Path of the programmer

A friend of mine often wondered why programmers are always so happy. The answer she came up with was simple and discouraging: because they work at a job they love and they have a lot of money. Welcome to the world of programmers.

programmer salary

I want to talk about the salaries of programmers. How are things actually with the salary, where is it better to go to work, and where not. If you are not a programmer and try to understand this topic yourself, you can get a set of very conflicting data. The thing is that the main factor affecting the salary of a programmer is not his qualifications, but the place of work. Sometimes, with the same qualification, the difference between a good and a bad place can reach 2-10 times (!) At any given moment, your qualification is constant. You cannot become twice as experienced in a month and receive twice as much. But to change jobs in a month and get twice as much - you can very much. Once, within two months, my salary tripled (!) - an unforgettable experience. Let's find out where is the best place to work. Here are three factors

1. Is software development the main business of the company.
2. Whether the company is oriented to the international market or to the domestic one.
3. The owner of the firm is a western company or a domestic one.

Please note that the city in which you live does not play a decisive role. Those. if you make 10 times less living in Dresden than your friend in New York, then the factors listed above have come into play.

Specific figures

It is difficult to give any specific figures for the whole world. I will give a description of the situation for Eastern Europe, which is generally true for all countries where IT-outsource/outstaff is more or less developed. Below is the breakdown of salaries for programmers for Kyiv - this is a major center of IT outsourcing in Eastern Europe. In St. Petersburg, salaries are 10% higher, in Moscow, somewhere around 20%. I have not met a single million-plus city in Eastern Europe where salaries were 30% less than in Kyiv. Since you are all from different cities, I propose to increase the numbers I have given, in accordance with the indicated scale: Here's how much a Java Senior Developer with five years of experience can earn , depending on the level of the company they work for: What is the strangest thing about this situation? Half of all programmers work at Tier 1 and Tier 2 firms. Want to know the catch? There are hundreds of open positions for programmers in Tier 3 and Tier 4 firms. These companies are willing to offer higher salaries and usually much better working conditions. I know two Java Juniors, one went to work for $100 a month (Tier 1 firm) and the other $1,000 a month (Tier 4). Why get less? Demand for programmers exceeds supply - do not go to work where the pay is low! Conclusion 1: The average salary of Java programmers in Kiev is about $1,200 per month Conclusion 2:Your average salary, after 5 years, if you don't go to work in level 1 and 2 firms, but go to work in level 3 and 4 firms, will be above $3,000 per month. What can be achieved if you are not stupid If you constantly engage in self-development in the field of programming, then your salary, starting today, may look something like this.

Plan

0-3 months (Student) You know very little about programming. Maybe taught at school and / or university, but very superficially. Your task is to learn programming and learn Java. Your goal is to get a job as a Java Junior in a company of at least Level 3. The first three months on the plan you do not receive anything, because. just learning programming. In the future, when you have a family and a lot of loans, it will be much more difficult to change your specialization. To correct the mistake, you will need to set aside money for a year of a normal life. Don't make stupid mistakes. 3-15 months (Java Junior Developer) You are already working as a programmer, and your experience is growing every day. Don't chill. You still have a lot to do to be able to rest on your laurels. Your task is to learn technologies that you will need as a Middle developer. What exactly are the technologies? The world is changing. I now advise, and life will change everything. Search online for a few jobs and see what they require. Be sure to read Bruce Eckel's Java Philosophy. Your goal in your first year as a Java Junior is to grow to the Java Middle level. No one says that it is very easy, but it is quite possible for a purposeful person. This will immediately give a jump in salary to one and a half thousand. 2nd year as a programmer (Java Middle Developer, level 1) You did a great job last year and now you are a Java Middle Developer. With a salary of one and a half thousand, you can live normally. At work, you are given serious tasks, and your experience grows by leaps and bounds. You will grow to a Java Senior Developer in two to three years. There is no point in speeding up this process. You still won't get a strong increase in salary. Your task is to study design patterns, read McConnell's Perfect Code. Improve the quality of your code and your teamwork skills. You can make it a rule to read one book on IT every week. Then in a year, you will be 50 books smarter than the rest. Do not put it off until later: you will no longer have free time. It is likely that you will have a family, or replenish, if you already have. Your aim- choose several technologies in which you will specialize as a Senior developer. You still can't learn everything. And being a guru in a small area is a good decision. 3rd year of work as a programmer (Java Middle Developer, level 2) You are already an experienced Middle developer and are starting to think about becoming a Senior Developer. It is pleasant and prestigious. Your salary exceeds 2 thousand dollars (data for Kyiv). From now on, the demand for professionals like you exceeds the supply. You can always get a job in a couple of days, and you are unlikely to receive less than now. Unless, of course, you throw out some nonsense. Your task— to continue studying the selected technologies. Work better. Not for the sake of the employer, for your own sake. Apply for projects with promising technologies (such as Big Data, at the time of this writing). You will still be in the office 8 hours a day, so why not get a little more money for it and, more importantly, the most valuable experience that you still need. Your goal is to change jobs. A good team is everywhere. You will come across new projects and technologies. Do not grow up to the chair ahead of time. If you are still working for a Tier 3 company, consider moving up to Tier 4. The fifth level, although very attractive, is still unattainable. 4th year as a programmer(Java Senior Developer, level 1) You have become a Senior Developer. Congratulations. Perhaps they became undeservedly, and you feel it. Anyway, congratulations. It doesn’t matter if you are worthy of your position now, the main thing is that you become worthy of it in the future. Agree, it’s better to get a good job first, and after a year grow to it, than to grow to a good position and wait another year. I hope you have not forgotten my advice and read one book a week - now any student will envy your opportunities. Rather, he is ready to pray for them. Think about it, you have a serious salary approaching three thousand dollars. You are most likely still young. The whole world is under your feet. Your task- review the technologies you have chosen once again. Perhaps you need to change your specialization. The world has changed, technology has changed, and your knowledge has increased over the past two years. What you choose now will be your choice for the next few years. It's time to choose your favorite technologies. Your goal is to choose a direction in which you could develop further. There are a lot of them, no one will list all the options, but the choice must be made right now. If you change your present a little today, it will lead to big changes in your future. 5th year as a programmer(Java Senior Developer, level 2) You have decided on your future and are working on making your dream come true. The right direction, coupled with the desire to move forward, and the result will not keep you waiting. Congratulations. I am glad that there is more one more happy person. There is one wise truth. People often overestimate what can be achieved in one year and underestimate what can be achieved in five years. Look back five years. The way it is. Your task is not to make stupid decisions and not be led by laziness. Your goal is to choose a direction and move on. And you thought this was the end? Think back to your senior year. This is not the end, this is just the beginning.

Future Specialization

You can develop as a technical specialist (upper branch), as a manager (lower branch), or as a hired professional/independent consultant (middle branch). It all depends on your preferences.

Programming career

The profession of a programmer is different from other professions. There is no need to make a managerial career in order to earn good money. It is not uncommon for a senior programmer to earn more than his manager-boss. The more experience you gain, the more your relationship with your superiors moves from a "boss-worker" to a "movie star and her manager" relationship. Snickering, self-aware programmers sort out both projects and vacancies. Let's be happy for ours. What does it take to become such a high-class and globally demanded programmer? You must have extensive experience in the latest and most in-demand technologies.How to achieve this? Answer below. After you get a job as a programmer for the first time, two things begin to happen to you that, oddly enough, are not always evident.

1. You begin to quickly gain experience in real projects. One year of programming experience can give you more knowledge and skills in your specialty than 5 years of university. Experience is such a significant indicator that IT vacancies often write “Java programmer with three years of work experience is required.”


2. You study new technologies for 8 hours a day, and you are also generously paid for it. The importance of this factor can hardly be overestimated. In some cases, the acquired skills are so valuable that in order to obtain them, you can work for free, or even pay extra. If you wisely choose the projects on which you agree to work, then a dizzying career as a programmer awaits you.

But just what to choose? Often, if you don’t know what technologies will be useful to you, you start choosing technologies on the basis of “like it, don’t like it” or “fashionable, not fashionable”. Here's how lucky. So, it is better to know in advance where you want to go. There are a lot of ways to develop a programmer, so for simplicity, I will highlight a few of them and write my vision of the situation. You should not take this scheme as a rigid position, rather as a simplified view of things, in order to bring at least some clarity.

Bicentennial programmer

If programming is your thing , then your path is Senior Developer, then Tech Lead Developer and Architect. You can also just work as a programmer for 50 years. Often the salaries of senior programmers and technical leads exceed the salaries of their managers. Don't guess.

Manager. You are lucky, you are not like everyone else

You have defected to the enemy. Kidding. If you have great organizational skills , then your path: Team Lead, and then Project Manager. This will give you a chance to become a director and help you start your own business. You want this, don't you?

Steal a tractor

If you managed to start a family and children , then perhaps you want a quiet and comfortable life in a country with a stable economy. Thinking about moving/immigrating to Canada, USA, Switzerland or even Australia. You have excellent skills and a sought-after profession. You don't have to start with a dishwasher. And, for example, with Senior Java Developer. And, probably, for a big salary. Not so bad.

See the whole world except Paris and not die

You don't have a family yet and you want to travel . Upwork is everything. Find a customer, negotiate rates with him - from $20/hour, take a laptop and go. Your salary should be enough to live normally in any country in the world. Why not start pursuing your dream right now? Programming is comfortable.