I've been searching for new opportunities as a DevOps/SRE Engineer for the last three months, but it's been tough. I've only received 2-3 calls, and most of them go nowhere after they hear about my 90-day notice period. Plus, the offers I've received are only offering a 30% salary increase, which feels inadequate compared to my current pay. I've noticed that job requirements have become very specific to tools, even though many tools serve similar purposes. I'm curious about the average salary range for DevOps, SRE, and Platform roles for someone with 6 years of experience. I have a background in AWS Cloud, Jenkins, GitHub actions, Ansible, Python, Bash, monitoring with Cloudwatch (and self-studying Prometheus+Grafana), and I have about a year of experience with Kubernetes (ECS, EKS). I'm also open to sharing my resume anonymously for feedback. Is the job market bad, or am I not approaching this right? I'd appreciate any suggestions or guidance.
4 Answers
I get your frustration! A 30% raise sounds decent in many places, but it really depends on your current salary. Can you share what your current salary is, so we can see if that hike seems reasonable? In my experience, many people expect around 10-20% more when switching jobs, but it seems you might be aiming for more based on your skills and market value.
Also, the market can be tough right now, especially in India, with wages differing a lot by region. What’s your current total compensation?
I feel you on the job search struggle. I have 19 years in IT and spent three months just to get a new job. I sent out 280 applications and had numerous interviews, which was exhausting. I think things have changed with AI flooding the market, making it tougher to stand out. If you're really looking for something significant and not just quick placements, maybe you need to hold out for roles that fit your expectations better.
Just to clarify, is your Python experience mostly for scripting? Some roles expect more extensive programming skills, which could impact how they view your application. If you don’t have much full-stack experience, they might place you in more traditional Ops roles rather than SRE or DevOps.
Are you looking for remote roles or just local positions? I think that might make a difference. If you're flexible with remote work, you might find more opportunities outside your immediate area.
That’s good advice! It’s definitely better to wait for the right position, especially if you have specific salary expectations. Just make sure to keep honing your skills in the meantime!