It has traditionally been considered rude, not to mention taboo, to talk about salary — either to discuss your own or to enquire about a co-workers’ remuneration, let alone ask a friend.

Many people think they aren’t allowed to ask, either. In 2010, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) conducted the first national survey to uncover the extent of pay secrecy at workplaces. The results found that 19% of respondents said discussion of wages and salaries were “formally prohibited” in their workplaces. Another 31% said that discussion of wage and salary information “is discouraged by managers”.

Thankfully, things have moved on. Under Executive Order 11246, you have the right to inquire about, discuss, or disclose your own pay or that of other employees or applicants to a job. And you can’t be treated unfairly if you do so, either.

One of the main reasons it’s good to know what other people are paid is it shines a light on areas of inequality, and is necessary to help combat pay gaps which are stickily persistent. The gender pay gap in pay hasn’t budged in 20 years, with women earning an average of 82% of what men earned in In 2022, according to Pew Research Center analysis.

Additionally, in 2022, the typical full-time Black worker earned about 20% less than a typical full-time white worker, and LGBTQ+ workers fare poorly too, with the HRC Foundation finding that median earnings were about 90% of the median weekly wage a typical worker earns in the United States.

Salary transparency

It is all fuel for the rise of salary transparency laws. California, Washington, Rhode Island and New York City have all enacted them this year, following in the footsteps of Colorado, Maryland, Connecticut and Nevada.

What this effectively means is that companies advertising jobs in these states must declare what they’re willing to pay for them, which means everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other dimensions, enters the job application process armed with the same baseline information they can use to secure an industry-standard rate of pay.

However, some companies are fudging the issue by using salary bands that are so wide — for example, a range between $85,000-$215,000 — that they are fairly meaningless. A wide range can indicate that a company is open to applicants of varying years of experience. Location and a candidate’s qualifications can be factors also.

High-paying jobs

While this issue may smooth out over time as adoption increases, and guidelines are put into place, right now, comprehensive.io is using salary data from California and New York City jobs to create a useful database of what you can expect to be paid for specific tech roles.

1.   Senior software engineers

Senior software engineers can expect to be paid from $134,000 to $186,450, with a median salary of $160,225. Discover a whole range of software engineering roles here.

2.   Customer success

If you work in customer success, then managers can expect to earn up to $120,000, with the lower range being around $85,000. Earn up to $95,000 at this Customer Success Account Manager job at Aquent, which is offered on a remote basis. You’ll develop both a deep and broad comprehension of the business API, and growing globally distributed functions. Plus, you will play a crucial role in building programs that support and nurture several partners and customers.

3.   Engineering managers

Engineering managers are looking at an average salary of $178,500 on the lower end, and $229,550 at the top of the scale. Peloton, the exercise bike company, is seeking an Engineering Manager, Android, for its Santa Clara location, for which it has a salary scale of $172,100 to $223,800.

You’ll staff and manage a team of engineers responsible for developing and enhancing the application software running on Peloton equipment. To apply you’ll need eight years of software development experience, with some experience in native Android development. Demonstrable experience in having deployed Android applications commercially into production is also required.

4.   Machine learning

Machine learning is another area that unsurprisingly pays well. Comprehensive.io’s data indicates that a Machine Learning Scientist can earn around $133,000 at the lower end of the scale, right up to $630,000. Genentech, a biotechnology corporation, is looking for a Machine Learning Scientist, Prescient Design in New York.

You’ll develop ML and quantum chemistry calculation methods to enable fast yet accurate models for biochemical interactions. A Ph.D. in chemical/biological/molecular engineering, computational biology, chemistry, biophysics, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience is required, and you’ll earn between $158,100 and $293,000.

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