I disagree with some of what the other reply said. While location plays a role, it is not shockingly different. I live in a small town. I work from home. The difference between my salary and San Francisco is roughly 30k. So there but not crazy.

You also don’t need to go to top schools and have connections. I went to a state school AFTER I entered the industry. Quite a few companies no longer do college checks because honestly it’s unnecessary in software and I wish I would have said fuck it and kept the money.

Currently college grads (4 year only) are walking into roles with a base of 120-150 and 75-100k in stock. On the higher end, some seniors (>7 years) are making 220k base and 800k-1mil in stocks.

Id say to hit my salary the range is 4-8 years total. To hit six figures, either 2 years experience and be fairly decent or a 4 year degree.

Please note however that much of my career is with larger companies. A small shop won’t pay nearly as well.