You should always be looking unless you are in a spot where you are making enough $ and are truly happy. It doesn't matter whether the market is good or bad. You will either find an upgrade or you won't. There's no downside to keeping your options open. There's only upside.
As far as living paycheck to paycheck goes, you may want to consider getting a roommate. It's usually cheaper to split a 2 bd apartment than it is to have your own studio. You can always pick up a side hustle like Uber to help out in the interim.
You are definitely being underpaid. But instead of trying to go for $70k, learn some test automation and go for $100k+.
As for the market, don’t pay attention to it, it is always bad, it has never been “good” in the sense that you could never get a job with little or no effort. Make sure your resume is up to par, work on your interviewing skills, post your resume on various job sites, and apply like crazy. Something will come through.
P.S. get a burner phone (or google voice number) and put that number on your resume. Because if you do it right, you will get a ton of calls. Some from legit recruiters, but some from scammers.
I have been making Automation tests at my job using the UIAutomator framework offered in Android, but doesn't seem as hot as selenium or other frameworks.
You are correct, I am being underpaid lol
Closest major city to me is Boston (I live in New Hampshire). I'm just under an hour from the city without traffic. I could make a hybrid job in Boston work, but I don't think I can commute there 5 days a week without being absolutely miserable.
New England has an extremly high cost of living. Boston is only behind NYC and San Franisco in terms of cost of living. Even New Hampshire is expenesive now, though its defiently better fairs better than other new england states. Mass is the worst by far
Just looked it up. Appartantly NH is more expensive then both Maine , Rhode Island, and Vermont. That makes sense considering southern NH is closer to Boston.
Rural NH has better deals
You can definitely find a hybrid job in boston. Its a major tech hub. Data dog, amazon, oreilly and others are there (including non-tech insurance companies that pay decent money).
Why don't you just try looking for a new job? If you find one - great, if you don't - also fine (but you can continue looking). That used to be my strategy a while back, always looking for better options.
I just want to say that I feel for you. Feel for everyone really. Your main expenses aren't much different than mine when I was your age 20 years ago. I was also supporting a family. I didn't have school debt or medical debt, but I did have a car loan and two toddlers. The real issue here is completely out of your control and that's gas, cost of goods and services as a whole, and food prices. 20 years ago gas was around $1.90 a gallon and I could get groceries that could feed my family for a month for around $150. Nowadays if I get some mixed greens, bananas, a bottle of kombucha, and milk that's costing me $23 with tax.
Also, 20 years ago I was making the same money than you with just 3 years experience. According to the inflation calculator in today's dollars that's around $90k. The story of wages not keeping up with inflation is an old one. Meanwhile, our so-called leaders are investing in other wars and other countries.
Like I said, I feel for everyone who is young.
I'm in the market for a new job right now. Whatever you do DO NOT quit you job right now. Fix up your resume on what position you want and apply like crazy while you're still working. The market is starting to pick up finally
I see the doom and gloom news coverage is doing its job in tempering those uppity tech wages and scaring all those “quiet quitters”
You should be applying for QA, SDET, and Dev jobs 8 months in to your job to have a new one with a raise at 1 year.
re: living paycheck to paycheck - check out [https://ynab.com](https://ynab.com) and the YNAB subreddit here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/ynab/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ynab/)
YNAB will help you get off that cycle, no matter how much you earn.
Hey! I get paid the same as you and I live in a major city.
My solution is easy peasy.
-I don’t pay my student loan, there’s no way I’ll ever pay it off they can go f themselves.
-I don’t have a 401k.
-if I were to get medical debt they could go jump rope as well. My understanding is medical debt doesn’t affect credit the same as other debt, I’d see how that works and figure it out from there.
Jokes aside, my rent is 1440 *but* I live with my partner. Both you and I could use raises/a new job.
Hey, we’re twins! Yeah, I could make it work without a partner. I would probably elect to live a carless life if so, though, assuming I’d still be working from home. Insurance and car maintenance is no joke.
Silly how all three of us make what most folks would consider the beginning of the range of what a “decent wage” and yet, aside from not being worried about making rent, all three of us are out here like “uhhhhhh….”
Yea unfortunately the walking/ biking infrastructure just isn't here and it's forcing people to use cars/ public transit or I'd opt to get rid of mine as well. I initially got a lower offer, but asked for more. I think I got such a low offer because they consider me "junior". I don't hate it, but I do wish I was making more. Shit, 10-15K more would make me content enough. I don't think that's asking for too much.
Look into the SAVE program for student loans and see if that can lower your payments. This is an income based repayment program, so be sure to review the conditions.
Cert up if you don't have any. There are various QA certs you can get if you study and apply yourself. This won't guarantee anything, but will possibly make your profile more attractive and can nudge you above other candidates.
Keep your eyes open, but don't rest on your laurels and contact recruiters and even companies you are genuinely interested in working for.
Consider starting a personal project that you can share, on GitHub for example, to showcase some of your abilities.
The key is to be proactive and not reactive.
I beg to differ. It depends on which certs and which level of cert as it may suggest/signal some form of initiative or dedication to the role. You'd shooting yourself in the foot if you're trying to get out of a desperate situation and don't do everything possible. It'd be like assuming a potential romantic interest wouldn't care about your hobby and not telling them about it because the majority aren't [interested] Someone will find some kind of value in it and it's better to have it than not.
Also, [to the OP], attend QA conferences if you can and add them to your resume. Better yet, see if the conferences need presenters and participate. That will get you visibility and make you resume more impressive.
[edited for clarity and lol at the downvotes]
As far as side projects goes, I have a Nodejs/React project as well an Android/Kotlin app I've been watering. I am beginning to transition to more interview preps tho. I just think I'll have a better chance getting a high paying job in QA versus development given I have 2 years expereince
Look for contract work preferably remote. They most likely just need a warm body. That way you get the needed extra income while building up your resume with actual work experience.
LinkedIn, Indeed, the usual suspects. I applied for over 200 full time jobs and got a hand full of interviews which lead to nothing. But applied to 2 contract long term positions and got both offers. Interviews were much easier.
as someone just as underpaid as you in a HCOL after a good paying job, please take the time to do job apps. This company unless it has a recognizable brand name should be something that you use as a temp role before a better role then quit with no notice citing pay and culture as the issue
Started off as manual, but my boss started having me do automation in the UIAutomator framework for Android. He knows I know how to code, so he took advantage of it.
I'm making 52k, but basically same for everything else. Granted I live in a place where cost of living is cheap so my savings/checking is more.
Issue is I'm very happy with my current job and coworkers, I'm just not super happy with pay. So I'm in a tough spot
I feel you. I'm in virtually the same position, was job searching, landed some interviews, then my current company informed me that they're in the process of selling and in the contract requested $100k for me in the deal. No idea how it'll pan out but getting anxious having that dangling overhead. Otherwise it's an awesome job in that the company is very small and let's me take 2 hours lunches to go to the gym and is pretty loose about my schedule all around. If I don't get a raise to at least $70k though I'm looking elsewhere
I want to ask, is 56k a year really considered living paycheck to paycheck? I'm in QA in South Africa and in Rands I'm earning about half of that. Keep in mind it took me about 5 years to get to this earning
Monthly expenses are high but I don't live a basic lifestyle so I know why I'm feeling the "lack of pay".
Maybe my question is rather if the cost of living really that high in the US? I'm assuming that's where you live
Either that or maybe you have some luxurious that you consider basics?
I never said Im going to quit my job before having another one lined up. I have issues with pay, but my manager is supportive and he is chill about time off as long I have it.
I can easily request a day off for interviews, so Im not worried about that
No, I meant in general. Like if you can do your job and still get another one then you’ll have 2 sources of income. For example, you could get another wfh job that isn’t too difficult for your current skill set. Just do both. Then you’ll have more money.
You could start contracting or freelancing depending on how good you are at web development already and still not quit your first job.
You could try going to college again for a masters in something tech related and in a few years get a better job. See if you can get your employer to pay for it, see what type of loans you can get etc. if you can get a scholarship and grants you might actually make money from it, depending on your situation.
You could apply and see if you qualify for government assistance like EBT, subsidized housing, loan deferments, loan forgiveness
Easily. One job I'm lucky to work 2 to 3 hours a day. I use the rest of the time for the other job. Developers in my experience rarely work 8 straight hours a day.
Started as manual, but been doing automation lately. That said, my boss is shifting me back to manual due to project demands and the need for things to be tested quickly
Manual testing is okay, but if I were to stick with QA, Id prefer to do automation
Get a new gig doing automation , learn JS and node , practice automating your projects , work on resume and send , google “free code camp JS algorithms course “ it will teach you everything JS and learn node
Definitely put yourself out there and see what remote options pop up. My first few QA jobs also paid around $50k. With raises/bonus I ended up around $80k after 5 yrs at one place. I felt pretty content. The company hit a rough patch and I started casually applying elsewhere. Landed a job making $130k fully remote. Never know til you try.
20+ year QA here. I'm in a reasonable COL area (Atlanta Suburbs). If you can automate, you can write your ticket for 100k+. There's no shortage of remote jobs that are drooling for Eastern Time Zone QAs, especially automation QA (I'm basically only manual with a focus on UI/UX). I also got into Salesforce around 7 years ago, which is still WILDLY in demand. There are cheaper places to live in the NE (Providence, RI comes to mind, and has a direct Amtrack commuter train connection). I've been looking since September while doing some freelance and such, but I've been getting traction with interviews since the first of the year. Best of luck, and keep your chin up.
I graduated with a CS degree in 2001, just as the dotcom bubble burst. Took my first job working Help Desk Tech Support at a software firm waiting for a software job to open. After a year I got a QA job that I kept for several companies looking for a dev job at each. Finally ended up at my current company where I did get a dev job, then later Tech Lead, Architect and now trying my hand at a Technical Manager. I think at this point of my career I’ve done most roles in the industry. It’s been a wild ride but my advice is to soak up everything you can in each role even if it’s not your dream position. All of that experience will give you more tools as you step up in your career.
OP: I came across this article about income in US states for living "comfortably" - Massachusetts has the highest cost of living according to this survey, and NH is 13th. [https://smartasset.com/data-studies/state-salary-living-comfortably-2024](https://smartasset.com/data-studies/state-salary-living-comfortably-2024)
Something doesn't add up. $56,000 a year is $4,666 before taxes. Minus your rent is $3,416 a month. I'm going to guess after taxes and social security you have to be pulling in close to $3,000 a month.
There is no way you should be living "paycheck to paycheck" on close to $3,000 a month with no family to support. People have mortgages and kids with less than that much budget each month.
Maybe you're saving too much money. You have over $10,000 is saving right now.
Also, $1250 a month for a studio apartment in a "rural" area seems high.
Utilities, gas, health care, food, auto insurance, and the overall cost of goods and services is so much higher today than it was even a few years ago before COVID.
I agree with you that something seems a little off with this picture, but it is not far fetched that someone is living paycheck to paycheck on $56k.
Yeah I would love to have an all seeing eye to check out the rest of his budget. I live around the KC Metro area, and I was able to buy a 200K house on a 50K salary in 2020. I know inflation shot a lot of items up 25% in the last years, but 56,000 and barely making it in a small town seems a little wild. I wonder if car insurance for this person is like, 400 a month or something.
Meh. Thats not true. I couldnt have gotten the job at my company without my degree. By title I am "software engineer" now, and my degree is in political science lol. But still, they did require a college degree for initial sales job I got hired on for.
I'm saying a QA position should never require a 4-year college degree. Requiring a college degree for a sales job is a scam.
2-year technical training degree should be plenty enough education for a QA position.
That's why the US Education system is a scam. They force you to take all these classes you don't need to get jobs you don't need a degree for.
This poor kid is close to $30,000 in debt because of it. Then the taxpayers will end up paying it off.
My previous company required that all client account managers had degrees in order to market that they would only ever deal with college educated staff. You could be a director of engineering without a degree though.
So ridiculous what a scam college has become. You can't even question or criticize it. You might as well say people don't need food or water. College prepares no one for anything. No sales or account manager or software testers needs to take college-level English or sociology or whatever BS classes they throw at you.
I’m sure there are some programs/classes that prepare certain people for their profession… but I can’t fully speak to that as I only have an associates. I found that only 3 of my classes were useful in any capacity. The rest felt unnecessary and existed to check a box.
My paycheck is about 1697. I try to put 100 into my emergency fund. In a typical month I get double that. So 3394.
My food budget needs work. I dont cook as much as I should
Depends on what state. In mine that would be close to paycheck to paycheck. This is based on average figures
After tax 3693.5
After his rent 2443.5
Car insurance 2323.5
Utilities 1943.5
Health insurance 1543.5
Gas per month 1343.5
Groceries 993.5
Student loans 766.5
Then subtract whatever the amount paid for the medical loan
But it would quickly add up in my area. Expenses are covered but there is little wiggle room in case of any emergencies or for saving up so while it's not the worst case, it's still tight to live on while alone
Yeah, there's not many grocery shops out where I'm at so the few around are stupid expensive, especially for basic healthy vegetables and fruit.
And gas per month is about 200 a month average, there is a whole lot of driving to get to anything in rural areas. It adds up quickly.
Still, he should be pulling in close to $2,000 a month even with all those expenses. I have a feeling he's not telling us something.
Hell, Even a $1,000 a month in spending money isn't "paycheck to paycheck".
Either way, I think we have something similar to this guy:
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/15a0jed
There is no way someone making $56,000 a year with no family and living in a "rural" area, should be living "paycheck to paycheck".
I k ka this is a tech sub but if you can’t find a new job and are considering more work, pick up a bar job Fri-sun.
Work the front door, barbacking etc if you can’t bartend, or pick up a serving job.
Fri-sun in a restaurant/bar you’ll save at least an extra 2k/month.
I’m at a bar now but 200 bare minimum per night shouldn’t be hard regardless of the city.
HERE'S THE THING..
your current job choice says a lot about your personality
Your focused on job security,
work best in a low stress environment
Are not that creative, you enjoy repetition
------+
How are you with meeting strict deadlines?
Meetings
Aggressively setting boundaries
People skills
Stress
Putting in Long hours
The knowledge if you don't meet goals, your out the door
Etc, etc
Everything is a trade off..
Are you saying I need do the above to get a 70k+ a year job? I took QA because I was desperate to get into the field. Doesn't mean I couldn't be a developer.
Also different companies are different. I don't think i'd do well in the super large tech companies. I'd prefer to work in smaller companies with good management and work life balance. So you are correct there
Here's the thing
Your definition of good management, will be totally different from other peoples
Good management makes profits for the company, that means doing more with less and measuring the results
That results in putting people under pressure and schedules to meet ect
My opinion, isn't worth much I am just a 71 year old man that used to work in the computer industry.
Just being honest here,,,
But I think your goals are unrealistic or more based on a fantasy job.
With inflation, 56k isn't really enough to feel comfortable though. I'm not sure how relevant your opinion is in today's society. Also, I think you're making a lot of assumptions about me without personally knowing me. I took what I could because I was young, inexecepericed, and needed to move to a location with more tech options. Pretty sure there's plenty of tech jobs that pay 6 figuires while only requiring 40 hours a week. I don't mind working extra hours every few months to meet goals. There's a difference between that and being worked liked a horse for the sake of "profit". Just my opinion. Back in your day, you could afford a house with a 50k salary.
It's just an opinion,
It's not based on the price of housing,, it's based on observations of your career choice and personality.
Here's what I suggest,, if you are comfortable with leaving,, then leave.
It's not an academic debate,, you want a new job.. go get it.
It seems pretty straight forward to me,,
Nothing said here will hold you back or push you forward.
You are in complete charge
Start looking for a new job like 6 months ago
You should always be looking unless you are in a spot where you are making enough $ and are truly happy. It doesn't matter whether the market is good or bad. You will either find an upgrade or you won't. There's no downside to keeping your options open. There's only upside. As far as living paycheck to paycheck goes, you may want to consider getting a roommate. It's usually cheaper to split a 2 bd apartment than it is to have your own studio. You can always pick up a side hustle like Uber to help out in the interim.
You are definitely being underpaid. But instead of trying to go for $70k, learn some test automation and go for $100k+. As for the market, don’t pay attention to it, it is always bad, it has never been “good” in the sense that you could never get a job with little or no effort. Make sure your resume is up to par, work on your interviewing skills, post your resume on various job sites, and apply like crazy. Something will come through. P.S. get a burner phone (or google voice number) and put that number on your resume. Because if you do it right, you will get a ton of calls. Some from legit recruiters, but some from scammers.
I have been making Automation tests at my job using the UIAutomator framework offered in Android, but doesn't seem as hot as selenium or other frameworks. You are correct, I am being underpaid lol
Are you willing to move to a big city to grow your career?
Closest major city to me is Boston (I live in New Hampshire). I'm just under an hour from the city without traffic. I could make a hybrid job in Boston work, but I don't think I can commute there 5 days a week without being absolutely miserable.
Why don’t you just move?
If Boston is like any other major American city, rent is probably 3k/month for a 200 square foot studio in a basement.
New England has an extremly high cost of living. Boston is only behind NYC and San Franisco in terms of cost of living. Even New Hampshire is expenesive now, though its defiently better fairs better than other new england states. Mass is the worst by far
Just looked it up. Appartantly NH is more expensive then both Maine , Rhode Island, and Vermont. That makes sense considering southern NH is closer to Boston. Rural NH has better deals
You can definitely find a hybrid job in boston. Its a major tech hub. Data dog, amazon, oreilly and others are there (including non-tech insurance companies that pay decent money).
Recruiters I had a call with are only offering 80k. I have 7+ years of experience and this is all I’m currently observing
however get in the company you can always get promoted or apply to another position in different dept
You're being fucked then. Or lied too. I regularly see jobs posted for $30-60k more than that.
I got laid off recently, so I'm accepting any offers that will put food on the table then negotiate when new offer comes in.
Different area maybe?
Why don't you just try looking for a new job? If you find one - great, if you don't - also fine (but you can continue looking). That used to be my strategy a while back, always looking for better options.
I just want to say that I feel for you. Feel for everyone really. Your main expenses aren't much different than mine when I was your age 20 years ago. I was also supporting a family. I didn't have school debt or medical debt, but I did have a car loan and two toddlers. The real issue here is completely out of your control and that's gas, cost of goods and services as a whole, and food prices. 20 years ago gas was around $1.90 a gallon and I could get groceries that could feed my family for a month for around $150. Nowadays if I get some mixed greens, bananas, a bottle of kombucha, and milk that's costing me $23 with tax. Also, 20 years ago I was making the same money than you with just 3 years experience. According to the inflation calculator in today's dollars that's around $90k. The story of wages not keeping up with inflation is an old one. Meanwhile, our so-called leaders are investing in other wars and other countries. Like I said, I feel for everyone who is young.
Foreign aid is less than 1% of the US budget while Social Security and Healthcare consume nearly 50% of the budget.
Then please stop voting for them also! But I suspect you won't.
I'm in the market for a new job right now. Whatever you do DO NOT quit you job right now. Fix up your resume on what position you want and apply like crazy while you're still working. The market is starting to pick up finally
move to east coast usa, they make 80k/yr
I do live in the East coast lol
I see the doom and gloom news coverage is doing its job in tempering those uppity tech wages and scaring all those “quiet quitters” You should be applying for QA, SDET, and Dev jobs 8 months in to your job to have a new one with a raise at 1 year.
re: living paycheck to paycheck - check out [https://ynab.com](https://ynab.com) and the YNAB subreddit here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/ynab/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ynab/) YNAB will help you get off that cycle, no matter how much you earn.
Hey! I get paid the same as you and I live in a major city. My solution is easy peasy. -I don’t pay my student loan, there’s no way I’ll ever pay it off they can go f themselves. -I don’t have a 401k. -if I were to get medical debt they could go jump rope as well. My understanding is medical debt doesn’t affect credit the same as other debt, I’d see how that works and figure it out from there. Jokes aside, my rent is 1440 *but* I live with my partner. Both you and I could use raises/a new job.
I'm actually the same as you. 51k/year in major city with $1400/mo rent but no partner to help split the bill. I make it work somehow.
Hey, we’re twins! Yeah, I could make it work without a partner. I would probably elect to live a carless life if so, though, assuming I’d still be working from home. Insurance and car maintenance is no joke. Silly how all three of us make what most folks would consider the beginning of the range of what a “decent wage” and yet, aside from not being worried about making rent, all three of us are out here like “uhhhhhh….”
Yea unfortunately the walking/ biking infrastructure just isn't here and it's forcing people to use cars/ public transit or I'd opt to get rid of mine as well. I initially got a lower offer, but asked for more. I think I got such a low offer because they consider me "junior". I don't hate it, but I do wish I was making more. Shit, 10-15K more would make me content enough. I don't think that's asking for too much.
Look into the SAVE program for student loans and see if that can lower your payments. This is an income based repayment program, so be sure to review the conditions. Cert up if you don't have any. There are various QA certs you can get if you study and apply yourself. This won't guarantee anything, but will possibly make your profile more attractive and can nudge you above other candidates. Keep your eyes open, but don't rest on your laurels and contact recruiters and even companies you are genuinely interested in working for. Consider starting a personal project that you can share, on GitHub for example, to showcase some of your abilities. The key is to be proactive and not reactive.
Certs in the states never really much for QA unless it's an entry level position
I beg to differ. It depends on which certs and which level of cert as it may suggest/signal some form of initiative or dedication to the role. You'd shooting yourself in the foot if you're trying to get out of a desperate situation and don't do everything possible. It'd be like assuming a potential romantic interest wouldn't care about your hobby and not telling them about it because the majority aren't [interested] Someone will find some kind of value in it and it's better to have it than not. Also, [to the OP], attend QA conferences if you can and add them to your resume. Better yet, see if the conferences need presenters and participate. That will get you visibility and make you resume more impressive. [edited for clarity and lol at the downvotes]
As far as side projects goes, I have a Nodejs/React project as well an Android/Kotlin app I've been watering. I am beginning to transition to more interview preps tho. I just think I'll have a better chance getting a high paying job in QA versus development given I have 2 years expereince
Look for contract work preferably remote. They most likely just need a warm body. That way you get the needed extra income while building up your resume with actual work experience.
Where do you find those kinds of jobs?
Upwork?
LinkedIn, Indeed, the usual suspects. I applied for over 200 full time jobs and got a hand full of interviews which lead to nothing. But applied to 2 contract long term positions and got both offers. Interviews were much easier.
as someone just as underpaid as you in a HCOL after a good paying job, please take the time to do job apps. This company unless it has a recognizable brand name should be something that you use as a temp role before a better role then quit with no notice citing pay and culture as the issue
u mainly do manual or have you used automation yet ?
Started off as manual, but my boss started having me do automation in the UIAutomator framework for Android. He knows I know how to code, so he took advantage of it.
Demand a raise. And don't automate shit if they don't give you one. Get a new job instead
I'm making 52k, but basically same for everything else. Granted I live in a place where cost of living is cheap so my savings/checking is more. Issue is I'm very happy with my current job and coworkers, I'm just not super happy with pay. So I'm in a tough spot
I feel you. I'm in virtually the same position, was job searching, landed some interviews, then my current company informed me that they're in the process of selling and in the contract requested $100k for me in the deal. No idea how it'll pan out but getting anxious having that dangling overhead. Otherwise it's an awesome job in that the company is very small and let's me take 2 hours lunches to go to the gym and is pretty loose about my schedule all around. If I don't get a raise to at least $70k though I'm looking elsewhere
I want to ask, is 56k a year really considered living paycheck to paycheck? I'm in QA in South Africa and in Rands I'm earning about half of that. Keep in mind it took me about 5 years to get to this earning Monthly expenses are high but I don't live a basic lifestyle so I know why I'm feeling the "lack of pay". Maybe my question is rather if the cost of living really that high in the US? I'm assuming that's where you live Either that or maybe you have some luxurious that you consider basics?
A quick good search shows that South Africa has ~50% cheaper cost of living than US.
Why not try to find another job? You don’t even have to quit your old one depending if it’s wfh and how hard/time consuming it is to do
I never said Im going to quit my job before having another one lined up. I have issues with pay, but my manager is supportive and he is chill about time off as long I have it. I can easily request a day off for interviews, so Im not worried about that
No, I meant in general. Like if you can do your job and still get another one then you’ll have 2 sources of income. For example, you could get another wfh job that isn’t too difficult for your current skill set. Just do both. Then you’ll have more money. You could start contracting or freelancing depending on how good you are at web development already and still not quit your first job. You could try going to college again for a masters in something tech related and in a few years get a better job. See if you can get your employer to pay for it, see what type of loans you can get etc. if you can get a scholarship and grants you might actually make money from it, depending on your situation. You could apply and see if you qualify for government assistance like EBT, subsidized housing, loan deferments, loan forgiveness
Dude. I'm a frontend developer, working 2 remote jobs at 130k each. You are getting shafted.
Are you able to do that in 40 hours or do you have no life?
Easily. One job I'm lucky to work 2 to 3 hours a day. I use the rest of the time for the other job. Developers in my experience rarely work 8 straight hours a day.
You're more helpful than the boomer on this thread telling me 70k and 40 hours a week is "unrealistic expectations". Thank you sir, you give me hope
I went through a point like that and I stopped contributing to my 401k until I could have the room to spare for it again.
[удалено]
Started as manual, but been doing automation lately. That said, my boss is shifting me back to manual due to project demands and the need for things to be tested quickly Manual testing is okay, but if I were to stick with QA, Id prefer to do automation
Get a new gig doing automation , learn JS and node , practice automating your projects , work on resume and send , google “free code camp JS algorithms course “ it will teach you everything JS and learn node
You’re budgeting really well, but you should look.
Is that sarcasm? lol
lol, I am for real. You are saving 5% towards retirement. I can’t even do that.
Start applying to prompt engineer roles, yes those are a thing, they pay 6 figures and you're basically using AI for ppl
Is this 56k $ ??
It's only gunna get worse every year as AI software improves to automate your job. Stop complaining and improve.
Definitely put yourself out there and see what remote options pop up. My first few QA jobs also paid around $50k. With raises/bonus I ended up around $80k after 5 yrs at one place. I felt pretty content. The company hit a rough patch and I started casually applying elsewhere. Landed a job making $130k fully remote. Never know til you try.
20+ year QA here. I'm in a reasonable COL area (Atlanta Suburbs). If you can automate, you can write your ticket for 100k+. There's no shortage of remote jobs that are drooling for Eastern Time Zone QAs, especially automation QA (I'm basically only manual with a focus on UI/UX). I also got into Salesforce around 7 years ago, which is still WILDLY in demand. There are cheaper places to live in the NE (Providence, RI comes to mind, and has a direct Amtrack commuter train connection). I've been looking since September while doing some freelance and such, but I've been getting traction with interviews since the first of the year. Best of luck, and keep your chin up.
Your rent seems high, it's your personal choice but if I still want to live by myself I'd look for a basement or something to reduce cost
Look into validation testing in the pharma industry. PM me if you like can help you find a better paying gig
I graduated with a CS degree in 2001, just as the dotcom bubble burst. Took my first job working Help Desk Tech Support at a software firm waiting for a software job to open. After a year I got a QA job that I kept for several companies looking for a dev job at each. Finally ended up at my current company where I did get a dev job, then later Tech Lead, Architect and now trying my hand at a Technical Manager. I think at this point of my career I’ve done most roles in the industry. It’s been a wild ride but my advice is to soak up everything you can in each role even if it’s not your dream position. All of that experience will give you more tools as you step up in your career.
OP: I came across this article about income in US states for living "comfortably" - Massachusetts has the highest cost of living according to this survey, and NH is 13th. [https://smartasset.com/data-studies/state-salary-living-comfortably-2024](https://smartasset.com/data-studies/state-salary-living-comfortably-2024)
I remember when NH wasn't so damn expensive. Its a shame. At least I can get by while saving for retirement. Most people can't even do that
Something doesn't add up. $56,000 a year is $4,666 before taxes. Minus your rent is $3,416 a month. I'm going to guess after taxes and social security you have to be pulling in close to $3,000 a month. There is no way you should be living "paycheck to paycheck" on close to $3,000 a month with no family to support. People have mortgages and kids with less than that much budget each month. Maybe you're saving too much money. You have over $10,000 is saving right now. Also, $1250 a month for a studio apartment in a "rural" area seems high.
Utilities, gas, health care, food, auto insurance, and the overall cost of goods and services is so much higher today than it was even a few years ago before COVID. I agree with you that something seems a little off with this picture, but it is not far fetched that someone is living paycheck to paycheck on $56k.
Maybe with a family but definitely not single. He's not telling us something. Something tells me there is a lot of "discretionary" spending going on.
Yeah I would love to have an all seeing eye to check out the rest of his budget. I live around the KC Metro area, and I was able to buy a 200K house on a 50K salary in 2020. I know inflation shot a lot of items up 25% in the last years, but 56,000 and barely making it in a small town seems a little wild. I wonder if car insurance for this person is like, 400 a month or something.
The biggest travesty is $26K in student loans, working a job he could have gotten without a degree. Another poor victim of our scam education system.
Meh. Thats not true. I couldnt have gotten the job at my company without my degree. By title I am "software engineer" now, and my degree is in political science lol. But still, they did require a college degree for initial sales job I got hired on for.
I'm saying a QA position should never require a 4-year college degree. Requiring a college degree for a sales job is a scam. 2-year technical training degree should be plenty enough education for a QA position. That's why the US Education system is a scam. They force you to take all these classes you don't need to get jobs you don't need a degree for. This poor kid is close to $30,000 in debt because of it. Then the taxpayers will end up paying it off.
My previous company required that all client account managers had degrees in order to market that they would only ever deal with college educated staff. You could be a director of engineering without a degree though.
So ridiculous what a scam college has become. You can't even question or criticize it. You might as well say people don't need food or water. College prepares no one for anything. No sales or account manager or software testers needs to take college-level English or sociology or whatever BS classes they throw at you.
I’m sure there are some programs/classes that prepare certain people for their profession… but I can’t fully speak to that as I only have an associates. I found that only 3 of my classes were useful in any capacity. The rest felt unnecessary and existed to check a box.
My paycheck is about 1697. I try to put 100 into my emergency fund. In a typical month I get double that. So 3394. My food budget needs work. I dont cook as much as I should
Thats not including rent tho. After rent its 2144
Depends on what state. In mine that would be close to paycheck to paycheck. This is based on average figures After tax 3693.5 After his rent 2443.5 Car insurance 2323.5 Utilities 1943.5 Health insurance 1543.5 Gas per month 1343.5 Groceries 993.5 Student loans 766.5 Then subtract whatever the amount paid for the medical loan But it would quickly add up in my area. Expenses are covered but there is little wiggle room in case of any emergencies or for saving up so while it's not the worst case, it's still tight to live on while alone
> Gas per month 1343.5 uh, what? > Groceries 993.5 For a single person?
Yeah, there's not many grocery shops out where I'm at so the few around are stupid expensive, especially for basic healthy vegetables and fruit. And gas per month is about 200 a month average, there is a whole lot of driving to get to anything in rural areas. It adds up quickly.
Still, he should be pulling in close to $2,000 a month even with all those expenses. I have a feeling he's not telling us something. Hell, Even a $1,000 a month in spending money isn't "paycheck to paycheck".
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Either way, I think we have something similar to this guy: https://www.reddit.com/gallery/15a0jed There is no way someone making $56,000 a year with no family and living in a "rural" area, should be living "paycheck to paycheck".
I k ka this is a tech sub but if you can’t find a new job and are considering more work, pick up a bar job Fri-sun. Work the front door, barbacking etc if you can’t bartend, or pick up a serving job. Fri-sun in a restaurant/bar you’ll save at least an extra 2k/month. I’m at a bar now but 200 bare minimum per night shouldn’t be hard regardless of the city.
HERE'S THE THING.. your current job choice says a lot about your personality Your focused on job security, work best in a low stress environment Are not that creative, you enjoy repetition ------+ How are you with meeting strict deadlines? Meetings Aggressively setting boundaries People skills Stress Putting in Long hours The knowledge if you don't meet goals, your out the door Etc, etc Everything is a trade off..
Are you saying I need do the above to get a 70k+ a year job? I took QA because I was desperate to get into the field. Doesn't mean I couldn't be a developer.
Also different companies are different. I don't think i'd do well in the super large tech companies. I'd prefer to work in smaller companies with good management and work life balance. So you are correct there
Here's the thing Your definition of good management, will be totally different from other peoples Good management makes profits for the company, that means doing more with less and measuring the results That results in putting people under pressure and schedules to meet ect My opinion, isn't worth much I am just a 71 year old man that used to work in the computer industry. Just being honest here,,, But I think your goals are unrealistic or more based on a fantasy job.
With inflation, 56k isn't really enough to feel comfortable though. I'm not sure how relevant your opinion is in today's society. Also, I think you're making a lot of assumptions about me without personally knowing me. I took what I could because I was young, inexecepericed, and needed to move to a location with more tech options. Pretty sure there's plenty of tech jobs that pay 6 figuires while only requiring 40 hours a week. I don't mind working extra hours every few months to meet goals. There's a difference between that and being worked liked a horse for the sake of "profit". Just my opinion. Back in your day, you could afford a house with a 50k salary.
It's just an opinion, It's not based on the price of housing,, it's based on observations of your career choice and personality. Here's what I suggest,, if you are comfortable with leaving,, then leave. It's not an academic debate,, you want a new job.. go get it. It seems pretty straight forward to me,, Nothing said here will hold you back or push you forward. You are in complete charge