tech

One of Silicon Valley’s prominent venture capitalists, Marc Andreessen, once said, “software is eating the world.” Profit margins for software are high, and at the same time, distributing software is becoming cheaper and easier. As a result, engineers are handsomely compensated in today's labor market. This is especially true in tech hubs such as Silicon Valley, Seattle, and New York City. In this article, I'll step through a hypothetical, but realistic scenario of a software engineer starting their career in Silicon Valley in 2019 at a big tech company. We will see how long it takes to reach $4,000,000.

Choosing a college is a big decision, especially for a 17-year-old. I remember feeling excited, grown-up, eager, and free. But I also remember feeling nervous, scared, uncertain, and bounded by my family's financial situation. It was not only a 4-year decision but also a $50k to $150k decision for me. In this article, I'll step through the thought process of my 17-year-old self. I'll then follow up at the end with my retrospective of the decision, after 15 years.