wages

[Fairlight]

Simon--er, no...it was Enrique Arredondo--said:
> What are the average wages for a filepro programmer that does all SysOP 
> tasks as well ? Is it maybe around $80K $70K $120K $250K $40K? or non of 
> the above ?

That's a complex question for which there is no easy answer, Enrique.

As with any IT-based job, it's highly dependant on the industry involved,
company size, the regional economy, and the person's actual skill.

Given parity in skill, two people doing the same job would make a good deal
more in New York or California's tech centres than they would for someone
in -rural- Pennsylvania, parts of the Carolinas, etc., by way of example.
The scales of economy are vastly different even on various parts of the
East Coast.  California's economy is almost a world unto itself in some
ways.  Then there's working for foreign companies, where the exchange rate
can be a partial factor in what the company (and the employer) can or can't
afford to agree on.

Also, someone working for a small company, or a company that is in a
lower-margin business will almost inevitably be paid less than someone in
a large company or a company in a high-margin business.  The latter
companies can afford to pay more in any marketplace.  You're going to make
more with a fashion design house than a fast food chain, for instance.  A
NFP organisation probably won't be able to pay much beyond the worst-case
commercial scenario, as the reputable ones are usually strapped for cash
and have it allocated to specific purposes--and they usually streamline
things to minimise infrastructure costs if they're public-service-oriented.

I know you asked for an average, but what I'm trying to illustrate is that
it could fall anywhere in the middle between $30k-$200k+.  There's no
one-size-fits-all average you can use to guage things, as you'll either
undersell yourself or overprice yourself given even a slight change in any
of the factors, which (if someone is hunting) can decrease one's chances of
being taken on if the numbers don't mesh what is expected by a prospective
employer.  What might be considered a slight and navigable deviation in
California could be a complete and utter deal-breaker in Kentucky.

For these reasons, perhaps providing more details about the industry and at
least region (if not specific area) would be of great benefit in getting
you a more accurate assessment from someone that knows the area and/or
business model involved.  Then you can adjust to account for experience.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but hopefully helpful.

mark->