Senior .NET demand in Silicon Valley (San Diego, San Francisco: 2015, rental, buying a house)

[Jhunter6]

My wife and I are considering relocating to California in early 2015, and I would love some feedback from any IT professionals regarding salaries, work environment and quality of life in the Silicon Valley area. I have four children aged 17, 17, 13 and 7 and my wife is a SAHM and writer.

I receive plenty of calls from recruiters for San Francisco but am confused in the very wide range in salaries quoted - I mean it is not like I am passing around vastly different resumes, and yet there is a huge range for very similar job descriptions.

As a Senior .NET developer with a decade of banking experience and several years specializing in Healthcare, could anyone ballpark what a decent offer might look like? After the fifth recruiter giving me a fifth salary range/benefits package, I have decided it wouldn't hurt to ask on the City Data boards.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[nagleepark]

We all receive tons of calls from recruiters. They will tell you whatever they think will convince you to apply.

No matter what you make, you won't be able to afford as big and as nice a house with as much land as you have now, at least, not for a few years. With your 6-person family and a SAHM, you will provide a lesser lifestyle than your family is used to for a while. The upside will be that you will be in the major leagues, not the minor leagues, and you'll live in California which is a very desirable place to live and, hopefully, be part of the upwardly mobile.

I'm sure that the salaries/benefits sound great compared to where you are but you obviously haven't investigated housing prices or schools.

But, if you really want a number, I'd say that you should not move for less than $150K. You'll probably get offers for less, maybe $110K, $125K or $140K. At the extreme, maybe you could manage $175K but you still will be far, far short of buying your same house with the big lot with good schools and a 30 minute or less commute.

But some people are adventurous. Some people don't care about everything that they got. They just want to be in the big leagues and work like crazy and be super competitive and be rich. If so, keep interviewing.

[vadaseri]

Originally Posted by Jhunter6

My wife and I are considering relocating to California in early 2015, and I would love some feedback from any IT professionals regarding salaries, work environment and quality of life in the Silicon Valley area. I have four children aged 17, 17, 13 and 7 and my wife is a SAHM and writer.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!

You are taking a risk by moving here. Unless you have a huge savings, buying a house in a desirable location is difficult with your salary. Everyone gets tons of calls from the recruiters. I do too. But no one has ever mentioned the salary when they called me. Do you have a solid offer? Tell us the numbers and location, then we can discuss.

[Jhunter6]

Thanks for the replies! I do not have a solid offer, and do understand that the calls are quite often simply recruiters fishing, but I wanted a base salary to move forward with in my research. I am currently making $120,000 here in very affordable NC.

My family all subscribe to a minimalist lifestyle, so letting go of square footage isn't an issue. We have zero debt, homeschool, live simply and want to move for the access to hiking, kayaking and swimming.
I am not deluded in thinking we can buy when even the most minimal ranch goes for just under a million, but I needed to get an idea of salary vs rental costs within a 30 minute commute to Palo Alto.

The highest salary from the more credible recruiter I spoke with is $160,000 but he can't seem to schedule a phone interview, even though he swears the employer "needs someone yesterday." When I ask about relocation, the recruiter refuses to give me a straight answer. This position is in Palo Alto but I am not being told any more than this.

As far as extreme hours go, is this literally the case for all the programming gigs in California? I spoke with a recruiter looking to fill a position with SAIC in San Diego and was told that little over 40 hours a week would be expected. And yes, I get that lying can be second nature to many in the recruiting business, but while I am not opposed to working harder/longer on a given project, I couldn't see doing 70 hour weeks on a regular basis.

My family would love the access to all that California has to offer, but if I never see my kids, the money and prestige of coding in the big leagues seems too high a cost to pay. Thanks for the replies and the reality check - the input is appreciated.

[vadaseri]

According to: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
you should get $420,000 in Palo Alto if you are making $120,000 in Cary

I don't see any compelling reason for you to move to Palo Alto if you are making $120,000 in Cary. With 2 kids going to college soon why do you want to rock the boat by moving to CA?

[Jhunter6]

I figured we would need way more than $160,000, but $420,000 seems over the top. I am originally from Northern Virginia and am no stranger to a high cost of living, but what other people consider "necessities," I do not. And what many overlook in NC for the big house and yard, leaves me wanting to find a new living environment.

A few of the biggies are the heat, brazen racism and the conservative crowd. To each his own, but this gets in the way of our quality of life and I know that while CA has its problems and high cost of living, it is not known for Tea Party soccor moms or brutal heat and humidity.

As far as the kids go, we have a son who has his mind set on getting into a Calarts program in the next couple of years, so I am thinking being in-state would work in his favor.

Am I getting this resistance because you guys are unhappy with your choice of living and working in CA? I don't mind honest opinions, but wonder how anyone could be confused by my wanting to leave the South for CA! Although I get that the budget will be very tight, I simply wanted an idea of the real salary range vs what the recruiters are telling me to expect.

[vadaseri]

Originally Posted by Jhunter6

A few of the biggies are the heat, brazen racism and the conservative crowd.

If you consider them as biggies then you will enjoy CA.

Originally Posted by Jhunter6

Am I getting this resistance because you guys are unhappy with your choice of living and working in CA? I don't mind honest opinions, but wonder how anyone could be confused by my wanting to leave the South for CA!

No, we have been living here longer and are immune to the sticker shock. But if you are OK with the cost of living in silicon valley you are welcome here. Since you asked for a salary range, assuming you have 10+ years of experience in .NET you can expect $150K +/- $20K. If you are into big data / hadoop $180K in SF is possible.

If you are joining a startup, working for more than $40 hours/week is expected but not for 70 hours which is a bit exaggerated. Of course there are exceptions. If you are joining a pre-IPO company your salary will be less but you will get RSUs (stock options) which can make you very rich or will be worthless depending on how well the company does.

[Jhunter6]

Thanks very much for the info on salaries. Now on to the big research into towns that will fit our situation and needs. I will post back if anything solid happens on the job front.

[wsugrad03]

Glassdoor and pay scale will give you the closest estimates of what is paid around here, but is about a year or two behind the current averages. I would say a senior software engineer is 140-150k. Anything less than 50k RSU's is a no-go. Lot's of competition here, and the state income taxes alone wipe out 10% off the top. The housing is simply INSANE. No sugar coating it. So unless, you're working with a big company and there's a strong chance of breaking principle and partner level in the next 5 years, I would say there is no reason to come here. Competitive as hell. Work like hell. Salaries don't come close to making it economically worthwhile. Move here because you want to live here and you love CA sunshine and environment. That's why we left Seattle to come here. Financially, we're totally backward from our comfortable life in Seattle. But the weather helps improve our quality of life believe it or not.

[thetrb]

Unfortunately with 4 kids (and the housing requirements going along with this) even $150,000 doesn't allow you a very comfortable lifestyle here in the Bay Area. Of course it is perfectly doable, but $150k limits your housing allowance to about $3500 a month and this doesn't get you a picture perfect 4 BR house without a long commute. But many people factor in stock options, bonus, etc. and if you consider this then it might allow for a comfortable lifestyle.

I would say that with 10 years of .NET experience with very specialized experience you might be able to get something more in the $180k range (if you happen to find something were this particular experience will be helpful).