# Advice on job offer in the San Francisco Bay area



## MoniDefi (Feb 8, 2011)

Hi,

My husband has been offered a Senior Software Engineer position in the San Francisco Bay area.

He has 12 years of experience and holds a PhD in Computer Science. We don't really know how to evaluate if the salary he's been offered ($110K per year) is a fair one in relation to salaries for similar jobs in that area. 

The benefits that this company offers seems quite good in terms of holidays, healthcare and training.

Initially we believe that I won't be allowed to work in the US, so our two questions are: 

Is this a competitive salary for a senior software engineer in that area? and
Can two people live comfortably in a relatively good neighbourhood on this salary?


Thanks a lot for your help!!


----------



## an0nym0us (Mar 6, 2011)

hi MoniDefi,

That pay is almost in the same range as what nurses are getting. So, yes, this salary can get you a good place in a good neighborhood.

goodluck!


----------



## an0nym0us (Mar 6, 2011)

for your first question, go to WWW dot INDEED dot COM (sorry, this forum won't allow me to post a link/url yet.)

set What: Senior Software Engineer (and) Where: San Francisco, CA

today's average is US$118k/year


----------



## rdnicolas (Feb 22, 2011)

That's a good salary. I worked there during the dot com peak and bust and I tell ya, the salary can quickly disappear depending on what you pay for rent.

One interesting characteristic of San Fran is that you don't really need a car and a car only really turns into an expensive paperweight to park most days in a lot. There is the alternative of street parking but if you live in the core of San Fran don't be surprised to do laps around the block just hunting for a spot. I remember one time a friend and I drove for 30 mins just to move his car from one side of the street to the other for street cleaning and we still couldn't find a decent spot. We gave up and went to a pub instead.

SF is such a wonderful city with lots of vitality and youthful minded professionals.
Congrats and just make sure you google
The districts to get a good feel of the safer and not so safe neighborhoods. The city is so packed that in some areas walking a couple blocks up or down the street can lead to dramatically different neighborhoods.

Reggie


----------



## JohnSoCal (Sep 2, 2007)

MoniDefi said:


> Hi,
> 
> My husband has been offered a Senior Software Engineer position in the San Francisco Bay area.
> 
> ...


First off, will you be working in San Francisco or Silicon Valley ( metro San Jose )? Silicon Valley is about 45 miles south if San Francisco.

With your husbands credentials, $110K is on the low side for that area. I worked for many years as a Software consultant and Software engineer in the San Francisco Bay area. My salary as a Software Engineer was much higher than $110K.

The San Francisco Bay area is very expensive for the US. However, you should be able to live quite well on that salary. It is a great area to live and work and you should really enjoy it.

Here is a link about salaries for a Sr. Software engineer in the area. Your husband should be classified at least as high as a Sr. Software Engineer.

Google Senior Software Engineer Salary in San Jose | Glassdoor.com


----------

