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Geek Culture / Salary of a Software Programmer

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Bulleyes
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Joined: 3rd Nov 2002
Location: Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Posted: 4th Mar 2005 19:47
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Hi, can anybody tell me that what is the salary range for a software programmer in UK? Thanks!

Thomas Cheah (Technical Director)
Bad Nose Entertainment - Where games are forged from the flames of talent and passion.
http://www.badnose.com/
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Van B
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Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 4th Mar 2005 19:57
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Depends on where you live, what platform, language, and type of business.

e.g. a database programmer working in London might expect £35k-£40k p.a. whereas one living in Cornwall might only expect £20k-£30k.

Programmers in Scotland are paid a lot less than those in England, really if you want a good paying programmer job, move or commute to a capital.

One the other hand IT Managers get decent money - so starting in a small company as the sole developer/'head of IT' gives great job security as well as allowing you to jack up salary increases over time while the company relies more and more on you.

Personally I go for the later option every time.


Van-B


It's c**p being the only coder in the village.
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Zenith
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 20:16
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Also it's worth considering that although you'll get more money if you move to a capital the reason for this is that living in these areas is more expensive than living outside. best option would be to get a job in London for example, and live outside London where it's cheaper and commute to work.

I do some software development and programming at my current employers, but I don't get paid 30k, if only!
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BatVink
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Posted: 4th Mar 2005 22:42
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The Salary Range is about £18K to £80K.

Depends on your age and experience, and all the other stuff Van B mentioned. It also depends on current legislative changes, believe it or not. Y2K and EMU, for example, generated a high demand for programmers.

Avoid languages you can learn at home, there are too many home-grown coders for this market. SQL Server is what I would call entry level for truly skilled, in demand IT jobs.

Once you get a job, take advantage and learn all the skills you can only learn in industry - different platforms and languages, business skills and concepts. That sets you apart.

Finally, don't stand still. You can lose your value by being "comfortable" where you are.

That's the difference between low and high paid IT professionals.

BatVink
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Bulleyes
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 00:32 Edited at: 5th Mar 2005 00:34
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Thanks for the info dude. How about the salary for programmer in Isle of Man? Any idea?

It would be great if someone lives there, or been there before, to share me some insights on the living expenses over there as well. Feel free to email me if you feel like talk to me in private.

Or is there any site where I can find more about the salary info for UK in general.

Thanks!

Thomas Cheah (Technical Director)
Bad Nose Entertainment - Where games are forged from the flames of talent and passion.
http://www.badnose.com/
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John Y
Synergy Editor Developer
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 01:30
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Doesn't the company Sci/Stainless (one of them ) live there? You should try and get a job there, make sure you tell them to make Carmageddon GNU!


Http://www.DigitalOmega.Net & Http://www.LevelMaker3D.co.uk
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BatVink
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 01:32
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Payfinder

BatVink
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SageTech
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Location: Orlando, Florida
Posted: 5th Mar 2005 07:43 Edited at: 5th Mar 2005 07:44
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Here in the U.S. and possibly in other countries, Employers like to get "Fresh" programmers just out of college and they get the best pay.

Sage Tech Manager
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Neofish
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 07:45
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No they don't...they get the worst pay...

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SageTech
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 07:49
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sorry meant to say employers want them the most

Sage Tech Manager
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Neofish
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 07:52
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Oh yes, that's true because they are new blood, new ideas and they can work them hardest for less

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Dave J
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 07:53
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Because they can pay them the worst.


"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers."
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Jeku
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 08:41
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And because they won't have bad habits from other companies.


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Phaelax
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 09:55
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Good point Jeku.

From what my school(DeVry) tells us, average starting pay for our field is $40-$60k. Though we're learning to become programmers, we're geared more towards systems analyst and web-based database programming. A little more popular right now.

"eureka" - Archimedes
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Dave J
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 10:27
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Interestingly, the starting pay for a mechanical engineer (i.e. fixing heavy machinery in raw resource mines) is upwards of $90,000 pa down here. Just the other day, there was a 21yr old apprentice in the paper who was earning $120,000 pa working 10 hours a day for 2 weeks before having a 1 week rest. Yes, I know this has nothing to do with computers, but it's quite amazing, really.


"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers."
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Phaelax
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 17:48
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mechanical engineers are in demand these days.

"eureka" - Archimedes
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BatVink
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 18:08
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Quote: "And because they won't have bad habits from other companies"


Companies take on grads because they are cheap. They aren't the first choice as far as skills and experience are concerned, and can in fact be the "worst" to take on. I'm not trying to offend anyone here, but "grad attitude" as it is sometimes called is bad for business, upsets the workplace and is bad for efficiency.

BatVink
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adr
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 18:29
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Quote: "Avoid languages you can learn at home, there are too many home-grown coders for this market"


As a PHP programmer, I'm gonna take issue with that statement. I'd say salary depends on the "flavour of the month". PHP is very popular now with employers - perhaps not quite beating ASP, but the number of recruiters requesting PHP has risen sharply. For example, I took a new job at the end of last year, and I was surprised to see the salary offered; 3 years ago, PHP Developers could only expect to bring in 15k. Now, I'm seeing salarys up to £35k.

Then again, that could be to do with the slump about 3 to 4 years ago.

book is death - wife is stupid
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Fallout
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 20:29
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Become a consultant like me! £50/hour up to £1000/day! Depending on your skills and the profile of the project you're working on. You can actually queue in the canteen for lunch, and have earned enough money waiting in line to pay for it before you get to the till. How cool is that? If you're on about £60/hour, you can actually go to the toilet, take a crap, and have made a fiver (or tenner, depending on how long it takes you). Similarly, you can nip out for a cigarette break, pause for a chat with someone, and have made enough money for your hotel costs for that night (assuming it's 3 star!). All you need is a thourough knowledge of the architecture and software you'll be using, and about 10-20 years hardcore experience in the industry, and then you can make a couple of quid in the time it takes you to boot up your PC in the morning. Contracting is better than thievery.

... forgot to mention, I don't earn anywhere near that amount.

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Van B
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Posted: 5th Mar 2005 20:57
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There's this big misconception about programmers that they're somehow disposable assets, using off-the-shelf packages means that there's always more people who can do your job, but at the end of the day it's always upto the individual to become a fixture. Most IT people worry about IT because that's all the need to worry about - but if you can't impact on a whole company then you will end up as an IT drone.

Personally I spend a lot of time looking for problems that I can solve and ways to make other peoples jobs easier, I only really use Access and VB, but it's enough to keep the last 3 years pay rises at £2,500.


Van-B


It's c**p being the only coder in the village.
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