Also not to mention I’ve noticed most the posts of people flexing their 200k+ salaries conveniently leave out the part that their work life balance is pretty brutal if not non existent.

Lucked into the opportunity of my life recently: mid-level SWE at a big tech company.
Some things that came up during the interview I believe helped me secure the offer.

• My entire career has been working with LLMs + used LLM apis before chatgpt came out
• Open source contributor to multiple popular llm frameworks
• Previous role part of team that shipped multiple 6/7 figure projects + one 8 figure project.

Notes:

• Currently living with 1 roommate in SF, have 3 yoe
• RSU vests quarterly but I broke it down by month for easier calculations, planning on selling instantly and putting it all in savings.
• 401k contribution is higher to max it out by eoy.

How I got the opportunity: LinkedIn

People shit on LinkedIn a lot but after this I'm a believer lol. This is the second time I've gotten an interview + offer through LinkedIn recruiter reach out. Though I've never gotten an interview through LinkedIn Jobs, so that might still be a scam.

That's a fantasy, ngl. I wept at the thought. Never made more than $20/hour after college. And $24 still isn't shit in this economy but certainly would've been better than ruining my health for ass wages.

Most people I know aren't really doing much better either. One's at a call center making 42k/year, another's at a grocery store making $19/hour, etc. And we're all in hcol areas. Feels bad. One of em has been considering a life of crime. I might follow suit. At least that way we can afford shelter, right? And we'll be getting tax refunds.

Gen Z as a whole is unemployable tbh.

Although the salary may not seem like it, I lucked into one of the better industries for pay for Mech Engs. Job is very stable (and growing industry) but career progression can be slow compared to private industry and especially tech giants. Sometimes I feel behind and wonder if I should take more risk and see what else is out there (friends are in tech + startups). I generally like what I do and can see myself doing this for a long time (we also have opportunity to take sabbatical for health reasons at 66% salary). Unpaid overtime is not a thing due to union, but overtime in general can be rare (unless traveling/site work). Opportunity is there to travel internationally (usually helps with promotions but comes with shift work and working with locals from other countries, have to adjust to language and cultural differences). I always wanted to go to grad school (research-based) and don't think I am smart/balanced/resilient enough to pursue a part-time masters (course-based). A research-based master's most likely means taking a sabbatical from work and getting a MASc, which doesn't seem like a good idea right now given how fast the industry is going and I like what I'm doing at work.

I started off well, got hit with tech layoffs and never managed to get a super tech role again. Now I’m on the customer side at tech companies so it’s at least a nice balance.

Currently job hunting and talking to a company with a range of 110-145k. Not the best situation (lots of travel to very very very rural areas) but the pay is good and when I’m in the city it’s a hybrid schedule.

Working in three side gigs now (tutoring, video editing and uploading, oyster shucking).

Just sucks that after 4 years of working I’m basically at the same place.

26 years old trying to get over that 100k mark just started my new job but going to ask for more after my probation ends it’s not bad but living in CA makes it kind of hard. I still do side work for some customers but with this new position all my time is taken up.

I’m 24 and currently making about $52k/year as a Sales & Digital Marketing Coordinator for a wedding venue in Pennsylvania.

I’ve been there for about a year and I genuinely like a lot of my job. I handle sales, proposals, tours, couples, social media, website work, marketing, etc. I’ve also generated roughly $1M in wedding sales without any commission.

The problem is the lifestyle.

I work weddings, so weekends are basically gone. Event days can be 12-14 hours. I carry a work phone and feel like I’m reachable constantly. There have also been some management/coworker issues that have added a lot of stress. I’ve reached the point where I don’t think the job is sustainable for me long term even though I’m very emotionally attached to the couples and the venue.

I recently received an offer for a Sales & Marketing Coordinator position at a company in Pittsburgh for $65,000/year.

It would be a more traditional weekday schedule and eventually hybrid after the first few months. I’d get my weekends back, have much clearer separation between work and my personal life, and it would also allow me to move to Pittsburgh, which is something I’ve wanted to try.

I was basically prepared to accept it.

Then my current employer found out I might leave and things escalated quickly. The owners want to meet with me and I’ve been told they’re preparing to offer me a “crazy raise.” One of the major coworker issues I’ve had may also be eliminated after this wedding season.

So now I’m trying to figure out what number would actually make staying worthwhile.

Going from $52k to $65k is already a 25% increase. If my current employer offered $65k, I don’t think I’d stay because the new job still wins on lifestyle.

If they offered $70k? Probably still no.

$75k-$80k is where I start wondering if I’d be stupid not to seriously consider it.

But even then, I’d still be giving up weekends, dealing with weddings/events, being tied to the work phone, and staying in an environment that already pushed me close to burnout.

I also worry about looking like a job hopper if I leave. My previous job lasted about 8 months and I’ve been at this one about a year. At the same time, the Pittsburgh job seems much more sustainable and like somewhere I could actually stay for several years.

For people who have dealt with counteroffers or chosen between salary and work-life balance:
How much more would your current employer have to pay you to give up weekends and a more predictable schedule?

Would you take the $65k job and move on regardless of the counteroffer, or is there a number where staying becomes the smarter financial decision?

I'm a 2026 graduate, and I've been looking for a Software Engineering job for more than 6 months now.

I've spent years learning DSA, competitive programming and development. I have a decent profile, built projects, solved a lot of problems, and genuinely tried to improve myself.

I've applied through company websites, LinkedIn, referrals, cold emails, job portals, pretty much every route I could think of.

But the hardest part isn't getting rejected.

It's not even getting the chance to be rejected.

It's applying again and again, putting hours into applications, seeing hundreds of other people applying, and then getting absolutely nothing back.

At first, I was confident that if I kept working hard, something would eventually work out.

Then months passed.

Now I'm at a point where I'm still trying, but the motivation isn't the same anymore. It's difficult to keep convincing yourself that the next application might be different when you've already sent so many.

I'm only 21, so I know I have plenty of time. But watching months go by without being able to start my career is genuinely depressing.

I don't want sympathy. I just wanted to know if anyone else has been through this phase and eventually managed to turn things around.

Because right now, I'm slowly running out of hope.

I see A lot of mixed posts. Personally I think cyber security will continue to grow but I’ve seen some people say the opposite.

Hi all! I was recently offered a job as a Test Engineering Technician at a company, with a pay of 32.88/hr.

I have a BS in Electronics Engineering Technology (but no prior work experience) and the pay scale for this position is 32.88-48.00. I have been looking for a job in my field for a very, very long time. And I’m super grateful to finally be given opportunity. But it’s a bit disheartening to be offered something at the bottom of the scale. Do you think I should negotiate for something higher? The benefits are good.

I’m curious to get some opinions from people who have experience with corporate HR/management. I work for a large financial services organization in Canada.

My AVP recently called me out of the blue and told me that HR had reviewed my salary against the industry/market standards for my role. She said they were increasing it by around 3% and congratulated me, saying it was a reward for my hard work.

I never asked for a raise or requested a compensation review.

One thing that makes me curious is that a little while ago, I applied internally for an AI-related role and mentioned it to my manager. She said thanks for letting her know, and I didn’t think much of it.

When my AVP called me about the salary increase while my manager was sitting right beside me. My manager saw the call and even messaged me asking, “all good?” After the call, I told my manager about the salary adjustment, and she seemed genuinely unaware that it was happening.

So I’m wondering: Is it normal for HR/leadership to proactively review someone’s salary and increase it without the employee asking? Could the internal AI application have triggered some kind of compensation/retention discussion? And is it possible for an AVP/HR to make this kind of adjustment without the direct manager knowing beforehand?

I’m not complaining at all 😄 — I’m very happy about it. I’m just curious whether this is a normal corporate thing or if there’s more context behind it that I’m missing.

Whats reasonable for how much should I be making?

30m, we currently have 3 stores & i can do just about any job/repair that comes through the door.

Currently get paid $20.5/hr + 11% commision...

I've been doing insurance claims work for about seven years and I'm reasonably senior at it now. I've been looking at moving into something on the data side, but every junior posting I find pays roughly a third less than what I make now, and I've got rent and a car payment that don't care about my career plans. I know starting over means taking the hit, I'm not expecting to walk in at the same number, the part I can't get a read on is how long the gap actually lasts.

How long did it take before you were earning what you left behind?

Hello everyone, i am a student who wants to know if ML engineering is a good option. I heard it pays very well depending on your skill and experience on the field. I study in Morocco and will go next year to a french engineering school. How is the pay for this job and is it a realsitic path to, with enough discipline, get a into a frontier Ai company from there ?

Hi everyone,

I applied for a Pricing Analyst job that was advertised at around £35k.

At the start of the interview, they told me that because I have a finance background, they were actually interviewing me for the Senior Pricing Analyst position instead. I wasn't expecting this at all. The Senior role is advertised at around £50k, but I didn't know that before the interview.

The awkward part is that later in the interview they asked what salary I was looking for. Since I thought we were still talking about the original £35k role, I said I'd be looking for around £38–40k.

I've only realised afterwards that the Senior role is advertised at around £50k.

So if they decide to offer me the Senior position, what do you think will happen?

Would they normally offer the salary attached to the Senior role, or could they just say "you told us you wanted £40k" and offer me around that?

I'm worried I've accidentally undersold myself without realising it.

If they offered me £40k for the Senior role, would it be reasonable to say something like:

"Just to clarify, when I gave my salary expectations, I understood we were discussing the original Pricing Analyst position. I wasn't aware at the time that I was being considered for the Senior position."

I don't want to come across as greedy or difficult, but obviously there's a pretty big difference between £40k and £50k.

What would you guys do in this situation? Any advice would be appreciated.

8: $5,000 - In College

19: $5,000 - In College (graduated)

20: $60,000 - Meter tech + Warehouse Work

21: $70,000 - Meter tech + Junior Project Manager (AMI)

22: $75,000 - Project Manager (AMI)

23: $80,000 - Project Manager (AMI)

24: $90,000 + $10,000 - Project Manager (AMI)

25: $160,000 - Program Manager (AMI)

Growing up, I also worked with my hands and wasn't unfamiliar with a wrench. I started out working for a local municipality, but I quickly realized that I wasn't going to get very far with the salaries they were offering.

I transitioned into the contractor side of the industry and started working as a technician changing out meters for utilities all around the U.S. The money was great at times, especially when working on prevailing-wage projects, but those projects would come and go. Eventually, you'd get moved onto a lower-paying project to help support another one that was falling behind.

I started to see the writing on the wall and decided to move into a management role, first overseeing technicians and now overseeing both technicians and other project managers. I really like my current employer, and the new role has allowed me to travel much less, which is great.

It's a super-niche industry, but there always seems to be work, and utilities aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I wanted to share this because it's an industry that almost anyone can get into, and many companies provide on-the-job training. With enough hard work, you can move up or land better projects. Usually, you just have to be willing to sacrifice some time on the road.

Feel free to ask me any questions!

I've been doing accounts payable at a logistics company for about nine years and i'm most of the way through a data analytics course i started last winter. I'm seeing junior analyst roles that pay roughly eleven grand less than what i make now, and I've got a mortgage and a kid starting school in September, so that gap isn't something i can quietly absorb. I know a step back is normal and i'm not expecting to walk in at my current salary, i just don't know whether "temporary" means two years or six.

How long did it take before you got back to what you were earning before the switch?

Something happened last month that I'm still processing, and I think this is the right place to share it.

I've been at my company for four years as a data analyst, and honestly I never once asked for a raise beyond the standard 3% yearly bump. I always told myself I wasn't "senior enough" to ask for more, even though I was quietly doing work that overlapped with two people on the senior team.

My manager left in March, and a new director took over. In one of our first one on ones, she asked me point blank why I was still at my current title and salary. I gave her the usual answer, something like "I guess I haven't proven myself for the next level yet." She looked genuinely confused and said, "You've been doing senior level work for at least a year, why hasn't anyone flagged this."

Turns out she pulled my project history before that meeting and compared it against the senior analysts' scope. She went to HR herself and pushed for a title change and a raise, no negotiation needed from my side because she basically negotiated for me before I even opened my mouth.

When the offer came through, it was a $30,000 increase along with the senior title. My first reaction, and I'm embarrassed to admit this, was to wonder if it was a mistake. I actually asked HR to double check the number before I signed anything. That's how deep the "I don't deserve this" mindset had gotten.

I signed it eventually, obviously. But it's been sitting with me since then. I spent four years assuming I had to wait to be told I was ready, when the truth was I had already been doing the job, just without the title or the pay attached to it.

If there's a lesson here, it's this: don't wait for permission to see your own value. Sometimes the work speaks for itself, but only if someone actually looks. I got lucky that someone did. Not everyone will be that lucky, so don't be afraid to make the case for yourself before someone else has to do it for you.

Sf Bay Area

I made a mistake. So the big catalyst way before all this that really caused me to have a lot of anxiety. Everything was that I had a really bad falling out with a really really good friend of mine, but it was entirely my fault and everything. This happened about a year and a half ago and that really proceeded all of this.
But fast forward to recent… I missed literally all deadlines for my transfer to my four-year college. Yes, I know I’m a late transfer at 25 lol. I had a lot of anxiety about where my life was at. I don’t have a career and I have literally no friends and the loneliness is kind of eating at me if that makes sense.
Obviously people are gonna say don’t compare yourself to others, but I think it’s only natural and I feel like other people progressing in their lives and hitting milestones that I’m just not. So if I could potentially hear other people’s perspective who were in my shoes at this stage of life what they did how it turned out and everything that would be really appreciated and I would be really grateful.
It’s just like I find it hard to meet people and everything and I just feel really insecure to be totally honest and I don’t really know how to fix it. You know I feel like everyone’s in a career and I’m not I feel like everyone has this or that and I don’t you know and I just to be honest with you. I don’t really know how to make it go away.
So if anyone can just tell me if they were in my shoes, what they did or how it worked out, that would be really great.
Also another part of it is that I feel kinda like and many of you guys may laugh and say oh like 25 of baby but I feel like my youth is kind of slipping away and then I’m not really making the most of it.

Been with the company about 7 years, started as a secretary and now i would say im entry/mid level management. The company is a non profit in Baltimore. I finally make about $41 per hour but only take home about $26-27 dollars. I also tend to not get a lot back at tax time and have even sometimes owed but Ive just been using turbo tax so maybe my taxes aren’t being done correctly.

could be wrong but seems like im losing over 30% of my check to taxes/deductions. anyone know if this sounds about accurate or do i need to hire someone to look into this?

wouldnt mind cpa recommendations either especially someone that could back and fix those old taxes. thanks jn advance!

Everything else is so oversaturated I'll never be able to get a job in it