programmers making $200k+

[Cress]

For anyone wanting to make 200k as a programmer, you are going to have to start planning this from high school ... get in the right school, find your target companies and target them while at school, etc... no one is going to just have a 200k job fall on their lap while working 40hrs a week no matter what the line of work is.
So it's going to be doable but you're going to give away a nice chunk of your life (12 14hour days for a long while...) to get there.

[Xiaohaibao]

The university you go to is irrelevant (as long as it's a Canadian one), except maybe for your first job, if you have 5 years exp no one will care if you got your degree from U of Guelph or U of Toronto.

[Biff88]

The university you go to is irrelevant (as long as it's a Canadian one), except maybe for your first job, if you have 5 years exp no one will care if you got your degree from U of Guelph or U of Toronto.

Very true...after a new graduate has their first job in the field, their resume will be changed into one that is accomplishment based rather than one focused on education. Future prospective employers will not care about which school they came from, only what have they have done and what they can do.

[resu]

Nah. There are droves of people in Investment Banking IT that code and make this kind of coin and more.

That's D/almost D level pay isn't it? Or late career VP. They probably don't do much coding.

Of course quants can make more than this starting out, but their main forte isn't software.

[Cress]

Aren't you guys forgetting that lots of people in Canada did not actually get canadian education. How can school be irrelevant when it almost literally decides what your starting salary is going to look like...
This is the traditional path, of course most people come from the usual average/above average schools, but most people will never see the 200k a year their whole life.

Do you guys sincerely believe that a Harvard grad is going to make the same money as a U of Guelph grad after 5 years of work experience?

The university you go to is irrelevant (as long as it's a Canadian one), except maybe for your first job, if you have 5 years exp no one will care if you got your degree from U of Guelph or U of Toronto.

Very true...after a new graduate has their first job in the field, their resume will be changed into one that is accomplishment based rather than one focused on education. Future prospective employers will not care about which school they came from, only what have they have done and what they can do.

[Nyte]

Do you guys sincerely believe that a Harvard grad is going to make the same money as a U of Guelph grad after 5 years of work experience?

No, but only because the Harvard grad is more likely to be much better since they can be much more selective about who they accept. Regardless, I think the point was that after you have several years of work experience, it won't matter where you went to school, it'll be more about where you've worked and what you've done.

[deals]

For anyone wanting to make 200k as a programmer, you are going to have to start planning this from high school ... get in the right school, find your target companies and target them while at school, etc... no one is going to just have a 200k job fall on their lap while working 40hrs a week no matter what the line of work is.
So it's going to be doable but you're going to give away a nice chunk of your life (12 14hour days for a long while...) to get there.

That is total nonsense. As long as you are good at what you do and are experienced, have an in demand skill and work as a contractor (hourly rate, not fixed bid), you will make 200K a year.

[deals]

Do you guys sincerely believe that a Harvard grad is going to make the same money as a U of Guelph grad after 5 years of work experience?

A Harvard grad will tap into his Harvard connections to jump the line to get that better paying job.

[DJ Dennis]

For anyone wanting to make 200k as a programmer, you are going to have to start planning this from high school ... get in the right school, find your target companies and target them while at school, etc... no one is going to just have a 200k job fall on their lap while working 40hrs a week no matter what the line of work is.
So it's going to be doable but you're going to give away a nice chunk of your life (12 14hour days for a long while...) to get there.

That's a bit extreme..

[Elfer]

Not too extreme. I'd say people who are capable of being successful programming contractors will be at least somewhat competent programmers in high school. I don't know if you'd need to actually be looking at the companies that you want to target that early on, your time is probably better spent learning specific skills and maybe developing a few products.

Either way, keeping on top of the technical skills you need will also be a decent chunk of the work you do, and you'll have to do that for your whole career, whether or not you're getting paid at the time. Good contractors have to stay on top of what's hot and be able to deliver whatever the client is looking for better than the next guy.

[Cress]

That is total nonsense. As long as you are good at what you do and are experienced, have an in demand skill and work as a contractor (hourly rate, not fixed bid), you will make 200K a year.

Let's see your list:
- be good at what you do
- have experience
- work as a contractor
- have an in demand skill

Care to elaborate on how you get this combination working? I am sure you will fall very close to what I have written in terms of personal investment and commitment...

200k is hard to get for most people...

[wilsonlam97]

Mark Zuckerberg and the people who found Rovio were all entrepreneurs. Any programmer that isn't self-employed will not get the chance to make 200k.

[Biff88]

Aren't you guys forgetting that lots of people in Canada did not actually get canadian education. How can school be irrelevant when it almost literally decides what your starting salary is going to look like...
This is the traditional path, of course most people come from the usual average/above average schools, but most people will never see the 200k a year their whole life.

Do you guys sincerely believe that a Harvard grad is going to make the same money as a U of Guelph grad after 5 years of work experience?

No I am not forgetting that a lot of IT workers in Canada did not graduate from Canadian schools. In my travels I have come across many who were schooled in China/Hong Kong, India and some from Central/South America.
None of the companies that I have worked for pay a premium for IT graduates of specific schools. They would have starting salary levels for College grads, University grads, and for different levels of experience ie intermediate, senior etc and that's it. Mind you if a really smart Harvard grad applied for an available entry level position, he may very well be deemed the one to hire as he would probably be considered the best candidate which is what another poster was inferring.

After 5 years, the Harvard IT grad will not be coding/programming anymore. Chances are he will most likely be in a high level architect type position. If he remains a programmer (and lets not forget programmer is now a low level IT position) for 5 years, it's very possible that he could make a similar salary as a Guelph grad and he might be considered an underachiever.
I have worked for some large US companies and have never come across a Harvard CS grad programming...believe me I'm sure those guys have much bigger ambitions than sitting in front of a screen and cranking out code for the rest of their lives.

Programming is not the fast path to earning 200k and for most intents and purposes, is not realistic unless incredible amounts of overtime are done. A typical good programmer makes about half of that. If one wants to make 200K, they really need to get into a management position or another career.

[dardragon]

I wouldn't classify the entrepreneurs as programmers. Yes they are but they made their money through business. For example a programmer's job does not go out and look for venture capitalist or find a place to rent etc. Entrepreneurs have two jobs being a programmer and being the boss. Boss part is where they make most of their money.

[deals]

Let's see your list:
- be good at what you do
- have experience
- work as a contractor
- have an in demand skill

Care to elaborate on how you get this combination working? I am sure you will fall very close to what I have written in terms of personal investment and commitment...

200k is hard to get for most people...

Get a job at a company that has or will be implementing an ERP/CRM/SRM system from one of the major players (SAP, Oracle, etc) If your job involves the old technology that will be replaced with the new technology, you are in luck. Your company will most probably send you on training for the new technology.

On the other hand, if your current job does not involve the new technology, ask for a transfer. Many companies prefer to hire from within, even if you do not have the experience and will train you.

Now that the ball is in your court, make sure you learn it inside out (this will take some investment). If you see you are no longer learning new stuff, change jobs in order to expand on what you have learned.

Once you are confident enough, quit your job and become a contractor that is paid by the hour.

If you are a 9-5 person, I dont see the above being attainable. If you are confident in yourself, a self starter and a go getter you will make 200k.