What should my salary be like..

SamurAchzar

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2006
2,422
3
76
(Posted that in a deserted thread above - it deserves more attention, come on, it's my life on the line)

Anyone got an idea as to what an embedded software engineer with 6 years of experience in many subjects (mission critical, ARM7/9, MCUs, DSPs, networks, SDH, USB, Bluetooth, etc. - as well as development lead of several independent projects) is worth in the US job market? Seriously, I did LOTS of things.
Currently working for Samsung Electronics in the mobile phone division (not in the US, obviously. No, I do not have a Korean sister you could use. No, I'm not even Korean).

One person told me I could get around 120K/year, and said it's about the top for guys in our field.
The other (used to be the president of a company he eventually sold to MS... $$$... ain't got bling though) told me 150K/year. Do these figures even begin to make sense, or is it just the bull outputing some feces?

I'm not an American, so I got no idea. The closest I've been to your country was the American Embassy, and even that almost got me shot.
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
16,843
2
0
$80-90k would be my guess.

Management do less technical work (most earnt their sh!t on the way to the top though) and Manage your ass and get more £££ then you ultimately.

Koing
 

SamurAchzar

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2006
2,422
3
76
Originally posted by: Koing
$80-90k would be my guess.

Management do less technical work (most earnt their sh!t on the way to the top though) and Manage your ass and get more £££ then you ultimately.

Koing

Oh noes.
 

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
If you work here on a H1-B visa, maybe $60K? and 80-hour work weeks. If you try to leave your employer for a better job you will be deported.
 

SamurAchzar

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2006
2,422
3
76
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
If you work here on a H1-B visa, maybe $60K? and 80-hour work weeks. If you try to leave your employer for a better job you will be deported.

Not Mexican either.

 

Phlargo

Senior member
Jul 21, 2004
865
0
0
If you can't tell - this might not be the best place to ask.. I'd check out Monster.com or some site that does competitive salary review - I don't know which ones do, but my mom used to be in HR and was quite familiar with these - you should be able to get a good idea how much you should be earning for your position
 

SamurAchzar

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2006
2,422
3
76
Thanks, Phlargo. The problem with all the salary research sites I've seen so far is that they categorize pretty broadly - I couldn't narrow the job description enough to get a good answer.
I know that locally, my field is the highest paying (excluding anomalies like Oracle specialists, etc. - but they are not in line with the market, more of consultants). I guess it extends to other areas too.

Anyway, the reason I'm asking here is that there are quite a few guys involved in the industry, so it seems, figured they must know something, right? :)


 

Noirish

Diamond Member
May 2, 2000
3,959
0
0
what's the point if you aren't in the US?
we aren't going to pay an engineer in India the same salary as in US.
it's all based on location (country, city, etc.).
 

SamurAchzar

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2006
2,422
3
76
Do I look like cheap labor to you? :D
The reason is that I might relocate to the US on a H1-B Visa (working permit) if the financial deal is good enough (it's not just the money - I wouldn't mind living in the US for some time either), some time in the future.



 

Noirish

Diamond Member
May 2, 2000
3,959
0
0
well, if you work for big company, they may not screw you over as much as smaller company, but i still wouldn't expect the same salary as US employee. there is a reason for outsourcing and h1-b, cheaper.

anywhere from $80-$100k sounds fair.
 

dxkj

Lifer
Feb 17, 2001
11,772
2
81
Originally posted by: SamurAchzar
Do I look like cheap labor to you? :D
The reason is that I might relocate to the US on a H1-B Visa (working permit) if the financial deal is good enough (it's not just the money - I wouldn't mind living in the US for some time either), some time in the future.

www.salary.com


And no, this wont give you EXACT numbers, it will give you a ballpark... you cant expect to find exact numbers as that all depends on location in the US, and the company
 

SophalotJack

Banned
Jan 6, 2006
1,252
0
0
lol... man it's funny to see some of these figures.

If you want to know the truth, I would say to expect 40k for a starting position.

The fact that you don't even know what your CAREER'S pay rate is, is just an indication to your devotion to the field.

So maybe subtract a couple thousand from that.
 

AgentEL

Golden Member
Jun 25, 2001
1,327
0
0
i'd say at least $100k. that's a pretty impressive skillset, if you're an expert in those fields you mentioned
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Originally posted by: SophalotJack
lol... man it's funny to see some of these figures.

If you want to know the truth, I would say to expect 40k for a starting position.

The fact that you don't even know what your CAREER'S pay rate is, is just an indication to your devotion to the field.

So maybe subtract a couple thousand from that.

Did you read his post? :confused: He's a foreigner wondering how much he could make in the US. I don't know how much I'd be making in France, doesn't make me any less devoted to my field. And he's making an effort to find out regardless.

And he has 6 years experience, he won't be looking for a starting position. If he was an American he'd probably make 80-100k.
 

SamurAchzar

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2006
2,422
3
76
Originally posted by: mugs
Did you read his post? :confused: He's a foreigner wondering how much he could make in the US. I don't know how much I'd be making in France, doesn't make me any less devoted to my field. And he's making an effort to find out regardless.

And he has 6 years experience, he won't be looking for a starting position. If he was an American he'd probably make 80-100k.

So you do have an idea. Where's your hospitality. Like we say, "Today I come in your tent, tomorrow you come in my tent". Gotta do that with the appropriate accent though.

:D