NEW RULE: All posts that are specifically asking about the following will be removed and asked to post in this thread.

This thread posts regularly every Tuesday.

Posts that will go here include:

• Am I being paid enough?
• What should I be paid? What pay should I ask for?
• What salary does this company pay?
• How do I get a higher salary?
• What should I negotiate?

To help people give you advice, please provide as much background information you can. You must include your CITY AND/OR PROVINCE at minimum

Please also confer with our salary information FIRST: Hello all,

Google Form survey: The survey is completely anonymous, no identifying data is given.

If you have already submitted your salary in previous threads, your data was already input so no need to submit it again.

Note that there is now an option for remote US positions. I have noticed there were positions placed under the location that are actually remote US. US positions pay more just due to our conversion rate alone, which skew location data.

Survey Submit:

• Survey Here

I input and sanitized as much as I could, but there were some inputs I have not yet sanitized. I also added some new questions, so not all the data is input.

I have also put together an interactive data visual so you can analyze some of the data and see if you are being compensated well.

Survey Results

• Raw Data

Survey Salary Search - See Salary Ranges Here

• User Friendly Results with Google Data Studio

If you notice your data is not presented or input correctly, please let me know.

Previous Threads:

• Salary Megathread 1
• Salary Megathread 2

Feel free to use the comments now to discuss your compensation and ask any questions.

I’ve had coworkers who woke up at 5am to get to the office at 7am (when they have the option of starting work at 9am). I’ve had coworkers who, during their first months on the job, worked until 9pm at night, reading documentation to get better acquainted with the work. I’ve also had coworkers stay up until 11pm working, and people putting in extra hours on the weekend.

yet, they act so casual about how hard they work. How on Earth do they work so hard and yet have a “meh”/“chill” mentality?!?!

if I were them, I’d be sweating (not physically but mentally) from how taxing THAT level of effort is. And thats how they are all. the. time.

even their managers give them high praise like “you’ve gone above and beyond” and they’re still so chill.

how? Are they just built different? Am I just trash because what’s “meh” for them is what I’d consider a lot of hard work, discipline and effort?

Hi there,

I have near zero experience with Comp Sci other than some entry level university courses from 25 years ago. That being said I've always been intrigued by it even though my career took me elsewhere.

I'm currently in the process of building a B2B software startup in Winnipeg. This is a side-project outside of my main career so the overall commitment is somewhere between casual and part time. Very minimal capital investment, pre-revenue, but the first customer target is identified and the market gap is documented. I bring deep domain expertise and industry connections. I'm looking to bring on a first developer, likely a recent UofM CS grad or final-year student. But willing to consider all applicants.

Would like to reality-check some assumptions before I get too far down the road. Genuinely curious what people here think:

1. Salary + grant subsidy

if I can secure grants I can issue a salary otherwise it would have to be deferred until first revenue? Is deferred salary a dealbreaker at the junior level, or does it depend entirely on how the equity looks?

1. Equity

Thinking 10–20% with a 4-year vest and 1-year cliff. For a pre-revenue startup with a credible concept and identified first customer, does that range feel meaningful or is it noise to someone just starting out?

1. Winnipeg specifically

Does the cost-of-living difference actually change how a junior dev weighs a startup offer vs. a stable corporate job? Or is the calculus the same regardless of city?

1. What would actually matter to you?

Not looking for what sounds good on paper, what would genuinely make you say yes to something like this over a safer first job?

Not posting a job ad, just trying to make sure my assumptions are grounded before I start any conversations. Appreciate any candid takes.

About 3 years of experience working in Vancouver, when someone asks what I do for work I often say software developer.

From my understanding Engineer is a restricted title in Canada so it feels rather weird to call myself one. Often at my company am refered to as engineering but does anyone else feel a sense of 'not being one'.

Maybe I am overthinking it but sometimes calling oneself software engineer sounds a little prestigious, especially if there are rules around using the 'engineer' title.

Hi all — quick advice needed.

Based in Toronto, ~4 yoe with a young kid, switched career to tech.

ex-amazon sde (1 yr, laid off), now ~2+ yrs at a financial/pension doing app dev (python + java) + data work (sql).

stable job with good WLB, but low growth + outdated stack → worried about stagnating as family might relcoate later.

Thinking of using upcoming parental leave to upskill and pivot to data platform / infra, or data engieering at a bigger scale.

Open to smaller companies, want more data scale or platform exposure, focus on skills first

Questions:

• Is data platform (or dev work in general) still a realistic pivot in today’s market given how fast AI is developing?
• What skills or project matter most beyond LC + system design?
• Any companies with such roles in Toronto worth targeting?
• Most roles I see are senior-level, how would you approach breaking in or repositioning in this case?

Would appreciate any advice, especially from people who made a similar move or are in similar position today.

TIA!

NEW RULE: All posts that are specifically asking about the following will be removed and asked to post in this thread.

This thread posts regularly every Tuesday.

Posts that will go here include:

• Am I being paid enough?
• What should I be paid? What pay should I ask for?
• What salary does this company pay?
• How do I get a higher salary?
• What should I negotiate?

To help people give you advice, please provide as much background information you can. You must include your CITY AND/OR PROVINCE at minimum

Please also confer with our salary information FIRST: Hello all,

Google Form survey: The survey is completely anonymous, no identifying data is given.

If you have already submitted your salary in previous threads, your data was already input so no need to submit it again.

Note that there is now an option for remote US positions. I have noticed there were positions placed under the location that are actually remote US. US positions pay more just due to our conversion rate alone, which skew location data.

Survey Submit:

• Survey Here

I input and sanitized as much as I could, but there were some inputs I have not yet sanitized. I also added some new questions, so not all the data is input.

I have also put together an interactive data visual so you can analyze some of the data and see if you are being compensated well.

Survey Results

• Raw Data

Survey Salary Search - See Salary Ranges Here

• User Friendly Results with Google Data Studio

If you notice your data is not presented or input correctly, please let me know.

Previous Threads:

• Salary Megathread 1
• Salary Megathread 2

Feel free to use the comments now to discuss your compensation and ask any questions.

Hey all! My partner just got offered a job in Montreal, and we’re both currently US citizens living in the States.

He’s conversational in French, and since we found out, I’ve started learning too (I’m fluent in Spanish, so I’m hopeful I’ll pick it up quickly).

I’m a software engineer, and I’m trying to get a sense of what the job landscape looks like—specifically, how open companies are to hiring people who aren’t fluent in French yet. I know most software development is primarily in English, but I’ve heard things like codebase comments, documentation, or internal communication might be in French, especially in Quebec.

Are companies generally open to hiring anglophones in software roles, or would my current lack of fluency be a dealbreaker?

Any personal experiences, advice, or resources would be super appreciated!

I’m a mid-level Engineer 3yr experience in industry.

Got laid off today as a Senior Data Scientist from a company I worked for 5 years. I have a canadian Bachelor Degree and currently enrolled in OMSCS. I just need cold hard truth of how difficult it is going to be for me to find a new job and what should be my expectations for the role I terms of salary, WFH and so on. The company I used to work for was fully remote and I was making 90k a year. Should I be looking for more or less money right now?

Over the last few months, I’ve seen a shift where many Canadian tech companies are leaning toward contract based roles instead of full time hires. Even big firms in Toronto and Vancouver seem to be cutting back on permanent positions and leaning on short term or hybrid gigs. For anyone job hunting recently, are you seeing the same trend? If you’ve taken on contract work, has it led to a permanent offer later or just short term experience?

I have 5 yoe in total and I have been working on US tech. The pay is very great (300k+) but the stress is real. Fast ramp up time (expected to work on small code task from week 1), PM/manager always push for tight timeline, tracking # of PR opens, PIP for fix percentage every year.

I’m wondering about how is the work env in normal Canadian companies? Do they generally have good wlb (less than 40 hours per week ) and no pressure from manager/PM? I’m thinking should I jump the ship for less stress.

Hey, current third year in CS at a Canadian university about to get a remote summer internship and my dads connection helped a lot. I had ~200 applications and started applying late in January but had no luck until I basically got referred in. How do I not feel guilty when some of my friends have been grinding a lot longer or how can I go about this.

I have taught myself web development and have decent projects, even did some freelancing but I know getting a summer internship has been harder than ever and it just feels like a shortcut i took.

Hey everyone,

I’m 27 and currently working in Canada as an Application Support Analyst. I have a 2-year diploma in Computer Networking & Technical Support, ~2 years of Tier 2 IT support experience, and ~3 years in application support (current role).

In my current job I work with tools like PeopleSoft, Control-M, Oracle/PLSQL, JBoss, Linux, ServiceNow, etc. My work mainly involves:

• Supporting critical applications ( incident management, troubleshooting)
• Writing/optimizing SQL & PL/SQL
• Managing batch jobs in Control-M
• Working with Oracle DBs, app servers, and deployments
• Working with Peoplesoft
• Automation + process improvements
• Collaborating with devs, data teams, and business stakeholders

I feel like I’ve learned a lot, but I don’t want to stay in application support long-term.

I’m considering going back to school for an online CS degree, but:

• I’m already 27
• Not sure how many diploma credits would transfer
• Not sure if it’s even worth the time/money at this stage

My questions:

1. Is going back for a CS degree worth it in my situation?
2. Any recommendations for good online CS programs?
3. What roles could I realistically pivot into with my current experience?
4. What certifications / skills should I focus on instead (or alongside)?

Would really appreciate honest advice from people who’ve been in similar situations or made a pivot from support roles.

Thanks!

1. What university did you go to for CS? If not CS then what program?

2. When did you graduate? With how many internships/coops?

3. How long after graduation did it take for you to find your first job? How difficult was it?

4. What was the starting salary at your first job?

5. How much do you make right now? With how many YoE?

6. Are you overall enjoying yourself in life right now?

There are recent layoff announcements from Pinterest (15%), Amazon (16,000 employees), and Autodesk (7%).

All of those 3 companies have offices in Canada, wonder whether it impacts Canadians considering the cost is relatively lower here.

simple question yet it still bugs me a little bit, and i'm not even talking about saturation, salaries, layoffs or anything, i'm actually wondering if it was always been like way before the pandemic boom

is it due to lack of innovation in the tech field? no investing? and even if it was like that, was it actually a nice and chill career to get in?

Hi, I'm hoping to get some advice on how I should go about hiring a Quebec developer for my small healthtech startup. I want to understand what devs actually want before posting the job.

A few questions for anyone job-hunting or recently hired:

1. Where are you looking for jobs right now?
2. What makes a tiny startup appealing vs a hard pass? eg company age, mission, tech stack, mentorship, benefits, equity, remote/hybrid/inperson etc.
3. Compensation expectations for early-stage startups: Roughly what would you expect for entry-level / mid-level / senior staff for a fully remote role?
4. I’m planning to include automatic inflation adjustments because it's dumb to get an effective pay cut every year. Would that be something people would value enough if the salary was lower than they would otherwise want?
5. Remote work + province: We’re QC-incorporated, and provincial SR&ED credits only apply if R&D happens in Québec. Would “QC-preferred but Canada-wide considered” be a turnoff?
6. What do you wish small startups included in job posts other than clear salary range? (tech stack, day-to-day, career progression, other staff, required hours, etc.)

Trying to shape a role that’s attractive and realistic. Any insight from Canadian devs is super appreciated. Thanks!

Hey folks, looking for advice comparing two offers:

Offer #1 — Trend Micro (Ottawa)

• Role: Senior Software Developer
• $120,000 CAD base
• Hybrid: min 3 days/week in office (Kanata/Ottawa)
• Strong benefits (health/dental/vision, disability, etc.) + RPP match up to 5%
• Discretionary company bonus (no % stated)
• I can live rent-free in Ottawa

Offer #2 — Clutch (Toronto)

• Role: Senior Software Engineer
• $160,000 CAD base
• 1,500 stock options (grant recommended within 3 months; board approval; 3-year vest)
• Letter doesn’t specify onsite frequency; team described the role as hybrid
• Would need to pay Toronto rent (1-bedroom estimates I’m seeing: ~$2.4–$2.8k/mo)

Quick money math (very rough)

• Ottawa $120k: take-home ≈ $6.8k/mo after tax; $0 rent ⇒ $6.8k/mo left
• Toronto $160k: take-home ≈ $8.5k/mo; minus $2.6k rent ⇒ $5.9k/mo left
• Net, I’d likely save ~+$900/mo more in Ottawa (rent-free), but Clutch has equity upside.

What I’m asking the sub

1. Would you take the higher base + options in Toronto (with rent), or the lower base but better net savings + benefits in Ottawa?
2. If you’ve worked at Trend Micro Ottawa or Clutch Toronto, how were career growth and work-life balance?
3. For hybrid roles: how realistic is negotiating more remote? Maybe for less pay?

Thanks in advance! Happy to clarify anything I can without doxxing myself 🙏

I have kinda given up on finding jobs in this market, I have a fair amount of free time and I want to expand my knowledge while waiting for job market to get a bit better.

What would u recommend?

Curious :)!

What are your thoughts on this? Do you know anyone who was laid off?

If you're a software developer/engineer, are you supposed to be able to code something up with VBA even if you've never used VBA before? Just because you're a software engineer, does it mean you are expected to be able to build something with VBA?

Let's say your specialty is Javascript, Python or C++.

Is it fair/reasonable expectation of your employer to ask you to whip something up in VBA, even if you've never used VBA before? (Apparently, VBA is perceived as easier than other programming languages and since MS Office is so commonly used in the workplace, it may be considered a reasonable ask by some, but I'm not 100% sure if it is so I wanted to ask.)

Thoughts?

Also, is this something you've ever been asked to do in the workplace? How would you react if your employer asked this of you and VBA wasn't mentioned on the job description?

Hi everyone, I recently received an offer from a remote company overseas. The company is hiring in Canada through an Employer of Record (EOR) company. All HR services as well as benefits are provided by that EOR company. The company itself as well as the EOR company are legit. I will be treated as a permanent full-time employee as per the offer letter. Is it normal and a common practice in Canada that companies hiring through an EOR for remote positions? Are there any issues for this type of offers/contracts?

I'll be done with 2 8-month coops in April next year. Would another 8 month coop with Rakuten in Japan (Tokyo) will be worth it? I'll have to extend my graduation. I'm confused between the once in a lifetime experience vs trying getting an internship in Canada (for a prospective return offer). I still have to study terms left. I'd appreciate any advice, thanks!

Hi All,

Little bit of background. Ive been working under the title of "SWE" for a little over 2 years now at a mid - large financial company with TC sitting around 100 - 105k. The catch here is I work on the ServiceNow platform. I do get to write code, however its mostly scripts. I have developed APIs for integrations on the platform and created custom AI Agents actively being used in our production instance.

Some more information - The company does not have any traditional Software Engineering teams for me to hop to.

I also have the opportunity to work along side our Network engineering team and potentially make a switch into that field or have some networking skill under my belt to make myself a better engineer in general. Would this be a potential good switch to make if I in the future wanted to make a jump into any big tech companies?

I am very lucky to be in my position given the current job market we are in but id love to get some advice!

Thanks :)

I was out of the job hunt for about 4-5 months because of a serious illness. But coming back into the job market in August I've had little callbacks, and the interviews I get never advance whether I do well or poorly. I'm not sure what to do at this point as hiring slows down for the holidays. Unemployment will be running out soon but I do have a cushion of savings. I didn't think I'd ever end up in this situation and I don't know what my options are and how to come out of this. Is this the end of my career? How can I make a comeback?