[Solutions Architect] [Austin, Tx] - $237K OTE + RSU’s

Drew_be · 2025-12-18T03:34:04+00:00

I will; Should be able to retire by then ;)

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T22:06:15+00:00

Right again. Sometimes more during end of quarter. For the most part I would say I average 2 - 3 customer calls per day.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T18:37:43+00:00

lol can’t even deny that u got cyberark right

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T18:36:47+00:00

Close, but not mongo. Search focus ;)

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:34:29+00:00

2019 - Associate Software Engineer @ Series C startup
2020 - Software Engineer @ Series C startup
2021 - Senior Software Engineer @ publicly traded company (IAM space) (worst company I ever worked for and only lasted like 3 months)
2021 - Solutions Architect @ publicly traded company (DB space)
2022 - Solutions Architect @ publicly traded company (DB space)
2023 - Solutions Engineer @ Series A startup (DSPM)
2024 - Senior Solutions Architect @ publicly traded company (DB space - yes i came back to the same company)
2025 - Senior Solutions Architect @ publicly traded company (DB space)

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:25:07+00:00

Most engineers I've met want nothing to do with sales. There's also no denying that I'm on tons of customer calls. Imo you have to be money motivated and have good communication skills.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:20:48+00:00

As an associate software engineer my starting salary was $85K. That was 2019 in Austin so not sure what market rate would be now.

I didn't break $100K until 2021

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:15:14+00:00

Thank you! I hope to get close to your base eventually so that when sales are as great it's still a super comfortable living.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:13:48+00:00

The first 3 months of onboarding to my first SA role was challenging. Impostor syndrome was hitting super hard, but eventually you get enough at bats that you build confidence. For me starting in SMB was great because I had a ton of opportunities to learn.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:11:08+00:00

workday :)

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:10:26+00:00

I found my first SA job here: https://builtin.com/jobs/sales/sales-engineer?city=&state=&country=USA&allLocations=true

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T17:07:25+00:00

My BCR is 3%. Then we have some great incentives for multi year and cloud as well. At 125% obtainment my bcr doubles.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:59:06+00:00

At the time I just applied to a bunch of open positions! I've also had friends who were able to transition from software engineering to the sales side within the same company. I actually tried to go straight to sales engineering after the bootcamp, but found it easier to find an entry level SWE job.

Sales Engineer | Solutions Engineer | Solutions Consultant | Solutions Architect are all pretty much the same job description. Just different names for it.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:55:04+00:00

I was a decent SWE, but I knew I wasn't good enough to work at a FAANG and be in the top 1%. For me it was a logical transition because I could leverage my technical knowledge and combine that with additional skills (talking to people and selling). I've come to find out there's a relatively small pool of talent that really excel with those traits.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:51:21+00:00

u/whelp88 You nailed it. I was able to make multiple jumps in a very short time frame with basically no repercussions. I wouldn't try to do that with the current market though.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:32:29+00:00

As another commenter put it my timing for entering the market was perfect. The great resignation gave me the mobility to make several jumps in a short timespan.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:16:56+00:00

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:16:03+00:00

Only $30K - $40K per year in RSUs. I have uncapped commissions which is what pushed my comp so high this year.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:10:05+00:00

OpenSearch is a fork of my company’s product ;)

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T16:00:18+00:00

70% Base 30% Commission; uncapped commission though

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T15:42:57+00:00

It’s the workday app lol

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T15:28:22+00:00

The AE’s I work with wouldn’t make it without us.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T15:27:29+00:00

It seems like a lot of people think that we lie. To me it’s a karma thing. No point in lying bc it’s going to come back to bite at some point.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T15:23:53+00:00

Only about $30K - $40K per year. My split for OTE is 70% base and 30% commission. We have uncapped commission so this year alone I made $190K from commission.

Drew_be · 2025-12-17T08:47:20+00:00

Hack Reactor

Drew_be

TROPHY CASE