2017 UtahJS Pay, Education, Job-title Survey
In October 2017 a discussion on UtahJS Slack prompted a survey of developers about pay, career progression, and compensation. Some analysis of the results are provided here, and the raw data is available in this repository.
Demographics
69 people responeded to the survey. They described themeselves in the following ways:
Self Reported Job Titles
Other Job titles included: Owner, Team Lead, Software Engineer, Freelance Developer, and other variations.
Years of Experience
Education
Data Analysis and Commentary
Salary by Years of Experience
| Minimun | $35,000 |
| Average | $90,049 |
| Maximum | $175,000 |
| Standard Deviation | $33,476 |
Salary By Education
| Mean | StDev | Lower | Upper | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bootcamp | $60,423 | $16,747 | $50,302 | $70,543 |
| Self-taught | $86,062 | $30,658 | $69,725 | $102,399 |
| Traditional University | $104,718 | $29,841 | $88,817 | $120,620 |
Commentary
- The lowest earning university graduate earns about the average of all bootcamp graduates
- Traditional university graduates have the largest spread, earning very high or low
- Bootcamp's haven't been around for that long, perhaps all grads are still young in their careers
Salary by Experience & Education Type
Commentary
- Less experienced self-taught and bootcamp graduates are the lowest earners, starting between 35-60k
- No Bootcamp graduate who answered the survey earns >$100k
- Traditional university graduates on average earn higher than their peers at all experience levels
Salary by Job Title
Job title by experience
Commentary
- The pool of "junior" developers who took the survey was very high, but junior developers made up the smallest segement of experience, ranging from 1-4 years
- The range of years of experience of senior developers is very high, with the least experienced "senior" developer having the same amount of experience as the mean "mid-level"
Salary by Location
Commentary
Salary by City is an interesting chart, but some cities have few (or only 1) responses, making the data for them less reliable. Some have many, like Lehi and Salt Lake City, which make their averages more reliable.
Comparison to similar 2016 survey
Commentary
It's interesting that all 2017 1-year developers earn less then their 2016 couterparts, while at the same time the highest salaries in the 7+ years of experience are mostly 2017 salaries. There is a well reported need for more developers in Utah -- but is it possible that the influx of bootcamp graduates has actually depressed the wages in the lowest-exerience categories, while higher experience employees wages are rising?
Commentary
While interpreting this data, please remember that there are other variables, such as company, industry, and (perhaps most important) individual skill, which were not measured by this survey and can have a large impact on pay and job title.
Comments
What was most interesting to you? What other insights might there be? Please dicuss:
Commentary
There is a period of rapid salary growth in the first 6-8 years of a career, then the incomes level off around an average of $120k. Others have suggested, and I agree, that the key to maximizing earning potential is to enter the market with a fair salary, centered around $60k, taking advantage of minor advancedments or raises, then make career/employer moves to increase your pay in larger leaps ($60k → $90k → $120k) every couple years. If a developer entered the market at below-average range, say in the $40k's, then stayed with the same company only recieveing yearly increases or percentage-capped raises, they may find themselves stuck around $70-$80k many years later.