A question for software developers/wives of software developers

[Apairofbrowneyes]

DH is early 30s and recently transferred into the tech industry. He has been working as a data engineer for a year now (specialising in python) and is on £42k. Where he was working before had set salaries and people would often stay employed there for a lifetime (think NHS, but not) so he has little experience in what’s normal in this new field.

For those of you working in this or a similar field, is it recommended to change jobs frequently for pay progression? Or would you only move for a better work environment/more interesting work etc? The company he’s at does value employee wellbeing and so he’s unsure if it’s a risk to move elsewhere just for a decent pay rise. We’re outside of London.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

He’s got a PhD in a science, but not tech. He’s had years of working with data and self taught some python during his PhD and he did some maths modules at degree level. Therefore I wouldn’t say he came from it with no background and he does have a brain that likes working with science and data.

I think in time he would be interested in contracting but it’s just this initial 5 year phase that he wants to get the right balance of experience and pay.

We aren’t completely stupid you know

My DH is a software engineer.
Hes been with his current company for over 10 years. When he started it was a UK start up, it was then taken over by a big American company.

He feels he’s been there a long time but has no reason to move at the moment. Pay is generous, he started at £55k and is now on £120k plus about £10k bonus. Most importantly for DH the work interests and challenges him - he’s been able to move around development teams or take on side projects. He’s also hasn’t had to take on a management role which he wouldn’t enjoy.

Before lockdown DH would sometimes consider applying to a big local employer so he would have less time commuting but he would probably have to take on a a management role and £80K is around the top of their pay scale. Thankfully he’s hybrid working so it suits him well to stay where he is.

Early career DH moved every 2-3 years and was earning about what your husband wants. The big pay rises came when he moved into financial services where he was earning 6 figures in his early 30’s with bonuses and by the time he was 45 he was on about £125k basic and similar in bonus. The key was being indispensible and being asked to move when people he knew moved on and wanted him to come too and knew they needed to make it worth his while

DH has always moved to gain pay rises, he usually does 2 or 3 years and then moves on both for more money but just to keep things interesting as well. It's worked for him as his salary went from £30k to £85k in less than 10 years and he'll shortly be looking again I think as he's been in his current role 2 years and is getting a bit bored.

Unfortunately a lot of employers are happy to pay people as little as they think they can get away with, rather than pro-actively seeking to offer pay that will retain the staff that they value. Last time I handed in my notice, the first question my line manager asked was 'do you want more money'. But by then it was too late, because I'd already made the effort to find something else, and I found it a bit insulting that they only offered me a fairer deal after I said I was leaving. When I left a lot of people were surprised because they thought I was a 'lifer', which just shows that when they think you won't leave they pay you poorly. I've also known quite a few people who left a job to get better pay, then came back after a few years because they liked the work and workplace, but leaving and coming back was the only way to get better pay.

Those who are or were in this industry, did you need to have a degree in Computer Science or similar?
You need qualifications or experience. I've got no IT qualifications but I learned the trade on the job with a previous employer. I've never had problems finding work.
Regarding pay, to get big pay rises, generally you have to move company. It's like companies not giving existing customers the best deals, you have to change to get what you want.

Job hopping is really normal in software. DHs company specifically gives market rate payrises to people they want to keep to prevent it.

DH has had 4 jobs in 5 years and tripled his salary in that time. It's a very lucrative industry. He does work in python though.

He's now really senior in his team and gets a large bonus/ share options incentive instead of a great payrise (75% of his salary in shares) but tbh we'd prefer money in his back pocket so he's considering moving again. Been in the current job 3 years and loves the autonomy he gets, but he's quickly being underpaid.

Look at SimPro

Sorry, that was for the person asking for job management software

In any professional role, particularly at the beginning moving jobs is the way to ladder up your salary. If he was to leave you can pretty much bet that they will advertise his role on more money.

DH is on 4 times his graduate salary in 10 years with 4 moves and an internal promotion. He's been with his current employer 3 years and probably needs to think about moving soon to get paid more!

My DH works in tech and has, on average changed jobs every five years or so. The stints were shorter when he was more junior and have been longer as he moved into a management role. If he's just been there a year he needs to put in another year and then consider moving. He might like a role with a consulting firm. That will give him a steady paycheck and good perks but will expose him to a variety of IT environments and challenges. It will also look very good on his CV.

Absolutely recommend moving at least every two years. I don't think it's unreasonable to target a 15-20k jump with each move (ask for 20, expect 15 etc) that definitely seems on the low side for python to me. Entry level at a large corporation that i worked for in 2020 was £59k. I would expect it to be 5-10 percent lower at a newer startup, though that ratio generally flips the more senior you get (large corps will plateau in compensation the higher you get except for c-suite, smaller/private companies generally pay more for seniority.)

Adding new languages/certifications can be excellent justification for a raise/higher title, companies love to see continuous growth. He should create a project list that can be submitted with his CV that highlights his best accomplishments (one page, a few bullet points for each project plus outcome). Idk if culturally it's different in the UK, but I'm not shy about being quite assertive with recruiters about the range I'm looking for, and seemingly no one has been put off by me asking for more. The phrase I use is "I am considering new positions in X range which reflects my skillset and experience." I don't think it pays to be shy about these things, no one will pay you what you're worth if they think they can get you for less.

Also I do not have a degree in computer science, I have a masters in a very slightly related field and vocational coding training. Companies have been more interesting in my project management experience than anything else though.

Oracle field service cloud

If you're talking about software production planning Jira and Asana are good.

Developers would move regularly to gain experience and therefor salary, tell him not to get stuck, he will always have a job, providing he’s shit hot!

Its immensely variable.

Which region of the country are you in?
Which business sector is his experience in (both pre retraining and now)?
What does he want out of his career? What is his next move/level aspiration?
What level/usage of python and what other languages, tools and methodologies does he have?

I don't agree that job hopping is automatically best in the long term. There is always someone who will pay you a bit more right now, but if he wants to build a long term career with benefits then he needs to be a lot more strategic.

Contracting - is not always the money tree a lot of people believe it to be. Success requires you to run a business and manage your own career including the bits a large company provides. Its about temperament as much as skills.

DH is in IT in the Midlands and is trying to recruit python developers.

He generally moves jobs every couple of years and gets a big pay increase each time. He is trying to stick with the current job as he has stocks that pay out after 2 years, otherwise he'd be looking already.

I really wish I had an aptitude for coding!

As for your question, it depends on your husband's career goals and what he values most in a job. If he's primarily focused on increasing his salary, then changing jobs frequently might be a good strategy, as it can often lead to higher pay and better benefits. However, if he's more interested in finding a good work-life balance and supportive work environment, staying with a company that values employee well-being might be a better fit for him. He can also try freelance software testing using gray box testing. I hope that helps!

It's common for developers to consider switching jobs not only for pay increases but also for career growth, interesting projects, and a better work environment.

If the current company values employee well-being and offers a positive work environment, that's a significant perk. However, it's also essential to keep an eye on the market and understand the salary standards in the specific location and industry.
Sometimes, exploring job opportunities can lead to better pay and personal growth, but it's crucial to strike a balance between stability and career advancement.
By the way, if he's interested in exploring opportunities beyond his current location, he might want to check out outsourcing latin america. It can offer valuable perspectives on career options in the tech world.