
Ask HN: Where are 150k to 200k salary job in Silicon Valley? - ugenetics
 I always hear and have read quite a few times that there are thousands of people who earn 150k to 200k salary.
I have 9 years of experience but my salary is 118k per year with 2k as stock options per year. I work in data analytics as tech lead without any direct reports. With $2300 rent in Peninsula it is really really hard to live in Bay area for 2 people.<p>Is 150k to 200k only paid at google &#x2F; Facebook &#x2F; Amazon &#x2F; Uber?<p>Where do you find companies hiring managers or directors or tech leads offering such salary ?<p>I have no network. I tried networking and going to meetup but nothing happened. Even if I go networking way it is going to take longer to find job through that route. I am looking for immediate opportunity.  I have LinkedIn profile but it seems that most connections are there for namesake purpose only.<p>Any guidance and &#x2F; or tips you can provide for landing such job in valley ?
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bbcbasic
Ways to earn more money where I come from but probably applicable to SV. Some
ideas:

1\. Get a job where people report to you

2\. Get a job with company with bigger budgets e.g. Google

3\. Get a job where you are closer to the money making e.g. sales, finance
industry jobs

4\. Do something else where you control the flow of money rather than just get
a paycheck. I am thinking real estate development or renovations, for example.

5\. Live somewhere where the cost of living is cheaper but earn the same
money. You could get a remote job in SV then go move away. I don't know US
that well but isn't Oakland cheaper? Or if you are remote working just go live
in some dead town somewhere.

6\. Get a job contracting using some arcane skill that no-one wants to work
with so it pays more. E.g. Microsoft SharePoint.

7\. Become a business analyst / project manager etc.

8\. Become a corporate C*O.

9\. Get a 9-5 tech job (literally) and then get a second job.

10\. Get a 9-5 tech job (literally) and do a side project money making.

~~~
epicureanideal
Getting a second job seems to be hard. Despite all companies complaining about
lack of tech talent, I've approached several about working 6-12 plus weekends
(or other arrangements) but have had no interest despite being well regarded
in my area of tech.

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czhiddy
For software engineering at least, any of the big companies here
(FB/GOOG/AAPL/LNKD/TWTR/etc) will easily pay $150k+ for someone with 9 years
of experience. If you perform well the first year or two, your yearly RSU
package will easily equal the salary.

Just apply and be firm during negotiations.

~~~
deskamess
Could you elaborate on being firm during negotiations? What aspects are you
'firm on'? I guess there is a technique to all this but not having changed a
lot of jobs in my career and getting by on references I am probably less clued
into negotiating tactics than someone who has moved every 2-3 years.

I would really like a site where they can teach you these skills or take care
of it for you. A few premier sites that can act like agents already want you
to have a GOOG/AMZN/APPL pedigree.

~~~
akavi
Don't give your current comp, and make it clear you're happy to walk away if
they don't hit the number you have in mind (Ideally, you would actually be
happy to walk away).

NB: It helps enormously to have competing offers.

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8873872782
Join Hired or Indeed Prime, you will be able to see salaries of job offers.

And not to be condescending, but if you have no network after 9 years of
experience, you might want to think about what it is about you that is causing
that.

~~~
codeonfire
Not to be condescending, but I don't have a network and I think you're logic
is wrong. Networking is a waste of time for rank and file workers in certain
tech jobs. If you're not in a position of power or in a "social" profession no
one gives a shit about networking with you. It is all about understanding how
the industry works and what people's motivations are. What are the conditions
under which some company would find and hire you at the salary you want? What
are all the conditions. Is there a person out there that if you sent one email
can and would hire you at the salary that you want? Just go to that person and
forget everyone else. The only people that will want to network are the people
that can't give you what you want. So it's just good for your personal life
but not your career.

~~~
xt00
Yea so I've worked for multiple tech companies in Silicon Valley and was in
the 150+ club before leaving the area and every company I was hired at was via
a connection. So going to networking events is something I never did. Just
made friends at work and also tried to do some social things outside of work..
So my take is that you should change jobs and make some more friends to
increase your salary. ;)

~~~
codeonfire
Do what you need to do to get a job, but this makes you beholden to your
friends for a job. Plus you can only work where your connections work. Could
you get a job without connections just based on qualifications?

~~~
akavi
"Beholden"? How so?

It's not about making connections so that people will give you a job as a
_favor_. It's about making connections so that you have social proof of your
competence, plus to take advantage of the fact that someone telling your
target "hey, take a look at this person" stands out much better than sending
one more resume to a poorly monitored email account.

Which, in response to your last question, also means knowing someone who knows
someone where you want to work is almost as good as a direct connection. You
really don't need to know all that many people to have a usefully large second
degree network (doubly so if you're in a tech hub).

~~~
codeonfire
Well, there are some foolish companies out there that trust in 'social proof'
as you put it, so it is possible to get jobs that way. By beholden I mean that
if the only reason you able to keep a job is on the word of another low level
employee, then you are in a perilous position politically. No one except your
connection believes your social proof because there are a lot of expert
beginner people full of shit in technology. If they leave the company you are
screwed and would probably have to go find another job. Yes, it is more
difficult to get a job relying on skills and marketing, but it is better in
the long term.

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
This attitude is unproductive.

As a general rule, if someone hands your resume to a hiring manager, or says
"I know that guy; he's good" that carries a hell of a lot more weight than you
evidently think it does.

Yes, of course you need to know what you're doing. The point is that knowing
someone at the firm you're applying to, or knowing someone who know someone
there is useful. Like it or not, we are social animals and we respond to that
stuff.

~~~
codeonfire
No it's not unproductive. It's better and more realistic. What will happen is
that your hiring manager goes away after three months because managers are
always trying to reorg and hire people beneath them to save their ass. You
friend that handed your resume can be fired or quits to go work somewhere
else. Suddenly there is no reason that you should have a job at that company
and lots of other people are handing resumes to your new manager for people
that they are trying to give your job to. Maybe you can stretch it for 9-12
months. It's far better for job security to just have the credentials and
background to get a job without going the social route.

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ap22213
Also, the Bay Area isn't your only option, if you're willing to move. DC area
salaries are up a lot this year. I've had six recruiters in the last two weeks
sell me on jobs in the 175-200k range. Plus, Northern Virginia is relatively
cheap compared to the bay, and the startup scene has been building up for
years while government, defense, and intel work has remained flat. I'm biased
though because I want it to grow even more.

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rgovind
No need to do networking and all that. Just apply to every public company in
the valley and interview with who ever calls you for interview. If you pass
the interview, they will hire your as Senior Software engineer or as staff
engineer. These jobs will fetch $150K+

Of course, you can apply to startups also...but I am not aware of how much
they pay.

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goddammath
"I have no network" can be an important issue. I have similar problems, and
don't know where to start. It's easy to give tips like that, but how in
practice you'd build the network? You don't want results 20-30 years from now.

I got into most places by reference. That doesn't mean success - no high
salaries, no good prospects, just barely managing to find the next place. I
wouldn't say I'm too bad socially; young nerdish traits waned enough already.
But with growing age finding Bay Area-adequate salary - kids, you know - is
harder, not easier, even though experience and skills grow.

It's a real problem. Would be thankful for a good advice.

~~~
lightblade
Network is not something you get overnight. It may take years of strategic
planning to achieve.

I would say networking is less about meeting people and more about building a
reputation. Commenting here on HN is one way to build that reputation. You can
get go to meet ups to meet people, but giving talks is how you get reputation.
The same applies to conferences. At work, especially in larger companies, you
can build reputation as experts in one particular technology, lead brown bag
sessions to demonstrate that expertise.

You sometimes notice other people that have good network. It's also important
to stand out in front of these people to get second degree connections. If you
also have good network, these people would gladly be your best friend.

~~~
xt00
Yea if your job is pretty technical, then being somebody that people "know as
the guy/girl that really knows their shit and gets their shit done" is a good
place to start. It also helps to ask people about their areas or if you hear
somebody is struggling on something help them out from time to time. It goes a
long way. For example, there were many times when I would be in a hardware lab
and hear that somebody is struggling to properly capture some data on
something, so I'd be like "hey I can write you a little script to help out
with that.. just gimme 10 mins.." then I'd give it to them and they were happy
to have the help, and later others would hear that I could help on that kinda
stuff so people start to learn who you are and stuff like that so you build up
a positive reputation in the company.

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peace011
Just having a LinkedIn profile won't work. You actually have to use the thing!
Connect with old and current co-workers and congratulate them on their new
gigs, follow interesting companies, join LinkedIn and other online groups,
write articles about your expertise so people will notice you, contribute to
open-source projects, and build a killer portfolio. Those are some of the
things I try to do, which seem to work - and I don't even have a proper high-
school diploma (barely passed my GED).

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s3nnyy
Talk to technical recruiters, who do have a network. If you want to stay in
the Bay area, talk to Aline Lerner
([http://blog.alinelerner.com/posts/](http://blog.alinelerner.com/posts/)) or
if you want to move to Switzerland, talk to me.

~~~
zerr
Are you also a right person to contact if one wants to work for Swiss company
but remotely, from Europe?

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Vadoff
Tons of startups offer 150k+, not just unicorns.

~~~
lightblade
That is so unfortunately true.

I have found the unicorns like to hand out RSUs like candy.

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d4rkph1b3r
You haven't heard of Glassdoor?

