
Ask HN: How to maximize income working as a SWE for 1 year? - workDuringCovid
tl;dr: if you were a mid-level software engineer looking for a new job, but you planned to work for only 1 year, what companies would maximize your income, and what would your expected income be for that 1 year?<p>Longer version:<p>In the fairly recent past I left my job as a software engineer to travel around and enjoy some time off. Due to the current pandemic, my travels have been paused since March and I don&#x27;t expect them to return to full-form until at least summer 2021 (maybe borders will re-open towards the end of this summer and there&#x27;ll be a short tourist season, but I&#x27;m not counting on crowded backpacker hostels, large cultural sites, or music festivals being the same this year). So, if I can&#x27;t travel the way I like for the next year I figure I might as well get back on the saddle and try to maximize my income for the next 12 months.<p>So my question is: what are the best options as a SWE to make the most money in a year? And what is the expected income in that 1 year? A bit about me: some years as a software engineer at a well-known tech company and an undergrad degree from a top US university.<p>The most obvious answer to me seems to work at a FAANG, particularly Google, known to pay a high salary and without a 1-year cliff plus quarterly or even monthly RSU vesting, with an expected income in the $200-300k range. Start-ups might offer more equity, but I&#x27;m not planning to stick around long enough to make it worth it, and companies that backload their vesting too much (eg: Amazon) are also sub-optimal. Of course this is all assuming I can get the job in the first place, I just want to know what the best options are before I start applying.
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zlast
Fintech / HFT firms are known to be the highest paying for SWE, even higher
than FAANG companies.

I routinely get LinkedIn messages and emails for companies like Citadel, Two
Sigma, Hudson River, Jane Street - new grads for these companies make around
$250-300k, and I imagine you would make a good deal more if you can negotiate
well.

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giantg2
Damn!

I'm a mid-level with a MSIS working for a large financial company and I make
less than $100k.

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throw_this_one
How old are you, and how long have you been traveling?

Seems like FAANG is a good bet. You could also go for a top tier hedge fund
and bust your balls for a year. They pay straight cash and a huge bonus. Prob
the best bet if you have a 1 year time limit, since the FAANG vesting doesn't
help.

I'm well-traveled but want to do the same thing. Idk if I'm good enough for
the top tier companies though. Might just chill at my fairly easy banking job
at 130k.

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giantg2
$130k sounds nice. I don't even make that.

One word of caution about bonuses. I would not bet on a bonus. Bonuses tend to
be very political. I have been screwed a few times when it comes to bonuses.

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throw_this_one
Yeah I just got screwed and got zero bonus this past year. Apparently the
recruiter told me this. She basically did a play on words.

Where are you at though? This is 130k in nyc which is super expensive.

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giantg2
Ah, less expensive here (Philly). Still, it's like a 50% increase over what I
make.

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throw_this_one
Philly is super chill. My cousin took a small pay cut (same company) to move
there. Pays $650 for a nice bedroom in 3b/3ba. Used to pay $1850 in manhattan.

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probinso
Work for a remote company. Live in a low-cost place.

