How much does a Computer Programmer usually make hourly?

Currently I'm making 10 an hour and I'm not sure if I'm underpaid or not. I think that they may be trying to take advantage of me because I'm so willing to work for them and I'm only 18... I'm the youngest guy in the office, but I'm not going to be the stupidest.





The company creates services for other companies (email archiving, secure email transfer, Firewall test, Server Reports... etc) and I'm the person (along with one other coworker) that actually puts these things into action. I'm required to know VBA, VB.NET, C#, asp.NET 1.1 and 2.0 and miscillaneous protocols (SMTP for example). Do I deserve more then 10/hr? or am I just worrying about nothing?

How much does a Computer Programmer usually make hourly?
dude, you're definately getting under paid. i mean for the work you do, people usually get $25 to $45 an hour with 3 to 5 years of experience but as you're only 18 and a fresher company is taking the advantage. Still you should be paid atleast $15+. i'd say demand pay rise by proving yourself and also get couple of years experience to find some good project with handsome pay. your experience will surely be counted.





good luck.





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Now that you've explained more about your knowledge, certifications, experience, and personal interest; i bet you can get 70k - 75k per annum to start with, or 30 - 35 on hourly basis for sure. You must demand this or else you should try and find another job. This is what the prevailing wage rate is for a computer programmer/analyst with the tools/technology you work on! All the best.
Reply:No way 70k-75k right now. He's a college student lol. I agree he's underpaid but $15-$20 is what he should expect not much more for a (I assume) part time side job to pay for college.





Now once he graduates, that's a different story. But that's not the timeframe of the question. Report It

Reply:If you know all that you should get a lot more, but if you don't have any experience I would suggest to get some experience and than move on. As you are only 18 you should be greatfull that you are already in the field, next thing you should do is, get a degree in computer science, a must if you want to move up the ladder. Beside all this, I can't imagine a programmer getting $10 per hour.
Reply:It depends on what you are doing and how much experience you have. At 18, you are at an entry level position. If they were going to pay more they could hire somebody with lots of years experience. They could do the job faster or better and have more knowledge of things like security and performace optimization. Also, are you a software developer? Or do you just install and maintain the software? Actual developers will always be paid more than the webmasters that maintenece them.





As far as $10/hr., it's fair for how much experience you have. Look at it as building your experience up. If your good at your job and become a hard to replace asset to your company, then you should start making more. You should always be on the lookout for another job oportunity that pays more. And with growing experience your future oportunities will increase.
Reply:10 dollars an hour is ROBBERY. They are using you.
Reply:Depending on your experience/quality of work/etc. that should be how much an employer bases your salary off of...If you have experieance or proven yourself as a reliable source of good programming methodology then I can honestly tell you that I would be asking for more than $10 an hour. However, being only 18 I'm guessing you might not have as much experience. I can tell you right now that the software company I work for pays well over that much for their programmers.
Reply:Knowledge is one thing, experience is another. Both are very important to pay scale.





You have some knowledge but not the experience. $10 / hour does seem a bit low. My first programming job when I was around your age was for $14/hour and at the time I probably knew about as much as you know now. So I was pretty good for my age. But that was 12 years ago. So I would expect at least that much if not a bit more today.
Reply:This is not a simple question.





If you are looking for just the numbers, go to www.salary.com where they have a simple salary calculator and based on your experience and geographical location you can decide if you are well paid or not.





You can also assess how much value you are giving to the company. You seem to feel you are quite important to it, since you say that another guy and you are the ones that make the place work. Don't use this reasoning to black mail your boss, but if you really feel you are underpaid, talk to him/her and explain them the situation. There is nothing wrong with asking that question to your boss. They should be able to work it out with them.





At the end of the day, people are paid what they can negotiate, not what they are worth. So you just need to make sure you feel OK with what you are being paid. If you feel bad about it it will make your job miserable, while if you are OK or happy about it things tend to be a lot better.





Hope this helps.
Reply:If only I was so good programmer to get paid for it...


Now, I can only do that as a hobby. And I'm 18 too. :(
Reply:Where are you physically located? that affects your salary. But 10/hr does sound low, assuming you have the experience you claim you have. Also, you definitely need a college degree. In general, people to jump into programming without a college degree lacks understanding in basic computer-related information (ie. bits, hardware designs, algorithms, data structures, etc.); which affects their performance, and in turn, affects their salary. Besides, its easier to find a job when you have a degree. If your really interested in seeing how much your worth, go look for another job. See what kind of offers you can get.
Reply:Are you happy? If you think you are underpaid then discuss it with your supervisor and ask for adequate compensation. Check www.computerjobs.com for your level of talent, expertise, and experience to see what is offered out there.


If you are only 18 then be grateful for the experience and learn what you can. Get a degree and certifications under your belt and move on to bigger and better when you have them. The experience will be a big + for you so don't discredit it entirely for now.