What does "level 7" actually mean and how does this translate in the industry, senior engineer? Also is this starting salary about right. Although I have no work experience my research is a good fit to the role. Thanks for your help. I'm really excited about joining Intel.
39 replies (most recent on top)
Hello NM you got a parachute, the end is near for NM, and for intel soon too.
$123k in Santa Clara? With a PhD? Yikes!! Don't hire on with a low salary, thinking that Intel will reward you later, because they won't!! Intel used to reward hard work, but that was in the 90s. For comparison, I am a technician with a 2 year community college degree and I make over $100k with Intel in New Mexico. New Mexico is obviously way cheaper than California, they are ripping you off.
OP, can you share what group you are joining... I can't believe you didn't get offers from other companies with brighter trajectories than this one.
You do know the CEO is a San Jose State Graduate..
The real OP here. Thanks for the genuine advice. Screw the losers. I'm happy with the offer and look forward to joining.
$123K sounds too low for a PHD out of school. I would hold out for a more like $145K in Hillsboro and $185K in SC. Those are real numbers I've been seeing.
Assuming the OP is still reading and has tuned out the trolls, here's my two cents. Intel is probably OK for an entry level engineering position. But look around for better first. Especially in the Bay Area. And if you accept Intel, do not stay too long. The future for this company is murky right now (though I am not among the haters predicting its demise). It will be a very different company, assuming it survives intact, five years from now. They send very mixed messages about "lifetime career" but can't support it with reality anymore. They have also fallen off of every "best companies to work for" list. Their outdated "focal" system is brutal and anti-collaboration.
OP if you joing intel pitty you poor SOB.
Intel is being BK'd, Moore's Law is dead, x86 is getting ARM'd
BBB
OP = Cuckoo
OP again. Just kidding. F you guys, I am taking the offer. I am not like you ISP/VSP losers.
OP here. I have decided not to take the offer
I am in HR, I will track you down. And I will make sure if you join Intel I will lay you off next year.
No matter you will pay 50% in taxes, do something you like. If money motivated go get a MBA. Get Intel to pay for the weekend UC Berk program. Anyway in 20 years all Engineering jobs will have no American content. You really can't live in Bay Area on less than 200 to 250k, with wife and a kid.
It might be better for you (with no experience) to start out in low salary range. That way you have more time to learn and improve. Start out too high, there will be a lot of expectation from you, it might set you up for failure. Just be careful, Intel has a notoriously nightmare review process where they pitch one employee vs another, either you kill your co-worker or they will kill you.
Poor salary if u compare with Hillsboro grade 7 phds with zero experience (RCGs) base salary of 117,700$..Santa Clara is way too expensive compared to Hillsboro.
The industry is full of highly educated idiots who can't find their asswith both hands.
There was a time years ago when having experience at Intel on your resume was a big plus. Now other companies wonder why you stayed as long as you did and see it as a negative. Unless you can get a significant role in an R&D project, which you probably won't with no experience, only take the job if it's your only offer and don't stay long.
Remember in the Bay Area a 1b/1b apartment rents for over $3000/mo. Anything decent is $4K so you'll be spending a big part of your after tax income just on rent.
Read your offer carefully. You should have some 13% coat of living adjustment which would bout count as your base, meaning your bonus is calculated from the base . All these comments here are so ignorant.
Your offer is average or above average ( assuming you are not including the 13% in your reported figure), especially if you are in hardware . I would say stay the hell away from Intel if you want a career in software. Also, the company is making a shift in its goals. In the past five years, the emphasis was on system development , outside in design. Now, it seems that the leadership wants to focus on areas of strength , I. E. Component . So if you have aspirations in system design, I would stay away again. But if you want to be hardcore VLSI , validation, or analog, it's a decent company to start your career at. Just don't become complacent
A grade 7 earning a grade 8 salary, then why are grade 8 doing grade 9 work not getting paid a grade 9 salary.
Intel has lost it. It makes no sense.
It is time to start looking for another job. No way that a grade 8 is going to be slave doing loads of work and only get paid $120k when such job offers are being made to idi0ts fresh from school with no experience or practical skills.
Warning. R&D slots have the most Indian and Chinese unless you Are foreign born like Intel founders I would go elsewhere. Intel does not white males. Stay away
Grade 7 is standard - can confirm.
The bigger issues is why Intel?
There is no growth which means limited career opportunities. If I were young and talented, I wouldn't want to work for a dinosaur. Plenty of other options in the Bay Area.
I'm with @xiw, when did we start hiring PH.D. RCG's as gr7? Used to be gr6 unless they had 3 years experience
120 in bay area is super low. Wont recommend.
RCG, on your first day, please sign your ISP paperwork. We would have appreciated your contribution to Intel, but your offer was made before our ACT program.
Intel HR
Always hard for the experienced engineer in a dead and career to fathom, but market rate is what intel needs to pay for the new talent even though it is green and useless for the first year or two.
If you are good you should get promo'd to GR8, or be happy some useless and overpaid GR7 is in your rank group protecting you. Don't worry the RCG will get the level 4/5 stock to protecting you and still allowing your rank group to make distribution too, win all the way around for all, except for the experienced that got kicked to the curb to make headroom for the useless RCGs, BK'd again by BK
@OP-BWHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAAAA!
Thanks. I needed a good laugh.
Thanks guys I really appreciate the honest feedback. Looks like it really depends where you join in Intel.
RCG PhD all come in as GR7, the salary would be dependent on geographical location and expertise.
I can tell you that in Hillsboror we hire lots of PhD into the development / manufacturing where they are material science, chemE, physics, EE and you'd be on the very high side of salary even for a Tier 1. It is a hard job where people work 7 days a week, are on call by pager / laptop 7x24 with no relief till Moore's Law ends and the ship hits an iceberg.
If you are going to the bay area where millionaires are dime a dozen as are 6 figure fancy cars makes sense you make top dollar, but 125K doesn't go far there.
Hopefully you got a good career track, as Intel as a company just did a big layoff, has a broken strategy, is led by a less than industry leader with any sort of vision. You should consider that deeply before joining. Intel is a ship taking water, maybe will sink in the next 2-4 years, go the way of Kodak... I say that not with malice, the company really has a broken strategy currently and no response to address the assault of ARM, end of Moore's Law and any real strategy.
Think carefully and don't waste your education by hitching to what is a dead horse.
Hey pal, don't get your enthusiasm and morale go down by believing the negative comments posted here. Those posting bad messages about intel are all trash that were thrown out of the company recently. Intel is a great company to work for. These bastards were all these for decades till they became useless. Now, they are just badmouthing about intel. it is really a great firm and you have good amount of opportunities there to grow. Don't mess up your career by focusing on money - your primary aim should be get really good at whatever you are put into. Money will come automatically when you really make a difference. The fools trying to discourage you are all useless rotten asses. Don't believe their words. All the best for a successful career.
Thanks for the advice feedback. The offer looks a little low. I might try my luck and ask for a bit more.
I think you can do better Remer 123 is like 90k, or less at many of the Nat labs like Los Almos...you need more. When you buy a home starter at 1mm plus you will need 250 down. Plus you will have to work with old, fat white guys. No one to learn from.... good luck. Why are you not going to work for a smaller fir. Intel will be at least 30% smaller in 3 years. If I was in my late 20 s I would run away from Intel. If I was 55 or older I would stay and hope to retire
Check glassdoor.com
In the bay area you can find a much better job with s higher starting salary.
Grade 7 is standard hiring level for someone with a PhD and no previous experience. Salary seems OK, but I will let SC people chime in. You might want to consider the state of the company in your decision, morale is extremely low after the current round of layoffs started 2 months ago and the strategic direction of the company is cloudy at best. Also, which group are you hiring into? For example, NTG/Intel Labs had small impact from layoffs so they might be OK to join. Other groups such as PEG are in disarray.
Your offer is standard for PhD candidates, and it is equivalent to Senior Engineer
This is my first job I don't want to mess things up. I just don't want to be taken advantage of with a low salary and grade.
Uh why not ask HR?
depends, what is your target bonus amount?