Salary for tech worker in SF (living, cost of living, expense)

[checkingus]

What is a typical salary for an embedded software engineer with 4-5 yrs experience in SF? I want a response from a real person. Some of the sites put a wide range number.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by checkingus

What is a typical salary for an embedded software engineer with 4-5 yrs experience in SF? I want a response from a real person. Some of the sites put a wide range number.

Yes there's a wide range of numbers on salary.com and glassdoor.com. But if you take the average, you get an accurate figure.

With 4 years experience, you are an entry level or Junior level engineer. Take the average of the junior level salaries.

[mdwstrnkid]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Yes there's a wide range of numbers on salary.com and glassdoor.com. But if you take the average, you get an accurate figure.

With 4 years experience, you are an entry level or Junior level engineer. Take the average of the junior level salaries.

Yep, I think that Glassdoor.com is the place to look, though 4-5 years of experience is more around a junior-to-mid level engineer in my book (software engineer II or III), depending on the type of experience, education, etc.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by mdwstrnkid

Yep, I think that Glassdoor.com is the place to look, though 4-5 years of experience is more around a junior-to-mid level engineer in my book (software engineer II or III), depending on the type of experience, education, etc.

Might be, according to your book ... but companies in SV consider it junior.

[checkingus]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Might be, according to your book ... but companies in SV consider it junior.

have masters in EE with 4 yrs ecperience. should I be asking for low 6 figures?

[mdwstrnkid]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Might be, according to your book ... but companies in SV consider it junior.

Been working in the Silicon Valley for more than a decade...

4-5 years of experience + master's degree (as mentioned in his later post) would likely merit a level II or III at my company (large, multinational software company).

[mdwstrnkid]

Originally Posted by checkingus

have masters in EE with 4 yrs ecperience. should I be asking for low 6 figures?

Six figures might be on the high side. Would expect you to look for offers in the 80s and 90s base salary, depending on skill set and demand.

[checkingus]

Originally Posted by mdwstrnkid

Six figures might be on the high side. Would expect you to look for offers in the 80s and 90s base salary, depending on skill set and demand.

I am already getting 80 range in Texas at my current qulification. I am more worried about the spike in livng expense.
Direct conversion of salary is insane, it said I should make 140k to keep same standard ( I figured that is a little too high). Plus it is not a big multinational company.

[mdwstrnkid]

Originally Posted by checkingus

I am already getting 80 range in Texas at my current qulification. I am more worried about the spike in livng expense.
Direct conversion of salary is insane, it said I should make 140k to keep same standard ( I figured that is a little too high). Plus it is not a big multinational company.

Yeah, there's pretty much no way that you'll make 140K at your experience level (unless you did something exceptional, like start your own company which you sold off). That's well above what most senior engineers make in base salary. You'd have to be either an architect or a principal engineer to come anywhere close to that salary. For my company, the salary pay grade differential between SF/NY and the rest of the country is somewhere between 15-20%.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by mdwstrnkid

For my company, the salary pay grade differential between SF/NY and the rest of the country is somewhere between 15-20%.

Yes the salary difference doesn't make up the cost of living around here.