“Bro, Relax?”: SA Gives a Reality Check for Cape Town Gent Hyped Over Software Engineering Salary

• A Cape Town software engineering student in his final year got extremely excited after researching entry-level salaries
• The young man showed off all his textbooks, including Java programming, Android development and business management, saying the difficult studies were worth it
• South Africans quickly burst his bubble in the comments, explaining that entry-level software engineers typically earn between R25,000 to R33,000 monthly

A Cape Town software engineering student's excitement about his future salary was crushed by South Africans who gave him a harsh reality check about what he'll actually earn. The video, shared by content creator @jb_codes on 4 August 2025, shows the final-year student celebrating after researching entry-level salaries in his field, but the truth turned out to be very different from what he found.

The young man, who studies web and mobile development, shared his research findings with his followers, showing that software engineers supposedly earn around R938,000 per year, which works out to about R78,000 per month. He was so excited by this figure that he felt all his hard work and difficult studies would be worth it.

In his video, the student showed off all his textbooks for his final year, including books on business management, CompTIA, business process management, business analysis, Java programming and Android development for beginners. He also displayed his coding work on screen, explaining that despite the tough year ahead with all these subjects, the massive salary waiting for him made it all worthwhile.

The Cape Town student believed that once he got into a good company, he would immediately start earning the R78,000 monthly salary he had researched online. His enthusiasm was clear as he spoke about finishing his degree strong and getting ready for what he thought would be a life-changing payday. However, his celebration was short-lived once South Africans in the comments section started pointing out the major flaw in his research.

SA bursts student's salary bubble

The comments section was filled with people trying to give the young man a reality check about actual software engineering salaries:

@helm_tsb asked:

"Who's gonna tell him😭"

@Ngwato warned:

"And then you get to earn 300k per annum next year😂"

@Jaleel explained:

"Odds are low unless you work at Amazon, and even then, it's around 700k. Entry-level positions are usually 300k to 400k, but after you have 3 years of experience, you can make way more. Also, I'm a software engineer at a top company. AI is not replacing us any time soon 😂"

@imtrxstxssx shared concerns:

"AI is coming. And it's coming quick. I work in this field and just want a normal job 😭 Software development drains you."

@olwamimadeit laughed:

"The reality check is gonna hit.🤣😂"

@Nkidi Nkogatse said:

"Bro bro bro, relax 😂😂😂"

@Anele in Tech 👩🏾‍💻 questioned:

"Who's gonna tell him⚰️"

@Bruh encouraged:

"😂😂😂 Don't listen to everyone, use that figure as motivation."

@Gilbert warned:

"AI is already busy bringing starting salaries down and taking people's jobs🤣"

@Fardarterfu stated simply:

"That's not an entry-level salary."

Real software engineering salaries in SA

According to Indeed, the average salary for a software engineer in South Africa is actually R36,070 per month, which is less than half of what the student believed he would earn. The salary varies by city, with Cape Town software engineers earning around R43,741 per month on average.

Content creator @jb_codes will soon discover that entry-level positions typically pay between R300,000 to R400,000 annually, which translates to about R25,000 to R33,000 monthly. This is a far cry from the R78,000 he was expecting, though experienced software engineers can earn significantly more after gaining three years of experience in the field.

View the TikTok clip below:

Other eye-opening salary stories in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on a woman who revealed a traffic light technician's salary breakdown, but what the slip showed beyond basic pay had people rethinking everything they knew about the profession.
• A popular content creator spent thousands on weekly groceries from Woolworths, but the amount left many South Africans realising it equalled something quite personal about their own finances.
• A prison warden's payslip was revealed online, showing earnings and deductions, but what people focused on most in the comments wasn't the total amount earned.

Source: Briefly News