Software Founder
Builds and sells a software product, usually small before it is large. Highest leverage and highest failure rate together.
- Pay band (est.)
- $103k–$164k
- Time to competence
- 6 years
- Licence
- None
- Setting
- desk
- Leverage
- high
- Place constraint
- low
- Physical demand
- 8/100
- Hours burden
- 85/100
Factor percentiles
Percentile against the whole curated set. Higher is better on that factor only.
- Play79th
Absorbing rather than merely paid.
- Specific knowledge89th
A combination of skills that is hard to copy.
- Leverage86th
Output that scales through code, media, capital or crew.
- Demand54th
Durability and shortage, scored conservatively.
- Pay75th
Mid-career floor and the range above it.
- Body69th
Inverse of physical demand and hours.
- Autonomy96th
Control of methods and time.
- People fit77th
Distance from your preferred people level.
- Place flexibility96th
Remote fit and freedom from specific metros.
- Time to skill44th
Inverse of years to competence.
- Meaning load50th
Closeness to the families you marked as meaningful. Your mapping, not ours.
- Downside tolerance77th
Inverse of named risk to body, market or platform.
Downside
Most attempts return nothing; no floor under the income at all.
Examine this against your weights
The percentiles above use the default weights. Set your own on the ranking and this vocation moves with them.
- Place constraint is low. Where you live is analysed at locationistics.com.
- Hours burden is 85/100 and people intensity 65/100. Who you are with is analysed at relationistics.com.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2024, General and Operations Managers (11-1021): median $102,950, 75th percentile (90th not published) $164,130. Outlook from BLS 2025-35 projections, +5.0%. Other scores editorial. All figures are estimates for comparison.