Market Related Salaries for Java Developers

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kalevra

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Not sure if this is the right category - soz if it isn't

If someone started as a Junior Developer in the beginning of 2007 and had 4 years experience up until now what would their salary be? +- What would the high, low and average end of the spectrum be?

What are salaries of friends you know with 4 years experience?
 
Depends on what kinds of experience.

If the "usual" J2EE, as well as some experience with various frameworks in use, I'd say the average salary would be R40k.

However there are guys that I know with less than 4 years earning in the R60k region and above, and I also know guys with 10 years+ earning < R50k, so it's all relative.

As with most questions like yours, more information is required.

Java devs I know with similar QUANTITIES of experience:
R30k
R48k
R75k
 
sn3rd said:
Depends on what kinds of experience.

If the "usual" J2EE, as well as some experience with various frameworks in use, I'd say the average salary would be R40k.

However there are guys that I know with less than 4 years earning in the R60k region and above, and I also know guys with 10 years+ earning < R50k, so it's all relative.

As with most questions like yours, more information is required.

Java devs I know with similar QUANTITIES of experience:
R30k
R48k
R75k
Click to expand...

Kewl - I get your point...

With development companies what Java/ Java related skills/areas are most sought after? Ajax/ Ruby on Rails and all the rest?
 
sn3rd said:
Yes?

But I'm confused; are you surprised that it's so low? Because I know plenty of devs that are also way higher than that.
Click to expand...

kewl that sounds promising - what are the key factors that employers are looking for in the very high end income earning java developers?
 
sn3rd said:
Yes?

But I'm confused; are you surprised that it's so low? Because I know plenty of devs that are also way higher than that.
Click to expand...

No im surprized that its so high, I only see salaries ranging from 15-35k on any job/career seeker site. how can somebody earn that much? is it their skillset? how good they are? or something else?

I'm in my final year, probably doing Honours, my dad wants me to do masters but ill see. The general impression i get is that in SA, you're not that much more valued if you have done master. whats your take on my thoughts?
 
The most sought after skills are the most niche skills (when you think about it, this is a trivial conclusion). As such, they are somewhat "risky".

Also, the particular industry often defines what skills are required. The whole Java world is so massive that it is used in a very wide variety of industries. Everything from telecoms to finance.

I've found that many of the high earning Java guys are into ERP and the like. Many of them find the work rather boring, though, so job satisfaction might be an issue. Most of them found ERP exciting at some stage of their lives. There is also a demand for Java skills in the distributed computing environment... But then again, there is a demand for many different kinds of skills in this environment.

My advice to someone looking at these figures and seeing green is to rethink things. If you're looking at following the Java path because you think you'll earn a lot of money, there's a good chance you won't enjoy it much and thus you probably won't be spectacular at what you do. The guys that earn well are often very good at what they do (yes there are numerous exceptions that I know of :( ). Also bear in mind that when I say that they are good at "what they do", I don't only refer to programming skill. These guys have usually had experience (and a good track record) designing and implementing complex systems from scratch. They're cognisant of the challenges involved in (properly) building a concurrent system that meets the needs of the project. They're also good at managing time and dealing with people. Many of them rarely roll up their sleeves anymore to do low level work. Being able to write Java code and do it well is only one of many factors that can determine your success.

Personally, I'm often looking for a number of people with a variety of skills.
 
CrazYmonkeY159 said:
No im surprized that its so high, I only see salaries ranging from 15-35k on any job/career seeker site. how can somebody earn that much? is it their skillset? how good they are? or something else?

I'm in my final year, probably doing Honours, my dad wants me to do masters but ill see. The general impression i get is that in SA, you're not that much more valued if you have done master. whats your take on my thoughts?
Click to expand...

It really depends what your plan is. By now, if you want answers to these kinds of questions, you should have come up with some sort of rudimentary plan at least. The answer to your question also depends on what you're studying right now, as well as what you plan to study. And of course, what industry do you see yourself in. Obviously if you're working for a bank, your postgraduate studies in genetics probably won't hold much weight.
 
I agree and disagree. Agree - the range regarding developer related salaries. In smaller, more niche (as mentioned) companies/initiatives, java developers can earn tons. I have a friend who worked with me at FNB (a while ago) who was earning around 16-20k pm doing java dev on dotMobi and cellphone banking. A year or so down the line, he left to join a small company focused on java development and integration in the insurance industry. At the time he was 23 and his salary jumped to close to 50k pm (gross).

Disagree part - banks value highly qualified individuals, regardless of your field of study. Moreso, they love the masters and PhD peeps from science backgrounds. Taking FNB as an example, all the Heads in Cellphone Banking are Engineers. Banks value highly analytical people and so do consulting houses and most industries. A science undergrad teaches you how to think analytically, and a post grad degree in science definitely masters that skill... something that is highly sort after....
 
Pavan said:
I agree and disagree. Agree - the range regarding developer related salaries. In smaller, more niche (as mentioned) companies/initiatives, java developers can earn tons. I have a friend who worked with me at FNB (a while ago) who was earning around 16-20k pm doing java dev on dotMobi and cellphone banking. A year or so down the line, he left to join a small company focused on java development and integration in the insurance industry. At the time he was 23 and his salary jumped to close to 50k pm (gross).

Disagree part - banks value highly qualified individuals, regardless of your field of study. Moreso, they love the masters and PhD peeps from science backgrounds. Taking FNB as an example, all the Heads in Cellphone Banking are Engineers. Banks value highly analytical people and so do consulting houses and most industries. A science undergrad teaches you how to think analytically, and a post grad degree in science definitely masters that skill... something that is highly sort after....
Click to expand...

You're right; sorry.

Let me rather say then that hotel school training probably won't help you if you're applying for a job as an air traffic controller :p
 
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