follow up 2 cents, only because I feel the data point is valuable
left the startup because it got very top heavy with VC pushed execs that didn't know what they were doing, watering down the mission so I went back to traditional big tech

Came in as an engineering manager. I'd say about 30% of my time is serving as main architect and product manager for the platform and 70% is development management. I probably put in ~20hrs/wk +/- based on schedule

250k+ base, unlimited PTO, another 400k+ in stock over 4 years great medical
1st year's bonus was another 150+ in stock

company has a durham office, which if I worked out of you could probably drop these numbers by about 15%

so the point of this was to show there's money out there, even in raleigh.

I never got my undergrad, did about half my masters in comp sci but they still don't have enough classes to finish in my concentration (artificial intelligence). I've just been good about making sure the work I do is easily demo'd and relevant. It'd be easy to get stuck working on some company specific problem that while interesting to solve, has no relevance outside the company and thus serves as nothing more than filler on the resume.

10/10/2019 10:27:48 AM

Congrats, you are somewhere near the top 98 and top 99 percentile of income in the United States. It blows my mind that someone can make $250k to work 20 hours a week.

10/10/2019 9:23:54 PM

Almost $400k per over 4 years

10/10/2019 10:50:13 PM

^^ big companies are generally very inefficient but I've been forced to be very efficient with time coming from my last 2 jobs. I ignore/avoid a lot of meetings and spent a few months when I first got in place building automation to administrivia. As a result, I'm generally waiting on others to catch up. I also am in a position where the work I spent the last few years doing is light years ahead of what's needed at my new job in some respects, so in general I know way more than my peers.

[Edited on October 11, 2019 at 11:57 AM. Reason : I don't anticipate the workload being this low forever, but probably for at least a year more]

10/11/2019 11:52:06 AM

^^^^
good fucking lord

10/11/2019 1:10:09 PM

In all honesty, I know several people with 100K+ jobs (typically around $120K - $130K) who don't work much at all. Some stay at the office for the full 40 but work more like 20. Others leave early or work from home exclusively.

If you speak to them, they will say either that they are really efficient, as above, or that they are getting paid for what they do not how much time they spend doing it- think price of a good based on value vs. paying for all goods based on how long it took to make it.

If you ask me, I think that some of those two points are true, probably more so in ^5's case since he built some automation, but I also think the inefficiency and loose definition of roles in large corporate structures makes it really possible. Times have been good for a long time, so I imagine some of that would be trimmed.

10/11/2019 3:58:25 PM

I could go back down to part-time at my job and still [barely] crack 100k. I think there’s a significant chance I’ll eventually do that, either to:

-commute from FL up to Duke or maybe UVA/UNC for grad school (assuming I can’t get admitted into Wharton/HBS/some other comical-level super stretch goal)

-add a second job once I retire from the USMC Reserves has in a few years...maybe a flying job, or something back in engineering, or maybe in the ange/venture capital space

-if I don’t go get my MBA (or can’t get accepted to a good enough school to do what I want to do) and get into finance or do any other job, I might just stay at my current job and taper off over time as I’m able to...Like, not right away, but maybe by my early 50s, maybe I’ll be cool with throttling back and taking a pay cut in order to work 20-25 hours/week, and then by 60 (hell that’s only 20 years out now!), just work 8-10 days per month and make 60-75k. By then, I’ll probably make that much again with military retirement and social security (depending on the state of SS).
____________

I’m 39 now for another few days. I went full time a few months ago after 2 years as a part-timer (making about 85k and 100k). It was a mind-bending thing to realize at 36 that I could live well for the rest of my life without ever again working full-time if I didn’t want to.

It’s a spectacularly great position to be in. I’ve paid a SHITLOAD of dues to get here, and there have also been some fortunate things that have happened...but it makes very real a question that previously was hypothetical:

How much (or little) would you work if the job gave considerable flexibility in that regard, and even on the low end, you’d make enough to live well? Would you work 10 days/month (some of those even being half days) for ~70k...or would you work full-time, plus every weekend you had the chance, plus sel back the maximum amount of PTO, and be nudging very close to 200k? ...or where in-between?

10/13/2019 11:01:24 PM

Depends on what's available outside work. I work a lot because my life is empty and devoid of people to spend all that free time with and because I'm legitimately getting to solve interesting industry problems. also, my hobbies end up being more solo/stuff based which cost a lot of money. If I had friends at similar points in their lives who'd have similar availability and means to be able to travel/do stuff, I'd drop it down whenever I wasn't working on really interesting stuff. similarly, if I had a family or significant other, I'd probably free up as much time as they could consume.

10/13/2019 11:41:34 PM

Yep, I hear that.

It's tough to find people to do the stuff I like to do. Most of it takes a certain skill set, and from there, considerable money...and then if there is anyone who knows how and can afford it, they're busy as shit, too.

At least my wife likes to SCUBA dive. She likes to fly and travel along with me, too.

10/14/2019 12:08:29 AM

Quote :

"250k+ base, unlimited PTO, another 400k+ in stock over 4 years great medical 1st year's bonus was another 150+ in stock company has a durham office, which if I worked out of you could probably drop these numbers by about 15%"

jfc

you hiring?

10/20/2019 10:26:24 AM

probably not until next year, but if you're a systems programmer in high concurrency hpc and distributed environments and particularly deep in cpp and rust PM me.

10/20/2019 11:38:25 AM

smoothcrim is all talk.

10/27/2019 1:02:40 AM

on salary? Nah. I actually thought he made a little more than that.

10/28/2019 12:31:35 AM

I gave conservative floors, but you're correct. We can't all do deals in hot tubs in vail, so you just gotta get by somehow

10/28/2019 11:26:07 AM

I switched to Aspen and Jackson Hole . The hot tubs are better.

10/29/2019 4:27:17 PM

i cant afford a hot tub...

10/29/2019 10:46:05 PM

There was a vendor at the fair selling hot tubs $0 down/%0 interest.

10/30/2019 10:22:49 AM

that's how mother fuckers got Legionnaires disease from the fair in western NC.

Two have died even. FFS.

10/30/2019 11:18:38 AM

How have salaries kept up with inflation? My boss acted like he was being awful generous with a 10% YoY raise vs 7-24% YoY inflation

6/13/2022 4:47:10 PM

Most people would murder their mothers for 10% YoY raises.

6/13/2022 5:38:21 PM

everyone i've talked to got their usual 2-3%

6/13/2022 6:22:20 PM

^

federal COLA was about 2%, and for me this was a step-increase year, which I guess doesn't really count since it's scheduled

6/14/2022 4:42:16 PM

Manufacturing facility in Mooresville, NC.

The usual 3-4% in the last few years. 6% this year to keep us mid-pack in the area. These figures apply to both exempt and non-exempt. Here are my figures (yes, they skipped 2020 for exempt folks ). The 2.2% was a promotion year so I didn't get the full increase.

03/27/2022 Cost of living adjustment 6.00 %
06/06/2021 Merit increase 4.50 %
05/26/2019 Merit increase 4.50 %
05/27/2018 Merit increase 2.20 %

[Edited on June 15, 2022 at 9:04 AM. Reason : ]

6/15/2022 9:02:06 AM

our raises that went out at the beginning of the year were budgeted for 5.5%

6/15/2022 5:00:33 PM

I see the usual shit talker is still shit talkin'

6/16/2022 10:44:05 PM

Where is everyone on time off?

3 weeks started out.
bought a week
I get two weeks "personal time" - i guess this is some finance trick. Just requires manager approval and doesn't carry over.
I think two or three weeks sick time?

Last year i had some furlough days thrown in. It was great.

6/17/2022 5:57:41 AM

started off with just the federal holidays, and accrued 4 hrs each of sick and personal/annual leave per biweek. after 3 years annual leave accrual jumped to 6 hrs/biweek (sick stays at 4 hr/biweek)

just hit 10 years in January and when I hit 15 yrs it'll jump to 8 hrs/biweek

6/17/2022 10:12:12 AM

4 weeks vacation
20 days sick/personal

6/17/2022 10:22:03 AM

unlimited pto/sick
2 days per quarter the company shuts down to force people to stop working (in the US, EU seems to have no issues taking their PTO)
big federal holidays off

6/19/2022 11:30:05 AM

0 yrs = 120 hrs PTO
15-20 yrs experience (me) = 168 hrs PTO

No "sick leave." Max rollover at 2XX hrs. Everyone allowed to sell back PTO around beginning of November. +10 Federal holidays

6/19/2022 7:42:07 PM

Large corporation, top 5-10 in field

'unlimited' vacation, but works out to 160-240 depending on your supervisors leniency and your bravery

Sick leave is tracked but there isn't an official limit, may or may not affect you if you take too much without obvious reasons

(for exempt, non exempt is different)


[Edited on June 19, 2022 at 7:55 PM. Reason : E]

6/19/2022 7:53:36 PM

Got bumped to 28 days after I hit 5 years, was 23 prior to that . I also have 5 rollover days this year, 3 flex rollover (they let us roll over extra days the first years of covid), and then 5 covid days which can be used for anything covid related.

6/20/2022 8:03:40 PM

Quote :

"How have salaries kept up with inflation? My boss acted like he was being awful generous with a 10% YoY raise vs 7-24% YoY inflation"

Where are you getting 7-24% YoY? ~8.5 is the number I've been seeing. Wage increases are averaging about 5.5%, if I recall correctly.

We just signed a 2 year contract. 7.5% raise starting in November, and then the 2nd year is another 2.5% or so.
___________________________

As far as time off goes, I started this job with 4 weeks per year (160 hours), plus all federal holidays.

I think I'm at 5 weeks and 2 days now (216 hours), again with all federal holidays.

6/28/2022 10:09:18 PM

different indexes to track inflation. different folks use different indicators for the consumer price index. some sites show it for different price/income brackets. as an example, very cheap things are seeing the most inflation in the 25% range (ie: dollartree is $1.25 for everything now)

6/29/2022 5:36:37 PM

hahaha I never graduated from NCSU

Major: English
Employer: Big Gay Liberal Tech
Starting Salary: $55k (but its gone up a bunch)
Benefits: yes
Location: Somewhere off Lineberry
Hours per week: 40?

6/30/2022 4:04:23 PM

I've posted earlier, but I'll update (again) (almost 3 years since last update)
BS in technology education - 2007
BS in graphic communication - 2007
MEd in technology education, minor in Industrial Design - 2009
Graduate Certificate in Business Process Management - 2021

Middle school teacher in CMS
$31,000. One year
Crappy benefits
No negotiation.
55+hours a week

Process Engineer to Quality Manager; small automotive part manufacturing (35 people)
$45,000 start, $57,000 end, 4 years there
Crappy benefits
Minimal negotiation
40-75 hours a week

Quality Engineer: small automotive, aerospace, manufacturing (250 people)
$68k start, $76k end, 4 years there.
Excellent health, 401k contribution, vacation days (start at 10 and goes up every year), cost of living raise every year, annual performance bonus (company and personal objectives)
No negotiation, offer was higher than I was expecting
40-70 hours a week

Quality/ EHS Manager: large packaging manufacturing (42 people my site, >100 facilities worldwide)
$85k starting
Small COL raise every year, no bonuses, crappy benefits, 401k match to 4%, 3 weeks vacation.
Negotiation: Yes, extra week of vacation, $5k salary.

Division Quality Manager: Same large packaging company, internal application and promotion, now responsible for 21 facilities.
$107,500 starting
Standard 3% raise every year, company performance bonus (15%), crappy benefits, 401k match to 4%, 3 weeks +2 days vacation.
Negotiation: Yes, extra starting pay

I graduated in Dec 09, and hit the double original salary Sept 2014, so about 5 years. I'm now on track to triple my original salary in roughly 10 years. Now I have 4x my pay in 12 years time.
I'm making over 70k at this point, but not sure if I'll ever reach 100k. (Getting closer) (Got it)
The benefits of getting out of teaching were immediate, but not being a 'real' engineer caps some of my opportunities.
The education background is starting to pay off here. I'm growing my department and am responsible for all the training in my division for the gov't compliance. I'm also hiring 20 people next year based on our growth plans.

7/7/2022 10:16:05 AM

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/07/13/business/inflation-cpi-report-june

7/13/2022 9:21:28 AM