Latest / The Career Change Podcast with Fexingo: Switching Fields, Bootcamps, and Reskilling / How Bootcamp Grads Can Negotiate Their First Tech Salary
Transcript
- Lucas: So you just finished a coding bootcamp. You've sent out a hundred applications, you've done the technical screenings, and finally an offer lands in your inbox. The salary number is good — maybe $85,000, $90,000 — but it's not great. You're excited, but also a little disappointed. Now what? Luna: For a lot of bootcamp grads, the answer is: nothing. They just accept it. And that's a mistake. Lucas: A big one. There's a survey from a bootcamp alumni network, published in early 2025 — it covered about 1,200 graduates who got their first tech job within six months of graduating. Only 34 percent negotiated their initial offer. But those who did saw an average salary bump of $12,500. Luna: That's a massive gap. And it's not like the 34 percent were all top of class or had competing offers. The study broke it down further. Lucas: Right. Even among grads who had no other offer on the table, the ones who asked for more got an average increase of $9,800. So the fear that you need leverage is mostly a myth. You just need a process. Luna: Let's talk about why bootcamp grads in particular are so reluctant. Because I think it's different from a CS grad's reluctance. Lucas: Totally. There's an imposter syndrome layer. You're coming from a non-technical background — maybe you were in retail, or teaching, or hospitality. You've been in this new field for twelve weeks. There's this voice that says 'I should be grateful they even considered me.' And sure, gratitude is fine. But gratitude doesn't pay your rent. Luna: And there's also the fear that asking for more will make them rescind the offer entirely. I've heard that from so many career changers. Lucas: That's the big one. So let's kill that myth right now. A 2023 survey from the recruiting platform Greenhouse — they polled 1,500 hiring managers and recruiters. Only 2 percent said they would rescind an offer if a candidate negotiated. 2 percent. Meanwhile, 87 percent said they expect negotiation to happen and build some wiggle room into the initial number. Luna: So the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor. And if you do get that 2 percent — honestly, that's probably not a company you want to work for anyway. Lucas: Exactly. So the first step is research. You need to know what the market pays for your role, your geography, your experience level. I think the best tool for this is Levels.fyi — it aggregates self-reported salary data by company and level. For bootcamp grads, you're typically looking at entry-level software engineer or junior developer. A lot of these companies use 'L3' or 'IC1'. Luna: And Glassdoor is still useful, but you have to filter by 'entry level' and look at recent numbers. Some of those older posts are from 2021, and salaries have shifted a lot since then. Lucas: Especially with inflation and the tightening of the tech labor market. So get three to five data points for companies similar to the one you're talking to. Not just any data — data that's specific to your city or remote region. A junior dev in Austin makes different money than one in rural Ohio. Luna: Once you have that research, what's the actual script? Because I think the biggest hurdle is knowing what to say. Lucas: Let's say you get a verbal offer over a video call. The recruiter says 'We're thrilled to offer you $90,000.' Your instinct might be to say 'Thank you, I accept.' But instead, you say this: 'Thank you so much. This is exciting. I'd like to take a day or two to review the full offer package. Can you send me the written details?' Luna: That buys you time. And it's completely normal — no recruiter is surprised by that request. Lucas: Right. Then you look at the full package: base salary, equity, signing bonus, benefits. Sometimes the base is fixed but there's room on the signing bonus or equity. Then you come back with a specific ask. 'Based on my research, the market range for this role in this location is $95,000 to $105,000. I'm very excited about this opportunity and I'd like to accept, but I'm hoping we can adjust the base to $98,000. Is that possible?' Luna: Notice you didn't threaten to walk. You didn't mention another offer you don't have. You just made a reasonable, data-backed request. Lucas: And you said 'is that possible' instead of 'I need.' That phrasing invites collaboration rather than confrontation. The recruiter now has something to take back to the compensation team. Luna: What if they come back and say no? That's the next fear. Lucas: Then you have a choice. You can accept at the original number, or you can ask for a one-time adjustment after six months, or a guaranteed performance review at six months instead of twelve. Some companies will agree to a 'sign-on bonus' as a one-time bump if base is locked. But here's the thing: even if they say no, you haven't lost anything. You're in the same position you were before you asked. Luna: And you've signaled that you're someone who advocates for yourself. That's a good impression, not a bad one. Lucas: Exactly. I want to share a real example. A friend of mine, Sarah, graduated from a bootcamp in Denver last year. She got an offer from a mid-size SaaS company for $82,000. She researched and saw the median for entry-level in Denver was $92,000. She didn't have a competing offer. She asked for $92,000. They came back with $88,000. She took it. Luna: So she got a $6,000 increase. That's meaningful. Lucas: And it took one email. The whole negotiation was three exchanges over two days. She told me later that the recruiter actually said 'I'm glad you asked, most bootcamp grads don't.' Luna: That's the culture we're up against. But it's also an opportunity. Because you can be the one who does ask. Lucas: And I think that's the core message of this episode. You don't need to be a tough negotiator. You just need to prepare, ask once, and stay professional. The worst case is you get a no and you're exactly where you started. The best case is you earn thousands more per year — every year. Luna: Speaking of leveraging what you learn — if this show has helped you think through a career move or a negotiation strategy, that's exactly why we do it. And listener support is the reason we can keep these episodes ad-free. If you've found value in episodes like this one, consider buying us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It helps us keep the lights on and the content coming. Lucas: Yeah, we really appreciate that. It makes a difference. So back to negotiation — one tactic that's underused is asking for a delayed start date as leverage. If you can afford to wait an extra two weeks, you can sometimes get a higher offer because the hiring manager wants you to start before the end of the quarter. Luna: That's a clever move. Timing matters. Also, don't forget to negotiate non-salary items: remote flexibility, professional development budget, extra vacation days. If base salary is firm, those can still be valuable. Lucas: Absolutely. A $2,000 learning stipend for conferences or certifications is worth real money. And it's often easier for a company to say yes to that than to change the base salary. Luna: So to wrap up: research, ask for time, make a specific request, and don't be afraid of a no. That's the playbook. Lucas: And remember, the company already decided they want you. Negotiation doesn't change that. It just determines the terms. Go get what you're worth.