What should I earn?

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Toitjie

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Hi,

I am not happy with what I am currently earning and would like to know what I should be earning for the experience I have.

I might not have much but would like to know where/how I compare to other people in a similar position.

  • Bachelor Degree in Computer Science
  • Nearly two years experience (two years after I got my degree)

I live in Pretoria and currently work in Midrand, so guess the area has an effect as well.

So what is the salary range for the above mentioned experience.

Thanx in advanced!
 
How about you tell us what work you are doing? - you could be sitting in a call center - or developing serious applications?
 
I do both add-ons and stand alone apps for big companies...

Just to mention a few clients, it would be like Anglo Plat, Mutual and Federal, Absa, etc

I code in .Net and Java mostly
 
ballpark : 22-25k CTC i would say.

my advice to you: get into mobile. then you write your own cheque. :D
 
Yeah - if you have a few people under you you can get around the 30k mark....

But anything above 20k would be good for right now...
 
20k? thats a lot more than I currently earn, should I be worried? should I look for another job? my contract ends November, so I should either demand more or look for another job?

Also I should probably mention that this company gave me a bursary while I was studying (paid my fees)... can that really effect my salary by so much?
 
Steer away from comparisons with your peers... as this could see you constrained. Whether you actually are... or perceive you are at the bottom of your peer group, using such an approach will always constrain you to being a part that group - and in my experience - the average of that group.
Rather see yourself as being distinct - in your own playing field so to speak. You should expect your reward to reflect your performance and yours alone. Steer away from comparisons with peers. Focus on the value you believe you're adding and identify fair compensation for that value.
A little (self reflective) exercise - if I were to offer you 3 times what you're earning now doing exactly the same role - would you consider that fair compensation? or would you be walking into work every day waiting for me to come to my senses and realize I'm over compensating you? Alright... if too high let's halve it to 1.5 times more... go through the same scenario and consider how you'd feel. Continue the exercise until you get a value that resonates with you. Okay once done consider - would you, as a business person having to pay someone else for doing this, be happy to pay? or would you try to drop it a bit?
Fine - exercise done... you have what you believe is fair compensation for your efforts.
Next realize that you have to justify why this is fair compensation. It's not because others are doing less for more... but because you truly believe that your input is worth that output. Believing this will empower you to justify passionately.

So now for the factoid - .NET and Java skills. Degree with two years experience... basic (i.e.: excluding benefits) would be between R18k and R20k. Realize that there's very little to no leverage on entry level positions. It's down to the basics - skill and experience.

G'luck,
SD
 
steel_dog said:
Steer away from comparisons with your peers... as this could see you constrained. Whether you actually are... or perceive you are at the bottom of your peer group, using such an approach will always constrain you to being a part that group - and in my experience - the average of that group.
Rather see yourself as being distinct - in your own playing field so to speak. You should expect your reward to reflect your performance and yours alone. Steer away from comparisons with peers. Focus on the value you believe you're adding and identify fair compensation for that value.
A little (self reflective) exercise - if I were to offer you 3 times what you're earning now doing exactly the same role - would you consider that fair compensation? or would you be walking into work every day waiting for me to come to my senses and realize I'm over compensating you? Alright... if too high let's halve it to 1.5 times more... go through the same scenario and consider how you'd feel. Continue the exercise until you get a value that resonates with you. Okay once done consider - would you, as a business person having to pay someone else for doing this, be happy to pay? or would you try to drop it a bit?
Fine - exercise done... you have what you believe is fair compensation for your efforts.
Next realize that you have to justify why this is fair compensation. It's not because others are doing less for more... but because you truly believe that your input is worth that output. Believing this will empower you to justify passionately.

So now for the factoid - .NET and Java skills. Degree with two years experience... basic (i.e.: excluding benefits) would be between R18k and R20k. Realize that there's very little to no leverage on entry level positions. It's down to the basics - skill and experience.

G'luck,
SD
Click to expand...

Good post. You should also be billing 3 times what your salary is. So if you bill 30K a month then you should be paid 10K.
 
I am not sure how old you are however in general, what I have found is that if you are below 25 its all about your qualification. People with degrees at that age earn very similar salaries. At 25 - 28 its all about technical mastery, regardless of what type of job you do. 28+ its all about management, business, people, budgets, projects, sales etc.

In that age group and range of "skills" you will earn from 200k per year to 1.2m per year. Best is to figure out what you need to do today to get the the correct position when you are 33... At the end of the day. Hard work results in progression, progression results in more money. "All roads lead to management..."
 
2 years experience is nothing. I am afraid that's at the bottom rung of the ladder.
 
phoenix911 said:
20k? thats a lot more than I currently earn, should I be worried? should I look for another job? my contract ends November, so I should either demand more or look for another job?

Also I should probably mention that this company gave me a bursary while I was studying (paid my fees)... can that really effect my salary by so much?
Click to expand...

Almost 2 years experience is about R12k. Nothing close to R20k I am afraid. However it is possible to get a R20k job with that experience from desperate companies; however you will work like a slave and have to perform miracles. A lot of that R20k will go to buying Red Bull.

Also, it also depends how good you are. Someone that is good with three years experience is worth more than someone with 10 years experience that codes like his @ss and complains a lot about working conditions. It's all about the quality of software you write; your attention to detail and business requirements, your troubleshooting abilities, and of course a little hard work won't hurt.
 
Count yourself lucky :P Before going into WP7 mobile dev (as someone actually suggested for you above) I was earning 7.5k doing senior Silverlight dev with 5 years .NET experience.

My point is that it's hard/impossible for people here to estimate your worth. At best they could estimate the current job postings' salaries for people of your skillset/level. And even then it's hard to tell because as someone else mentioned, you get desperate companies.

My suggestion would be to go to an IT recruiter and ask what jobs they have for you. If anything good turns up then great, if not then atleast your mind will be at-ease.
 
BSc CS + 2 years experience.

I'd pay you about 12-14 K pm ctc.
 
Sheesh, a buddy of mine with 1.5 years experience doing Java is pulling R21k pm. R12k for a competent programmer is a bit of a joke in my mind and the job market isn't that bad at the moment.
 
roguemat said:
Count yourself lucky :P Before going into WP7 mobile dev (as someone actually suggested for you above) I was earning 7.5k doing senior Silverlight dev with 5 years .NET experience.
Click to expand...
The f**k? I started off with more without any experience. Where about are you based?
 
roguemat said:
It was a random factoid - I don't really think I need to prove this to you. But whatever. The most recent one I still have was before an increase. http://2share.co.za/Files/payslip.jpg


Durban
Click to expand...
What the hell dude, why'd you stick it out for so long on that pay? You should easily have cleared at least 3x more. Wow it seems like the folks in Durbs really do get screwed :(
 
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