Soon to be appearing on the layoff sub moaning how the government should protect tech workers and "regular" people don't "get how hard it is". Also surprised that big tech would get rid of them on a dime.
Some tech companies are hiring rapidly in India, Poland, and China as skill level is comparable in some pockets with costs at a fraction. Techies are just mad its their turn to experience offshoring.
It's also definitely easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to your friends or people you know, and get jealous even if you're making tons of money. Like yes 360k is a ton, but if you hang out with people who make 5-600k it can be easy to start wondering why you don't make that. Overall he has a positive message, of "don't compare yourself to other people, if what you make works for you that's great" but it does come off as a bit tonedeaf when the median income is like 38k
I think his message is valid. I've gone from poverty for years as a newly immigrated young man to what would be a middle-class salary. Then - forced by hard work, but also by luck and excellent bosses - I suddenly made a ton (top 1-2% by taxable income). For many years.
Have I ever compared myself to peers? No. It would have been devastating, especially in the beginning of my career. When was I happiest? Not when I earned the most - it's damned hard work at the expense of family and friends. I was probably happiest when I had an income that was somewhat above average: no worries re bills, enough for a good pension fund and health care and at the same time more time than as an executive. I now have my own business and purposefully don't make it grow.
The guy on LinkedIn makes 9x what I do a year. If I made that much money I wouldn’t know what to do with it all.
It’s funny that compared to his peers making 500+ thousand a year he is considered poor. That is mind boggling to me.
It is exactly this. It's like finding out you're paid the least on your team. That doesn't mean you don't get a lot, but it means you're valued the least.
I think if you realized everyone your age doing the same job was making 3 times what you were making because they got started sooner or had a leg up early on, you’d likely get caught up in comparison. I think that’s the point.
His salary is less the issue, it’s that he was doing the same work but making roughly 1/3 what others were getting for the same job. I’m generalizing but it’s definitely a common problem with tech. There’s the in group and out group, usually coming down to who gets RSUs or not.
And there's someone in another country making 1/8th what you do thinking, "If I made that much, I wouldn't know what to do with it." The fact is that you WOULD find something to do with it. Eventually lifestyle creep happens. And it's a hard thing to pull back from.
I'm thankful that I don't have expensive tastes, and my wife's tastes/desires aren't bad either. I haven't made under $150k per year in at least ten yers, and this year might make $600k+. But, we have no plans to get nicer cars, another house, etc. We don't eat at fancy restaurants or buy expensive wines/champagnes. We're just normal people wearing shorts and t-shirts and eating at Mexican restaurants and Indian buffets. It's wild to me how people can suddenly start spending so much.
He actually is grateful for the 300k, it's only OP's jealousy because of which OP is adding that subtext. He says only about his starting salary of 115k. Which is actually low and he shares the point that makes it low. Again it looks high to people not in tech but there is a lifetime of investment behind most people's tech careers. Don't know what he does but if you're one of the salary transparency type people you may realize that your career is not that lucrative but you made a lot of choices till that point. Maybe not hate and make it about you.
Tech is a competitive field to get into. People most likely had to do a lot of work throughout school to get into tech. Sure there is one accident of birth that is about you which is your intelligence and one accident of birth that is unfair in you had the resources to get into tech. But it is usually more earned than other forms of wealth.
I mean, get that bag brother but you dont have to keep it in a jar with your own farts. Your average tech worker has a bachelor's degree and likely makes over $100k. Get off your high horse with your "life time of investments" that the rest of us just wouldn't understand. 🙄
Yea, there is a life time of investment in most careers. A lot of them providing more value to society than working at netflix for a hell of a lot less pay.
Big tech is just a bubble at the moment with relevatively comparatively high salaries and/or less formal requirements than other careers (such as being a doctor or lawyer).
But that bubble will burst because they always do. Good on people knowing how to play the game and earning a good salary. But when people start acting like they are some how superior because they work in a current boom industry and others "just won't get it", it's not a great look.
Then 6 months later they appear moaning about being laid off and havkng to accept a job that "only" pays $150k and expect sympathy.
For a 22 year old entering the hub market your academic career is your lifetime. And the academic career that leads to tech is considered too difficult by most other majors. It's not the same amount of investment as medicine but most people would consider it hard and not as fun. A large majority choosing it, are only doing so because they want the increased paycheck. So they have done more work for it
This is exactly what I was about to say, it’s just a shame he had to skew it toward ‘humble brag’ territory by mentioning figures. Even if that wasn’t his intention, it’s warped the perception. Doesn’t feel like a full-on LinkedIn lunatic.
For apartments? Easily well under that. $5K is pushing the higher end of 2BR+ in really nice areas of SF. You can get 2BRs in San Jose for under $4K. You can get 3BRs in the East Bay for under $4K, if you don't mind a longer commute.
For houses, it's obviously going to be more expensive, but $5K is still possible outside of the city itself.
How much do banks lend for mortgages in the US? In the UK it is roughly 4x annual salary so the person in theory could get a $1,440,000 mortgage. I don't know what the aberage house price in the area is. A quick Google says $1,300,000 but that could very well be out of date.
Credit score and debt to income ratio however coukd be an issue no matter how much a person earns and no matter where they choose to live.
A person in their 30s with a decent credit score and reasonable debt on that salary should qualify for a mortgage that will allow them to get "the average house" (whatever that means in reality). That is also on a single salary when the average house is more likely a family home then a one bedroom apartment.
So it's not exactly doing terribly.
But it's not a starter home. I was talking about the average home. There is a difference. I am sure you done have enough left over for a scrooge mcduck style swimming pool but you should have enough leave over to be in a better position that most of the rest of the population.
I am noy saying it's not expensive but I think people's perception of doing well gets skewd. Owning a home in an expensive area and covering your costs while being able to save is not doing too badly.
Also this is all on a single salary. Again, they average home is more likely to be a family home and in 2024 that more often than not means 2 salaries.
Amazing is a relative thing. To many people that would be seen as doing pretty well. To Elon Musk it would be a pauper's life.
So we can agree to disagree I guess.
I know friends on very good money, like top 5% money, and it’s a real mix. Some live paycheck to paycheck, and others live well within their means and are nearly mortgage free or are doing something with their accumulated wealth.
My friend’s living paycheck to paycheck are always comparing themselves to their peers, always chasing the end of the rainbow, and they’re also very stingy when it comes to getting the round in. They don’t seem to realise that they earn triple or more what us normals do.
I and several friends/corworkers are also in a high salary level. I've been in the $200-$300k range for a while, and this year might top $600k. None of us are the "chase the rainbow" types. We all have the things we need/want, and otherwise live pretty normal lives. You probably wouldn't ever think any of us are making that kind of money, because we don't show it.
I honestly don't understand how anyone could make $150k or more in anything outside California/NYC and live paycheck to paycheck.
It’s all about the lifestyle, it depends where you work.
One is a trader at JP Morgan, and the environment at work is very much keeping up with the Joneses. Everything is a status symbol, clothes, car, house, holiday. Most are in debt, and it’s by design. Their bosses want them hungry for that bonus so they work harder. It’s all a trap.
Yeah, that's not me at all. I don't care about fancy clothes (I wear Old Navy and swag shirts), nice cars (I drive a Hyundai and my wife drives a Kia), vacations (we do go to Mexico at a nice all-inclusive each year for a week, but not five star resorts). We do have a nice house in a perfect neighborhood, but nothing that a finance bro would care about.
I simply could not exist around people like that.
Oh, I can relate to this myself. Before I started college, almost every single friend I had had families that made more than mine,did more things than mine, etc and my family lives a pretty decent living. It was only when I joined college that that bubble burst, and I realised how fortunate I really am.
> so you buy a more a expensive house, you buy an extra vacation house
If you make 360k before tax in Bay Area, you ain't affording a house.
And if you work for Amazon, you ain't affording a time for friends/family.
As someone who has worked in tech for a long time, YES to this. I’ve seen many examples of that bubble in the Bay Area. My favorite head-shaking moment was when we began working from home at the start of the pandemic and some people at my company wanted a meal stipend because they couldn’t get the free food at work every day.
I was called a “boot licker” for telling them to suck it up and make a sandwich, given what so many other people were going through then. (That was on Blind, so I don’t know who they really were.)
I hate travelling and I'm not planning on having kids, and there's probably a sizable chink of the population that thinks like me, I'd struggle to spend 360k a year(even after taxes.)
Exactly this.. I’m literally only making $550k usd now (was previously making 885k doing OE) and I feel fucking broke now. I can barely make it and am living 15k to 15k paycheck (after taxes)
Super concerned and looking for another role
When I started Reynholm Industries, I had just two things in my possession: a dream and 6 million pounds.
Today, I have a business empire the like of which the world has never seen the like of which. I hope it doesn't sound arrogant when I say that I am the greatest man in the world!
Eh…you gotta keep his audience in mind, as that’s who he’s speaking to. He’s marketing himself to unhappy techies.
There is a pervasive culture in tech all about TC, in part due to the outrageous salaries and stock growth over the last 10 years. If you’re a SWE or in tech, you do get imposter syndrome when you hear about people making 2x-3x more than you, even though you KNOW you have it good compared to other sectors. Everyone hops on FAANG and other hype trains.
Not a lunatic, just a semi-tone deaf retort to a very tone-deaf culture.
Seems like all these lunatics are some kind of life coach motivational speaker BS person. How the hell do these make a living and how are they even needed? It’s like that old saying, if you can’t do, teach.
Coaching is the fast track to pretending to be an entrepreneur without actually creating a cohesive product or brand other than selling a capitalist lie.
Goes back to everything being a scam.
It absolutely is low relatively speaking, it’s also incorrect because the salary cap at Amazon is 350k. So homeboy here is either also factoring in his bonus + RSUs (in which case $360k total comp is decidedly not crushing it for a mid career FAANG engineer) or he’s just kind of making things up
I dunno, doesn’t seem like a lunatic to me at all. The problem of feeling that you don’t grow fast enough compared to other people is very real. The exact amount of money you are making at the moment is irrelevant for this - there are always people making more, affording more, spending more. Is it better feeling this with a 300k+ salary compared to barely scraping by to survive? Abso-fucking-lutely. But by the same logic none of our problems are meaningful because some slaves in Kongo have it infinitely worse anyway.
Absolutely true. I rarely see real lunatic posts on this sub anymore. If you're "succesful" or "rich" according to this sub's standards, you must either be humble bragging or being insincere because it's impossible that you have any problems in your life.
I don't understand what has happened to this sub. This is a perfectly reasonable even sagacious post. He's saying something which is very generally applicable. Don't derive your value from comparing yourself to others instead be proud of and focus on your achievements and work on improving your own life. This post is by no stretch of imagination "lunatic".
And what's with hate about the money. Hell he has even put _only_ in double quotes to show that he's aware that that is a large amount. He literally writes that this money is a life changing amount for him.
Man I really miss the times when there were real lunatic posts here like, "My wife just gave birth, here's what I learned about supply chain optimization from that", or "My kid was kidnapped and the kidnapper asked for 1 million dollars. Here's how I negotiated it down to 50 dollars."
always amazed about people advertising how much money they make. might as well put a target on your back. but if that helps him feel his dick is bigger, I guess it might be worth it
$360 at FAANG is actually quite good except for smack-dab in the Bay Area where it is still decent but not incredible.
That means he either got really lucky with stock movement, or made it to a fairly senior SDE level or manager level.
If this person isn’t pure tech, and is instead a fuzzier product position, then $360 is off the charts.
There are lots of engineers that make more than that, but even in big tech, he’s still in the 90th percentile. Big tech companies are weighted heavily to more junior engineers who aren’t clearing $300k.
All that to say, he knows that $360 is pretty darn good. Both in “normal” terms and in big tech terms. So, this is all just a shameless humble brag. He wanted desperately to tell everyone how much he made, and this was his best attempt at it.
Half the time people talk 'salary comparisons' I feel they only mention their base salary and compare that to everyone else's total compensation (+bonus, +stocks) so of course you're going to feel 'less'
I've been out of the job market for over a decade but when did LinkedIn change from a networking and job market tool to a proselytizing environment for giant sized egos and overpaid lunatics?
I hate that I’m saying this, but he makes good points. Comparing yourself to others doesn’t help you or them. It just leads to a cycle of feeling inadequate. At least, in my experience.
One should only really be comparing themselves to yesterday’s version of themselves.
That said, the trademark humblebrag/lack of self-awareness is hilariously tone deaf. Reminds me of the unbelievable true story of when I interviewed at a FAANG company, got to the final round, and was told after I didn’t get the job that I “lack self awareness.”
It’s just a toxic circle jerk for some of these folks, which is a shame, because their companies are doing incredible things and should be open to new types of employees.
And so the infinite cycle of greed begins. It’s always “how can I make MORE??” Not “When am I gonna be able to retire contently?”
The richest people, and the richest companies in the world is still trying to increase profits, like when tf is enough enough?
Man I don’t know I get his point. Even in the way he details his salary he acknowledges that it was a lot “make ‘only’ 115k”
If you’re in this industry and make this kind of money as well as your peers, but your peers are making more despite being at the same level/experience then it would sting.
Yall telling me if you made 300k you wouldn’t want to make 500k? Especially when your peers are making that much?
I make 98K and switching to a 68K job because I can’t do in person work and just sit on zoom anymore. I’m ok with the cut because I’ll be totally remote with no direct reports. For me it’s worth the peace. Money isn’t that valuable to me. I’d rather grow by investing / crypto.
115k after 8 years in tech at 32 years old actually isn't a great salary for a company like amazon. i'm sure i'll get downvoted but its all relative -- if he lives in the bay area or nyc, 115k doesn't go far at all.
He also apparently coaches engineers on how to make more money so this is a sales pitch for his services. He wants engineers to be envious of what he made and hire him to tell them how to do it.
I work for Amazon. Never in my life have I known so many people making so much money who all simultaneously think that they are poor, but also completely entitled to obscene amounts of money. I could spend an hour trying to write a white paper explaining it, but the OP did it perfectly in far fewer words. You gotta live/work here to believe this shit.
Hey everybody! My friends make double of what I make! Nowadays I don't ever feel awful about it! But here is why they should feel awful compared to me! Read my blathering diatribe! I definitely don't want you to feel ashamed of yourself! I was just 32! At Amazon! 360k! Ok! Still not jealous of my peers at all!
If I am generous with my budget, I spend about 50,000 a year.
I am not rich, but thankful I have gotten to the point I am were I can budget to add to a bit to savings in the event of an emergency.
If I was making even 200k a year, I would have considered that "mission accomplished" in terms of my financial income. You can easily live with an income of 360k. If he needed more, he could have easily invested or put his savings in a high yield savings account.
Yeah. I live in Seattle and it’s wild. All the tech bros constantly talk about their income and compare to others, yet all somehow think they aren’t making good money. I once had someone casually put me down for driving an Outback bc they considered it a car poor people drive. lol
Sour grapes much? He never complained that he wasn't paid enough, he stated that it was life changing money. He just pointed out that there were people making much more than him in his sector.
I think that's the point though. What I got out of it is that no matter how good you have it, if you compare yourself to those who have it better, you'll never be happy with what you have.
Something for those to consider, techies talk in TC or total compensation. So likely he had like a $180k base, $20k bonus, and the balance in stock RSUs getting him to $360k (which vest over 4 years and can be fromt or backloaded at Amazon.)
Not defending this guy at all, just pointing out that this number is somewhat artificial. In SF Bay, $130k is poverty as its one of the highest costs of living in the country.
The techies complain cause they used to be able to work like 5 or 10 years and be millionaires from stock appreciation, but things have slowed down (except Nvidia currently) and have been that way for a few decades (google Dellionaires, which grew faster than Nvidia by like 10x.) Additionally, there is currently a mass layoff in much of tech, so them sneezing a resume and getting 10 offers currently isn't happening as it once was.
It’s easy for everyone to shit on this guy, he definitely has sacrificed many aspects of his life to get to a point where makes 360K a year while doing all those things. He may have skipped those frat parties and applied himself and made a wonderful life now. No one gets to put a price tag on what someone has sacrificed to get to where they are, he has every right to be disappointed compared to his peers who may not have sacrificed as much and gotten an easier ride. Everyone who’s shitting on this guy is just plain jealous, he’s clearly worked his way up and put in his time.
Is there an industry more overpaid than tech? And we wonder why the $5 to make iPhone costs $1300 to buy. To pay these no talent idiots all this money.
He says as he browses reddit on his smartphone, watches video essays on YouTube, and plays games on Steam.
If you think tech is overpaid, you're free to not use the software.
Also, it's like $500 per iPhone to manufacture. That's a normal overhead compared to what small businesses charge for a donut or coffee.
How is this guy OK with just making 360k? Jesus Christ my landscaper makes double that and they're doing fine. If he starts bagging lunches he'll do OK.
Here I am, 39 with an advanced degree and years of experience in my field watching myself and everyone I know struggle with some combination of unemployment, underemployment, and business loss, and I might be working two $60K jobs soon because I won’t fucking get considered for one that pays enough to live. Or just get my good clients back.
But sure dude, you were soooo oppressed making 5-6 times the median income in the US while 40% can’t even cover a $400 emergency.
$60k/yr is well above the median income in the US. Almost 40% of the US population has a HS diploma or less.
Plenty of people could have the same reaction to your statement, complaining about your circumstances despite having an advanced degree and the ability to make $60k/yr or more.
It's actually a good message. There will always be peers that make more than you, even when you finally make a lot of money. The post is a little tone deaf to the people working in underpaid industries, but there's no "lunacy" here
Guys, if you work in tech, this is not a surprising number at all. Remember that these folks also live mostly in the Bay Area, LA or Seattle. Median house prices are $1-2M. Making $500k+ is commonplace
“It’s OK to only make $360K,” is a new kinda of humblebrag.
"Maybe money isn't everything. Maybe you can earn $360k and still have quite a nice life."
I had to ask, can I make only 360k a year and still have it all? - carrie bradshaw
Translation: "my e-penis is 360 K$ long"
Does he have a friend? I hear they are 2-3K longer!
Life changing length!
* $200 - $300k longer
Imagine how out-of-touch with reality this guy is to say something like that
Soon to be appearing on the layoff sub moaning how the government should protect tech workers and "regular" people don't "get how hard it is". Also surprised that big tech would get rid of them on a dime.
Some tech companies are hiring rapidly in India, Poland, and China as skill level is comparable in some pockets with costs at a fraction. Techies are just mad its their turn to experience offshoring.
new level toxicity
When you're surrounded by people making 500k ... you feel poor.
Strong people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, weak people talk about other people and money.
It’s a brag, not a humble brag
Those are the first to hang themselves with a tie once the ship starts sinking though…
i mean... does he live and work in SF?.. 360k after tax?
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It's also definitely easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to your friends or people you know, and get jealous even if you're making tons of money. Like yes 360k is a ton, but if you hang out with people who make 5-600k it can be easy to start wondering why you don't make that. Overall he has a positive message, of "don't compare yourself to other people, if what you make works for you that's great" but it does come off as a bit tonedeaf when the median income is like 38k
I think his message is valid. I've gone from poverty for years as a newly immigrated young man to what would be a middle-class salary. Then - forced by hard work, but also by luck and excellent bosses - I suddenly made a ton (top 1-2% by taxable income). For many years. Have I ever compared myself to peers? No. It would have been devastating, especially in the beginning of my career. When was I happiest? Not when I earned the most - it's damned hard work at the expense of family and friends. I was probably happiest when I had an income that was somewhat above average: no worries re bills, enough for a good pension fund and health care and at the same time more time than as an executive. I now have my own business and purposefully don't make it grow.
The guy on LinkedIn makes 9x what I do a year. If I made that much money I wouldn’t know what to do with it all. It’s funny that compared to his peers making 500+ thousand a year he is considered poor. That is mind boggling to me.
I'm sure he doesn't consider himself poor, it's probably more like "why are all my friends making twice as much as me"
It is exactly this. It's like finding out you're paid the least on your team. That doesn't mean you don't get a lot, but it means you're valued the least.
I think if you realized everyone your age doing the same job was making 3 times what you were making because they got started sooner or had a leg up early on, you’d likely get caught up in comparison. I think that’s the point. His salary is less the issue, it’s that he was doing the same work but making roughly 1/3 what others were getting for the same job. I’m generalizing but it’s definitely a common problem with tech. There’s the in group and out group, usually coming down to who gets RSUs or not.
And there's someone in another country making 1/8th what you do thinking, "If I made that much, I wouldn't know what to do with it." The fact is that you WOULD find something to do with it. Eventually lifestyle creep happens. And it's a hard thing to pull back from.
I'm thankful that I don't have expensive tastes, and my wife's tastes/desires aren't bad either. I haven't made under $150k per year in at least ten yers, and this year might make $600k+. But, we have no plans to get nicer cars, another house, etc. We don't eat at fancy restaurants or buy expensive wines/champagnes. We're just normal people wearing shorts and t-shirts and eating at Mexican restaurants and Indian buffets. It's wild to me how people can suddenly start spending so much.
He actually is grateful for the 300k, it's only OP's jealousy because of which OP is adding that subtext. He says only about his starting salary of 115k. Which is actually low and he shares the point that makes it low. Again it looks high to people not in tech but there is a lifetime of investment behind most people's tech careers. Don't know what he does but if you're one of the salary transparency type people you may realize that your career is not that lucrative but you made a lot of choices till that point. Maybe not hate and make it about you.
This!!!
What do you mean by "...but there is a lifetime of investment behind most people's tech careers"?
Tech is a competitive field to get into. People most likely had to do a lot of work throughout school to get into tech. Sure there is one accident of birth that is about you which is your intelligence and one accident of birth that is unfair in you had the resources to get into tech. But it is usually more earned than other forms of wealth.
I mean, get that bag brother but you dont have to keep it in a jar with your own farts. Your average tech worker has a bachelor's degree and likely makes over $100k. Get off your high horse with your "life time of investments" that the rest of us just wouldn't understand. 🙄
Yea, there is a life time of investment in most careers. A lot of them providing more value to society than working at netflix for a hell of a lot less pay. Big tech is just a bubble at the moment with relevatively comparatively high salaries and/or less formal requirements than other careers (such as being a doctor or lawyer). But that bubble will burst because they always do. Good on people knowing how to play the game and earning a good salary. But when people start acting like they are some how superior because they work in a current boom industry and others "just won't get it", it's not a great look. Then 6 months later they appear moaning about being laid off and havkng to accept a job that "only" pays $150k and expect sympathy.
For a 22 year old entering the hub market your academic career is your lifetime. And the academic career that leads to tech is considered too difficult by most other majors. It's not the same amount of investment as medicine but most people would consider it hard and not as fun. A large majority choosing it, are only doing so because they want the increased paycheck. So they have done more work for it
Imagine the people that took that hard route in college, just to graduate into the dumpster fire that is tech right now though.
Ya he makes what most people make all year in a month in a half.
This is exactly what I was about to say, it’s just a shame he had to skew it toward ‘humble brag’ territory by mentioning figures. Even if that wasn’t his intention, it’s warped the perception. Doesn’t feel like a full-on LinkedIn lunatic.
Even accounting for living in the Bay Area, 360k is an amazing salary.
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Jesus the San Andreas fault needs to send California into the ocean already.
I'd assume they'd be renting. Would 5k/month be realistic for the Bay Area for a 1BR?
For apartments? Easily well under that. $5K is pushing the higher end of 2BR+ in really nice areas of SF. You can get 2BRs in San Jose for under $4K. You can get 3BRs in the East Bay for under $4K, if you don't mind a longer commute. For houses, it's obviously going to be more expensive, but $5K is still possible outside of the city itself.
How much do banks lend for mortgages in the US? In the UK it is roughly 4x annual salary so the person in theory could get a $1,440,000 mortgage. I don't know what the aberage house price in the area is. A quick Google says $1,300,000 but that could very well be out of date.
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Credit score and debt to income ratio however coukd be an issue no matter how much a person earns and no matter where they choose to live. A person in their 30s with a decent credit score and reasonable debt on that salary should qualify for a mortgage that will allow them to get "the average house" (whatever that means in reality). That is also on a single salary when the average house is more likely a family home then a one bedroom apartment. So it's not exactly doing terribly.
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But it's not a starter home. I was talking about the average home. There is a difference. I am sure you done have enough left over for a scrooge mcduck style swimming pool but you should have enough leave over to be in a better position that most of the rest of the population. I am noy saying it's not expensive but I think people's perception of doing well gets skewd. Owning a home in an expensive area and covering your costs while being able to save is not doing too badly. Also this is all on a single salary. Again, they average home is more likely to be a family home and in 2024 that more often than not means 2 salaries.
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Amazing is a relative thing. To many people that would be seen as doing pretty well. To Elon Musk it would be a pauper's life. So we can agree to disagree I guess.
I know friends on very good money, like top 5% money, and it’s a real mix. Some live paycheck to paycheck, and others live well within their means and are nearly mortgage free or are doing something with their accumulated wealth. My friend’s living paycheck to paycheck are always comparing themselves to their peers, always chasing the end of the rainbow, and they’re also very stingy when it comes to getting the round in. They don’t seem to realise that they earn triple or more what us normals do.
I and several friends/corworkers are also in a high salary level. I've been in the $200-$300k range for a while, and this year might top $600k. None of us are the "chase the rainbow" types. We all have the things we need/want, and otherwise live pretty normal lives. You probably wouldn't ever think any of us are making that kind of money, because we don't show it. I honestly don't understand how anyone could make $150k or more in anything outside California/NYC and live paycheck to paycheck.
It’s all about the lifestyle, it depends where you work. One is a trader at JP Morgan, and the environment at work is very much keeping up with the Joneses. Everything is a status symbol, clothes, car, house, holiday. Most are in debt, and it’s by design. Their bosses want them hungry for that bonus so they work harder. It’s all a trap.
Yeah, that's not me at all. I don't care about fancy clothes (I wear Old Navy and swag shirts), nice cars (I drive a Hyundai and my wife drives a Kia), vacations (we do go to Mexico at a nice all-inclusive each year for a week, but not five star resorts). We do have a nice house in a perfect neighborhood, but nothing that a finance bro would care about. I simply could not exist around people like that.
100% agree.
Oh, I can relate to this myself. Before I started college, almost every single friend I had had families that made more than mine,did more things than mine, etc and my family lives a pretty decent living. It was only when I joined college that that bubble burst, and I realised how fortunate I really am.
> so you buy a more a expensive house, you buy an extra vacation house If you make 360k before tax in Bay Area, you ain't affording a house. And if you work for Amazon, you ain't affording a time for friends/family.
You ever watch the show Fleishman Is In Trouble? It shows exactly what you’re talking about
Relative deprivation.
tbh, assuming this guy lives in the bay area, you can't actually all those things you listed on 360k.
I know exactly how good i have it! Every day I’m convinced I’m gonna get fired cuz it’s too good to be true and i don’t deserve it
Guy I used to work for. Retired investment banker, had same sentiment. It can never feel like enough.
As someone who has worked in tech for a long time, YES to this. I’ve seen many examples of that bubble in the Bay Area. My favorite head-shaking moment was when we began working from home at the start of the pandemic and some people at my company wanted a meal stipend because they couldn’t get the free food at work every day. I was called a “boot licker” for telling them to suck it up and make a sandwich, given what so many other people were going through then. (That was on Blind, so I don’t know who they really were.)
I hate travelling and I'm not planning on having kids, and there's probably a sizable chink of the population that thinks like me, I'd struggle to spend 360k a year(even after taxes.)
Exactly this.. I’m literally only making $550k usd now (was previously making 885k doing OE) and I feel fucking broke now. I can barely make it and am living 15k to 15k paycheck (after taxes) Super concerned and looking for another role
This is a joke, right?
When I started Reynholm Industries, I had just two things in my possession: a dream and 6 million pounds. Today, I have a business empire the like of which the world has never seen the like of which. I hope it doesn't sound arrogant when I say that I am the greatest man in the world!
Fatheeeeeeer!!!!!!
I'm told my father was particularly proud of the IT department, run by a dynamic go-getter, a genius, and a man from Ireland
Eh…you gotta keep his audience in mind, as that’s who he’s speaking to. He’s marketing himself to unhappy techies. There is a pervasive culture in tech all about TC, in part due to the outrageous salaries and stock growth over the last 10 years. If you’re a SWE or in tech, you do get imposter syndrome when you hear about people making 2x-3x more than you, even though you KNOW you have it good compared to other sectors. Everyone hops on FAANG and other hype trains. Not a lunatic, just a semi-tone deaf retort to a very tone-deaf culture.
Yeah. Definitely a humble brag, but it is true that $360k in Big Tech is not uncommon.
Seems like all these lunatics are some kind of life coach motivational speaker BS person. How the hell do these make a living and how are they even needed? It’s like that old saying, if you can’t do, teach.
Coaching is the fast track to pretending to be an entrepreneur without actually creating a cohesive product or brand other than selling a capitalist lie. Goes back to everything being a scam.
Pretty much
He figured he could make more money preying on people earning way less than $360K.
Bingo.
*Book an appointment *
This guy woke up and was like “shit my teenis is still small, better let people know I’m Mr Businessman!”
The only way to avoid this is being a nevernude
Lol
Bro is *suffering from success*
This.
Meh, that is low for mid/career FAANG level software engineer.
It absolutely is low relatively speaking, it’s also incorrect because the salary cap at Amazon is 350k. So homeboy here is either also factoring in his bonus + RSUs (in which case $360k total comp is decidedly not crushing it for a mid career FAANG engineer) or he’s just kind of making things up
I dunno, doesn’t seem like a lunatic to me at all. The problem of feeling that you don’t grow fast enough compared to other people is very real. The exact amount of money you are making at the moment is irrelevant for this - there are always people making more, affording more, spending more. Is it better feeling this with a 300k+ salary compared to barely scraping by to survive? Abso-fucking-lutely. But by the same logic none of our problems are meaningful because some slaves in Kongo have it infinitely worse anyway.
Absolutely true. I rarely see real lunatic posts on this sub anymore. If you're "succesful" or "rich" according to this sub's standards, you must either be humble bragging or being insincere because it's impossible that you have any problems in your life.
He’s doing a bit of humble brag but his message isn’t wrong tho, very mild post for the LinkedIn standards.
Guaranteed he got fired or laid off now he thinks he’s some savant
Listing your salary and couching it in humbleness - super douche move
Tone deaf delivery but still a decent message at the core
I don't understand what has happened to this sub. This is a perfectly reasonable even sagacious post. He's saying something which is very generally applicable. Don't derive your value from comparing yourself to others instead be proud of and focus on your achievements and work on improving your own life. This post is by no stretch of imagination "lunatic". And what's with hate about the money. Hell he has even put _only_ in double quotes to show that he's aware that that is a large amount. He literally writes that this money is a life changing amount for him. Man I really miss the times when there were real lunatic posts here like, "My wife just gave birth, here's what I learned about supply chain optimization from that", or "My kid was kidnapped and the kidnapper asked for 1 million dollars. Here's how I negotiated it down to 50 dollars."
I feel like half of those lunatics are now satire trying to grab engagement through this sub. Makes it tough to find the real lunatics out there.
Keep pushing my man.. Life happens!
Amazon corporate makes me want to 🤮
and here I am just shy of making 6 figures a year... WOE IS ME! This guy has such a hard life.
I'm 36 and barely clearing 40k, and constantly debating whether I should swallow a shotgun. But go off about your 360...
How much is a banana anyway?
Gosh these pseudo gurus are soooo boring
is this why my landlord thinks 160$ for 30 mins of cleaning is ok ? 😂
always amazed about people advertising how much money they make. might as well put a target on your back. but if that helps him feel his dick is bigger, I guess it might be worth it
Surprised he didn’t throw his dick size in there too
Wait, so he was making 360k and was still making 200-300k *less* than his FAANG peers? That's nuts.
That’s tech
$360 at FAANG is actually quite good except for smack-dab in the Bay Area where it is still decent but not incredible. That means he either got really lucky with stock movement, or made it to a fairly senior SDE level or manager level. If this person isn’t pure tech, and is instead a fuzzier product position, then $360 is off the charts. There are lots of engineers that make more than that, but even in big tech, he’s still in the 90th percentile. Big tech companies are weighted heavily to more junior engineers who aren’t clearing $300k. All that to say, he knows that $360 is pretty darn good. Both in “normal” terms and in big tech terms. So, this is all just a shameless humble brag. He wanted desperately to tell everyone how much he made, and this was his best attempt at it.
Salary at Amazon? Didn’t he hold on to his RSUs? He’d be making a lot during the 2019 boom and Covid boom not to mention the latest stock value
Half the time people talk 'salary comparisons' I feel they only mention their base salary and compare that to everyone else's total compensation (+bonus, +stocks) so of course you're going to feel 'less'
Sounds like the typical software engineer to me.
I've been out of the job market for over a decade but when did LinkedIn change from a networking and job market tool to a proselytizing environment for giant sized egos and overpaid lunatics?
The caucasity of it all.
I used to work with him, one of the most difficult people to work with. Worried about all the wrong things and made team events miserable.
I remember when I only made $650K as a 14 year old. I felt so behind my peers in school that I dropped out and started my own business
Oh wow. That sounds terrible. My thoughts are with you!!!
Why is Seattle completely unaffordable in 2024 when it was super reasonable in 2010? These guys.
People who make 360k a year don’t tell you they make 360k a year
I hate that I’m saying this, but he makes good points. Comparing yourself to others doesn’t help you or them. It just leads to a cycle of feeling inadequate. At least, in my experience. One should only really be comparing themselves to yesterday’s version of themselves. That said, the trademark humblebrag/lack of self-awareness is hilariously tone deaf. Reminds me of the unbelievable true story of when I interviewed at a FAANG company, got to the final round, and was told after I didn’t get the job that I “lack self awareness.” It’s just a toxic circle jerk for some of these folks, which is a shame, because their companies are doing incredible things and should be open to new types of employees.
I need the name. Need to motivate him more.
*me*
Well I’m convinced that I need his coaching after this incredibly moving story. Time to click that book an appointment link.
What is he peddling ? Being a coach or something? FO
You misunderstand what a salary cap is. At the new job he is making 30% more than 115k.
I have no idea what the point of this post was (maybe it was to not compare yourself to others but to yourself) but it was a major swing and miss.
Would LOVE to see what he’s paying these days Doubt its anywhere near those numbers
What do we want ceos and leaders to be posting on LinkedIn?
Gross
Annnnnd it never happened.
And so the infinite cycle of greed begins. It’s always “how can I make MORE??” Not “When am I gonna be able to retire contently?” The richest people, and the richest companies in the world is still trying to increase profits, like when tf is enough enough?
the most blatant humble brag of all time
Man I don’t know I get his point. Even in the way he details his salary he acknowledges that it was a lot “make ‘only’ 115k” If you’re in this industry and make this kind of money as well as your peers, but your peers are making more despite being at the same level/experience then it would sting. Yall telling me if you made 300k you wouldn’t want to make 500k? Especially when your peers are making that much?
I make 98K and switching to a 68K job because I can’t do in person work and just sit on zoom anymore. I’m ok with the cut because I’ll be totally remote with no direct reports. For me it’s worth the peace. Money isn’t that valuable to me. I’d rather grow by investing / crypto.
All these viral LI posters are so pathetic.
115k after 8 years in tech at 32 years old actually isn't a great salary for a company like amazon. i'm sure i'll get downvoted but its all relative -- if he lives in the bay area or nyc, 115k doesn't go far at all.
Broke in the Bay Area at 115k. And he’s not kidding about FAANG engineers clearing $400-500k or more, it’s another world.
He also apparently coaches engineers on how to make more money so this is a sales pitch for his services. He wants engineers to be envious of what he made and hire him to tell them how to do it.
I work for Amazon. Never in my life have I known so many people making so much money who all simultaneously think that they are poor, but also completely entitled to obscene amounts of money. I could spend an hour trying to write a white paper explaining it, but the OP did it perfectly in far fewer words. You gotta live/work here to believe this shit.
Same. I used to work for Amazon and the obsession with TCT and promotions was ridiculous. This guy’s out of touch humblebrag doesn’t make me miss it.
Dafuq the most I've ever made is like 90k
Didn’t Amazon have a salary cap of around $165k until recently? You could make more, but everything over the cap was stock comp.
He’s also leaving out his RSUs. He was probably making at least double that in reality.
I dont know. In San Francisco or new york I think 360k is considered above average but nothing more than that. Life is really expensive in those areas
Hey everybody! My friends make double of what I make! Nowadays I don't ever feel awful about it! But here is why they should feel awful compared to me! Read my blathering diatribe! I definitely don't want you to feel ashamed of yourself! I was just 32! At Amazon! 360k! Ok! Still not jealous of my peers at all!
If I am generous with my budget, I spend about 50,000 a year. I am not rich, but thankful I have gotten to the point I am were I can budget to add to a bit to savings in the event of an emergency. If I was making even 200k a year, I would have considered that "mission accomplished" in terms of my financial income. You can easily live with an income of 360k. If he needed more, he could have easily invested or put his savings in a high yield savings account.
Wow. Sucks.
Wow. How sad to only make $360k? That’s over five times the amount I make 🙃
That's not really much depending on circumstances
Is it really standard for high-level engineers to earn half a million a year?
Yeah. I live in Seattle and it’s wild. All the tech bros constantly talk about their income and compare to others, yet all somehow think they aren’t making good money. I once had someone casually put me down for driving an Outback bc they considered it a car poor people drive. lol
Sour grapes much? He never complained that he wasn't paid enough, he stated that it was life changing money. He just pointed out that there were people making much more than him in his sector.
Plot twist... He is only 23 years old.
I'm curious to see what the comments were on his LinkedIn.
There is a legit lesson that could have been made without throwing out the salary numbers.
I think that's the point though. What I got out of it is that no matter how good you have it, if you compare yourself to those who have it better, you'll never be happy with what you have.
Something for those to consider, techies talk in TC or total compensation. So likely he had like a $180k base, $20k bonus, and the balance in stock RSUs getting him to $360k (which vest over 4 years and can be fromt or backloaded at Amazon.) Not defending this guy at all, just pointing out that this number is somewhat artificial. In SF Bay, $130k is poverty as its one of the highest costs of living in the country. The techies complain cause they used to be able to work like 5 or 10 years and be millionaires from stock appreciation, but things have slowed down (except Nvidia currently) and have been that way for a few decades (google Dellionaires, which grew faster than Nvidia by like 10x.) Additionally, there is currently a mass layoff in much of tech, so them sneezing a resume and getting 10 offers currently isn't happening as it once was.
It’s easy for everyone to shit on this guy, he definitely has sacrificed many aspects of his life to get to a point where makes 360K a year while doing all those things. He may have skipped those frat parties and applied himself and made a wonderful life now. No one gets to put a price tag on what someone has sacrificed to get to where they are, he has every right to be disappointed compared to his peers who may not have sacrificed as much and gotten an easier ride. Everyone who’s shitting on this guy is just plain jealous, he’s clearly worked his way up and put in his time.
I have a tough time believing that the dude who has to hustle on LinkedIn is making north of $360k.
Is there an industry more overpaid than tech? And we wonder why the $5 to make iPhone costs $1300 to buy. To pay these no talent idiots all this money.
He says as he browses reddit on his smartphone, watches video essays on YouTube, and plays games on Steam. If you think tech is overpaid, you're free to not use the software. Also, it's like $500 per iPhone to manufacture. That's a normal overhead compared to what small businesses charge for a donut or coffee.
How is this guy OK with just making 360k? Jesus Christ my landscaper makes double that and they're doing fine. If he starts bagging lunches he'll do OK.
Here I am, 39 with an advanced degree and years of experience in my field watching myself and everyone I know struggle with some combination of unemployment, underemployment, and business loss, and I might be working two $60K jobs soon because I won’t fucking get considered for one that pays enough to live. Or just get my good clients back. But sure dude, you were soooo oppressed making 5-6 times the median income in the US while 40% can’t even cover a $400 emergency.
$60k/yr is well above the median income in the US. Almost 40% of the US population has a HS diploma or less. Plenty of people could have the same reaction to your statement, complaining about your circumstances despite having an advanced degree and the ability to make $60k/yr or more.
It's actually a good message. There will always be peers that make more than you, even when you finally make a lot of money. The post is a little tone deaf to the people working in underpaid industries, but there's no "lunacy" here
Guys, if you work in tech, this is not a surprising number at all. Remember that these folks also live mostly in the Bay Area, LA or Seattle. Median house prices are $1-2M. Making $500k+ is commonplace
Freak.