Full Time Jobs in Chicago, Illinois

Junior software engineer: $70k–$90k. Mid‑level: $90k–$120k. Senior: $120k–$160k. Lead/Staff: $160k–$200k. Principal/Director: $200k–$260k. These ranges reflect U.S. averages and vary by city (e.g., San Francisco vs. Austin).

Core tech stacks (Java, Python, Go) plus cloud expertise (AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Fundamentals, GCP Professional Data Engineer) and container orchestration (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) drive hiring. Security credentials like CISSP or CompTIA Security+ are mandatory for security‑centric roles. Mastery of CI/CD tooling (GitHub Actions, CircleCI) and data tools (Snowflake, BigQuery) also boost competitiveness.

Yes—over 70% of full‑time listings offer remote or hybrid options. Companies typically require a home office with a dedicated desk, dual‑monitor setup, and a 44‑hour workweek split between on‑site meetings and remote coding sessions. Remote roles often include a stipend for internet and electricity, and some firms provide a quarterly stipend for home‑office upgrades.

Typical paths: Engineer I → Engineer II → Senior Engineer → Staff Engineer → Principal Engineer → Director. For product: Associate PM → PM → Senior PM → Product Lead → VP Product. Advancement hinges on measurable impact (e.g., feature launch velocity, code quality improvements) and leadership of cross‑functional initiatives.

Artificial intelligence, cloud‑native architecture, edge computing, and cybersecurity are reshaping the full‑time landscape. Companies prioritize talent that can develop AI models, orchestrate microservices with Kubernetes, and harden systems against zero‑trust attacks. Those who stay current with emerging tools and frameworks—such as TensorFlow, Pulumi, and Chaos Engineering practices—see higher demand and better compensation.