This is netto. Lucky to have graduated and signed a job offer during the peak bubble in 2021 and survived.
2022: 163k
2023: 179k
2024: 199k
job switch
2025: 231k
7 Likes
Did you also include the variable (bonus) part of your compensation? I can imagine that more ownership in a small company could pay out doubly:
- Possibility to influence the strategy
- Some share of the revenue arriving in your pocket
I think you did well to choose a place with more potential. I hope it turns out favorably for you!
2 Likes
Mind sharing what industry? 
never seen such numbers so short after graduation
1 Like
What is your job? That is an insane starting salary tbh
My guess: (US) tech
That’s a great starting salary. I remember my starting salary being 8x less. You’ll be FI in no time!
1 Like
Work as a software engineer. Was lucky to have competing offers during boom time.
2 Likes
By the way, total comp (incl. RSU vests during the year / bonus), or salary?
make hay while the sun shines!
Insane and inspiring
Mind sharing your age?
Update for 2026:
Salary structure changed and bonus got integrated into the base, which initially brought total compensation down to 142’500 CHF. Received a raise for 2026, now at 147’500 CHF.
2015–2017
Jahreslohn: 6’500 CHF (13x 500 CHF)
2017–2018
Jahreslohn: 65’000 CHF (13x 5’000 CHF)
2018–2021
Jahreslohn: 71’500 CHF (13x 5’500 CHF)
2021–2022
Jahreslohn: 91’000 CHF (13x 7’000 CHF)
2022–2024
Jahreslohn: 98’800 CHF (13x 7’600 CHF)
2024–2025
Jahreslohn: 144’950 CHF (130k base and 15k bonus)
2026 - now: Jahreslohn: 147‘500 CHF.
Team lead promotion didn’t happen as planned, but I stepped into a deputy role instead.
3 Likes
2026: 194k - same job, 14k bonus, 20k stock LTI, 3k raise
4 Likes
Update for 2026. Work in healthcare (pharma, biotech and med-tech) - Corporate Affairs/Corporate Comms/Corporate Marketing background.
- 2019 - ~ CHF 120K (UK salary)
- 2020 - CHF 215K (first year in CH) big Pharma
- 2021 - CHF 258K (promotion)
- 2022 - CHF 265K
- 2023 - CHF 270K
- 2024 - CHF 200K (re-org and laid off)
- 2025 - CHF 140K (RAV and then started my own business)
- 2026 - CHF 220K-250K (new job in medical devices)
Being laid off was rough (internal politics and BS played a role) but super happy in the new company and committed to start with a 50% savings rate and avoid lifestyle (re)inflation.
16 Likes
Good to see an example of where things go wrong, but you manage to recover.
5 Likes
Background: Software Engineer/Quant Developer, PhD in Computer Science
| Period | TC (in CHF) | Increase | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 - 2014 | 51k | standard PhD student salary at EPFL | |
| 2015 - 2019 | 91k | 78% | Swiss unicorn startup, no raises or bonuses |
| 2019 - 2020 | 120k | 31% | Finance sector company, new job in a new company |
| 2020 - 2021 | 110k | -8.3% | Finance sector company, had to find a new job due to a layoff |
| 2022 | 115k + 1.5k | 5.9% | base raise + bonus |
| 2023 | 123k + 2k | 7.2% | base raise + bonus |
| 2024 | 126k + 3k | 3.2% | base raise + bonus |
| 2025 | 128k | -0.7% | base raise |
The current company in which I work announced that there won’t be any raises or bonuses for 2026. I am trying to find another job, but the tech job market is rough due to layoffs in the sector which started around late 2022 and are still ongoing. Most of the tech positions in Zurich outside of hedge funds, big tech, and some US startups have worse total compensation than my current one, so I would be taking a cut by joining them. And the companies that pay well either almost froze hiring or are hard to get into due to increased competition.
9 Likes
By the way, do you have a network and use it? I think after 10y+ of career that’s often how to land jobs (rather than applying to an open position).
3 Likes
I try to use my network as much as possible as it’s indeed the best way to find something. I always try to ask about open positions or for a referral from my network. Referral gives a bit of leverage that it can get the foot in the door to a interview process but it doesn’t help much when companies almost stop hiring and have no open positions.
1 Like
it seems salaries in FAANG are quite different than other IT companies. Often I hear Google folks earning 400-500 K in 10 years. The disparity is striking.
1 Like
Yeah Zürich seems very bimodal. A new grad bachelor would be well above the quoted salaries. (And with 10y of experience it would be multiples higher)
500k might be a stretch, only a small percentage gets there, can be timing/luck related as well as career aggression.
Though 300k - 400k range should be very much doable in ZH. Even startups are paying 150k++ and equity.
You could try focusing on places that value that PHD.
If you suck at interviewing, you have to look for small shops only that do not do the industry standard crackhead kind of stuff, though, if you can, it might be very well worth getting good at interviewing (its mostly a time investment and patience kind of thing) because that broadens your horizons and you could clearly earn multiples of that income.
If its mostly a self-confidence problem, thats a though one, though books help. Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us by Brian Klaas | Goodreads This one is about folks whom reached certain positions. More often than not, its not their smarts.
Reading about it, might help you in the confidence area (this is also my anecdotal experience, a lot of high position high networth individuals are reckless and frankly quite dumb, but confident dumb)
6 Likes