I’m looking for advice pertaining to negotiating a salary at my first developer job.
Background info:
I got my first job offer after about 4 years as a hobbyist. I’m proficient with HTML/CSS/Javascript, React, and some related JS libraries. I attended college and studied Computer Science but didn’t graduate. I have a work gap due to serious health issues and now I’m well and able to work. I’m a military vet and in my 30’s, not a college grad aged applicant. I am single and childless.
The Job Offer:
The job title is “Website Developer” and the job ad mentions wanting a full stack developer with React experience. After two rounds of interviews I gather that the job is 95% frontend and that backend experience is not required but a plus. The job ad asks for experience and it is not labeled “entry level” or a “junior” position.
The job is in the NYC metro area and I would have to move to NYC. The office is on the outskirts of NYC and not in NYC proper, but I’d have to live in NYC proper due to a medical condition that prevents me from having a drivers license. Living in NYC instead of 20 miles outside the city (where the office is) would enable me to commute via train.
The company offered me an initial offer of $54,000, which may be decent in the mid-west, but is a low salary for the NYC metro area. My rent in NYC would be close to $2,000 a month and $54,000 comes to about $1,700 every two weeks before taxes. The Glassdoor estimate for this position is $54-$119k. Even a lot of “junior” web dev positions in NYC pay $80 0r $90k.
Should I negotiate a higher salary? If so, what’s the best way to go about negotiating?
This is my first dev job, I’m 30+, and have no degree. Throw in the pandemic and all of this makes negotiating a hirer salary tough. My job prospects are limited due to my disability and lack of transportation. I’d love to have any web dev job and get my foot in the door, but $54k a year in NYC is going to be very tough. I also don’t want to blow this opportunity, it took me a long time to get an offer and the economy is brutal right now.
Would love some advice on whether or not to negotiate a higher salary and if so, how to do that.