How much does a programmer make ?

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: gluck

Originally posted by: Skoorb
If you've been working for 5 years, shouldn't you already know the answer to this? It depends on the job and your experience/skills.

I thought that it should be around 70-100K. Then someone came up with like 200K

200k is nonsense, and very few 5 year programmers are making $100k, regardless of area. By "very few" I mean definitely the minority. Damn near no programmers are making 200k, and by "damn near no", I mean a scant few. The 60-80k mentioned is a fairly good ballpark I suppose, or perhaps 60-90k, but it so depends on where you live and your background.

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: gluck

Originally posted by: sygyzy
Yes, over 200K in certain parts of the South.

How the hell can you make 200k ? Which state are we taking here ?

I'm fairly certain sygyzy is joking.
Although I'm sure there are a few programmer/developers with very specific high-demand skills who are making $100/hr as consultants. So that could come out to 200k assuming they bill a full 40 hours a week. But it is certainly not the average.

As said, the term programmer can have many different meanings. Someone with a 2 year degree or no degree at all who typically does simple coding could be called a programmer and would probably be making around 20-30k. Someone with a 4 year degree who designs and develops complex software systems could also be called a programmer, but would probably be making more like 50-70k on average.

It also depends on what part of the country you live in. An experienced developer could be making 100k a year in NY or SF or could be making 40k in a small town in Wyoming. Given the difference in cost of living, they could have about the same standard of living.

I got a BS in Computer Science in 2001. I now have 3 years of experience doing analysis, design, programming, documentation, training, etc. Most of my time has been spent doing database design, VB6 programming, and writing stored procedures for SQL Server with a little ASP, VB.Net, ASP.Net, Access, and Excel stuff thrown in.
My official title is either Software Application Developer or Software Engineer depending on which company records you look at.
I live in Southern Oregon and make between 50 and 60k.

 

[kaymin]

If you move to India, you can make up to $12,000 a year! Here you can work data entry for 30.

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: kaymin
If you move to India, you can make up to $12,000 a year! Here you can work data entry for 30.

Yeah, but with the cost of living, the Indians making 12k a year are driving nice cars and stopping at Starbucks every morning on the way to their brand new fancy offices.

 

[CanOWorms]

Probably depends on what type of programming you do, too. The typical, generic, normal programmer types usually don't do as well as the Electrical Engineer or Physicist that's modeling electrons in a device or something.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: Sysadmin
It's not who you know...It's who you blow

Sysadmin

Yup, get those knee pads out.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: gluck
I was wondering how much does a mid level (5 yrs) programmer make ?

Never go into a job/career because of the amount it pays. Do what you enjoy and you will be successful the rest of your life.

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech

Originally posted by: gluck
I was wondering how much does a mid level (5 yrs) programmer make ?

Never go into a job/career because of the amount it pays. Do what you enjoy and you will be successful the rest of your life.

Nice cliche, but it's only true if what you enjoy allows you to make a decent living.

 

[CChaos]

I spent 8 months as a consultant here so it won't be until December that I'm officially here 3 years. Also, I have an English degree, not a technical degree and I worked for 3 years before going to school at night for programming. My job sounds very similar to Shanti's, but being in NYC you can add ~$10k.

 

[Jumpem]

I have experience developing web apps in ASP/ASP.NEt, JS, C#, and SQL. Right now I am working on ground radar information parsers in C and Java. I make $17hr. as a co-op.