These numbers seem low for just base. $120K in NYC for a senior engineer is low - anecdotally I see it more at $150-170K nowadays.
I don't think there's a good reason why a capable, senior engineer would entertain a total comp under $200K these days in NYC - and I know many companies here that play with these numbers.
I think the fact that these are labor cert numbers definitely skews the data downwards.
You know, whenever we get one of these salary articles on HN, there's always one or two people chiming in with vague anecdotes like "That seems really low! Most engineers I know are making $200K+!" or "Company X pays engineers $250K LOL" despite the fact that most responses (backed up by averages from anonymously-reported salaries like Glassdoor) seem to agree that $90-$140K is about average in SF and NYC.
Not that I don't believe you, but I'd love to, one day, actually see a real, specific engineering job posting with a published (or unpublished) base salary offering over $200K. Just one.
Yeah, it's tough. Especially since everyone inflates their earnings. But this is what I surmised after researching and interviewing at a dozen companies:
I compared my offers with friends and concluded a mid level (non-senior, not college hire) dev should make at least 135k for base salary and enough stocks and bonuses to surpass 200k per year. This is for Seattle as of spring 2014. However I followed my heart and accepted a slightly lower offer to join a start up.
Caveat: never believe any compensation numbers you read online or hear in person. People brag and exaggerate. Engineers lie to recruiters, recruiters lie to engineers, recruiters lie to other recruiters, and engineers lie to each other. I only believe numbers when I 1) see an offer letter, 2) see a pay stub, or 3) hear multiple people with the same job title tell me identical numbers.
Well, if the offer comes in around your previous salary you can ask for more or a signing bonus to get you where you want. Otherwise, you need leverage. Without an equal opportunity otherwise, sometimes you just have to say No to the offer, if it is not competitive and keep on interviewing. They may come back later and give you what you want. However, this strategy should be balanced against the 20k you have and how far and how many interviews you've had. Expect rejection and give yourself 1-2 months.
Also, always make your own coffee and if not possible, buy drip coffee.
I do have a final interview at a big and well-renown company soon, and its kind of acting as leverage. I didn't mean for it, but the recruiter asked me where else I was interviewing and I was honest about it. That sped up the interview process quite a bit.
I do feel like the place is a nice one to work at. I like many of the people i interviewed with. But honestly, I'm the kind of person who dedicates a significant effort to his job. And I just want to be compensated well for it.
Honestly, having an idea of the progression of salaries of good programmers would be something I would really be interested in, just to have something to compare against. Right now, I'm out in the dark: I have to ask friends, and they are very reluctant to disclose that kind of information.
