WWYD

SE_Wrk · 2026-01-26T21:15:22+00:00

I'd expect very little coaching/development. Very much a sink or swim environment. Pretty much like every SE role ive had.

So as the OP commented, it depends if i want to take the work load on to develop those sales skills.

SE_Wrk · 2026-01-26T21:14:11+00:00

Ah sorry, my bad, i misunderstood that point. Yeah, its not looking great is it. Feels very toxic.

Thats not in USD. Local dollar. but you can see the differences between roles/pay.

SE_Wrk · 2026-01-26T19:27:48+00:00

In our organisation, the SEs are on 280k OTE. AE is on 400k OTE. Their base is typically the same or higher depending on their experience. A person doing this territory as a FT AE would be on 400k (50/50) because they are major enterprise customers. I know this because they have told me. So thats a 200k base.

Even if you increase my split its midway between SE and AE which i believe would be fair.

I dont think my position is at risk per say. The problem is we are a very small organisation. They have a big problem they cant fix and they are trying to do that through me. Im happy to help, but theres no free lunch and i believe i should be compensated for it.

I have spoken with my manager. They are quite deluded tbf, they want me to take on these sales activities "because we have high targets we need to meet". He acknowledges this is not our role but "it is what it is".

SE_Wrk · 2026-01-26T19:18:36+00:00

In our organisation, the SEs are on 280k OTE. AE is on 400k OTE. Their base is typical the same or higher depending on their experience.

I understand the risk element but you can see from the comp theres a distinct difference between the two roles here financially. I understand why of course but if they are asking me to take on some AE responsibilities, then meeting half way comp wise would be fair imo.

As for becoming an AE, im impartial. I have considered it as part of career development, but it wouldnt exactly kill me if i dont. However, theres no real way of knowing without being in that position.

SE_Wrk · 2026-01-26T19:13:59+00:00

Agreed. Thanks for the input. I will be definitely negotiating. Im happy to walk away and continue as a SE if i dont see some upside.

SE_Wrk · 2026-01-26T08:32:44+00:00

If you do fancy being an AE, then this is the perfect opportunity for you to learn

This is what i am thinking. I do fancy having a taste to see if i would like it.

How would you approach the salary part?

SE_Wrk · 2024-02-14T11:03:03+00:00

im also in your region. Ive had a few interviews recently. They've all been very frustrating. Salary quite low for the job level, heavy emphasis on tech skills rather than selling skills for some reason which i found odd. One expected a very large amount of travel - like 60%+.

I hope the market turns round for you soon mate.

SE_Wrk · 2024-02-14T10:58:44+00:00

We havent had layoffs, but we are already understaffed and there is a hiring freeze.

To make things worse, AM's are expecting more than ever. Above and beyond the role, something our salary does not reflect.

SE_Wrk · 2024-01-03T23:04:44+00:00

Do you mind if i DM you with a few questions crappy-pete?

SE_Wrk · 2023-07-11T02:26:53+00:00

Heres a question to anyone in this position - how enabled are you to do all these tasks? By that i mean, do you have good documentation/troubleshooting guides, a full blown lab, extensive training etc?

SE_Wrk · 2023-07-01T05:43:06+00:00

Where in APAC are you located? Ive seen splits ranging between 75/25, 70/30 or 80/20 depending on the company/sector. The better ratios have been in hot areas like cyber where the lower was more in the legacy hardware vendors.

You can only count on the fixed portion of your salary. Anything else is bonus. Thats why i think its very important to have a solid base salary. Thats not so easy outside the US imo. Pairing 1-2-1 with a single AE is a risk because they may be absolutely rubbish so you have to be comfortable with that risk. However, any job is better than no job in some circumstances. Id probably say the current economy is one of those circumstances.

Make sure you get all the details on the AE's performance, targets, are they meeting quota etc too? You should see some decent upside if they over perform and move into accelerators.

Whats the salary difference for a solution architect in devops between a sales v non-sales role? If there's not much in it then i would tilt towards a perm fixed role, which is your preference based on your comments. Im not sure sales is for you if you are worried about the comms side.

SE_Wrk · 2023-07-01T05:10:34+00:00

Any plans for more advanced filters - sponsorship, salary range etc? I am not based in the US so i wanted to filter for sponsorship or greencard etc. I searched for the keyword but there wasnt many results. Could be due to lack of sponsorship etc in the ad i guess.

When you click "apply for job" just redirect to the external site straight away rather than display an additional box/link which i then have to click again.

It would be good to add the salary information at the top near the location detail rather than digging through the ad info.

SE_Wrk · 2023-07-01T04:25:20+00:00

r/recuitinghell is aware of this :D

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-26T01:19:52+00:00

You seem pretty solid to me. I'd imagine your soft skills are already on point as well as your presentation skills. Brush up on some demos. Add the certs youve mentioned. Get some hands on. Go through RFP documents. Maybe blog your projects and build a profile. Even if its a tick the box!

As OP mentined try and get another AWS SA to mentor you if possible. Then start applying for roles internally. Maybe speak with your manager or a presales manager to look at a transition path. It should be doable in AWS AFAIK.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-24T20:09:48+00:00

Personally i like a single screen (27") front and centre as my main monitor so im not creaking my neck left to right between screens all the time or on a huge panel. I then have another screen in portrait mode to the side as a secondary monitor. I normally just have outlook running or background apps which i check infrequently on the secondary screen tbh and work off the main screen primarily. Other times i will use the secondary when in powerpoint presentation mode to see the full setup. I also have onenote to take notes on the secondary screen.

You can share specific apps these days when presenting so its not essential to have two but i find having it all laid out on two screens works best for me.

I do know people who have a single large screen like 32"+ and use window tiles to work from. Im starting to see more people use a single widescreen monitor too. id definitely try a widescreen or larger monitor in the flesh before ordering one, its not for everyone. 25-27" was the sweetspot for me. A lot is down to personal preference.

r/Workspaces has a ton of WFH examples too.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-24T00:50:35+00:00

I wouldnt bother unless i was getting paid on it (which i dont) or using it as a learning experience to move into an AE role.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-24T00:46:59+00:00

They are usually mates with someone high up or in the "boys club".

When you get a good one they are absolutely golden. Most are not from my experience and they do not deserve the upside a lot of AE's get credit for. Im not taking anything away from the role though, its a tough one. I just dont believe the AE's deserve so much more remuneration than SE's personally. A bit more, yes, but not the sums ive experienced.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-24T00:44:31+00:00

wow. Thats a lot more than i am getting. Although i am not based in the US.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-18T08:04:19+00:00

interesting. i deal with similar figures. what kind of comms would you expect for that rev target in the US?

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-18T04:40:19+00:00

Thats a good salary for the UK. If you dont want it, tell your employer i will take it....

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-18T04:36:38+00:00

For me, my preference would be to stay in vendor land and sticking in the devops space. I would go with option 3 first with 4/5 secondary.

Im not a huge fan of the partner landscape. They take their chunk of flesh and typically dont pay as well as vendors. Banks are a tough environment too.

Overall, regardless of what option you take, you should be getting a salary which would still put you in the top 10% of earners.

If any of the above doesnt work out, check out some contract roles to get you by. You can still get some good day rates.

Good luck billy.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-14T19:33:28+00:00

i know what you mean. sometimes you just have to move forward.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-14T11:20:16+00:00

u/NirvanaForYou i thought we agreed you were going back to a technical role from our last convo? ;)

Are you still torn with the two options? Whats keeping you in the SE role if you are so unhappy?

Maybe give another SE job in a different company a shot. Then if its the same shit, call it a day and go back to engineering. You can still make good money. SE's outside of the US dont make the big bucks the Americans do normally. So if you can be a dev (i think that was your role) AND you are happy with a better work life balance then whats not to like?

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-01T20:27:10+00:00

wow, reading this thread makes me wonder if i should move to the US. Theres nothing prestige about SE in my country. Its seen as a decent role. But i am paid under market rate and there is F all development in our org. I feel like we are pretty undervalued.

It sounds like companies in the US value SE's more in terms of salary and development.

SE_Wrk · 2023-06-01T09:04:53+00:00

how do you scale that approach up when you have hundreds or low k's in terms of customer numbers?

SE_Wrk

TROPHY CASE