Recently, people in the exchange circle have been discussing year-end bonuses, with some even bringing up the rumors from the beginning of the year about monthly salaries of 6-10 months' worth. But what’s the reality? It’s far from as rosy as that.

Five years have passed, and the wages for entry-level positions at crypto exchanges have hardly moved. Most people are still earning between 3,000 and 5,000 USDT per month, which is far from keeping up with the industry’s fluctuations. Even at leading platforms, there are only a few options that can offer attractive salaries.

When it comes to compensation, it’s widely recognized within the industry that a certain compliant platform still sets the ceiling, but their conditions are not lenient—employees must work locally in New York, have a strong compliance background, and preferably experience with mature financial technology systems. This year, under the "efficiency first" trend, this platform has started recruiting from Chinese-region exchanges, with engineers, risk control, and product managers being the most sought after.

To put it plainly, working at an exchange is no longer associated with high salaries. It’s now just a relatively stable job in financial technology with limited room for growth, that’s all.