The social-media world is going through quite an upheaval, with platforms facing pressure over everything from free speech to ad-targeting algorithms. If you're a technologist at one of these companies, chances are good you might have to make some hard decisions about a project's societal impact.

For some technologists, the chance to make decisions that impact millions of people—perhaps even billions—is a golden opportunity. Aside from the social and governmental issues, working for the biggest social-media firms offers the chance to work with cutting-edge tools and enormous budgets. Depending on your specialization, you could end up doing anything from data analytics to augmented reality (AR).

With all that in mind, what are some of the biggest social-media companies paying their entry-level software engineers? For an answer, we can turn to levels.fyi, which crowdsources compensation data. While crowdsourcing isn’t always the most scientific way of determining something, the data on levels.fyi generally tends to align with what we find on other sites such as Glassdoor.  

When it comes to the social-media giants, entry-level pay is relatively aligned, and those who stay at these companies long enough can potentially benefit from rising stock prices. There are also non-monetary benefits, as well; for example, Facebook recently expanded its remote-work policies, for those who dislike the idea of coming into an office.

Keep in mind, though, that engineering roles at certain companies come with a good deal of pressure, and new software features are frequently scrutinized under a microscope by outsiders. As giants like Twitter and Facebook figure out a way to stay in the public’s good graces while avoiding too much government scrutiny, the need for technologists who can come up with innovative solutions to complex problems is more intense than ever.