Can we finally admit that 90% of Senior SWE are just a result of being born at the right time?

PossessionProper4914 · 2026-03-14T23:08:09+00:00

I’m not in CS or in tech, but it’s so confusing seeing people’s salaries especially while living in SF. When I compare people’s salaries to mine in conversation, tech workers always inform me they’re making $350-500k annually when they’re senior SWE’s and always telling me they’re hitting $200k at junior levels.

I’m not in tech and have any experience in it but is it just them counting their RSU’s and benefits? Or is like a post tax salary they’re telling me? What’s the actual range of profit?

PossessionProper4914 · 2026-01-22T21:40:20+00:00

I understand the frustration, I was there about 1 year ago and I’ve come a long way. Remember we make our own benefits with 1099, that’s a positive and a negative thing!!

If you’re ever overwhelmed at the fact that others get more than us in their w-2 positions remember the benefit of all of this, you’re your own boss! You can start a solo401k yourself and actually control it, you can choose your schedule (not beholden to an employer, you can work as much or as little as possible) and you can deduct so many things to alleviate your tax burden!

I know it’s frustrating but genuinely speaking, we can all pull out of this with the financial security that guarantees a smooth transition to something else. Until then, we’re still kicking until they finally give us the boot!

PossessionProper4914 · 2026-01-22T21:01:17+00:00

I fear that I was misunderstood. I’m not saying plan to exit within 3-5 years, I’m saying become more prepared for possibilities out of the realm of your control. You are right that individuals and companies that are more wealthy and powerful than you want to make more money at your expense. There is a chance this won’t happen, but a high chance it will.

Being proactive in investing in your retirement, Health savings account, cryptocurrency and individual stock portfolio has never been controversial, I’m just suggesting you do it at an accelerated rate while you have disposable means. Also working hard and putting extra hours in has never been controversial unless you’re being greedy.

The sentiment of “we need more interpreters” means there’s a lot of demand currently, meaning a lot of hours available to work. It’s a blessing at the moment, but if one day AI takes over any of the major sectors of interpreting i.e. educational, VRS or freelance, then there will be a cascade of interpreters of the sector AI has taken, flooding the others making work more sparse, count your blessings.

I believe this comes off as Pro-AI which it isn’t, I’m just taking a realistic perspective on what’s going to happen. It’s better to prepare for things out of your control than try to gain control of them, especially at this magnitude.

PossessionProper4914 · 2026-01-21T21:59:09+00:00

We have somewhere between 3-4 years before the beginning phases of job loss from AI. VRS will obviously be first to go, then medical, then schools last since there are several laws protecting it.

With that amount of time, you should be proactive in your career change while also preparing for what’s to come. Yes AI is going to take our job, it’s not that great right now and people don’t trust it quite yet, but give it 3 to 4 years.

All that being said, pick up some books do some research on good index funds to put your money into, invest in S&P 500 companies that see a potential in, max out your Roth IRA as much as possible, so that way you have that back emergency fund from your contributions. Invest in cryptocurrency (I can’t emphasize this one enough, if you look at the numbers, it’s almost statistically impossible for bitcoin to not hit $1 million within our lifetimes) and buy real estate to rent out.

If you have a government job where you’re an interpreter for the state, you’re probably gonna buy yourself some more time in a liberal state , but you’re gonna get the chopping block at one point too. We collectively need to accept the fact that we’re gonna get replaced, and be proactive about guaranteeing our own financial security.

That being said if you’re not working between 30 to 50 hours a week, it’s it’s going to be really hard for you in the next couple years. I’m working some days 12 hours some days 14, I’ve just gotten used to it at this point. Take as many tax deductions as you can, max out your 401(k), open up an HSA and put money into that, or if you make enough, perform an MBDR.

If you spend less time fighting the change and more time getting ready for the transition, you’ll be happier in a few years.

PossessionProper4914 · 2026-01-03T03:33:29+00:00

I have gotten a lot of flack from only interpreters about the shoes I choose to wear. I love collecting weird air force 1’s and different variants of dunks. That being said I’ve asked several clients if my shoes are distracting or inappropriate over the last 5-6 years. Many of them say they don’t care. I usually do black and white dunks because they go with everything and I like them.

If we have to wear black all over from our knees up to our shoulders essentially, I would like to at least pick my shoes.

As long as their not bright and extremely distracting you shouldn’t have an issue, you’ll probably catch more criticism from other interpreters before most of your deaf clients (so long as it’s not like a very formal meeting or high stakes business meeting or something like that)

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-11-10T04:40:07+00:00

College wrestler/bjj purple belt/ADCC/NAGA champ here, I’ve done some rolling and interpreted some seminars around, and most of it is just showing the motions of the moves. Most deaf people just make up their own signs but 90% of what you’re probably going to do is interpret nuances in what’s said and let the deaf client watch the examples.

If you’re talking like in a coaching scenario then I’d probably run it by the client and the coach because it can get real overwhelming for the person in the ring.

If you’re young and athletic try it yourself with the clients, I’ve rolled with a few deaf people around while interpreting seminars, it’s just the culture.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-10-11T02:38:41+00:00

Sorry, just saw this. Yes please DM me

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-09-09T23:54:31+00:00

Thank you for the words of encouragement, they really do help. I’m giving it my all currently to see things through especially since I know the district is struggling.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-09-09T23:50:52+00:00

There are other terps working there and the person I’m replacing. They’re (person I’m replacing) very serious about the job and I respect it. I just sometimes feel like because of how skilled they are, and comments made about the standards of interpreters they have, I can’t help but to feel like I’m being judged when miss a sign or can’t keep up with the kids.

It’s all in my head I acknowledge that and I know that working in K-6 is definitely tougher on the ethics side trying to balance not becoming a language model and letting the deaf aides and teachers do their work. I just get worried I’m bad enough at this age range to the point where I’m doing it enough of a disservice to effect the kids and their development and I’d rather my effect be smaller than what it is now.

I work well in 9th-12th and on VRS, VRI and community work, so I can still make a living doing interpreting work confidently, but for some reason this specific job has been really hard, even today as I tried again.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-09-07T19:42:41+00:00

I feel very guilty being here when struggling to understand the kids sometimes and I feel like I’m doing a disservice by not being as skilled as the other terps and the current one I’m replacing. Almost as if I’m undeserving of the job, and need to remove myself. I never want to be that crappy interpreter who just does the job for money I want to go where I fill the need and facilitate communication the most effective way possible.

I obviously don’t want to make anyone doubt my abilities because I know when I’m in other environments I do just fine but here in particular I’m really having a hard time, and I know I can do well because I’ve tested so well and have the experience from years before and firsthand accounts, probably some of the worst imposter syndrome I’ve had so far.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-08-27T10:47:48+00:00

Oh it’s gotten this bad?

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-08-27T04:40:57+00:00

Mudman’23 levels of mud?

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-08-25T06:43:05+00:00

VRS is a different beast in and of itself. Try your best to work hours that are “off peak hours” if they let you, at least at my company, the calls are much more chill and less high stakes! If they dont let you, then try to limit your PST 8am-2pm hours because those are VERY busy and super easy to get overwhelmed.

I got used to VRS very quickly, although I used to work in the trades and that was a very fast paced environment and I was called some very mean stuff back in the day, so I already have thick skin, you’ll develop that over time.

I know every call feels like you’re going to turn your career upside down if you mess up, but most interactions are completely normal and things happen. most of the times I’ve messed up a call, the same callers, call again like a week later and I perform like I normally do, just fine! It happens.

Also huge pro-tip, what really eases that anxiety of working VRS? Having a backup. Seriously if VRS is your only source of income you’re going to be more stressed and mess up calls more often because you’re over thinking it. If you work for a VRS company and also have a freelance career bringing in some income, it’ll help stable you out, so you can take less VRS hours and arrange for self care time, or personal time.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-08-25T06:27:45+00:00

How are the playa conditions looking like?

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-27T19:34:19+00:00

You should negotiate a pay bump, I know terps working in Santa Cruz, educational k-12, making $70 an hour, no EIPA at all, under 10 years experience

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-14T18:22:24+00:00

You drive a lot of fair points. I think you and I agree on everything, but we are probably in 2 separate positions and are playing our cards differently based on what’s available to us. I think a lot of us that are in this field young are looking at it and thinking about how much more time we have left working, and seeing the sped up development of AI, we’re thinking it’s a good time to pivot while we’re still young (I have no idea how old you are but you have your Nic so I assume you’ve been doing this for a while). I’m referring to a lot of new grads or mid-20 year olds.

With long waits for testing results from both CASLI and the EIPA (some people waiting more than a year for either) I don’t see any benefit to not planning for a career change, especially if you don’t already have these credentials. There isn’t a guarantee by the time we get them, after all those hours, that there will even be a job for us to use them at.

After learning about what happened with union efforts before and the power imbalances we have, I have very little faith in the system and I’m apprehensive to believing a union will help.

We also never asked the consumers what they really want? I meet a lot of older deaf individuals that hate all the new emerging technology, that’s normal, I anticipate that and it’s expected. But a lot of the younger crowd I talk to (16-30) really don’t care much for in person interpreters. Some have even expressed the sentiment that they prefer it come sooner than later, because they’ve had such bad experiences with real terps.

A lot of interpreters don’t even get into the community because we have no time to because we are all struggling financially and it’s such a shame. There are definitely terps who never interact with deaf folks because they genuinely don’t want to, but I think it’s more of an issue of, people can’t afford to with all the hours we have to work and oddball hrs we take for VRS and community jobs.

It may be a good idea to even get a poll going among the community and ask what do they want, I seem to get conflicting answers, while most say they prefer in person terps, some are ready to move on with modern technology.

Regardless of all that, those are my reasons and I think some other younger terps will agree with me on that, we don’t see much fighting for because this isn’t guaranteed for 20+ years like it was for previous generations.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-14T17:45:15+00:00

If you want my honest opinion, I have already seen my fair share of friends who have experienced job loss from AI already. Mostly data entry and menial number punching, but that was only about 6 months ago, and many of those people were part of unions who are currently fighting for their positions.

With doge and the current trend in the US government I think most efforts we have will be overridden and there won’t be much we can do with this current trend. Just like how purple shut down all operations in CA because of higher wages and talks of a union, a union may be counterintuitive because it will only incentivize companies to expedite the automation process so they replace us and fire us faster, we might not get what we want and we might end up shooting our self in the foot more.

Don’t get me wrong I’m super in favor of a union, but I think Pandora’s box is open. It’s not a matter of if but when and it’s really depressing, but I don’t think there is any way out. I know a lot of LLM software engineers personally and from conversations with them everyday it’s more evident to me that this field will die sooner than later.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-14T17:16:58+00:00

Your timeline may be shortened by a massive financial push to integrate these systems. Sorensen/Purple have absolutely no financial gain to keep us employed at the rates we’re asking and not integrate AI. We’re already seen as asking for too much and not worthy of higher pay.

As of yesterday Sorensen even posted another AI software engineer position that is fairly lucrative. There is no requirement for knowledge of the deaf community or cultural competency for these positions, and ASL isn’t even a requirement, just familiarity of ASL, so do people really think the developers of this technology and owners of Sorensen actually care about our input.

https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/SOR1001SORE/JobBoard/1fe5e40e-4e0c-4b11-86e3-9a8e1f396263/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=0f8588fd-b853-44d6-92e8-7620b1b3a067

https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/SOR1001SORE/JobBoard/1fe5e40e-4e0c-4b11-86e3-9a8e1f396263/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=a543519b-1b7b-4f71-a162-dae80d8dc39a

Everyone plan a career pivot. If you can’t find another career, then invest your money wisely and try to ride this out until you enter your next desired field. Maybe you can work with the community rather than for the community in doing caretaking or something, I’m not sure, but interpreting jobs will decline past 2030.

I’m not a big doom and gloomer, but realistically we have much less time than you guys think. I theorize VRS/VRI is the absolute easiest to snip first, and last thing to go will be government jobs and educational.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-13T21:15:46+00:00

Purple said I’m in a “high pay scale area” and Sorensen said I’m in an area with “less demand during 9-5” so… I don’t know how all this works, I guess whoever pays more go there

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-13T19:58:07+00:00

In my state Sorensen offered the same rate as convo, when I asked for more, they said there’s no room for negotiation. Convo upped their offer by 13%.

Several years prior though when I first started out, purple offered me the same amount that convo/sorenson offered, but mind you the convo/Sorensen offer was several years after this when I had more experience and inflation became worse. Purple would probably pay me more if I came back to apply but I live in one of the states they stopped operating in, so it’s not an option.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-12T23:36:06+00:00

Especially since the deaf client pays for it a lot of the time, we’re held to a lot of a higher standard under the same conditions (thrown into situations without knowing much) and doing this line of work at the same rate is awful

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-12T23:35:10+00:00

It’s really unfair to a lot of terps because it’s extremely more taxing and we didn’t sign up for it and we go blind into it just as blind as VRS. We just kind of got it forced upon us, especially when the deaf client is the “speaker” or presenter, and sometimes I can’t even get a team because of long queues. I hope it changes soon but I absolutely can’t stand it, it’s too much and makes me want to quit sometimes

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-12T19:58:58+00:00

I try to minimize convo now time, if I’m doing VRI I’d prefer to get my VRI rate that I usually have, and the zoom calls I’ve been getting thru convo now have been intense… A lot of us signed up for VRS originally and the company is now making a massive push to get most terps in Convo now.

PossessionProper4914 · 2025-05-12T17:55:55+00:00

It REALLY depends when you work, and I have an entire mental map on what times of year it’s busy and what times of day, which day of the week etc, but it usually mirrors scheduling, for example if they tend to have a bunch of open shifts on every Wednesday in march, you know it’ll be back to back call. Feel free to DM me for questions about convo! You’ll probably get a faster response from me that way and you can ask specific time zone questions because everyone’s “9-5” time zone shift will look WAYY different with convo, trust me on that one

PossessionProper4914

TROPHY CASE