Software engineering as a career option
Earnings
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median software engineer made $93,350 in 2012. Stanford University reports that Stanford computer science majors make $93,850 starting salaries. According to Glassdoor, the average Facebook software engineer makes $165,795 per year (including bonuses) and the average Google software engineer is makes $145,093 per year (including bonuses). According to 80,000 Hours (based on a a closer look at the Glassdoor statistics as well as interviews), "An engineer at Google can expect to earn about $150-$200 p.a. after 3 years of experience.