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> it ist is hard to find qualified employees for that job ...at that salary. $150k sounds like a lot, but adjusted for cost of living, it's fairly middle-of-t

> it ist is hard to find qualified employees for that job ...at that salary. $150k sounds like a lot, but adjusted for cost of living, it's fairly middle-of-the-road salary for senior engineers in, say, Texas. In fact, it would be an effective downgrade in quality of life for many. Your employer could easily poach those engineers by calling them up and offering $225k or more, offering housing vouchers, etc. I'll note that I'm assuming SF or NYC as your location. If you're in Texas, Atlanta, etc., I withdraw all of the above.

dominotw 10y ago
> ...at that salary. Wouldn't this rule out exploring all the ideas that are only viable at a particular price point. Wouldn't low cost countries out innovate us at that price point.
- humanrebar 10y ago
  Or the U.S. could stop locating its biggest software shops in the most expensive zip codes in the country. But, yes, keeping costs down is entirely about protecting business models. Changes would force business models to adjust. For example, employers might have to start retraining almost-qualified domestic workers instead of importing workers who have a too-particular list of jargon on their resumes.
  - zeroxfe 10y ago
    > Or the U.S. could stop locating its biggest software shops in the most expensive zip codes in the country. The U.S. isn't a person that decides to put software shops in locations. Entrepreneurs setup shop in locations where they are more likely to succeed, and for startups, it's where they can find high quality talent and get funding. It's a bit of a chicken and egg problem.
zeroxfe 10y ago
> Your employer could easily poach those engineers by calling them up and offering $225k or more, offering housing vouchers, etc. I'd dispute the "easily" here. IME, it's extremely hard to get senior engineers to relocate -- many of them have families, deep ties to their locations, and are way to accustomed to their way and quality of life to consider moving.
- humanrebar 10y ago
  I didn't say you could get any particular engineer to relocate with only a good comp package. The point is that you could get enough to fill empty positions purely by investing more in employees. Salaries are a simple conversation point, but we could also talk about remote work, retraining, opening sites in more affordable areas, etc. I also listed many specific benefits (housing, child care) that would make a relocation zero hassle for a senior engineer.

dominotw 10y ago

> ...at that salary. Wouldn't this rule out exploring all the ideas that are only viable at a particular price point. Wouldn't low cost countries out innovate us at that price point.

humanrebar 10y ago
Or the U.S. could stop locating its biggest software shops in the most expensive zip codes in the country. But, yes, keeping costs down is entirely about protecting business models. Changes would force business models to adjust. For example, employers might have to start retraining almost-qualified domestic workers instead of importing workers who have a too-particular list of jargon on their resumes.
- zeroxfe 10y ago
  > Or the U.S. could stop locating its biggest software shops in the most expensive zip codes in the country. The U.S. isn't a person that decides to put software shops in locations. Entrepreneurs setup shop in locations where they are more likely to succeed, and for startups, it's where they can find high quality talent and get funding. It's a bit of a chicken and egg problem.

zeroxfe 10y ago

> Your employer could easily poach those engineers by calling them up and offering $225k or more, offering housing vouchers, etc. I'd dispute the "easily" here. IME, it's extremely hard to get senior engineers to relocate -- many of them have families, deep ties to their locations, and are way to accustomed to their way and quality of life to consider moving.

humanrebar 10y ago
I didn't say you could get any particular engineer to relocate with only a good comp package. The point is that you could get enough to fill empty positions purely by investing more in employees. Salaries are a simple conversation point, but we could also talk about remote work, retraining, opening sites in more affordable areas, etc. I also listed many specific benefits (housing, child care) that would make a relocation zero hassle for a senior engineer.