[lovich]

Total comp in most companies isn’t complicated.

Most companies either don’t give equity or aren’t public and you can value those options with their twelve levels of caveats at effectively zero. The bonus component is the most common portion of compensation that actually varies from year to year and isn’t a large fraction of anyone’s comp unless they are high up in the company hierarchy.

Edit: and to be clear, 200k in a market like Boston is a good/great compensation for _anyone_. It would be amazing for a first job out of school. The original poster saying 200k was what decent jobs started at is incredibly out of touch.

[ghaff]

Benefits factor in too as do various other things including bonuses and RSUs at public companies but I don't really disagree in general. For most people, base salary is often your comp and something over $100K is probably the norm for a good professional job.