Will $23,000/yr for Programmer affect my career path?

[Ranger X]

23k is slave labor. They lowballed you big time!

 

[CrazyDe1]

You should be making at least 65...

40 at the least...

 

[DaveSimmons]

My first developer salary was higher than that ten years ago, also at a small company.

I could maybe see accepting $36K for an entry-level position in a low cost of living area, but $23K is absurdly low.

 

[macwinlin]

I thought $35K/yr would be an appropriate figure for someone w/a BSCS, give or take a few thousand based on the location. Is this company offering anything else to compensate?

 

[TommyVercetti]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti

How do companies find out your salary history?

A lot of companies I've applied to have asked for it.

Still, how do they really know?

 

[SuperTool]

Don't take the job. You should be making 2 to 3 times that much.
Basically they are treating you like crap before you even accepted the job by giving you this lowball POS they call an offer. Why do you want to join a company that thinks you are worthless?
Let me guess, their medical coverage is a box of band-aids and a bottle of Ny-Quil a year?

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti

How do companies find out your salary history?

A lot of companies I've applied to have asked for it.

Still, how do they really know?

I guess they don't, but if they did find out you lied, you'd most likely be fired.

 

[rh71]

After taxes, that's less than most part time jobs. Do not take it. Your full devotion in looking for another full-time job is better than doing this full-time... what an insult it is for a person of your accomplishments.

 

[Jzero]

You would make more and have a better shot at career advancement going to "Hamburger U" and managing at McDonald's.
I'm not kidding.

My fiancee makes that much and she is a SECRETARY.

 

[EMPshockwave82]

ask them if it doubles after year one and then you get the same raise after year two ... 23000 turned to 46000 and then up to 69000 wouldnt be bad... but other than that... it's a REALLY lowball offer...

 

[CrazyDe1]

Originally posted by: dullard
Low salaries are often passed on to the next job. If you can ever find the data, look at the average salary of a specific job graphed against the number of years from college. It is amazing how that graph mirrors the economy almost exactly. That means people who graduated when the economy was bad (who took lower paying jobs) are still earning less 10, 20, 30, 40 years later. Often they will be making less than people with 5 years more or even 5 years less experience - simply since they typically get a set raise each year/each job and they never overcome their initial low salary.

Will this happen to you? Tough to say - there are always exceptions. But on average, it will.

It doesn't make a difference because any halfway smart and prudent person going into a job interview would walk in armed with salary.com and other #s describing average pay for that position. You should also know the size of the company because if it?s a large company you?re probably entitled to more money. Say something along the lines of here?s what the average person with my skills and education is worth, I?m not average, I?m worth more. Also, if they ask you what you made at your last job you DO NOT have to tell them. Don?t as it?s none of their business and the only thing that they could ever do with that is lowball you. Just say what I made there is irrelevant and I?m sure they don?t appreciate a former employee telling the world what their pay scale is.

The other thing is I always turn questions back on the interviewer. If they ask how much I made at my last job I'd ask them first of all how much they make and how much the last guy at that position made. If you have to answer how much you made at your last job they should have to answer how much the last guy at your position got paid.

 

[CrazyDe1]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti

How do companies find out your salary history?

A lot of companies I've applied to have asked for it.

Still, how do they really know?

I guess they don't, but if they did find out you lied, you'd most likely be fired.

Or you could just not tell them because it's irrelevant...

 

[fs5]

you guys are making me sad
I'm working for this much right now as a computer programmer (entry leve) in the silicon valley. I graduated last year with a BS in CS. I haven't gotten any other offers AT ALL so this is the only job I have.

 

[Hammer]

23000? if someone had the nerve to offer that to me, not only would i laugh in their face, i'd pee on them afterwards!

 

[Ameesh]

coming out of college with a BS i got offers almost 4 times that figure, that is fvcking low, i would not accept it.

where did you get your bachelors and masters?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I don't know if this was said, but with only $23k, there's a lot of room for an increase. Work really hard and show them you're worth a TON more than that salary, after two or three months tell them you want an increase in pay.

 

[Hammer]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
coming out of college with a BS i got offers almost 4 times that figure, that is fvcking low, i would not accept it.

where did you get your bachelors and masters?

itt tech?

 

[atom]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5
you guys are making me sad
I'm working for this much right now as a computer programmer (entry leve) in the silicon valley. I graduated last year with a BS in CS. I haven't gotten any other offers AT ALL so this is the only job I have.

WTF, you're getting reamed even more than this guy. I work as an entry level software engineer in the Bay Area and the average is over 48k for the jobs I was applying to.

 

[Ameesh]

Originally posted by: Hammer

Originally posted by: Ameesh
coming out of college with a BS i got offers almost 4 times that figure, that is fvcking low, i would not accept it.

where did you get your bachelors and masters?

itt tech?

i think it must have been one of those mail order places

 

[SP33Demon]

My friend graduated in 2000 with a BS in CS, made 110K and manager of 4 people... of course that was during the dot com boom

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: atom

Originally posted by: fivespeed5
you guys are making me sad
I'm working for this much right now as a computer programmer (entry leve) in the silicon valley. I graduated last year with a BS in CS. I haven't gotten any other offers AT ALL so this is the only job I have.

WTF, you're getting reamed even more than this guy. I work as an entry level software engineer in the Bay Area and the average is over 48k for the jobs I was applying to.

I know I am, the problem is that I've applied many places and they require experience. I'm hoping to use this job as a spring board.
PS. where do you work and can I get a job there?

 

[puppykitten]

Originally posted by: fivespeed5

Originally posted by: atom

Originally posted by: fivespeed5
you guys are making me sad
I'm working for this much right now as a computer programmer (entry leve) in the silicon valley. I graduated last year with a BS in CS. I haven't gotten any other offers AT ALL so this is the only job I have.

WTF, you're getting reamed even more than this guy. I work as an entry level software engineer in the Bay Area and the average is over 48k for the jobs I was applying to.

I know I am, the problem is that I've applied many places and they require experience. I'm hoping to use this job as a spring board.
PS. where do you work and can I get a job there?

Exactly the same situation as mine. Every recruiter is talking about 5 years experience, 10 years experience, blah....
Maybe that is why this company only offer this low to new grads.

 

[DT4K]

That is definitely low, but from what I've seen, the market still sucks big time.

I started as a software developer on a contract basis (temp) making $16/hr, 3 months before getting my BSCS degree in 2001.
9 months later, they raised my rate to $23/hr. 6 months after that(around june 2002), they made me the permanent offer of a little under 50k. Then I got a 5% raise in 2003.

This is in an area where the average 3 bdrm house is around 150k.

So I'd say that is a very very low offer, especially with a master's degree. But on the other hand, I've been thinking of leaving my current job and I've been getting almost no responses from anyone. So if it's the only thing you can find, it might be worth the experience. Just don't tell the next employer what your salary was.

 

[ultimatebob]

Yes, taking that offer WILL effect your future career path. You'll need to put that pathetic salary on future job applications for at least 5 years after you leave that job, and any HR person with two brain cells to rub together will use that figure to lowball your future salary offers when you get hired.

Sorry man, but it's time to consider moving. Assuming that you have a good GPA, you should be able to get a 60K+ salary in either the NYC, San Francisco, or Washington DC/Baltimore metro areas.

 

[opticalmace]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Yes, taking that offer WILL effect your future career path. You'll need to put that pathetic salary on future job applications for at least 5 years after you leave that job, and any HR person with two brain cells to rub together will use that figure to lowball your future salary offers when you get hired.

Sorry man, but it's time to consider moving. Assuming that you have a good GPA, you should be able to get a 60K+ salary in either the NYC, San Francisco, or Washington DC/Baltimore metro areas.

Listen to this man.