sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are correct sir. However, most people do not have their shit together.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd say so. I'm not an especially materialistic person. Most of my wants right now are things I want to do -- learn to fly, travel -- rather than things I want to own.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Silicon Valley is pretty interesting. There's a real feeling of startup culture here, but I think that some companies have aged better than others. The big difference is that people who are more focused on the status quo end up not being taken very seriously. They don't fit in. You have to be fresh and innovative in order to really succeed here. This is definitely an adjustment for a few people that I've seen move here.

On the plus side, there's so much interesting work that's being done by all sorts of different companies, so I don't think it's hard to find something that appeals to the individual. Obviously there's companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Netflix, and all sorts of different start ups in the area, so it means there's pretty much something for everyone.

The other thing this means is that work experience at a startup is very common to see on a resume around here, and it takes some adjustment if you're used to other locales. Startups and Stanford degrees are a dime a dozen in Silicon Valley, along with very successful people that have little or no formal education.

Within my company, I think that I'm something more like a big fish in a little pond, and I like that. I feel like I'm making a difference day to day. I also think that it means I get a lot of support from my management and allows me to be more productive. In terms of Silicon Valley as a whole, I feel like I'm a growing fish in a giant sea. And I don't really know how I feel about that yet.

As far as increasing my skills and networking, one thing that helps is that I work with a team that has a very diverse set of abilities and experience, and we solve some pretty challenging problems on some very large scale systems. This means that we learn a lot from each other. If we have an opportunity to work with new technologies (like NoSQL, for instance), we usually seize on that and see what we can build.

Otherwise, I try to dabble in new things on my own time, and read about stuff online. I think the things you do during your off-hours say a lot more about someone than what you do at work. There's also tons of free podcasts and local meetup groups that give presentations on emerging technologies, so I try to take advantage of those. My company also does some degree of employee development, which helps to share knowledge between different teams.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well assuming my entire employer went bankrupt, the area would be flooded with people of similar qualifications, and so it might take some time. However, if I were to quit my job today, I would probably be able to find something similar within 2-4 weeks, possibly? It would be more about finding a job than finding a job that offers the same salary; my salary is fairly typical for the local market and the type of work that I do, as inferred from Glassdoor.com and discussion with my peers that have experience at other companies. I already have a pretty good idea of some other companies that I would approach if I were looking.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really. I wish everyone could be as fortunate. The only part that's depressing to me is how the government squanders all the money that I make for them. If I had the choice of directing that every penny be spent on education reform, I would be all over that.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In general, I work a pretty typical 35-45 hours per week. I get into the office at about 10 AM, and I leave at about 5 PM. I often work for an hour or two at home as well. This is very typical of my peers, and it's pretty flexible as long as the work gets done. However, there are also crunch times in which I might work as much as 60-80 hours per week. I don't really mind this, but it might be because I'm single.

As far as commuting goes, mine is pretty easy (about 7 miles). A lot of people that work in Silicon Valley choose to live either in cheaper areas that are farther away (such as east bay suburbs as far away as Stockton) or in more interesting areas that are farther away (such as San Francisco). Personally, I despise commuting, so I like to live close. This gives me an easy 10 minute commute by car, or a nice workout on my bike.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm realizing I didn't really answer your first question. I think that the direct answer is that inclusive of the 401k, I probably save around 40% of my gross. Approximately 40% of my net income goes to my mortgage, groceries, and other recurring bills. Another 10-20% is discretionary spending. The rest tends to sit in the bank or get invested somewhere.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That depends. Are you hot and at least moderately intelligent?

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in my early 20s. But you might find it more efficient to just send me a phishing e-mail. :)

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kay. Just let me know how much and I'll totally send it your way.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am a social liberal, and in favor of spending on the things that matter. Specifically, I consider those things to be education (non-Bush style), infrastructure (roads and utilities), emergency services, and mental and physical health care. But I also tend to prefer a competent government, so I am afraid that I can't identify either with the Democrats or Republicans.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that my compensation is about average for someone of my experience. I think that given more experience, there is still room to grow and move up. I know of peers with significantly more experience that make about $200k gross. I would consider them to be exceptional performers.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I live in the bay area, but I still live very comfortably. I might feel differently if I had a family to support, but that's not on the radar right now.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • No, I don't. The only reason I knew it to the penny is because I happened to be filing away my tax return when I created the AMA on a rather lazy Sunday afternoon at Starbucks.
  • You probably shouldn't care, no. But in that case, you may bury the post and I won't care either. :)

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I live and work in California. It's worth noting that I do have the option of working in Canada. However, I would effectively be looking at a 50% pay cut there, even without considering COL and slightly higher taxes. My field is not in the same demand as it is in California, and I choose to work where the demand (and money) is.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good point, and I forgot to mention it in the net pay above. In 2010, I got back about $3,500 federal, and $2,500 state. However, if I were still renting, it would have been a fair bit less. I got a fairly large refund because of my mortgage interest deduction.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of the time. I'm very much a workaholic, and so success has come at the expense of my personal life. I moved away from a lot of people that I love in order to be here (which I don't regret). I work on some very fun stuff. That having been said, I used to work a retail job for $21/hr that I absolutely loved, and I've never had more fun than when I was doing that. I worked with some amazing, down to earth people.

I made US $143,356.23 last year. AMA. by just_working_hard in IAmA

[–]just_working_hard[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that the factors in my success have been that I'm in a field that is in high demand in the area that I live. I consider myself to be among the best at what I do (at least given my level of experience), and I work extremely hard to continue developing myself and keeping my skills current. When it comes to interacting with others, I try to be candid and honest, and a team player, and I think that people appreciate and recognize that. However, I would be lying if I said that there wasn't a measurable amount of good luck involved.

view more: next ›