Salary
Average Salary: $74,280
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $3,101,000
Salaries for new coders generally start at $80,000-$90,000 on the coasts and $40,000-$60,000 in flyover country (source). Why is there such variation, you ask?
First, where you live determines how much you earn. If you're in Silicon Valley, you have to make a lot in order to cover the high cost of living. If you're employed by a Silicon Valley startup but you choose to work out of your house in Des Moines, Iowa, you're going to make significantly less money because the cost of living in the middle of a cornfield is much, much lower than the cost of living in sunny, smoggy California.
Second, who you work for determines how much you earn. While the Googles of the world can throw mad cash at recruits, smaller software companies don't have the capital to pay their employees as well.
This doesn't mean you should pass up working for that three-man startup in Seattle, however: If you get in early with a company that everyone's going to be looking to buy in a year or two, you'll make more money in one fell swoop at that wee startup than you ever could've toiling away at Microsoft for a couple of decades.
Finally, how much you make depends on how much risk you embrace. Many coders want nine-to-five jobs with companies that are relatively stable and will pay them enough to maintain a solid middle to upper-middle-class living. Other coders want to live like Jay Gatsby. If your goal is to make millions or billions of dollars, then choosing a job with great stock options might be the way to go.
The nice thing about coding is that truly excellent coders are always going to be in high demand, and employers are aware of this (source). If you know your shizzle, you can expect the company you work for to promote you regularly, up your pay, bring you into the corporate bonus structure, and/or pay you an irregular bonus for a particular project.
If your employer isn't giving you all the goods, you can always ditch them for a more exciting company and better pay, and believe us: You're going to be poached. In an economy that is so reliant on what coders can do and know, you have enormous power when it comes to your career.