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How much do programmers get paid?

by guruvirt
13 replies
I know it depends on experience, degrees, range of languages etc, but how much do programmers get paid, from just graduating and upwards?

Other Q's:
Are some languages more valuable to businesses/corporations?
What is the job like?
How much would a programmer with a computer science degree get paid?
If you are a programmer to you enjoy your job?

Thanks!
#paid #programmers
  • Profile picture of the author wayfarer
    It mostly depends on how talented you are, where your internships have been, and where you live. A computer science degree only matters if you can actually do something with it.

    Facebook pays its interns around $60,000 per year, but because it is able to choose from the best of the best, that salary is extremely generous for entry level positions.

    Range of languages isn't everything. It's nice to hire people that know lots of languages, but it doesn't matter if that individual isn't really good at one thing.

    Your first job should be as an intern, while you're still in school. These jobs typically pay around $10-12 an hour and are extremely important to your development as an engineer. Many people substitute freelance experience for this stage. This can be extremely advantageous later on if you need to fall back to freelancing if you're ever between positions.

    Don't expect to just graduate right to a job if you don't already have SOME experience.
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    • Profile picture of the author linuxoctane
      I worked for a company that paid anywhere from 20K to 60K for new programmers. They would run them into the ground. 60 hr work weeks etc. Course the problem they ran into is once people got a year or so experience they would quit and go to a better job.
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  • Profile picture of the author forganics
    Banned
    Back in the day it was about $75/hr. Now it's probably closer to $30/hr. (In the US)
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    • Profile picture of the author JoshuaReen
      Originally Posted by forganics View Post

      Back in the day it was about $75/hr. Now it's probably closer to $30/hr. (In the US)
      I agree with this. The price has been decreased due to the competition.
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      • Profile picture of the author itservicebiz
        It depends on a few things, but the average wage is around 60k. Most programmers earn between 40-80k annually. I've seen hard working programmers make much less. I agree with other comments that there is more competition in the market today. The abundant means to learn freely, internet and the rise of technical schools and organizations has greatly grown the industry.

        If you understand a Legacy language well or are on the brink of cutting edge technology you will be at the top end.

        Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Farish
    The average salary of a programmer in the United States is around 77k. The ones I know make about 100-150k.

    I would say entry level is 50k-60k but after 2-3 years of experience and a solid skill set, you can move up from that quickly.
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  • Profile picture of the author kumarvijay
    Due to the lots of competition Price falls ,but you can earn 20$ to 30$ Per hour if you have strong knowledge and experience.
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  • Profile picture of the author thomasjs02
    For a programmer, the range is wide. It depends on how much you value yourself. Whatever you value yourself, there is somebody usually willing to pay you that amount.
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    • Profile picture of the author sjeichman
      Hi,

      I guess i'll chime in here. I have been programming for over 30 years now so can provide some insight for you. I am currently the database administrator and SQL developer for the identity management unit of a major university. Throuout my career, I developed dispatching software for police departments, scheduling software for advertising agencies, computer based training, and more. So based on my experience, here's what I would recommend.

      Learn the underlying concepts of programming. The actual languages aren't as important as understanding how and why things work. Choose one of the major languages to llearn while you are learning the concepts. Once you know a major language well, it is easy to pick up others. I consider C++ and JAVA to be major languages. I personally prefer C++ because JAVA does too much "decision making" for you and you might not learn the underlying reasons for those decisions. C++ is the language used to write most stand-alone applications such as word processors, web browsers, and especially operating systems.

      If you like databases and information management, learn SQL and understand the concepts of relational databases. If you are interested in web programming, learn HTML, PHP or Coldfusion, JavaScript, and CSS.

      Some people have mentioned that, because of the competition, the value of programmers has gone down. That may be true to a point. The thing is, there are A HELL OF A LOT of crappy programmers out there now! If you don't believe that, lokk at some of the AWFUL source code for some of the Wordpress themes! So, if you weant to be a good programmer, learn to write modular, efficient, well-documented code.

      Sometimes programming is a challenge; like when you are on site trying to solve a problem and the client is standing there wanting the system back. But, once you develop the skills, you welcome the challenges!

      If you choose to become a programmer, expect to spend your career learning nnew things constantly. When I started, there were no personal computers, no Internet, no websites, and no cell phones.

      To answer your questions about wages, it all depends on how well the company you work for is doing. You will be probably paid more at a large company, but you will learn more working for a small company since you will be responsible for more programming.

      Do I like programming? Yes, but I have not always liked all the jobs I had to do.

      Thanks for reading,
      Scott
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      Scott Eichman
      http://landscapeplanning.org

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  • Profile picture of the author Nauman K
    I fully Agree with Scot,
    A very useful post, A programmer can earn upon his/her skill.
    I am Asian and when I started my career I was getting paid $5 per hour now I am getting $20 per hour which is very good for me as you can have a good living in south Asia with $1500 to $2500 per month income.
    Thanks
    Nauman K
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  • Profile picture of the author squark192
    I have a mobile app company and I pay my programmers around $55k for brand new coders (new, as in fresh-from-school with no business experience). Mid-range coders make $80 - 100k. My team leaders make around $120k. At the top end I have a coder at $250k... but that's for someone who knows how to make money, not just code.

    I also frequently hire on-demand coders (typically from India or Russia) for $30-35 / hour.

    So, as others have said, it depends significantly on skill and location.

    Also, for reference, since I see these types of questions here frequently, my highest paid HTML guy makes $70k. Good coders are *much* harder to find.
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  • Profile picture of the author MarketingJessie
    If you are a smart programmer with internet marketing experience you can always build out a SICK system and launch it and make millions!!
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    PPC Coach, Solo Ad Coach, Business Funnel Coaching. Contact me for details!
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