbnb who joined pre-ipo are making 500k-600k their first year based on current stock prices. That's higher than what senior engineers at Google and Facebook are making.

 

[faithfamily]

@bel13 It depends on the area. Bay Area, making that much out of college isn’t that weird, but it’s also barely a living wage in the area due to cost of living.

 

[ayoub77]

@bel13 Lots of people make serious bang for CS jobs. OP could be making way more if they changed jobs, but money is only half the equitation.

 

[athaddeus]

@ayoub77 Quite happy with my work! Not ready for that jump for higher pay if it means putting time into something I don't care for.

 

[trustgodalways]

@bel13 You definitely can make 150k total comp out of college in tech if you work in the Bay Area. That’s about average with bigger companies like google paying upwards of 200k but that’s only maybe 5-10% of the new grads if even in the US that get that opportunity.

 

[resjudicata]

@athaddeus There’s always someone making more money than you.

Focus on the things you can control - your career, your finances, etc. and you will be successful. Be vigilant about the keeping up with the Joneses mentality, misery lies down that road.

 

[imnotabadperson]

@resjudicata Yes, life is not about comparing yourself to others. That’s a recipe for unhappiness.

 

[athaddeus]

@resjudicata Yes good point. I should focus more on my cards than other people's cards.

 

[psyduck25]

@athaddeus Not only that, but you don't even have to win the hand. In fact, you don't even have to sit at the same table!

You're playing solitaire. Find contentment and comfort in the hand you have, and if you don't have those, then do what is in your control to obtain them.

 

[athaddeus]

@psyduck25 I like the solitaire analogy! But I’m also terrible at solitaire so this doesn’t bode well.

 

[chaoticbeliever]

@athaddeus Reddit is not representative. If you're making 80k after graduating in the public health field as a rookie you're doing just fine. If you feel like you could make more somewhere else you can apply to other positions.

A good general rule is not to make any life decisions based on reddit.

 

[athaddeus]

@chaoticbeliever Haha a good point. Reddit hasn’t been the only comparisons I’ve made but you are right

 

[niilo]

@athaddeus Agreed, most of us in the public health field don’t expect a 6-figure salary right off the bat, but I know it’s typical for those in CS to start off relatively high.

I work in public health/hosp. admin and I make about 60k (this is my first job after undergrad). People from my graduating class who majored in CS start off around 80k-100k. It is all relative but there is potential for growth.

Note: These are southern california rates. I’m not sure how the job market is in other states.

 

[cyberwatt]

@athaddeus You know your salary is enough when you start really wishing you could take any future increases in the form of more time away from work.

 

[dshope]

@cyberwatt Dude. This. I could easily go for a job with more money. But 29 DAYS of PTO a year is insanely good.

 

[athaddeus]

@cyberwatt I would love more time off ... I guess part of my frustration is that it may take more time for me to get to a place where I might be able to afford more time with family.