Follow+Star PublicAccount, don’t miss out on exciting contentSource | Big Fish RoboticsToday, I asked DeepSeek the following question:How much can an embedded software developer earn from the age of 22, when they graduate from a regular undergraduate program, until retirement?
1. Career Stages and Salary Levels
1. Junior Engineer (0-3 years)
Salary Range: Annual salary approximately 80,000-150,000 RMB
Basis: The starting salary for fresh graduates is usually low, but the demand in the embedded industry is strong.
Weisheng Group’s embedded software engineer fresh graduate annual salary is about 165,000-330,000 RMB (11,000-22,000 RMB × 15 months), while the industry entry-level average annual salary is 40,000-70,000 RMB.
Overall, first-tier cities or large companies may offer higher starting salaries, while small and medium-sized enterprises may be closer to the lower limit.
2. Intermediate Engineer (3-5 years)
Salary Range: Annual salary approximately 150,000-300,000 RMB
Basis: After more than 3 years of experience, salaries increase significantly.
According to Liepin, the average monthly salary for embedded application software development engineers with 3-5 years of experience is 25,207 RMB (annual salary approximately 300,000 RMB), while the average annual salary for microcontroller embedded positions with 3-5 years of experience is about 159,000 RMB.
3. Senior Engineer (5-10 years)
Salary Range: Annual salary approximately 300,000-500,000 RMB
Basis: Salaries further increase with technical depth or management capabilities.
Senior embedded engineers at large companies like Huawei can earn an annual salary of 200,000-350,000 RMB, while popular fields like deep reinforcement learning (e.g., Yushu Technology) can reach 400,000-700,000 RMB.
4. Expert/Senior Engineer (10+ years)
Salary Range: Annual salary approximately 500,000-1,000,000+ RMB
Basis: Senior engineers or technical experts with over 10 years of experience see significant salary increases. For example, senior engineers at Huawei can earn 420,000-700,000 RMB (30,000-50,000 RMB × 14 months), and some top companies’ algorithm engineers can even exceed 1 million RMB annually.
2. Total Career Income Estimation
Assuming you work from age 22 to 60 (a total of 38 years), accumulating the median salary at different stages:
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First 3 years: Average 120,000 RMB × 3 years = 360,000 RMB
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3-5 years: Average 225,000 RMB × 2 years = 450,000 RMB
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5-10 years: Average 400,000 RMB × 5 years = 2,000,000 RMB
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10-20 years: Average 600,000 RMB × 10 years = 6,000,000 RMB
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20-30 years: Average 800,000 RMB × 10 years = 8,000,000 RMB
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30-38 years: Average 900,000 RMB × 8 years = 7,200,000 RMB
Total approximately 24,010,000 RMB (not including bonuses, stock options, inflation, and salary increases from job changes).
3. Key Influencing Factors
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Regional Differences: Salaries in first-tier cities (e.g., Shenzhen, Hangzhou) are generally 30%-50% higher than in second-tier cities..
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Type of Company: Large companies (e.g., Huawei, Yushu Technology): higher salary caps, but greater work intensity.
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Small and medium-sized enterprises: lower salaries, but potentially more stability..
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Technical Direction: Algorithm positions (e.g., deep reinforcement learning, AI): salaries significantly higher than traditional embedded development.
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Hardware driver development: moderate salaries, but stable demand..
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Career Transition: Transitioning to management (technical manager) or architect roles can further increase salaries.
4. Industry Trends and Recommendations
1. Long-term Demand: Embedded development continues to grow in fields like IoT, robotics, and autonomous driving, with salary levels expected to remain high..
2. Skill Upgrading: Mastering cutting-edge technologies such as AI, multi-sensor fusion, and distributed systems can significantly enhance competitiveness..
3. Career Planning:
Early Stage: Solidify fundamentals in C/C++, RTOS, hardware interfaces, etc.
Mid Stage: Expand algorithm capabilities (e.g., SLAM, reinforcement learning)..
Long Term: Accumulate project management experience or transition to cross-domain (e.g., robotics, AI).
5. Conclusion
Conservatively estimated, your total career income will be between 20,000,000-30,000,000 RMB (calculated based on current purchasing power), depending on technical path, company choice, and personal development.
It is recommended to continuously focus on high-paying fields (e.g., robotics, AI) and enhance overall capabilities to maximize income potential.
What do you think? See you in the comments~
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