How is that skewing the numbers? If someone is using a language to do something, shouldn't that be recognised?
I mean, sure, sysadmins aren't true scottsmen, but how is that even relevant? We aren't talking about scottsmen. We are talking about languages and what people get paid to use them.
I meant it more as the pay is high for those python programmers because they are sysadmins who also use python, and not that their pay is high because of python. I just thought the number was high and was offering up a potential reason. It wasn't meant as a negative to either python or sysadmins.
Fair enough. I guess you are going to have to ask "Why are sysadmins using Python and not Ruby for their work?"
If we were to compare Ruby web devs with Python web devs, they'd probably get paid the same. But Python is more flexible so the Python tide rises higher and lifts the Python boats higher than the Ruby tide can lift the Ruby boats.
Keep in mind. Employers don't actually pay according to language. They pay according to how important the job is. Sysadmins just get paid very well and they generally choose Python to do their work.
So, yeah, you are right the numbers are skewed in that regard, but this post is looking at the problem a different way and is assigning value to a language not a job.
Java is ranked too high. By volume a lot of java programmers are offshore or brought in from overseas. Around here they usually see salary in the range of 60k give or take.
Out where I am the cost of living is high, most of my coworkers are making 80k+ (granted, most of them have been working there for 10-15 years...), mostly Java programming.
I also work for a company that is required by U.S. law (and our contracts) to only hire U.S. citizens to work on our products/data. One good thing about HIPAA/PHI laws.
I imagine many of these averages are skewed by the junior devs who get a much lower pay. Anyone with 20+ years experience in any language is pretty valuable.
I am commenting on the "best case" scenario diagram at the bottom, where the author suggests that if you have +20 years experience with C++, and you work in US, you can get "princely" salary of $95000. Author doesn't seem to realize that there is a fierce competition for talent, and someone with +20 years experience would command a lot higher salary.
Oh sorry my mistake. Yeah that's pretty fucked. Just curious, is there any particular reason c++ pays so well in comparison to something like c#? Is it because c# is a newer language?
It probably does have something to do with the age of the language so someone could have more experience and thus higher pay. it could also be because of the different jobs the languages usually do, I am not that experienced with C#, but I imagine that C++ is better at low level programming which might be worth more money(?).
I'm a C++ guy with about 15 years experience in that language. Yes, you can find high paying jobs in C++ but that's because nobody's learning it anymore. I would be concerned that it's going to be phased out eventually, leaving the C++ gurus high and dry.
This may not hold for gaming, but from where I stand even low-latency real-time applications can be written in languages like Java and C# these days.
Java is the highest paying that I've seen, by far (and much higher than on this list)
But I concede it might have a higher deviation because it's used so much, so the average counting a variety of work might be lower, but when considering a higher tier of work only, it's probably the highest.
I'm still a student, but isn't setting a single salary,average or not, extremely misleading? Doesn't starting pay look a lot more different? Does it account for how many people know each language? Also, does a programming job revolve around only one language? From what I know, javascript, HTML, and CSS go together.
36 comments
13 u/CatInTheHat 02 Nov 2015 01:03
Python seems way too high, but its probably sysadmins writing scripts in python skewing the numbers.
6 u/Chance 02 Nov 2015 01:10
This was my first thought as well. Seemed odd to see Python up near the top.
4 u/weezkitty 02 Nov 2015 01:20
I know a lot of websites use Python back ends but it still seems high
2 u/Master_Foo 02 Nov 2015 01:48
How is that skewing the numbers? If someone is using a language to do something, shouldn't that be recognised?
I mean, sure, sysadmins aren't true scottsmen, but how is that even relevant? We aren't talking about scottsmen. We are talking about languages and what people get paid to use them.
1 u/CatInTheHat 02 Nov 2015 01:59
I meant it more as the pay is high for those python programmers because they are sysadmins who also use python, and not that their pay is high because of python. I just thought the number was high and was offering up a potential reason. It wasn't meant as a negative to either python or sysadmins.
1 u/Master_Foo 02 Nov 2015 02:43
Fair enough. I guess you are going to have to ask "Why are sysadmins using Python and not Ruby for their work?"
If we were to compare Ruby web devs with Python web devs, they'd probably get paid the same. But Python is more flexible so the Python tide rises higher and lifts the Python boats higher than the Ruby tide can lift the Ruby boats.
Keep in mind. Employers don't actually pay according to language. They pay according to how important the job is. Sysadmins just get paid very well and they generally choose Python to do their work.
So, yeah, you are right the numbers are skewed in that regard, but this post is looking at the problem a different way and is assigning value to a language not a job.
12 u/dchem 02 Nov 2015 01:41
AWS is not a language.
4 u/Bing11 02 Nov 2015 02:18
That was my first thought... Are they talking Amazon Web Services? That's like saying GoDaddy is a programming language.
0 u/RevanProdigalKnight 02 Nov 2015 02:30
It isn't a language, but an AWS certification for cloud computing platforms is highly valued these days.
2 u/dchem 02 Nov 2015 03:14
Article title says "Programming Languages"
9 u/0x7a69 02 Nov 2015 00:09
Java is ranked too high. By volume a lot of java programmers are offshore or brought in from overseas. Around here they usually see salary in the range of 60k give or take.
0 u/RevanProdigalKnight 02 Nov 2015 02:34
Out where I am the cost of living is high, most of my coworkers are making 80k+ (granted, most of them have been working there for 10-15 years...), mostly Java programming.
I also work for a company that is required by U.S. law (and our contracts) to only hire U.S. citizens to work on our products/data. One good thing about HIPAA/PHI laws.
1 u/mort 02 Nov 2015 16:20
Notice how he said "a lot", not "all".
4 u/dchem 02 Nov 2015 01:43
Also, if you tried to recruit C++ expert with 20+ years of experience and try to offer them $95000 they will spit on your face.
1 u/Procinct 02 Nov 2015 03:10
I imagine many of these averages are skewed by the junior devs who get a much lower pay. Anyone with 20+ years experience in any language is pretty valuable.
2 u/dchem 02 Nov 2015 03:12
I am commenting on the "best case" scenario diagram at the bottom, where the author suggests that if you have +20 years experience with C++, and you work in US, you can get "princely" salary of $95000. Author doesn't seem to realize that there is a fierce competition for talent, and someone with +20 years experience would command a lot higher salary.
In other words... try $160-180k.
1 u/Procinct 02 Nov 2015 03:22
Oh sorry my mistake. Yeah that's pretty fucked. Just curious, is there any particular reason c++ pays so well in comparison to something like c#? Is it because c# is a newer language?
1 u/CatInTheHat 02 Nov 2015 03:31
It probably does have something to do with the age of the language so someone could have more experience and thus higher pay. it could also be because of the different jobs the languages usually do, I am not that experienced with C#, but I imagine that C++ is better at low level programming which might be worth more money(?).
2 u/Procinct 02 Nov 2015 03:36
Ah yeah I'm fairly certain it is more low level. Thanks for the answer!
3 u/Torchhead 02 Nov 2015 04:33
Many people say that COBOL pays well because there aren't many COBOL programmers.
1 u/PlasmaDistortion [OP] 02 Nov 2015 04:35
COBOL is just about a dead language now. Those guys must make a fortune since they would have to come out of retirement to do a little coding.
0 u/Reddiggoat 02 Nov 2015 15:32
Unless you work at a bank or somewhere with a data center that holds actual important information.
2 u/flapjack_charlie 06 Nov 2015 16:51
I'm a C++ guy with about 15 years experience in that language. Yes, you can find high paying jobs in C++ but that's because nobody's learning it anymore. I would be concerned that it's going to be phased out eventually, leaving the C++ gurus high and dry.
This may not hold for gaming, but from where I stand even low-latency real-time applications can be written in languages like Java and C# these days.
1 u/DrBunsen 02 Nov 2015 16:20
I agree with these numbers.
And python is used in the physics area(source: physics guy here)
0 u/brownja 02 Nov 2015 16:13
Not even close folks. RPG blows c++ out of the water.
0 u/President-Sanders 03 Nov 2015 20:20
Java is the highest paying that I've seen, by far (and much higher than on this list)
But I concede it might have a higher deviation because it's used so much, so the average counting a variety of work might be lower, but when considering a higher tier of work only, it's probably the highest.
0 u/fire_eyeballs 06 Nov 2015 02:21
I'm still a student, but isn't setting a single salary,average or not, extremely misleading? Doesn't starting pay look a lot more different? Does it account for how many people know each language? Also, does a programming job revolve around only one language? From what I know, javascript, HTML, and CSS go together.