[graysnorf]

I can only speak for web application development, but $140k is definitely not for "extraordinarily experienced and talented programmers only" in San Francisco for someone doing js/rails.

Are the people you know working in startups where part of their compensation comes in equity, or the prestige of working at a well-known "great" place?

[recursive]

I'm working in the midwest where the average experience level among developers is "several" years. (I don't know exactly, but it's probably at least 5). I'd be surprised if the average engineer salary here is as high as the lowest pitchbox bracket.

[graysnorf]

Then I expect the average developer could get a big bump in salary working for an SF company.

But it's not a free lunch: cost of living is high here and some things like commuting are terrible. I know developers who moved back to Minnesota so they could waste less of their lives in their cars.

Hence the appeal of "work from Ohio". 100% remote seems to be an ever more realistic option, but I expect it's still harder to find work, although work is so easy to find this may not matter much. A bigger issue may be finding a 100% remote job at a company with a remote culture. Working remotely with a company whose culture is centred around an office can be an exercise in a thousand little tediums.

The different social dynamics of working remotely can be a challenge as well.

I feel as though my post reads a bit like "don't try to work for an SF company", but that's not really my intent. I mean more to convey that the pitchbox salaries are perfectly real, but it's not too good to be true. Moving to SF to work, or working remotely are options, but salary isn't everything and these choices won't be right for everyone.

[andy_adams]

No, the developers I know are working for large companies.

Some of my disconnect may be due to where I live. My peers may also be relatively inexperienced, so maybe these salaries aren't nuts. I just wish I knew these numbers before I took my last couple of jobs!

[graysnorf]

I expect location matters more. Even here, the salary difference between working in SF and only slightly further north can be $30-$50k for comparable jobs.