Average IT Programming Salary for 1 years experience

Webmonkey

Hi There,

I was going forward for to second stage of an interview for a job (that's advertised other places for people with 2-3yrs experience and 35k salary) for 30,000 euro in Dublin City but decided I'm going pull out and slow down a bit as I'm not sure if this is an excellent salary or not.

I've always being involved in IT for years, since age of 15. I came out of college and was encouraged to do a PhD. I started this but decided it wasn't for me. Alternatively I worked there, and on a salary not far off 30k. I got excellent experience and traveled many places around Europe to meetings etc. I would have thought that this would have accounted for experience.

Anyways so I've decided I want to leave, as I am not happy at all when I'm here. I think life's a bit too short.

I want to leave Cork and go to Dublin. It's either that or go abroad but I'd prefer get a year in Dublin first.

So back to my original question, do you think that 30k is generous offer from a large company or should be be able to get more in Dublin. The recruiter tells me 30k is the top end of salaries for a person like me. I was looking at living costs and the difference and to be honest, 30k sounds little by time you've taken tax out.

Do people live comfortably on this? - I really would prefer find an apartment myself outside Dublin a bit than house share so this does put the cost of living up.

Dermo

Don't just pull out of the interview process. Tell them that you are looking for a salary of €35k. If they are impressed with you in the interview they will hopefully give you the money.

Webmonkey

Dermo wrote: »

Don't just pull out of the interview process. Tell them that you are looking for a salary of €35k. If they are impressed with you in the interview they will hopefully give you the money.

yeah but thing is I'm going through the recruiter and they said they'd offer 30k max to me.
They seemed very happy with me on a technical test. I pretty much got it all right.
He's treating me as an average graduate which is killing me because I've tons more experience than the average one coming out. (I don't want to sound like I bragging but I have to mention it as it relevant).

I don't want to rush into something. I was offered a 45k position here to stay on so I'm really taking a hit! But I don't want to stay here even for that money.

Dermo

Webmonkey wrote: »

yeah but thing is I'm going through the recruiter and they said they'd offer 30k max to me.
They seemed very happy with me on a technical test. I pretty much got it all right.
He's treating me as an average graduate which is killing me because I've tons more experience than the average one coming out. (I don't want to sound like I bragging but I have to mention it as it relevant).

I don't want to rush into something. I was offered a 45k position here to stay on so I'm really taking a hit! But I don't want to stay here even for that money.

I hate getting stuck through the recruiter. I got the interview for my last job through a recruiter but he was completely incompetent. So, at the end of the interview, I asked could the company contact me directly in future and they agreed it would be best since the majority of people the recruiter sent them were not qualified for the job at all.

Webmonkey

Dermo wrote: »

I hate getting stuck through the recruiter. I got the interview for my last job through a recruiter but he was completely incompetent. So, at the end of the interview, I asked could the company contact me directly in future and they agreed it would be best since the majority of people the recruiter sent them were not qualified for the job at all.

Thanks.

I'm not too fond of these recruiters at all. They push you a lot and confuse you with questions!

I think I need to take my time

BlackWizard

I was put on 25k a year by a large IT company. 1.5 years experience in programming too.

Previous to this most other positions were offering 28-32. I choose the lower paid job because of the experience I would get and how much I liked the two members of staff that were interviewing me.

Your experience if it was not in programming, then it is kinda useless. I have a lot of that type of experience from management to consultancy. This experience got me to any job interview I wanted in the 1-3 yrs experience needed bracket. I was basically being sold and selling myself as a top notch graduate with limited programming experience.

You don't know how lucky you are to have some experience. There is the graduates of 2008,2009 and 2010 who would have killed for a years proper experience. It's so hard to find any work as a junior programmer without a year or more experience.

Webmonkey

BlackWizard wrote: »

I was put on 25k a year by a large IT company. 1.5 years experience in programming too.

Previous to this most other positions were offering 28-32. I choose the lower paid job because of the experience I would get and how much I liked the two members of staff that were interviewing me.

Your experience if it was not in programming, then it is kinda useless. I have a lot of that type of experience from management to consultancy. This experience got me to any job interview I wanted in the 1-3 yrs experience needed bracket. I was basically being sold and selling myself as a top notch graduate with limited programming experience.

You don't know how lucky you are to have some experience. There is the graduates of 2008,2009 and 2010 who would have killed for a years proper experience. It's so hard to find any work as a junior programmer without a year or more experience.

Thanks for that.

My experience in the last year and a half was pure programming, the trips were for test labs/software meetings etc. To be honest I was thrown in deep end and left manage the project on my side as well.

I guess I'm lucky alright. I'm just being cautious as I'm getting a lot of interested companies but don't want to go into something and then find later I get higher offer. I've only been looking few weeks.

I'll see what happens anyways. I'd love to go to Dublin. I always assumed Dublin paid more than jobs down here. I've got plenty job offers from companies down here for 30k so I'd have thought i'd manage 35k in Dublin.

Cheers

Mr. Loverman

You're going to turn down a job interview for a role offering 30k per year because you believe your 1 years experience is worth more than that?

Time to wake up my friend, the bubble is well and truely over.

Wages are only going in one direction: down. So take this generous offer while you can.

Note I am a programmer.

Webmonkey

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

You're going to turn down a job interview for a role offering 30k per year because you believe your 1 years experience is worth more than that?

Time to wake up my friend, the bubble is well and truely over.

Wages are only going in one direction: down. So take this generous offer while you can.

Note I am a programmer.

No, it not just the one years experience.

Ah it just I'm bit ignorant to what's there and taking a 15k drop to move to Dublin, not sure if worth it. I'll have to see.

It's just a big step for me, want to make sure it's right.

Mr. Loverman

Webmonkey wrote: »

No, it not just the one years experience.

Ah it just I'm bit ignorant to what's there and taking a 15k drop to move to Dublin, not sure if worth it. I'll have to see.

It's just a big step for me, want to make sure it's right.

You can easily live on 30k per year in Dublin.

I earn a lot more than that (12 years experience) but I force myself to live on 1000 in total per month. I have a nice life.

IT is all about experience. If you reckon the job will give you that it's worth it. And I'm serious when I say salaries are going down!

Webmonkey

Thanks I appreciate it.

If I'm being honest though, sub consciously there was more to my decision for not proceeding. I was a bit hesitant going forward with this interview because the role was in an industry that I wasn't 100% I'd like [financial stuff]. I'd much prefer a more geeky industry!

I'm being fussy I know, but there are other job interviews too that appeal more so if the job is what I would love and want experience in, then I'd say I'd take the 30k alright. I was just worrying about living costs but it seems to be possible live by that so fingers crossed.

Cheers

MysticalRain

Mr. Loverman wrote: »

You can easily live on 30k per year in Dublin.

There must be hundreds of thousands of people living on that or much less in Dublin right now, including myself. One wonders how they cope. So unless you're a drug addict or completely financially incompetent, I don't see how you couldn't survive on 30K.

Webmonkey

Cheers haha. Ah it was mainly as I wanted my own apartment.

I'll see sure! Cheers

MysticalRain

I have my own apartment too. Granted it's not a spectacularly great place. But rents have dropped a lot in the last few years. So it's certainly possible.

Webmonkey

Going have to re calculate things me thinks. I appreciate it.

dvpower

€30k for a programming job for someone with a year's experience is probably not so bad.

I definitely wouldn't drop out of the process (unless there are other reasons to do so). Get to the final interview and then try and negotiate a better starting salary. In my experience, if a company has made a decision to make a job offer, then a few grand probably isn't going to be a deal breaker.

Webmonkey

dvpower wrote: »

€30k for a programming job for someone with a year's experience is probably not so bad.

I definitely wouldn't drop out of the process (unless there are other reasons to do so). Get to the final interview and then try and negotiate a better starting salary. In my experience, if a company has made a decision to make a job offer, then a few grand probably isn't going to be a deal breaker.

It would have been easier dealing with company directly but when going through the recruiters, I dunno, It's difficult. What put me off was he told me "You know its 30k top now" so that i go in and everyone be on same page. I was restricted with negotiation.

T-Square

45k is not to be sniffed at.

Programming and financials (in particular quants) can be very very rewarding on many levels.

The key is getting experience, and then the money. So stuff the job in Cork, and come up to Dublin to get some ace professional experience.

Webmonkey

Yeah that's reason I leaving as it's not the career path I want what's here. It programming but more high level. Prefer the low level stuff, much more exciting

Anyways fingers crossed, things will work out I'm sure.

qwytre

I always believed that the first 3-5 years of your career is very important as it lays the foundations. It's where you learn 80% of what you will ever know in IT.

I would choose the job that gives you the most learning opportunities, the one where you work on real programming projects that interest you. I wouldn't be too worried about earning 30k or 45k at this stage as the money will always come in time.

Having said that 30k is good, and 45k is even better for 1-2 years experience. 45k for 1-2 years experience is above average. I was on 19k and 25k for the first 2 years and lived in Dublin on it (ok it was 2001 but still). Ok, you won't be spending money like crazy or saving any but its possible to live quiet well on 30k. Turning down a 45k job to take a 30k one won't be easy. But you have to think longer term than that.

Just choose the right job for you.

Are you sure you do want to leave your current job and the 45k offer? Can you perhaps suggest a new role for yourself in there, make that a good job that would match the one in Dublin? Don't feel contrained by what you currently do in there, you can always come up with new ideas.

Good luck.

Webmonkey

qwytre wrote: »

I always believed that the first 3-5 years of your career is very important as it lays the foundations. It's where you learn 80% of what you will ever know in IT.

I would choose the job that gives you the most learning opportunities, the one where you work on real programming projects that interest you. I wouldn't be too worried about earning 30k or 45k at this stage as the money will always come in time.

Having said that 30k is good, and 45k is even better for 1-2 years experience. 45k for 1-2 years experience is above average. I was on 19k and 25k for the first 2 years and lived in Dublin on it (ok it was 2001 but still). Ok, you won't be spending money like crazy or saving any but its possible to live quiet well on 30k. Turning down a 45k job to take a 30k one won't be easy. But you have to think longer term than that.

Just choose the right job for you.

Are you sure you do want to leave your current job and the 45k offer? Can you perhaps suggest a new role for yourself in there, make that a good job that would match the one in Dublin? Don't feel contrained by what you currently do in there, you can always come up with new ideas.

Good luck.

That was helpful. You are right, getting the right job for me now is important. To be honest, money never really appealed to me, it's just I wouldn't want to be underpaid if that makes sense but 30k does sound very reasonable.

It's early yet anyways, only few weeks searching. I'm sure that job that ticks boxes on what I want to do will come some day soon. Fingers crossed.

Cheers everyone.

LevelSpirit

Webmonkey wrote: »

That was helpful. You are right, getting the right job for me now is important. To be honest, money never really appealed to me, it's just I wouldn't want to be underpaid if that makes sense but 30k does sound very reasonable.

It's early yet anyways, only few weeks searching. I'm sure that job that ticks boxes on what I want to do will come some day soon. Fingers crossed.

Cheers everyone.

You should be able to do much better than 30k in Dublin. Think about London too if you are moving anyway.
Be very careful as no matter what you are told at interview, new guys with only a year or 2 behind them always end up doing the work that bores everyone else. If I were you i would keep the 45k and then when you feel you have enough years experience, probably one more year, go to London or Dublin. You'll then probably get closer to 40k and get more interesting work.

dazberry

You haven't said if you'll be working in the financial industry, or a software company writing financial software but from what you have said if it is the former - I would STRONGLY advise you to not take the job.

I worked 10 years in the geeky industry and the last 6 is the financial industry - big mistake.

D.

Webmonkey

LevelSpirit wrote: »

You should be able to do much better than 30k in Dublin. Think about London too if you are moving anyway.
Be very careful as no matter what you are told at interview, new guys with only a year or 2 behind them always end up doing the work that bores everyone else. If I were you i would keep the 45k and then when you feel you have enough years experience, probably one more year, go to London or Dublin. You'll then probably get closer to 40k and get more interesting work.

It's proving difficult enough to find anything above 30k to be honest. I had thought about London and places. I'll give another though. I've my mind set on Dublin now though so I'll prob stick with it.
I'd rather be working on 25k with a job that interests/challenges me than a job on 40k that bores me. That would possibly be the worst thing that could happen. I want a really challenging job. The challenge is all that drives me!

I don't think I want to stay where I am right now though. It's just not what I want to do. It's great get experience, I've learned loads but it bores me to be honest. It is challenging in a way alright and is a huge project, almost 10 partners around Europe involved but meh.... Want more low level stuff which is actually quite hard to get into as most want 5 years experience!

dazberry wrote: »

You haven't said if you'll be working in the financial industry, or a software company writing financial software but from what you have said if it is the former - I would STRONGLY advise you to not take the job.

I worked 10 years in the geeky industry and the last 6 is the financial industry - big mistake.

D.

It's actually a company that only writes financial software. They quite a big international company and do a lot of stuff for banks. I'd have a steep learning curve on financial maths also to do which I wouldn't be too keen on.

I'd much prefer stay in IT/Telecoms area as I find writing software for these industries is much more fun. I don't think banking software would excite me!