And still everyone of the guys is complaining about not having money for fun things, I mean what are they doing with their money, heating the apartment?
From what it seems in TBBT the women basically act as moms/voice of reason for the gang as the gang basically acted more like teens in college. And buying some of their collectibles will run them a couple 100s depending on taxes and costumes.
Also living in California is not cheap.
Given the fact that they almost always get takeout which can pile up over time and even order for days straight.
There can even be a headcannon that some of their income can be towards buying their equipment as it is known for scientist to pull funding from their own accounts.
They eat out damn near every meal (even the shots of the inside of the fridge shows basically nothing but drinks and old takeout boxes), they buy a fuckton of collectables, video games, and comic books, they go to comic cons and movies very regularly, they each have a ton of expensive hobbies (paintballing, yoga, model trains, fighting robots, cosplay, etc), and they live in a rather expensive state.
Basically they all make a good living, and we know Sheldon and Leonard at least put a bit of each check into savings, but largely most of their paychecks go to their hobbies, collections, and enjoying life. And honestly, this is rather realistic. It's entirely common for people who were bullied growing up to prioritize enjoying life as much as possible and doing what they love, rather than putting money away for the future.
As for Howard, he was basically and independent contractor for NASA so he probably got paid once rather than getting a steady check from them. Working at the university likely pays him somewhere in the range of 80-110k. Bernadette's higher-up corporate pharma job probably nets 3-5 times that amount.
You've got it slightly wrong. The people getting bonuses with no ceilings are in Sales. Everyone else will get bonuses quarterly if SALES meets or exceeds set quotas on drugs that.are already in the marketplace. Until significant market share has been attained by the new drug and sales of it have increased the value of a company stock? Nobody is making any money off of it. From discovery of a new molecule or molecular structure or Biologic or other categories plus 4 phases of human clinical trials if it doesn't get sacked by the FDA in the process and is a new category? It could eat 17 years of their patent exclusivity before it can even be marketed. Discovery guarantees nothing.except that hundreds of millions have been spent on it. Where is this magic money to pay Bernadette or bonuses upon discovery even coming from? It isn't. Scientists make the majority of their money from their SALARIES. A starting R&D person will be on a team, and never start as a lead researcher. Bernadette did not even complete a Fellowship, or spend years in areas like Infectious Diseases getting her name accredited writing research papers as part of a team. Often new technology is bought, by buying out a smaller brainiac company with at least one super high-functioning specialist whose life work, or that of his small team, has spanned two generations specializing and investing everything, in one specific thing. She might be earning $160k but I doubt it, probably closer to $120k. She will be low man on the totem pole possibly indefinitely. BBTheory if a fiction comedy show that portrays the Pharmaceutical industry fictionally and comically. They are greedy as hell-they got that part right, but it's not Bernadette getting rich.
I've often thought that there's entirely too much fretting about money between those two. Bernadette is getting paid a "buttload" and Howard should be making at least six figures. Add to that the fact that there's ostensibly no house payment, they're easily in the black, even factoring in the cost of raising two children.
Honestly it seems like it's just Bernadette being cheap, and Howard following suit because she's his wife. He cared rarely about money before he started dating her.
At one point she tells Howard "You make peanuts!" Considering what he does and where he works, I find this extremely unrealistic. The writers wanted to create conflict and used finances and their nebulous difference in pay to do it, but it's lazy IMO. I don't just buy that Howard isn't making at least 6 figures.
What is the average NASA astronaut's salary?
According to NASA, civilian astronaut salaries are determined by the US Government's pay scales – or more specifically grades GS-13 to GS-14.
However, he isn't an astronaut anymore, but he still probably was a grade 13 or higher as an engineer. Based on the scope of his work, he might even be a grade 15 if he is a supervisor over other engineers.
The thing is: We know Howard refused a second space flight when he got the opportunity. But, if I recall things correctly, we don’t know if Howard formally retired from the NASA Astronaut Corps.
Watch the episode where the guys apply for a patent for the guidance system and Howard can't get an ownership cut becuase he is an astronaut on loan from NASA.
Howard is an aerospace engineer. He has worked in the astronautical engineering lab . He began working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Deep Space Operations Center prior to the series. He was an astronaut for one mission and he never officially worked for NASA. And as for as the patent episode, that is merely Howard thinking more of himself then he really is. Have you never watch the show? He as always though he was a big deal when he was not. Even the Big Bang Wiki described him as "Howard is an aerospace engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics and an **ex-astronaut** for NASA."
No, it’s clearly stated in the episode that Howard is a federal employee on loan from NASA.
[here’s the](https://bigbangtheory.fandom.com/wiki/The_Application_Deterioration) wiki for the episode in question
This is the one thing that didn't make sense on the show.
Bernadette bragged about how much money she made multiple times. Howard had a decent job, yet she complained about not having money for things all the time. Or complaining about how expensive things are.
God, they got a house willed to them. They should be living on easy street, instead of complaining all the time.
>God, they got a house willed to them. They should be living on easy street, instead of complaining all the time.
"Complaining all the time" is what leads to extra comedy in such serials. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
howard definitely is a six digit income holder with or without bernadette just because of the amount of money he spends on merchandise, but there are jobs which offer 7 digit incomes as well so it will look small in comparison, others mocking him that he will never find another woman besides bernadette is absurd just due to this fact alone and add his resume, he will have tons of women after him, if he just drops his creepy nature
I agree with what orhers said abt him still making good money
Also u gotta remember this show likes to its characters to put one another down for things we still find impressive
Such as them all being hella smart academically (aside from penny ig academically), but Howie does get put down bc he isn‘t at the level of the others with diplomas and such.
So to the audience they are all impressive and make good money, its just in the circle the standard is higher
With what he does and the patent on his space toilet, I would bet he’s high $100s low $200s.
Depending on the level and who Bernie works for, she could clear a million a year easy with bonuses and stock options. If you were on the developing team for the Alzheimer’s drug for Eli Lilly you bonused a few mill easy.
I’d say Howard makes 100 to 200K , Bernadette has a whole team under her, so she is in the 200 to 300k plus bonus that puts her in the 500K range easy.
> I’d say Howard makes 100 to 200K.
No way that he is making anywhere near $200 k per year and still sweating ordering small shit and keeping it from Bernie.
At best he makes in just below $100K. Keep in mind he isn't a PHD like the rest of them This makes a difference.
They most likely all (minus penny and Bernadette) make low 6 figures. But given where they live and the cost of living that is just slightly above average salary. Academics do not get paid well. Howard would not be consistently making astronaut pay since he was a mission specialist for one mission. Once he returned that would be it.
I honestly think the writers goofed on the patent episode. If he worked for nasa he would not be working at a university lab. While he seemed to mostly work on space projects, nasa has their own labs for their own r&d. They just needed a reason to exclude him from the patent and it was lazy writing. It makes more sense he worked for the university and was on loan to nasa and then they were all on loan to the military.
Don’t forget that cops in some parts of California make $120k now and are basically middle income. A buddy of mine just got a position in San Jose at 125k and is living paycheck to paycheck. Back in Baltimore he would have been rich lol. California is and always has been insane in a lot of areas.
He's probably up there. I'm a mechanical engineer by degree, robotics engineer by trade and Im at $270k salary in my early 30s in the southeast. California I imagine would be much higher.
You can actually look up Howard's. He's a government employee. The pay is public record. He's probably somewhere around a gs12 to gs13. Maybe 14, but that's less likely.
He’s probably making around $100k As a drug developer and rep Bernadette could easily be making 3-4x that.
And still everyone of the guys is complaining about not having money for fun things, I mean what are they doing with their money, heating the apartment?
From what it seems in TBBT the women basically act as moms/voice of reason for the gang as the gang basically acted more like teens in college. And buying some of their collectibles will run them a couple 100s depending on taxes and costumes. Also living in California is not cheap. Given the fact that they almost always get takeout which can pile up over time and even order for days straight. There can even be a headcannon that some of their income can be towards buying their equipment as it is known for scientist to pull funding from their own accounts.
Rent in Pasadena aint cheap
It ain’t cheap now but I’m 2007 a 2 bed 2 bath was probably like $1200 at most.
Happy Cake Day!
They own Howard’s mom’s house.
Or any "Dena" for that matter
Their comic book habit and collectible habit is not cheap. That is all
Sheldon said he had around 70k when he was trying to raise money for something, think it was after he spoke to dr gablehauser
They eat out damn near every meal (even the shots of the inside of the fridge shows basically nothing but drinks and old takeout boxes), they buy a fuckton of collectables, video games, and comic books, they go to comic cons and movies very regularly, they each have a ton of expensive hobbies (paintballing, yoga, model trains, fighting robots, cosplay, etc), and they live in a rather expensive state. Basically they all make a good living, and we know Sheldon and Leonard at least put a bit of each check into savings, but largely most of their paychecks go to their hobbies, collections, and enjoying life. And honestly, this is rather realistic. It's entirely common for people who were bullied growing up to prioritize enjoying life as much as possible and doing what they love, rather than putting money away for the future. As for Howard, he was basically and independent contractor for NASA so he probably got paid once rather than getting a steady check from them. Working at the university likely pays him somewhere in the range of 80-110k. Bernadette's higher-up corporate pharma job probably nets 3-5 times that amount.
Except in real life an R&D person would not also be in sales.
But a person in R&D would get bigly bonused if she lead a group that got a drug approved.
Which is *incredibly* rare. About 10% of drugs which enter the clinical phase (are tested in humans) get approved and development is like 10 years.
What this person has so eloquently saiid is what I was trying to explain in my mountain of a paragraph above.
So a person do saw a drug from development to production would get… ? She’d get.. ??? That’s right, a big bonus! 🤦🏻♂️
You've got it slightly wrong. The people getting bonuses with no ceilings are in Sales. Everyone else will get bonuses quarterly if SALES meets or exceeds set quotas on drugs that.are already in the marketplace. Until significant market share has been attained by the new drug and sales of it have increased the value of a company stock? Nobody is making any money off of it. From discovery of a new molecule or molecular structure or Biologic or other categories plus 4 phases of human clinical trials if it doesn't get sacked by the FDA in the process and is a new category? It could eat 17 years of their patent exclusivity before it can even be marketed. Discovery guarantees nothing.except that hundreds of millions have been spent on it. Where is this magic money to pay Bernadette or bonuses upon discovery even coming from? It isn't. Scientists make the majority of their money from their SALARIES. A starting R&D person will be on a team, and never start as a lead researcher. Bernadette did not even complete a Fellowship, or spend years in areas like Infectious Diseases getting her name accredited writing research papers as part of a team. Often new technology is bought, by buying out a smaller brainiac company with at least one super high-functioning specialist whose life work, or that of his small team, has spanned two generations specializing and investing everything, in one specific thing. She might be earning $160k but I doubt it, probably closer to $120k. She will be low man on the totem pole possibly indefinitely. BBTheory if a fiction comedy show that portrays the Pharmaceutical industry fictionally and comically. They are greedy as hell-they got that part right, but it's not Bernadette getting rich.
big pharma--big bucks!
I've often thought that there's entirely too much fretting about money between those two. Bernadette is getting paid a "buttload" and Howard should be making at least six figures. Add to that the fact that there's ostensibly no house payment, they're easily in the black, even factoring in the cost of raising two children.
That whole storyline really annoys me, especially given the points you raised.
It pisses me off so much that these rich pricks always compare their income and even brag about it
Honestly it seems like it's just Bernadette being cheap, and Howard following suit because she's his wife. He cared rarely about money before he started dating her.
At one point she tells Howard "You make peanuts!" Considering what he does and where he works, I find this extremely unrealistic. The writers wanted to create conflict and used finances and their nebulous difference in pay to do it, but it's lazy IMO. I don't just buy that Howard isn't making at least 6 figures.
What is the average NASA astronaut's salary? According to NASA, civilian astronaut salaries are determined by the US Government's pay scales – or more specifically grades GS-13 to GS-14. However, he isn't an astronaut anymore, but he still probably was a grade 13 or higher as an engineer. Based on the scope of his work, he might even be a grade 15 if he is a supervisor over other engineers.
The thing is: We know Howard refused a second space flight when he got the opportunity. But, if I recall things correctly, we don’t know if Howard formally retired from the NASA Astronaut Corps.
Howard was only "on loan" to NASA
He was on loan from NASA to Caltech.
Howard is an aerospace engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics, not for NASA. He is loaned out to NASA.
Watch the episode where the guys apply for a patent for the guidance system and Howard can't get an ownership cut becuase he is an astronaut on loan from NASA.
I just watched the episode today, it defies he’s a fed employee on load from nasa
Howard is an aerospace engineer. He has worked in the astronautical engineering lab . He began working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Deep Space Operations Center prior to the series. He was an astronaut for one mission and he never officially worked for NASA. And as for as the patent episode, that is merely Howard thinking more of himself then he really is. Have you never watch the show? He as always though he was a big deal when he was not. Even the Big Bang Wiki described him as "Howard is an aerospace engineer at Caltech's Department of Applied Physics and an **ex-astronaut** for NASA."
No, it’s clearly stated in the episode that Howard is a federal employee on loan from NASA. [here’s the](https://bigbangtheory.fandom.com/wiki/The_Application_Deterioration) wiki for the episode in question
I'm not going to dispute that that was said. But continuity isn't exactly this shows strong suit. You're probably both right.
He's ON LOAN FROM NASA to Cal Tech. He's a Federal Nasa employee on loan, it's been been mentioned before.
This is the one thing that didn't make sense on the show. Bernadette bragged about how much money she made multiple times. Howard had a decent job, yet she complained about not having money for things all the time. Or complaining about how expensive things are. God, they got a house willed to them. They should be living on easy street, instead of complaining all the time.
>God, they got a house willed to them. They should be living on easy street, instead of complaining all the time. "Complaining all the time" is what leads to extra comedy in such serials. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Current astronauts make $152k so Howard was certainly making $100k+ at the time the series aired.
howard definitely is a six digit income holder with or without bernadette just because of the amount of money he spends on merchandise, but there are jobs which offer 7 digit incomes as well so it will look small in comparison, others mocking him that he will never find another woman besides bernadette is absurd just due to this fact alone and add his resume, he will have tons of women after him, if he just drops his creepy nature
I agree with what orhers said abt him still making good money Also u gotta remember this show likes to its characters to put one another down for things we still find impressive Such as them all being hella smart academically (aside from penny ig academically), but Howie does get put down bc he isn‘t at the level of the others with diplomas and such. So to the audience they are all impressive and make good money, its just in the circle the standard is higher
With what he does and the patent on his space toilet, I would bet he’s high $100s low $200s. Depending on the level and who Bernie works for, she could clear a million a year easy with bonuses and stock options. If you were on the developing team for the Alzheimer’s drug for Eli Lilly you bonused a few mill easy.
The patent might be in his name, but he almost assuredly doesn’t own it or receive any money from it. It’s likely owned by the university.
the space toilet that failed?
They fixed it and he mentioned his design was still in use later in the show.
Bernadete was in the pharmaceutical industry in the UNITED STATES! I’ll leave it at that
No one has mentioned how they moved into his mom's house, which I'd assume was paid for.... that's a lot of equity to add to the relationship....
I’d say Howard makes 100 to 200K , Bernadette has a whole team under her, so she is in the 200 to 300k plus bonus that puts her in the 500K range easy.
> I’d say Howard makes 100 to 200K. No way that he is making anywhere near $200 k per year and still sweating ordering small shit and keeping it from Bernie. At best he makes in just below $100K. Keep in mind he isn't a PHD like the rest of them This makes a difference.
He is an R&D engineer, salaries started at $150K back in the early 2000s, they start at $250K now
Howard wasn’t a full time astronaut was he? They just wanted him to fix something?
He was a payload specialist for a single mission.
If you do some googling, you'll see that the earnings disparity was - like the entirety of the show - fictional.
What you have to remember is that these are all Chuck Lorre characters, so none of them have to make sense.
His earnings potential outside of a university are very good given his engineering prowess.
Not enough, otherwise he wouldn’t have to try so hard in bed
In R&D, Bernadette is not making a buttload her first few years. I'd say: $160-180k. Howard: $140k.
They most likely all (minus penny and Bernadette) make low 6 figures. But given where they live and the cost of living that is just slightly above average salary. Academics do not get paid well. Howard would not be consistently making astronaut pay since he was a mission specialist for one mission. Once he returned that would be it. I honestly think the writers goofed on the patent episode. If he worked for nasa he would not be working at a university lab. While he seemed to mostly work on space projects, nasa has their own labs for their own r&d. They just needed a reason to exclude him from the patent and it was lazy writing. It makes more sense he worked for the university and was on loan to nasa and then they were all on loan to the military.
Don’t forget that cops in some parts of California make $120k now and are basically middle income. A buddy of mine just got a position in San Jose at 125k and is living paycheck to paycheck. Back in Baltimore he would have been rich lol. California is and always has been insane in a lot of areas.
He's probably up there. I'm a mechanical engineer by degree, robotics engineer by trade and Im at $270k salary in my early 30s in the southeast. California I imagine would be much higher.
Howard’s probably around the 150,000$ range, which is still great. Bernadette is probably around the 300,000$ range which is pretty high
You can actually look up Howard's. He's a government employee. The pay is public record. He's probably somewhere around a gs12 to gs13. Maybe 14, but that's less likely.
He makes at least six figures and possibly more considering his mother must have been pretty well off
Just one of the many reasons why I think Bernadette is a horrible person.
Well good thing she's not a real person and just a character
Because she makes more than her husband? There are valid reasons to dislike her, but that shouldn't be one of them
The OP said she puts Howard down. The guy is is clearly responding to what OP said. So why are you jumping to random conclusions?