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As it stands now, I doubt that many American programmers would be willing to take the pay cut they'd have to accept if they came to work here. I like it here,
by rpeden 10y ago
As it stands now, I doubt that many American programmers would be willing to take the pay cut they'd have to accept if they came to work here.
I like it here, and I'm happy with what I make, but when you factor in the exchange rate, a typical US developer would take a huge salary haircut working here; probably 40-50%.
- retreatguru 10y agoThat is true. But there are also a number of perks such as universal health care. So maybe just a certain type of developer would move - one motivated by values rather than money. Perhaps similar to the draft dodgers who came up in the late 60s.
- rpeden 10y agoThat's definitely true. And don't get me wrong, salaries aren't terrible, all things considered. If you're a dev with a few years experience here, you're likely making significantly more money on your own that they average Canadian family earns.
- spoonie 10y agoNot just health care, university tuition is way cheaper too. (And child care, in Québec.)
- spoonie 10y agoI forgot paternity leave, unemployment benefits, and usually more vacation.
- PhasmaFelis 10y agoSure, but (depending on the area, at least) you can live very comfortably on 50% of what a west-coast US developer makes. Techies tend to forget that our pay rates are way above the national average.
- rpeden 10y agoYeah, I mentioned in another comment that a typical dev salary here is significantly higher than the average family income. You're spot on w.r.t. most living expenses, too. I've got a big apartment in a part of Toronto that I really like for $1200 a month. Buying a house in this city is another story, though. On my grandfather's street, smallish 3 bedroom detached homes are selling for $1.5 million+.
- retreatguru 10y agoI live in Nelson BC where the powder skiing is legendary. You can get a very nice 3 bedroom house for USD$ 350k. Granted it's a small town but for the right people it's an incredible place with a small srtarrup scene.
- brightsize 10y agoStartup scene? I live not far off, relatively speaking, in fact I went across the border and visited Grand Forks just a few days ago. I've always loved Nelson. I'd move to Canada in a heartbeat but without a job offer in hand you can't "just move there" as an American. One of these winters I've got to make it up to Red Mountain, it's tough to find good powder in E. WA.