Negotiating salary

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bitWISE
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Negotiating salary

Post by bitWISE »

I'll be getting my bachelor's in CS this June so I'm starting to look within Nationwide (my current employer) for development positions. I've heard a rumor that they may offer me a salary position on the support team that I'm currently stuck in but I'm not sure if I would accept it.

So what kind of numbers do you guys think I should shoot for? I was thinking a target of $45,000 is a good place to start but I just read the average developer in the finance industry is pulling $70,000. What about signing bonuses? Benefits? Any pointers?
Last edited by bitWISE on Thu Nov 10, 2005 2:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
andyman
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Post by andyman »

CS as in counterstrike?
[xeno]Julios
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Post by [xeno]Julios »

ffs it's salary :p
Dr_Watson
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Post by Dr_Watson »

well.. rule 1 for getting more money is spelling salary correctly
bitWISE
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Post by bitWISE »

Dr_Watson wrote:well.. rule 1 for getting more money is spelling salary correctly
lmao...brilliant
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Re: Negotiating salary

Post by Guest »

bitWISE wrote:I'll be getting my bachelor's in CS this June so I'm starting to look within Nationwide (my current employer) for development positions. I've heard a rumor that they may offer me a salary position on the support team that I'm currently stuck in but I'm not sure if I would accept it.

So what kind of numbers do you guys think I should shoot for? I was thinking a target of $45,000 is a good place to start but I just read the average developer in the finance industry is pulling $70,000. What about signing bonuses? Benefits? Any pointers?
Ask them if you can buy stocks from the cie. Most of serious cies provide them anyway and it shows that you believe in it, a plus for you.
bitWISE
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Re: Negotiating salary

Post by bitWISE »

pete wrote:
bitWISE wrote:I'll be getting my bachelor's in CS this June so I'm starting to look within Nationwide (my current employer) for development positions. I've heard a rumor that they may offer me a salary position on the support team that I'm currently stuck in but I'm not sure if I would accept it.

So what kind of numbers do you guys think I should shoot for? I was thinking a target of $45,000 is a good place to start but I just read the average developer in the finance industry is pulling $70,000. What about signing bonuses? Benefits? Any pointers?
Ask them if you can buy stocks from the cie. Most of serious cies provide them anyway and it shows that you believe in it, a plus for you.
Good point. Stock options. NF stock seems to be pretty stable. However, if I get a position with NI the company is privately owned.
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duffman91
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Post by duffman91 »

Software Engineering is a dog eat dog field. Take care of your assets and worry only about yourself. Try to get the most money possible. Don't rely on benefits/bonuses because you might be layed off before you can even see them. (Project ends, lack of funding, etc)

Last I checked, the starting "average nationwide" salary for american developers was $50,000.

Oh, and if the project is doomed from the start, leave it. Don't taint your work image because of a lack of leadership.

PS: Business managers and project managers don't really understand each other. If you're not 100% sure on a company, don't waste time. Move on!

edit: In case you're wondering about myself: I grew tired of the current "clusterfuck" that is current development companies. I have since chosen to join a fortune 500 company and focus on project deployment and support. Much better working environment with a more "permanent" feel. Oh yeah, the benefits are much better too.
bitWISE
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Post by bitWISE »

duffman91 wrote:Software Engineering is a dog eat dog field. Take care of your assets and worry only about yourself. Try to get the most money possible. Don't rely on benefits/bonuses because you might be layed off before you can even see them. (Project ends, lack of funding, etc)

Last I checked, the starting "average nationwide" salary for american developers was $50,000.

Oh, and if the project is doomed from the start, leave it. Don't taint your work image because of a lack of leadership.

PS: Business managers and project managers don't really understand each other. If you're not 100% sure on a company, don't waste time. Move on!
Thanks duf. I started my internship on a project that had it's funding cut only to be taken over by another division. I've been floating around the department ever since.
MidnightQ4
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Post by MidnightQ4 »

ya starting salaries are around 50,000 or so. experienced programmers 3-5 years make around 70-90 and architects make 100-150k depending on experience and the size of projects.

basically coming right out of school you can't really bargain much on salary, most places just lump you in with the "college new hire" label and treat eveyone the same.

however in your case since you already work there and in theory have experience doing what you are going to be doing when/if they hire you, you could claim that as being a solid year of experience and ask for 10% more because of that. so 55k or so is not out of the question. but then again most places have these retarded salary brackets and the upper limit for college hires may be X and they just won't pay you more than X. So the thing you need to do is emphasize your experience level is more than a college hire.
bitWISE
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Post by bitWISE »

Good point man thanks.
Canis
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Post by Canis »

You first are going to take the first shit job that comes your way. You have nothing they want other than you have a degree, and there are hundreds of thousands of fools out there with CS degrees. Landing it big at first will mean you get lucky. Do your shit job for a few years and work your ass off. Then either go to grad school or start searching for a job where you can pimp your experience and have a say in your salary.
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duffman91
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Post by duffman91 »

Canis wrote:You first are going to take the first shit job that comes your way. You have nothing they want other than you have a degree, and there are hundreds of thousands of fools out there with CS degrees. Landing it big at first will mean you get lucky. Do your shit job for a few years and work your ass off. Then either go to grad school or start searching for a job where you can pimp your experience and have a say in your salary.
I don't agree with Canis at all. I know plenty of people fresh out of college making $65,000 programming in respectable, good companies. You simply have to search for the positions. If money is an issue, then obviously take whatever comes. But if you got a few months to wait on your decision, by all means shop around. An interview is not just you desperatelly looking for a job, your potential employer is also desperatelly looking for workers.
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raw
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Re: Negotiating salary

Post by raw »

bitWISE wrote:I'll be getting my bachelor's in CS this June so I'm starting to look within Nationwide (my current employer) for development positions. I've heard a rumor that they may offer me a salary position on the support team that I'm currently stuck in but I'm not sure if I would accept it.

So what kind of numbers do you guys think I should shoot for? I was thinking a target of $45,000 is a good place to start but I just read the average developer in the finance industry is pulling $70,000. What about signing bonuses? Benefits? Any pointers?
Unless you're a proven genius at coding, odds are early on in your career you're going to have to sacrafice money to gain experience. The more experience you have, the more money you can deman since you have have real world justification and proof you can do what they'd want of you.
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raw
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Post by raw »

Also, this book was HIGHLY recommended to me for anyone looking to properly play the "employment game".

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159337 ... e&n=283155
Canis
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Post by Canis »

duffman91 wrote:
Canis wrote:You first are going to take the first shit job that comes your way. You have nothing they want other than you have a degree, and there are hundreds of thousands of fools out there with CS degrees. Landing it big at first will mean you get lucky. Do your shit job for a few years and work your ass off. Then either go to grad school or start searching for a job where you can pimp your experience and have a say in your salary.
I don't agree with Canis at all. I know plenty of people fresh out of college making $65,000 programming in respectable, good companies. You simply have to search for the positions. If money is an issue, then obviously take whatever comes. But if you got a few months to wait on your decision, by all means shop around. An interview is not just you desperatelly looking for a job, your potential employer is also desperatelly looking for workers.
Sure shop around, but I was under the impression he was about to hagle with an employer over his salary.
Ryoki
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Post by Ryoki »

Don't do it! Run away while you can, escape the wageslave gulags of death...
[size=85][color=#0080BF]io chiamo pinguini![/color][/size]
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plained
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Post by plained »

Canis wrote:You first are going to take the first shit job that comes your way. You have nothing they want other than you have a degree, and there are hundreds of thousands of fools out there with CS degrees. Landing it big at first will mean you get lucky. Do your shit job for a few years and work your ass off. Then either go to grad school or start searching for a job where you can pimp your experience and have a say in your salary.
rofl low self esteam?
^misantropia^
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Post by ^misantropia^ »

Meh. CS bachelors in the Netherlands only make E 25,000, E 30,000 tops ($30,000-$35,000) during their first few years. While the cost of living is roughly comparable to the States. It might be bit different in other European countries but not too different, I think.

Time to move, perhaps...
Grudge
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Post by Grudge »

Same here, CS bachelors are a dime a dozen over here, you need to have some solid work experience to make good money as a developer here.
bitWISE
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Post by bitWISE »

Canis wrote:
duffman91 wrote:
Canis wrote:You first are going to take the first shit job that comes your way. You have nothing they want other than you have a degree, and there are hundreds of thousands of fools out there with CS degrees. Landing it big at first will mean you get lucky. Do your shit job for a few years and work your ass off. Then either go to grad school or start searching for a job where you can pimp your experience and have a say in your salary.
I don't agree with Canis at all. I know plenty of people fresh out of college making $65,000 programming in respectable, good companies. You simply have to search for the positions. If money is an issue, then obviously take whatever comes. But if you got a few months to wait on your decision, by all means shop around. An interview is not just you desperatelly looking for a job, your potential employer is also desperatelly looking for workers.
Sure shop around, but I was under the impression he was about to hagle with an employer over his salary.
No, I don't have an interview lined up. Just wanted some pointers on the whole thing and I got some good ideas that I hadn't thought of.
Canis
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Post by Canis »

plained wrote:
Canis wrote:You first are going to take the first shit job that comes your way. You have nothing they want other than you have a degree, and there are hundreds of thousands of fools out there with CS degrees. Landing it big at first will mean you get lucky. Do your shit job for a few years and work your ass off. Then either go to grad school or start searching for a job where you can pimp your experience and have a say in your salary.
rofl low self esteam?
absolutely not, but just speaking from the experience I've had as well as other folks I know.
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plained
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Post by plained »

eh no need to justify to me.

its not like its your fault or nothin
Canis
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Post by Canis »

You're almost cute, but not quite. Otherwise I'd pinch your cheek and give you a candy bar.
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plained
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Post by plained »

i doen eat candy but im cheeky :drool:
it is about time!
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