The Inaugural Slick Deals Career Thoughts and Compensation Thread

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Location: MN

Occupation: Software Engineer

Education: BS Com Sci

2010 Compensation: $95,000 (Base + stock + bonus)

2010 Business income: $30,000

Future Salary Projection: Up by 3-5 this year, and up by 10-15 at next promotion.
Future Business income: Kids on the way, so less time to work on my hobby. Unless I can find a company that will hire me todo my hobby..

Benefits: Full medical, dental, vision, 401k match, some other stuff.

What's the job like?
Boring. Challenging at some times. My business allows me to pursue my real interests, and oddly enough my day job strengthens the skills I need for my business.

Business: Sell 0-day vulnerabilities to companies like ZDI(http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/). Usually sell each one in the 4k range, but had a big one go for 8k last year. Its fun work and consumes many evenings and weekends. Worst part is when you go through a dry spell, installing software and poking around but not finding any good attack vectors. Some enterprise software can take a couple days just to get running, and its a big disappointment when they have a secure design that minimizes what areas you have to look for vulnerabilities. One big annoyance is when I see people presenting at conferences like Defcon and Blackhat who tote themselves as awesome hackers, but in reality they find 1/3 to 1/2 as many vulnerabilities as I do. So much of this is about selling yourself as awesome and not actually being awesome, drives me nuts.

Would you recommend the career to others? Software engineering is stable and will probably be my day job for several years to come. It seems difficult to find jobs doing vulnerability hunting, so it will take a while before I can do that.

Quote from PiratesSayARRR : Gender: Male Age: 28 Location: CA Occupation: Controller Education: B.A. Philosophy, Minor in Business, Current MBA Student 2010 Compensation: $90k Future Salary Projection: +5 -10% per year depending on performance. Benefits: Blackberry, Health, Vision, Dental, Paid Downtown Parking, Roughly 5% into a 401K no personal contribution necessary, 10 - 20% bonus. Whats the job like: Small Business roughly 90 employees. I've had the opportunity to build out the department the way I want.I enjoy working in a small business environment.

Question for you: How did you become the Controller without an Accounting Degree? I'm not challenging you, I'm actually curious as to what it is regarding your talent, skills set, etc. that got you that position. Also, did you go right into this position? If not, what was your position before Controller? I always thought a solid background in Accounting would be required to be able to handle a Controller position.

I'm in the process of "re-staging" my life/career and am finishing up a B.S. in Business, Managment, and Economics. I'm not working, going to college full-time. Have many years of bookkeeping and accounting experience.

Quote from Jane0218 : Question for you: How did you become the Controller without an Accounting Degree? I'm not challenging you, I'm actually curious as to what it is regarding your talent, skills set, etc. that got you that position. Also, did you go right into this position? If not, what was your position before Controller? I always thought a solid background in Accounting would be required to be able to handle a Controller position. I'm in the process of "re-staging" my life/career and am finishing up a B.S. in Business, Managment, and Economics. I'm not working, going to college full-time. Have many years of bookkeeping and accounting experience.

A lot of it had to do with being at the right place at the right time. It is also easier to get higher level positions with a smaller company. (I have found). My next step is CFO at a smaller company or Strategist at a larger company.

I actually started part time as just a accounting clerk (I don't have a degree in accounting but all the accounting classes I took I aced). The person that was heading the department had left and I assumed the role a few months later (was actually performing the role while I was completing my last semester of undergrad). So just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Quote from PiratesSayARRR : A lot of it had to do with being at the right place at the right time. It is also easier to get higher level positions with a smaller company. (I have found). My next step is CFO at a smaller company or Strategist at a larger company. I actually started part time as just a accounting clerk (I don't have a degree in accounting but all the accounting classes I took I aced). The person that was heading the department had left and I assumed the role a few months later (was actually performing the role while I was completing my last semester of undergrad). So just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Thanks for the info. It's appreciated!

Gender: Male

Age: 30

Location: Northeast, USA

Occupation: Financial specialist

Education: Undergrad in business

2010 Compensation: $60k

Future Salary Projection: $60k

Benefits: Health, 401(k)

What's the job like?
Challenging and rewarding. I work for the feds doing budget work which requires me to be very detail oriented. In addition to having a good understanding of our organization's operations, I need to be familiar with fiscal law and how government budget process works. The position demands good communication skills because I interface with many people (especially those that don't understand the importance of fianance and budget) and need to be able to explain to them why some things are required and how they affect operations. Must be able to finish work on time as there are deadlines for budget and financial documents submissions.


Would you recommend the career to others?
I can recommend this career. However, be aware that you're probably not going to become a millionaire from working for the government. Pay is regulated and is not easy to negotiate. Plus side is that your income is relatively stable.

Quote from StarryNight : Gender: Male Age: 30 Location: Northeast, USA Occupation: Financial specialist Education: Undergrad in business 2010 Compensation: $60k Future Salary Projection: $60k Benefits: Health, 401(k) What's the job like? Challenging and rewarding. I work for the feds doing budget work which requires me to be very detail oriented. In addition to having a good understanding of our organization's operations, I need to be familiar with fiscal law and how government budget process works. The position demands good communication skills because I interface with many people (especially those that don't understand the importance of fianance and budget) and need to be able to explain to them why some things are required and how they affect operations. Must be able to finish work on time as there are deadlines for budget and financial documents submissions. Would you recommend the career to others? I can recommend this career. However, be aware that you're probably not going to become a millionaire from working for the government. Pay is regulated and is not easy to negotiate. Plus side is that your income is relatively stable.

This sounds like something I might be interested in. Did you have prior experience in budgeting before you took the fed position?
I'll be finishing my B.S. in Business, Management, and Economics in August, and have many, many years of bookkeeping and accounting experience, but not in the budgeting area.

Quote from Jane0218 : This sounds like something I might be interested in. Did you have prior experience in budgeting before you took the fed position? I'll be finishing my B.S. in Business, Management, and Economics in August, and have many, many years of bookkeeping and accounting experience, but not in the budgeting area.

Jane, you have PM.

i guess i'll play...

Gender: Male

Age: 28

Location: CA

Occupation: Intern Pharmacist (graduate next year)

Education: BS. Business Admin, currently in Doctor of Pharmacy program (4yr program)

2010 Compensation: $24/hr as an intern at a hospital

Future Salary Projection: Next year as a pharmacist, range in CA goes from $55-65/hr. Can go up to $70/hr if you're doing contracting work. Depends where I end up working ... large retail chain like Walgreens, CVS, or small independent, or small/large hospital. During 2009, many articles were stating that pharmacists was on the top 10 list of recession proof jobs.

Most pharmacists in CA will make ~110-120k/yr, and I've seen up to 150-185k/yr with a lot of overtime. That's one great thing... we're paid hourly so if you work more, you make more. Unfortunately though, raises are very small so there's not a lot of growth potential, unless you venture off into more non-traditional roles (big pharma, managed care, pharmacy ownership, Director, etc).

Benefits: Health, Vision, Dental, 401k, standard

Whats the job like: many different settings to go into, but most will end up in retail chains like CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc. Customers can be very rude and annoying, but patient education and helping someone out with their drug therapy is always rewarding. I currently work in a large hospital, so my interactions are more with nurses and physicians. They can be just as bad as the general customers. I plan to work in an outpatient setting for a few years, then open my own business. It'll be a combination of specialty practices such as MTM (medication therapy management), home medical equipment and home infusion.

Would you recommend the career to others?
One big downfall is student loans. I'm sure you guys have heard of physicians owing 300-500k in school loans, wasting years of potential income, opportunity cost, etc. Well I'll be about a quarter mill in the hole, so there's a big financial burden that comes with it. But in the end I'd recommend it due to flexibility, many areas to practice in, great job outlook, rewarding career, prestige factor and income (once loans are paid off).

I'm sitting at work doing nothing, so here we go...

Gender: Male
Age: 25
Location: CA

Occupation: tax accountant (corporate taxes at a middle sized public accounting firm, used to work at a big4)

Education: BA. Economics, CPA

2010 Compensation: $65K, $6.5K bonus (10%)

Future Salary Projection: I'm actually getting a raise on March 1st but my boss hasn't told me what it is yet. I'm guessing at least 10% since I didn't get a raise when I was promoted from staff to senior 6 months ago. I expect around 5% a year in raises annually and probably 10% during promotional years. I probably won't make partner since I'm somewhat of an introvert but I still expect to at least make director or go work in industry which should get me around $200k a year eventually.

Benefits: Health, Vision, Dental, 401k, standard

Whats the job like: I work in "cycles." During some parts of the year I'll work 12-13 hour days for weeks (including weekends) and then once all that work is done, I'll sit at my desk for a couple of days with nothing to do but browse slickdeals. I am a corporate accountant at a public accounting firm which means I do tax returns and tax provisions for Company's that range from small start ups to large companies that everyone's heard of. The work itself can be quite boring and sometimes I actually hate it, but there are other times when its actually intellectually stimulating.

Would you recommend the career to others?: I think its a good career but it certainly isn't for everyone. Most people outside the accounting world don't know it but the hours can be crazy, when I was at a Big4 I once worked 6 weeks straight without a day off and also once worked 22 hours straight. I'm not saying I'm the hardest working person in the world but I know the demands are a turn off for a lot of people. Other than the hours, I would say its a solid (but sometimes boring) way to earn a living. I'm not really sure how I got in to this profession, it's not something that I wanted to do but kind of "fell in to" during college. I took a couple of accounting classes then got sold on the whole Big4 sell the firms do on campus.

I'm surprised you're sitting around doing nothing since it is busy season for tax accountants everywhere....

Quote from taxman1120 : I'm sitting at work doing nothing, so here we go... Gender: Male Age: 25 Location: CA Occupation: tax accountant (corporate taxes at a middle sized public accounting firm, used to work at a big4) Education: BA. Economics, CPA 2010 Compensation: $65K, $6.5K bonus (10%) Future Salary Projection: I'm actually getting a raise on March 1st but my boss hasn't told me what it is yet. I'm guessing at least 10% since I didn't get a raise when I was promoted from staff to senior 6 months ago. I expect around 5% a year in raises annually and probably 10% during promotional years. I probably won't make partner since I'm somewhat of an introvert but I still expect to at least make director or go work in industry which should get me around $200k a year eventually. Benefits: Health, Vision, Dental, 401k, standard Whats the job like: I work in "cycles." During some parts of the year I'll work 12-13 hour days for weeks (including weekends) and then once all that work is done, I'll sit at my desk for a couple of days with nothing to do but browse slickdeals. I am a corporate accountant at a public accounting firm which means I do tax returns and tax provisions for Company's that range from small start ups to large companies that everyone's heard of. The work itself can be quite boring and sometimes I actually hate it, but there are other times when its actually intellectually stimulating. Would you recommend the career to others?: I think its a good career but it certainly isn't for everyone. Most people outside the accounting world don't know it but the hours can be crazy, when I was at a Big4 I once worked 6 weeks straight without a day off and also once worked 22 hours straight. I'm not saying I'm the hardest working person in the world but I know the demands are a turn off for a lot of people. Other than the hours, I would say its a solid (but sometimes boring) way to earn a living. I'm not really sure how I got in to this profession, it's not something that I wanted to do but kind of "fell in to" during college. I took a couple of accounting classes then got sold on the whole Big4 sell the firms do on campus.

Quote from a504boi : I'm surprised you're sitting around doing nothing since it is busy season for tax accountants everywhere....

I do corporate taxes. Almost all calendar year provisions are done and extensions aren't due for another month.

I was just offered a 10% raise by the neighboring health department!

Quote from DentalPain : Gender: Male Age: 30 Location: FL Occupation: Dentist (county health dept.) Education: Univ. of Florida Finance/Insurance Undergrad, Dentistry Grad 2010 Compensation: $170k "soft" dollars: 120K salary + 12K in 401k + full medical/dental/vision + 32K/yr lean repayment (NHSC) Future Salary Projection: ? Whats the job like: Work on child medicaid patients. See 15-25 pt /day. Make my own tx plans. Administrators are non-dentist, strict but reasonable.

Quote from DentalPain : I was just offered a 10% raise by the neighboring health department!

Are you going to accept the offer or bargain for a better salary in your current position?

Quote from taxman1120 : I'm sitting at work doing nothing, so here we go... Gender: Male Age: 25 Location: CA Occupation: tax accountant (corporate taxes at a middle sized public accounting firm, used to work at a big4) Education: BA. Economics, CPA 2010 Compensation: $65K, $6.5K bonus (10%) Future Salary Projection: I'm actually getting a raise on March 1st but my boss hasn't told me what it is yet. I'm guessing at least 10% since I didn't get a raise when I was promoted from staff to senior 6 months ago. I expect around 5% a year in raises annually and probably 10% during promotional years. I probably won't make partner since I'm somewhat of an introvert but I still expect to at least make director or go work in industry which should get me around $200k a year eventually. Benefits: Health, Vision, Dental, 401k, standard Whats the job like: I work in "cycles." During some parts of the year I'll work 12-13 hour days for weeks (including weekends) and then once all that work is done, I'll sit at my desk for a couple of days with nothing to do but browse slickdeals. I am a corporate accountant at a public accounting firm which means I do tax returns and tax provisions for Company's that range from small start ups to large companies that everyone's heard of. The work itself can be quite boring and sometimes I actually hate it, but there are other times when its actually intellectually stimulating. Would you recommend the career to others?: I think its a good career but it certainly isn't for everyone. Most people outside the accounting world don't know it but the hours can be crazy, when I was at a Big4 I once worked 6 weeks straight without a day off and also once worked 22 hours straight. I'm not saying I'm the hardest working person in the world but I know the demands are a turn off for a lot of people. Other than the hours, I would say its a solid (but sometimes boring) way to earn a living. I'm not really sure how I got in to this profession, it's not something that I wanted to do but kind of "fell in to" during college. I took a couple of accounting classes then got sold on the whole Big4 sell the firms do on campus.

Sorry to break it to you, but as someone who spent 9 years at a Big4 and have tons of friends still there and in industry, tax accountants don't make $200k in industry or without making partner. In industry, you probably cap out at $120-$140k unless you are the head tax person for a large multinational firm or something.