Is Software Engineer one of the best career investment in terms of risk vs reward?
Wentao Ji almost 8 years agoI think Software Engineering is probably one of the best career choices you can make in the 21 century if you're good in Math.
Let's do the math: Average salary of new grad engineer in the Silicon valley is roughly 100k plus stocks and bonuses which add up to 110k - 120k. Compared to many other industries such as finance (60k), accounting (50k), nurse (45k), teacher (45k) etc... etc... Software Engineer is definitely on the high end of the scale. What are the cons? Well, some people might complain that it would be hard to continue working in this industry after you're 40. Although that may well be true, chances are you'll probably be very well off (rich) by then if you did your savings correctly.
I won't go into a lot of details but here are a few things software engineers can do:
- Create a startup with very low fixed cost that can service millions of people.
- Join mid-size company with significant equity (like uber, airbnb, twilio, facebook) and wait for IPO
- Stay at a public company and have a stable salary
Regardless of which path you take, the conclusion is ... it's not hard to make money as a software engineer as long as you have the motivaction and creativity. Some other perks of working as a software engineer:
- Free catering
- Ability to work remotely
- Free Gym passes
- 401k Match
- Unlimited vacation
etc. etc.
Matthew Huialmost 8 years ago
I agree with you. People that work at FB, Google or another large company earn closer to 200k out of college. For just a bachelors degree I think CS is the best option for a combination of salary and lifestyle. People in finance can also make a lot of money but I think the job is way more stressful and the hours way longer. Law and medicine are pretty good options but require extra school.
It also feels great to actually make something new and I think software engineers have the most potential for entrepreneurship with the way tech has been exploding.