Am I being underpaid as a Senior SRE in India?

I get it’s easy to want a bump to 50 LPA, but you need to think about what that actually means for overall job satisfaction. Changing jobs is a whole process, and the increase in salary might not be as significant once taxes kick in. Is your current position not satisfying enough? That’s something worth considering before making any moves.

Yeah, that salary range makes sense. You could probably negotiate up to 50-54 LPA with your skills, but your real potential will unlock when you step into a Principal role. It's smart to focus on leadership and demonstrating impact in your current job; that’ll really help your transition.

You're really on the right track considering moving to a Principal Engineer role. With your solid tech stack, just make sure to highlight your leadership skills and experience with large-scale projects. It could really set you apart. By the way, I came across an article that might help you with the transition to a Principal role; it's worth checking out!

Honestly, 45 LPA is pretty low for a Senior SRE with 12 years of experience. In Pune, senior roles like yours are typically between 55 to 65 LPA, and if you're in Bangalore or Hyderabad, it’s usually around 60 to 75 LPA or more. As for the Principal Engineer role, the compensation can start at 70 LPA and often goes above 1 crore in these cities, depending on the company and options—Pune might be a bit lower, around 60 to 80 LPA. The main difference in scope is that Senior SREs are more hands-on, while Prinicipals are involved in setting high-level infra standards, mentoring others, and making big picture decisions.

What company are you with? Are you in a product-based setup or something else? I have quite similar experience and recently received an offer for 30 LPA, which is way lower than yours. My current salary is only 20 LPA!