By Wendy Gittleson
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation is afflicted with an employee shortage. Sadly, many unfilled positions offer low pay, few benefits, and no flexibility, but that’s not always the case.
Take, for instance, software engineering jobs. With an average base salary of almost $117,000 per year, incredible benefits packages, and for many, the option to work remotely, software engineering jobs are aplenty. . But there’s a shortage, largely due to the lack of needed training. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2026, the U.S. shortage of software engineers will exceed 1.2 million.
But not all software engineering jobs are created equal. Those working in education are the lowest paid while those working in entertainment (such as streaming services) and consumer electronics make the most on average.
To help fill these employment gaps, software engineering bootcamps like our Hack Reactor Coding Bootcamps help aspiring software engineers learn the skills that will help take them to a secure, well-paid career with benefits.
Below, we break down nine of the top companies paying software engineers the most in 2022:
Facebook (now Meta)
Meta is the largest social media company in the world. With over 2 billion active users across multiple platforms and more than 80 worldwide offices, it’s not surprising that it takes thousands of software engineers to keep it all up and running.
Like a lot of companies, Meta has a multi-tiered structure. Software engineers are ranked from E3 (the lowest level) to E8. Even E3 engineers are very well paid, starting at about $184,000, including base salary, stocks, and bonuses.
Salaries rise through the tiers and once engineers are at the top, their median yearly gross earnings, primarily thanks to stocks, is $1,270,000. Meta matches up to half of 401K contributions on the first 7 percent of base salary.
On top of earnings, health insurance is 100 percent covered and family plans are highly subsidized. In addition, employees are given three free meals plus snacks five days a week.
The company offers a generous paid time off (PTO) package, with 21 days off per year, and every five years, employees are given 30 days PTO to recharge. In addition, sick time is unlimited, and they offer four months of paid family leave.
If employees need to care for sick family members, they are given up to six weeks of paid family leave. As long as employees don’t have to be in the office, they can work from home.
New parents receive a newborn bonus of $4,000, and the company reimburses up to $3,000 in childcare every year.
See available jobs here.
Google, like Facebook, employs thousands of software engineers throughout the world. Their engineers are tiered, with L3 being entry-level and L8 being a Principal Engineer, the highest level. L3 engineers are given a very enticing package with a base salary, stocks, and bonuses totaling about $191,000. L8s earnings total around $963,000 per year.
Benefits include free health and life insurance, dental, and vision. New mothers receive 22 weeks of maternity leave, while new parents who don’t give birth receive 12 weeks. In addition, the company covers up to $25,000 for adoptions and up to $40,000 for surrogacy fees.
There is unlimited sick time and 15 days of PTO in the first year, rising to 20 days in year two.
Financial and retirement benefits include a 50 percent 401k match, a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA, and a student loan repayment program. Google has a hybrid remote work program.
See available jobs here.
Netflix
We weren’t kidding when we said entertainment pays well. For example, if hired at Netflix, a brand new software engineer who’s a recent graduate of the Hack Reactor Coding Bootcamp Online, can earn more than $268,000. On the other end of the spectrum, senior software engineers earn about $550,000.
Netflix also offers exceptionally generous benefits packages, including up to 8 months of family leave and unlimited PTO. In addition, Netflix helps cover the costs of adoption, surrogacy, or fertility procedures.
If you choose to purchase stock options, you become fully vested from day one. The company offers excellent health insurance with cashback if you don’t use it. They offer free lunches and snacks and a 25 percent match on 401K contributions.
See available jobs here.
LinkedIn is headquartered in Silicon Valley. Instead of assigning numbers to their tiers, they simply consist of Software Engineer (entry-level), Senior Software Engineer, Staff Software Engineer, and Senior Staff Software Engineer. Software Engineers earn about $219,000 per year and Senior Staff Software Engineers earn about $665,000.
LinkedIn has a generous benefits package, including health, dental, vision, and life insurance. There is also an onsite health clinic. In addition, the company offers free lunch and dinner five days a week.
The company offers unlimited PTO, sick time, and maternity and paternity leave. They also provide adoption and fertility assistance.
Financial and retirement benefits include a 50 percent 401k match, a Roth 401k, a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA, and an employee stock purchase program. Some employees can work remotely.
See available jobs here.
Apple
Like Facebook and Google, Apple, the world’s largest computer hardware company, ranks its engineers in tiers, from ICT2 (entry-level) to ICT6. Entry-level engineers earn about $167,000 in their first year, including base, salary, and bonus. At the top tier, engineers earn about $768,000 per year.
Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, 16 weeks maternity leave and six weeks paternity leave, 12 paid sick days, life insurance, and even pet insurance. In addition, the company offers adoption and fertility assistance.
Generous financial and retirement benefits include a 401K with a 100 percent match for up to 6 percent of an employee’s salary, a stock purchase program, and a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA.
Apple gives employees 12 PTO days a year to use at their discretion, but beyond that, they shut the company down for two paid weeks each year. All engineers currently work from home.
See available jobs here.
Uber
Uber’s five ranked software engineer categories go from Software Engineer I to Staff Software Engineer at the top. Entry-level earnings are about $168,000 per year, while Staff Software Engineers make a median of $723,000.
Benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance, mental health care, retiree health, and medical and onsite healthcare. Plus, they offer free lunch or snacks, a company car, legal assistance, and offices that are pet-friendly!
Uber offers a 401k, a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA, and a Roth 401k. There is also an employee stock purchase program.
Uber offers up to 100 hours PTO, 18 weeks of family leave, adoption and fertility assistance, immigration assistance, and a hybridized remote work model.
See available jobs here.
Amazon
Amazon has just four tiers for software engineers, ranging from SDE 1 to Principal SDE.
Entry-level SDE 1s earn approximately $166,000 in salary, bonus, and stocks. Principal SDEs earn around $648,000. Benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance.
While Amazon has a great benefits package, it’s somewhat smaller compared to other tech giants.
New mothers receive 20 weeks of maternity leave plus four weeks paid before giving birth. Additionally, there are six weeks of paternity leave, but only after working at the company for a year.
The company offers a 50 percent match on up to 4 percent contributions to a 401k, a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA, and a Roth 401k. Employees are only vested after three years.
The remote work policy is a little vague. Some employees are allowed to work remotely for up to four weeks, and some indefinitely.
See available jobs here.
Stripe
Stripe, an online payment platform, is another Silicon Valley-based software giant with 14 global offices. While the company isn’t a household name like the others on the list, it’s growing fast. In fact, the company recently named a staffing shortage as one of its biggest challenges.
Stripe has one of the most generous entry-level earnings packages. L1s, their bottom tier, earn around $229,000. L4 (Staff Engineer) earnings packages average approximately $607,000.
Benefits include health, dental, vision, and life insurance. New parents are allowed 16 weeks of family leave and up to 8 weeks of prenatal leave. They also offer adoption assistance and fertility assistance.
The company offers 21 days of PTO, and the offices shut down between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s unclear who qualifies, but Stripe has a remote work program.
Stripe matches 50 percent on an employee’s 401k contributions, up to $2,000 per year. They also offer a Roth 401k, a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA, and an employee stock purchase program.
See available jobs here.
Microsoft
Microsoft is another tiered company, with levels from SDE (entry-level) to 67 at the top. Entry-level programmers’ earnings total about $157,000 a year, while level 67 earns about $507,000.
Benefits include health, life, vision, and dental insurance. There is also an onsite clinic. They offer 20 weeks maternity leave and 12 weeks paternity leave plus adoption and fertility assistance. In addition, Microsoft employees are given 10 days of paid sick time per year.
Employees have the option to work remotely 50 percent of the time, or upon the manager’s discretion, 100 percent of the time.
The company offers a 50 percent match on a 401k, a Roth 401k, a Mega Backdoor Roth IRA, and an employee stock purchase program.
See available jobs here.
Are you interested in becoming a software engineer? Learn more about our coding bootcamps and create an admissions account when you’re ready to apply. Exciting companies and roles are waiting for you!
