Joel C. Ewing wrote:
[...]
A number of reasons for the SysProg salary differential:
(1)a SysProg needs a large amount of specialized training to handle
issues on hardware and operating system configuration which application
programmers never have to consider;
(2)a SysProg needs the ability to resolve those problems that
application programmers are unable to resolve, including
cross-application and performance problems which application programmers
may be ill-equipped to address;
(3)a SysProg needs a large amount of innate curiosity, an ability to
read with understanding many boring and arcane hardware and systems
manuals and documentation, and an ability to do independent research to
acquire the expertise to do (1) and (2) competently;
(4)if you don't pay enough to attract and retain good SysProgs that are
sufficiently competent at (1)-(3), then those you end up with are more
likely to make mistakes that kill not just one application system, but
the entire Operating System and all application systems. In the worst
cases everything could be down for hours or even days. A marginal
SysProg has many more opportunities than an application programmer to
make a mistake that could put the entire company out of business.
The assumption, the salary is suitable to knowledge and experience is WRONG.
We can agree with the above or not, but the market is dictating the
prices. The price depends on supply and demand. If market needs more
PFCSKs "playing" with java on mobile phones - they will be better paid.
If your company have to pay $ 1000 per day for manday of IBM GS (or
other) consultant, they probably won't pay you more, however they will
be glad to pay you $200 per day. Assuming similar skill level, etc.
How much do you know, what's your IQ, how many years did you learn -
irrelevant. Do I like it? It doesn't matter.
--
Radoslaw Skorupka
Lodz, Poland
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