In September, we held another Reddit AMA on /r/cscareerquestions, covering topics from the current job market to how much senior tech professionals can earn. It was a lively discussion! If you missed it, check out the Q&A highlights below; we've also included links for more context.

As I mentioned in the introduction to this AMA, it’s a complicated time for the tech industry. Many tech professionals fear layoffs, and there’s a pervasive perception that tech hiring is weak. Meanwhile, the rise of generative AI is prompting questions (pun intended) among developers and engineers about the future of their jobs. Fortunately, there’s also a lot of data out there indicating that those tech professionals with the right mix of skills and experience have plenty of opportunities to expand their careers.

(Note: we’ve also lightly edited some of these questions and answers for clarity.)

Q. How are tech-adjacent Agile roles—Scrum masters, Agile coaches, Agile product owners (if that's separate)—doing? The forums seem to suggest a bloodbath in that area, but the only news was the capital one Agile layoffs years ago. Also the forums seem to suggest that those roles are getting combined with other roles—like you're a business analyst scrum master or a QA+scrum master.

As someone who can see a bit beyond anecdotal posts, is there truth in the above? And any advice to people in those roles?

A: That's a great question; I'm seeing a lot of the same posts about the role being combined. (Personally, it seems like companies shooting themselves in the foot a bit—ideally, you'd want to separate the role of Scrum Master from, say, Product Manager, just for everyone's sanity.)

It's difficult to get clear insight into how some of those tech-adjacent roles are performing, but I can tell you that, as part of our last Tech Salary Report, we noted Scrum Masters making an average salary of $118,149 per year, with only a -0.6% year-over-year drop in that number. That's notably higher than the average tech salary, and higher than we're seeing for other professions such as business analyst or network engineer. And if a salary's that high with a very small year-to-year drop, we can reasonably infer that demand for it remains strong; when there's a true bloodbath within a specialization, we generally see salaries tumble pretty quickly as the market adjusts.

And yes, there have been some high-profile Agile/Scrum layoffs, but there are two things to keep in mind: a.) there have been a lot of layoffs in a lot of specializations over the past two years or so, and we've seen many jobs spring back—there's a wax and wane to these things, and b.) Agile/Scrum are so deeply baked into so many organizations at this point that its long-term prospects are good.

Q. How much did compensation change for senior software engineers in the USA?

A: Excellent question, and there are a lot of parts to that. According to our data, the average salary for principal software engineers (which is a pretty senior role) stands at $145,206, down -5.3 percent year-over-year (don't read too much into that, though; a lot of jobs have pretty significant fluctuations up or down depending on the year). Salaries for software developers of all ranks and seniorities stood at $123,067, up 6.5 percent.

When I'm doing a granular dive into software engineering salaries, I always swing by levels.fyi, which has some great crowdsourced data on software engineer compensation by company and rank. While crowdsourcing isn't always the most scientific way to determine "true" compensation numbers, it can give you a good idea of what senior software engineers can make at specific companies in a number of verticals, including tech and finance.

Q: The compensation for senior software engineers has definitely seen some fluctuations, especially with the recent layoffs and economic uncertainties. From what I've noticed in my local LA tech circles, salaries are still relatively high but there's been a push towards offering more equity or performance-based incentives instead of outright salary hikes. Also, companies seem to be focusing on specific skill sets like AI/ML expertise which might lead to higher pay for those specialized roles.

A: Agreed on what you're seeing in terms of equity, especially in the AI/ML context. The tech giants such as Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google can throw an infinite amount of cash at people who have highly specialized AI/ML skills, which means that companies without that insane level of funds often need to resort to other types of compensation such as equity and senior titles in order to compete; there's also been a fair amount of up-skilling going on, which makes sense—why scramble to hire an AI/ML specialist when you can hopefully train someone internally?

As the AI/ML market matures, it'll be interesting to see how many companies actually try to build out their own, highly customized and very expensive AI/ML infrastructure and staffing vs. simply using other companies' AI/ML products. That'll depend on a whole host of factors, including how many AI/ML vendors actually survive the inevitable shakeups coming over the next few years...

Q: Last year when I searched Google for GenAI jobs, I was seeing a few prompt engineer listings on Upwork for $25/hr.

Now, I see Sr. GenAI Architect at respectable Fortune 500 companies paying $150-250k.

Idk if you're able to share things like, number of applicants per listing or whatever, but what are your thoughts on the emerging market for devs with GenAI experience and how saturated it is or is not?

Bonus Question: I'm an independent consultant, how does the landscape look for C2C vs FTE roles?

A: Based on what I'm seeing and the conversations I've been having with analysts and business leaders, knowledge of generative AI is going to become mandatory for developers and engineers; it's not going to become "oversaturated" because it's going to become a prerequisite skill like QA or programming. That's because development teams are necessarily going to bake more of these generative AI tools into their respective workflows for everything from code generation and feature ideation to QA.

Right now, as the market matures, you're going to see a salary premium for those with generative AI experience; once it's matured, you might not see quite the same level of salary bump, because compensation flattens once a skill is commoditized. PwC recently analyzed more than half a billion job ads from 15 countries to determine how AI is impacting the current global workforce, and found that those who choose to specialize in AI can enjoy wage premiums of up to 25 percent on average: “Today, there are seven times as many postings for specialist AI jobs as there were in 2012. In contrast, postings for all jobs have grown more slowly, doubling since 2012,” the report added. (Of course, that's all AI jobs, not just generative AI, but genAI is a huge factor/influence in all this.)

I don't have much insight into C2C vs. FTE in the context of AI but that's something I'll explore! One thing I can say is that a lot of companies have caught the AI bug and are trying to rapidly integrate the tech into their respective tech stacks, which inevitably means hiring consultants to accelerate that process... for the moment, that's good news for consultants who can show they can have a positive impact on a company's AI efforts.

Q: What do you think of the job outlook for experienced software engineers with a longer employment gap? (2+ years).

Given all the layoffs and talented folks on the market i think understandably i’m at the bottom of the stack. 

Any advice for how to target my job search? should i downlevel from senior roles? focus on in person roles? or anything else?

A: That's an excellent question. I feel like there are a number of experienced software engineers in your position right now, and I think your prospects are solid despite the turbulence in the market. I say that because there's clear demand out there for software engineering within various industries and verticals beyond tech. From conversations I've had, a number of engineers who've been focused on landing a job in the tech industry have had some better luck by applying for jobs in other industries such as manufacturing, even agriculture, which have the same need for tech talent and (depending on the company) can often match your salary requests.

I don't think you necessarily need to down-level from senior roles or focus on in-person roles (given all the back-to-the-office mandates coming down, I'm not sure that in-person is the same differentiator that it was a few months back). Given your experience levels, what might differentiate yourself within a crowded scrum of job applicants is focusing on what you've learned in the course of becoming a senior software engineer that other folks can't replicate—for example, highlighting your record of team leadership and communication in your resume.

Q: I'm currently pursuing a second bachelor’s in Computer Science at WGU while working a full-time, non-tech role. My first degree is also non-tech. My goal is to become a Software Engineer, and I’m actively applying for internships, with a planned graduation in July 2025.

What can I do to increase my chances of securing a software engineering internship, and when would you recommend I start applying for full-time software engineering roles? Also, what are the most effective ways to network in tech, especially considering my current non-tech background?

If I don’t secure a full-time role by graduation, I’m thinking about pursuing Georgia Tech’s OMSCS to strengthen my resume and knowledge. Do you think this would help my chances of breaking into software engineering?

The percentage of software engineer positions asking for a master's degree is very small when compared to those asking for a BA (or that don't require a degree at all), so taking the time to earn a master's might not give you a strong competitive differentiator unless you want to eventually pursue an academic/research track.

If you want to network effectively, it can help to join groups that are pursuing whatever aspect of software engineering interests you in particular. For example, if you're really interested in mobile development, join open-source projects and subreddits and other venues where people are actively helping out and communicating about that niche; become an active contributor and you'll build genuine contacts. Once you've contributed to some projects and built up your expertise, you can use that as leverage to show a potential internship that you have the passion and aptitude for the role.

If you've identified more experienced folks, such as senior software engineers at a company that interests you, see if you can take them out for coffee or arrange an informational interview; the goal here is to build a rapport and an organic relationship, perhaps even a mentorship. From there, they might be able to connect you with internship and employment opportunities, and you'll have a better chance of landing those than if you apply "cold."

If you're just as amenable to a full-time position as an internship, you should consider applying 4-5 months before you graduate, particularly if you're aiming for junior development positions.