# Salary Expectation Help **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 15, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614 "2000-05-15T22:18:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/1 "2000-05-15T22:18:07Z")
There’s a solid chance I may be getting offered a job in the next day or two. As such I need to starting thinking about how much money to ask for. Can anyone direct me to a online site that an help me? I’ve come across some very general ranges, but I’m hoping to get some data more specificly geared to the job description and location. Its an entry-level C++ programming position for an internet start up in Chicago. I’d like to avoid getting a vague range like 0-5 years experience, nationwide surveys, or cursory job descriptions (computers). Also, I wonder how the typical start up’s salaries will compare to your established consulting or high tech mega-corp. Thanks guys. ---
**Author:** ![Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falcon)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/2 "2000-05-15T22:55:18Z")
No help from me, Omni, but I just had to say this… I love ya, hon, but YOU’RE GETTING A JOB BEFORE ME??? I HATE YOU! _wanders off, grumbling_ And they say the Reston area is the hot tech area…worker’s labor market my ass… In all seriousness, congrats. I’m jealous as hell, though. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/3 "2000-05-15T23:29:54Z")
Falc, thanks but its not anywhere near a done deal yet… _fingers crossed_ ---
**Author:** ![lucyfur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e36b37/32.png) [@lucyfur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucyfur)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/4 "2000-05-15T23:40:07Z")
**Omniscient** - Here is a page with oodles of links for salary information in the IT field. Good luck with this new opportunity!! [http://ghidora.planetx.org/~jenn/producers/salary.html](http://ghidora.planetx.org/~jenn/producers/salary.html) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/5 "2000-05-15T23:42:24Z")
Omni, you do know how much a job will cut into your drinking time don’t you? You might want to reconsider this whole employment thing. Seriously, while I have no advice, I will wish you good luck. ---
**Author:** ![jazzmine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jazzmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jazzmine)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2000, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/6 "2000-05-16T02:53:19Z")
Omni, My husband is VP of product development at our startup. All engineers report either to him or to those that report to him. If you’d like I’ll have him come in and give you a good estimate of what you should ask for. trisha ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2000, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/7 "2000-05-16T11:51:16Z")
Omni, I wasn’t sure if this new job entailed a move, but if you go to Google and do a search for cost of living calculators, you can get some good ideas on what a salary in one city equates to in another city. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2000, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/8 "2000-05-16T12:07:34Z")
Rather ironic that Omniscient doesn’t know something. 😃 OK, here’s a number. $35,137.58. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2000, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/9 "2000-05-16T15:19:45Z")
I dunno about Chicago, but the Denver Post ran an article last week about just-out-of-school salaries in the computer fields. Seems that out here, they were getting around $45K to start. The two people profiled were going into Tech Support and Applications Development, so I’d guess that hard core VC++/web stuff would pay more. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2000, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/salary-expectation-help/19614/10 "2000-05-16T17:29:24Z")
\<\< I’d like to avoid getting a vague range like 0-5 years experience, nationwide surveys, or cursory job descriptions (computers). \>\> So you don’t want survey information? OK, then, I won’t provide it. I dunno what kind of information you’re looking for; you have only given us a cursory job description. A nationwide survey of computer programming jobs with 0 -5 years experience will probably give you a reasonable range for expectation. It’s statistics, you can’t get more than a “vague range” unless you ask the company what they’ll pay. Typical survey range is probably about 20% (plus or minus from median), which reasonably reflects the real world. The start-up companies usually pay the same or even a little less than established companies in terms of base pay, bonus is usually comparable, and the difference is made up in stock options or stock ownership opportunities. If stock is not a possibility, then start-up companies usually pay comparably to established companies, from whom they must attract talent, or to whom they could lose talent.