What Should Be My Starting Salary?
And why the number matters less than you think
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Let’s get into today’s topic
There’s a question that comes up in every local tech circle in Pakistan.
A question that’s posted in every Facebook group, whispered in every co-working space, and sent to every mentor over DMs:
“What should be my starting salary?”
It sounds simple. But it’s not.
It’s not just about the number. It’s about fear.
The fear of being underpaid.
The fear of sounding entitled.
The fear of locking yourself into something too low, too soon, and regretting it later.
So, before we talk numbers, let me say this upfront: everything you're about to read is based on my lived experience.
I’ve worked across agencies, startups, remote teams, and local firms.
I’ve hired, mentored, and watched people go from unpaid interns to making thousands a month.
What follows isn’t the only truth out there.
But it’s real enough to be useful for anyone reading.
Oh and one more thing before we go further: never work for free.
A test task is fine. A trial week is fine. But unpaid internships? “Exposure” gigs?
That’s not a rite of passage. That’s someone taking advantage of you. Walk away.
I might do a dive on the free work culture that is growing like a cancer in this nation, but that will be for another time. For now, let’s talk Salary and stuff -
Why the “Average Salary” in Pakistan Means Nothing
If you're looking at this from outside the country, some of the salary figures might seem absurd. You might think we’re lowballing, or making them up.
But here’s the truth: the official average salary in Pakistan still hovers somewhere around $200 to $300 per month. Google it.
If you step outside the tech bubble, past the laptops and LinkedIn, and look at the real labor market, the average wage drops even further.
The person delivering your food, cleaning the office, working admin at a school, most of them are earning closer to $125/month. That’s the functional baseline for millions of workers here in 2025.
And it gets worse.
Only about 5-8 million people file taxes in a country of over 100 million working professionals. Which means most of the workforce is informal, undocumented, and operating in a market where job scarcity drives salaries into the ground.
This is why we’ll use USD as the standard currency here. Not because we’re fantasizing about living abroad, but because the Pakistani rupee is so volatile that it’s impossible to plan your career around it.
You could land a 100K PKR job today, and six months later, inflation could shave 30% off its real value.
But First - Where You Work Matters
In Pakistan, there are four main “types” of tech companies that hire juniors. And mind you, I said ‘tech’ - coz that’s where most of my experience is in.
And the type of company you join will shape everything, from how much you make, to how fast you grow, to how soon you want to jump ship.
Let’s walk through them.
Local Product Companies Serving Local Market
Think fintech apps, edtech platforms, ecommerce websites, health tools. Built for the local market. All the way from your EPs and JCs to Pakwheels of the nation.
If you’re lucky, these places can be goldmines for learning. You get to work on a real product, talk to users, contribute to strategy, and see how a real business/features are built from scratch. You’ll probably touch more parts of the stack than you should, and end up learning things you didn’t expect to.
But the flip side is real. Especially if you’re working on the startup side - there’s a high chance these Product companies don’t survive long-term. And since the team is usually small, there might not be much mentorship or structure. You’ll learn fast, but you might fail sooner than you realize.
Additionally, since these Products are serving the local market, more often than not - their profits are limited; given the size of the market here, is not that high in most cases. Understand that fact.
Few lucky ones may get funding and VC backing - but as seen in recent times, that still doesn’t help the fact that most folks are not yet willing to pay for ‘software’, ‘tech’, etc.
Just use some Chinese OEM App and slap your logo on it, GGWP.
At the end of the day, in terms of learning, these can be some of the best options to take a start in. Working in a Product company is just better (I wrote about it here).
But the fact that this will be a ‘local’ Product company, chances are that don’t commit your long term career to it unless you have a very strong reason.
Till the ecosystem changes for the better, this is my current outlook.
Local Product Companies Serving Foreign Markets
Now this is the step above the one before it. You have a Product, and a rich market, what could go wrong?
These global startups hire engineers, designers, and support staff in Pakistan. Sometimes it’s through local partners. Sometimes they’ve set up a remote ops team directly. Either way, they’re building international products with local talent.
The good news? The systems here tend to be more mature. You’ll experience real sprints, clean codebases (hopefully), proper QA processes, and performance reviews. Pay is better. Expectations are clearer. And if the team is decent, you’ll grow into your role with real confidence.
And honestly speaking, as it stands, if we talk about ‘jobey job’ (no freelancing) - these kind of companies are some of the best places to work at. I would rank them at top.
But do understand, higher pay means higher expectations also.
Because these companies still exist in the ‘local’ ecosphere, demand for their roles is super high, and in many roles you can be considered ‘expendable’.
So although, in most cases, these companies are the go to opportunity most should seek - just keep in mind, you will be constantly fighting to keep it.
Lastly, one trend I have noticed is the fact that these companies treat employees as true ‘resources’.
Layoffs is a word that will be ‘me tmhari khuwabon me ao ga’
These companies pay well, they know they can fire 100s and hire 100s back in matters of months - and yes, they abuse this fact very well.
You have been warned.
Slight tangent
But Saqib, you just talked about Product companies, there are so few of them in Pakistan?
Yeah, I know. But here’s the thing, I really want that to change.
I want more Product companies to exist (local or foreign) - because that is what makes you a powerhouse as a nation. Products drive real progress.
That’s why I put them above.
For decades, our primary export has been BPOs and Software Houses - it needs to change.
Why? Because this
Agencies and Software Houses (Delivery Services)
Ah, now we get to the fun categories - the one’s where it is a coin flip for your life as an employee.
For some, it’s smooth sailing: log hours, chill work, no pressure.
For others, it’s 14-hour shifts, impossible deadlines, and burnout with a side of chaos.
When it comes to sheer volume, agencies dominate the IT/tech landscape. They’re the ones bringing in the most foreign revenue.
Pound for pound, they’re the biggest employers in the industry.
And if you’re lucky enough to land in a good one? You’ll learn fast.
Agencies throw you into the fire - in a good way. You’ll be working with multiple clients, adapting to different stacks, tools, and expectations. You’ll learn how to scope work, write proposals, handle feedback, and manage delivery pressure. Some of the sharpest freelancers I know started in agencies. Why? Because it teaches you how to think on your feet.
But for every well-run agency, there are five that are absolute chaos.
Scams, unpaid internships, nonsensical contracts, bizarre shift timings, and toxic work cultures are all too common. Many agencies operate with one goal in mind: deliver, no matter what it costs the people doing the work.
You’ll ship projects you never see again. You’ll work behind layers of management. You’ll deliver features with no context and no feedback. After years, you might still feel like you’re running in circles - no clarity, no direction, no real impact.
And here’s the deeper trap: once you’ve spent too long in bad agencies, it gets harder to leave.
Other agencies are the only ones that value your "agency experience." Product companies will wonder if you can unlearn bad habits. Remote gigs will expect you to reset your workflow. It becomes a loop.
That’s why many people either go freelance or start their own agency - because they’ve absorbed the rhythm of client work, but want out of the grind.
So what’s the verdict?
If you can join a reputable, well-managed agency, it could be one of the best places to start your tech career. The learning curve is steep, and the speed is unmatched. You’ll build resilience, versatility, and delivery muscle.
Just don’t get too comfortable.
Services work is a great start - but rarely a great destination.
Use it as a launchpad. Learn fast. Then move on to something more sustainable.
BPO and Outsourcing Firms
Lastly, the option for the ‘masses’.
You speak English? Have a pulse? Come join us.
Call centers, virtual assistants, admin support, this is the entry point for a lot of English-speaking talent in Pakistan. If you’ve got a decent accent and reliable internet, you’re in.
These jobs are accessible. They pay better than local entry-level roles in many cases. And they teach soft skills that matter, communication, reliability, time management.
These also serve as an ‘entry’ point into int'l Tech/IT industry for many.
But here’s the catch, easy to get in means hard to grow. BPOs usually have very defined roles with little or no growth -
You make calls → Now you make more important calls → Now you manage people who make calls - The End.
And then given the ease of entry, on my scam radar, I would rate these companies as the highest risk.
A lot of folks have fallen for the ‘pay us to train you’ trap, thinking they will land a role only to realize they were actually ‘paying’ to do the job. Looking at you Amazon VA scammers.
In conclusion? I think BPOs are great for those who have basically 0 technical skills.
Get your foot in, get started, and then figure out the path later.
But do understand, if you go this route, YOU will solely be responsible for your future, don’t expect a career plan be handed to you.
The Remote Dream: Direct Clients, No Local Ties
Lastly, there’s a bonus fifth option: landing a direct remote role with a company abroad.
No local office. No intermediary. Just you and the client.
I put this out of the standard for because as it stands, landing these roles can be frankly quite hard.
This is the dream for many, and for good reason. You get paid in dollars, avoid local workplace chaos, and often start at $1,000–1,500/month (or more), depending on your skills and the region you're targeting. The pay gap compared to local roles is huge - and the freedom? Even bigger.
But let’s not sugarcoat it. These roles are hard to land - and for most people, they’re not the first stop. They’re the reward after you’ve built a portfolio, learned how to communicate well, and proven you can deliver.
You need trust signals: GitHub activity, client references, personal projects, or a solid body of work. And you need to know how to sell yourself -because there’s no HR team smoothing the way.
Think of direct remote roles not as your entry point, but as your graduation path.
If you put in the reps - locally, through agencies or product teams - this door starts to open.
And when it does? It can change everything.
Here’s where I will wrap it up.
I can talk all day about pros and cons of different kinds of companies across the board.
Fact is that these are ‘generalizations’ at the end of the day.
I personally know people who started at a call center and are now working in Salesforce (yes that Salesforce).
And I personally know people who landed the best product jobs and are now roaming jobless trying to figure out freelancing work.
So take all this for what it is: a map, not a mandate. These insights come from my own path and the people I've worked with, mentored, or watched stumble and thrive.
Your story will be different.
Just make sure it's intentional.
Oh look, a table - go nuts.
Salary is a Tradeoff
Oh yeah, this article was about salaries, right - let’s get to it.
What should be your starting salary?
It’s tempting to answer this with a clean number. But the truth is, the number alone doesn’t tell you much unless you understand what it gets you - and what it costs you.
Here’s the core idea most people don’t realize until they’re a year or two into their first job:
Your salary is a tradeoff. Always.
You’re rarely just being paid for your skills - you’re being paid based on the risk, structure, and leverage dynamics of the company you’re joining.
For example, take two people starting their careers in the same month.
Person A joins a well-funded, structured company at PKR 100,000/month (~$360). The work is predictable, deadlines are stable, and pay arrives on time. After two years, they’ve gotten 10% raises each year. They’re now making around 121,000/month. Not bad.
Person B joins a scrappy startup at PKR 60,000/month (~$220). The systems are a mess. They end up doing a bit of everything - some frontend, some QA, some client calls. The company starts landing clients, they help ship the first version of a product, and eventually start leading a small team. By the end of year two, they’re at 150,000/month - and have ownership of entire modules.
Neither path is wrong.
But each comes with its own costs. The first offers predictability, the second offers acceleration.
The first has structure, the second has leverage.
You just need to be aware of the tradeoff before you say yes.
If you’re just looking to pay bills and stay safe? Go with path one.
If you want to grow fast, build leverage, and take a risk? Path two might be worth it.
So What Should You Actually Be Making?
If you’re starting out in tech in 2025, and you’re fresh out of university or transitioning from an internship, then a fair starting range is somewhere between PKR 50,000–75,000/month (~$180–270 USD).
Now, a few things matter more than that number:
Is your salary paid on time?
Are you learning skills that the market values?
Is your team stable and growing - or falling apart?
Because sure, there are edge cases. Some people land $1,000/month remote gigs right out of college. Others are asked to work for PKR 20,000 “for the experience.”
But for most, the starting point hovers around PKR 50–60k, and what happens after that is what really matters.
Why? Because your starting salary is not the peak. It’s the baseline you’ll build from.
If you’re learning well, shipping real things, and becoming harder to replace - your value goes up fast.
If you’re stuck in a dead-end role with no feedback, no growth, and no mentorship - your value stays flat, regardless of where you started.
Coz It’s not the number on your first payslip that matters.
It’s what you turn that number into over the next 12–24 months.
Ask Better Questions Than “How Much?”
Instead of obsessing over your offer letter, ask these instead:
Where will I be by the end of year two if I do well here?
How do raises and promotions work in this company?
Who else joined at my level - and where are they now?
These are the questions that reveal whether you're stepping into a launchpad - or a waiting room.
Because here’s the truth: your first job won’t define your career.
But it will define your momentum.
If your manager teaches you how to think, if your team gives you problems worth solving, if your product gives you real-world feedback - you’ll grow faster than any salary line item can reflect.
It’s about the leverage you’re building.
A good first job isn’t the one that pays the most. It’s the one that makes you more valuable month after month.
That might mean joining a team with high expectations and messy systems, where you’re forced to figure things out.
Or it might mean starting slow but having access to mentorship, product thinking, and clarity in your role.
Either way, what you build in your first 12–24 months matters more than what you’re paid in your first 30 days.
So pick a starting point that teaches you how to win later - not just survive today.
If you can do that, you’re already ahead.
With or without my help – I wish you the best.
The Wandering Pro is a quiet, steady corner of the internet for people figuring out their next move in tech.
Whether you’re a freelancer, a junior developer, or someone building something for the first time - this is a space for showing up, learning, and making progress at your own pace.
No big promises. No hustle noise. Just a supportive community of people trying to get better - one challenge, one project, one honest conversation at a time.
If that sounds like what you need, come be a part of it.