Salary Transparency
This page will list every salary for every single job I've had in tech. I've never done this before but after seeing all of the talks around salary and transparency, I'm laying it all out there on the table for everyone to see. My hope is that others will do the same and, at the very least, feel empowered to negotiate their salaries.
Salary Data
This data is as accurate as it can possibly be. I've gone over years of tax documents, adding things up, looking through old paystubs, etc. Yes, there are some overlaps, that's just the nature of grinding to get ahead... The data on this page intentionally omits employer names. Some information may also be omitted if relevant non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) or similar prohibit it.
Full-time Employment
| Title | Start Date | End Date | Salary | Other Benefits | How I Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Engineer | January 2024 | n/a | USD $180,000/year |
Bonus & Shares10-20% bonus X shares vesting 50% over 2.5 years (additional shares every year) |
n/a |
| Consultant | June 2023 | January 2024 | USD $263,800/year** |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Client offered FT |
| Senior Cloud Engineer | May 2022 | June 2023 | USD $180,000/year | 74.193.178.43:8211
Bonus & Shares10-15% bonus 4,000 shares vesting over 4 years |
Laid Off |
| Principal Consultant | June 2021 | May 2022 | USD $176,000/year |
Bonus & Shares12-20% bonus Ability to purchase shares starting at $25,000 |
Quit |
| Senior Consultant | January 2021 | June 2021 | USD $160,000/year |
Bonus & Shares10-15% bonus Ability to purchase shares starting at $25,000 |
Promotion |
| Consultant | January 2020 | January 2021 | USD $148,000/year |
Bonus & Shares10-15% bonus Ability to purchase shares starting at $25,000 |
Promotion |
| Consultant | January 2019 | January 2020 | USD $136,000/year |
Bonus & Shares10-15% bonus Ability to purchase shares starting at $25,000 |
Raise |
| Consultant | January 2018 | January 2019 | USD $127,000/year |
Bonus & Shares10-15% bonus Ability to purchase shares starting at $25,000 |
Raise |
| Senior Lead Software Engineer | December 2016 | December 2017 | USD $120,000/year |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus 4,000 shares vesting over 4 years |
Laid Off |
| Lead Software Engineer | December 2015 | December 2016 | USD $100,000/year |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus 4,000 shares vesting over 4 years |
Promotion |
| Software Engineer | March 2015 | December 2015 | USD $85,000/year |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus 4,000 shares vesting over 4 years |
Promotion |
| Software Engineer | December 2014 | March 2015 | USD $65,000/year |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Quit |
| Software Engineer | February 2014 | December 2014 | USD $55,000/year |
Bonus & Shares$200 Amazon gift card No shares |
Raise |
| Senior Lead IT Specialist | January 2013 | February 2014 | USD $48,000/year |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Quit |
| IT Specialist | May 2012 | January 2013 | USD $36,000/year |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Promotion |
| Software Engineer Intern | July 2012 | August 2013 | USD $0/year |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Project ended |
| Valet (Weekends) | September 2008 | May 2012 | USD $20-40/hour |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Quit |
| IT Support / Software Engineer / Course Designer | October 2003 | August 2006 | USD $15/hour |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Quit |
| IT Support / Software Engineer / Course Designer | February 1999 | August 2003 | USD $100/week |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Quit |
** Projection based on six months of income data, not accounting for medical, taxes, etc.
Contractual Employment
| Title | Start Date | End Date | Salary | Other Benefits | How I Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consultant | ??? | n/a | USD $110-150/hour |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus Ability to work for and/or purchase shares |
n/a |
| Consultant / Senior Engineer | January 2014 | July 2015 | USD $80-100/hour |
Bonus & SharesNo bonus No shares |
Company was sold -> I quit |
It's likely there will be some lag but I'll probably update this page when:
- I quit a job
- I get a raise and/or title change
- I get terminated from a job
- Some other wild stuff happens
Please consider publishing your salary data like this as well. By open, voluntary transparency we can help to end stigmas around discussing pay and help ensure that the next generations of people in tech are treated fairly. Stigmas thrive in darkness but die in the light of day. You can help end the stigma by playing your cards out in the open like this.