So I’m currently making 100k at 23 as a female software engineer at my first tech job. Ik I’m pretty lucky to make that. I do a great job at my company. Been there for 7 months so far. After a year, how much of a raise should I expect on average, if any? Would love some advice or your own stories.

Check Glassdoor and LinkedIn first but I’d say push for at least 15-20% that you’d end up in a sweet spot between 10-15%!

I love seeing a mature youngster .. keep it up 👍

Yearly raises are really more inflation adjustments, so if you can keep track with that you’re fine. Big raises come with title promotions or (far more often in our industry) job changes. Usually the first big promotion happens about 3 years in, and then after that you basically have to switch companies every few years if you want your pay to go anywhere, at least at the big names.

You’re not a female software engineer. You’re a software engineer.

Pay attention to how the business is doing. Struggling financials, you’ll be lucky to get anything. Hiring freezes, could mean they are being cautious. If you waltz in asking for money when the company is struggling it sends a message that you have entitlement and not deserving of the increase. You are fine for first job and entry, but if you are looking to have an increase after a year, do this in the meantime.
1 - ask for feedback from peers and managers on your work regularly. Present it as “I want to continue to learn and improve, so I’d love some feedback on XX”
2 - Keep track of things you’ve improved and the work that you have done to contribute beyond just your regular work
3 - make it clear you want to stay at the company, here and there, don’t over do it
4 - at 8 months, ask your manager how you are doing work wise, where you need to improve and take action on it. Recap that conversation in an email if it was on zoom. Basically, if they say, all good you’re fine - send an email thanking them for taking the time to give you guidance and advising you’re trending in the right direction, and add in a few things you are going to keep doing. If they identify things you need to be doing, do those things and document in email how you plan to address that over next few months
5 - at 12 month mark, talk to them about considering a role progression increase, identify the successes and the commitments and the Return on their Investment in you, then if the company is stable, you can talk to them about a 10-15% increase to stay with market - if they are unstable, half that.
Don’t threaten to quit if you don’t get it, but advise that you are aware of your worth in the market due to recruiter outreach and peer network.
Ask your manager when they think they could get an answer, hold them to it, even offer to help build the case for it with them if that’s helpful.
Doing the above creates a paper trail of progress that can’t be ignored.
They might say no because budgets are locked down, that could be true - ask when they would be available and consider asking when they would revisit this.

The unfortunate thing about being a female in a male dominated industry is your achievements and hard work may not always be noticed or remembered.

Keep good notes and try to quantify exactly what your value to the company is. Especially if your manager ever compliments you for saving/making the company money.
Keeping good notes will help you a lot during any performance reviews or if you have to make the case for why you deserve a raise.

I hate to say it but irrespective of gender in general pay rises only usually track to inflation.

To me that's the bare minimum. If it's not doing that then am I being valued less this year than last year?

Larger rises usually only come when you're absolutely crushing it or get a promotion. If you're in that spot then hell yeah ask for it.

A lot of companies don’t give automatic raises every year and only tiny cost of living increases like 3%. Not sure where you work but this is the reality for lots of professionals who crush it.

Not to be a bummer but more of a reality check.

I have never given someone a raise in their 1st year. They were just hired and still have a lot of training/delivering value before they are considered for a raise.

Many large (nonFANG) tech companies allocate adjustments via an amount tied to inflation. Managers are assigned an adjustment budget. Poor performers might get 1-2% less while great performers get 1-2% more.

No matter how much I want to reward incredible performance, the annual salary adjustment is rarely the place to do that. Bonus, out of cycle adjustment, and promotion are the tools to reward superstars.

Unfortunately our market/field revolves around the 3% raises (heck sometimes there’s no raise at all especially during this market). If you are comfortable and have a pretty transparent manager, you should discuss this as soon as you can. Whether it be during a 1-on-1 or just a quick huddle. It’s important to figure out what the company is thinking as far as raises go versus your expectations.

Do you live in a VHCOL/HCOL or MCOL/LCOL area? Also, is the $100k TC or salary? Because $100k sounds amazing for a 23 year old with less than 1 YOE if you're in a MCOL/LCOL area.

SWE with less than 1 YE? Unless you're a rock star and have been told so by peers or higher ups, I wouldn't try to negotiate anything. You'll risk coming across as entitled, which you don't want to be in a recessionary environment.

Not trying to discourage you. But you should realize that this is your 1st job. Nowadays, the job market is difficult especially for people who don’t have plenty of experience because there are so many experience people without a job. I would suggest that you concentrate to grow your skill and compensation will come by itself. Wait until the economy back to normal and see if you still like it there. If not then run.

Don't expect a raise, please make sure you ask for one. Nobody is going to choose to give any of us more money. Unfortunately we live in a world where we have to ask for it. Please don't wait to ask for what you deserve.

between 5-10k

In terms of what's possible, definitely look at similarly sized companies in your city on Glassdoor and figure out the salary ranges. Most will have a couple of salaries listed for junior/SWE 1.

Another huge part to this is actively working with your manager to ensure that you're on their radar for a promotion, and what you should expect given your current performance. Companies have defined budgets for raises and the earlier you line that conversation up, the better. With your 1 year mark about 5 months out, it's a good time to start talking to them.

Taking note of your performance and accomplishments so far will help your manager make a strong case for a raise. Grab a copy of The Manager's Path too, there's a wealth of information in there about what to expect from managers and setting up expectations. It's like a manual for all stages of a software engineering career. Hugely helpful for anyone in the industry!

Usually yearly raises are just 3-6% for inflation from my experience and if you want more, ask. You don’t know until you ask. The way to increase compensation quickly is switch companies, usually around 10-30%.