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> The most common response I’ve gotten to this post is that we should expect programmers to be well-paid because software is everywhere and there will be at lea

> The most common response I’ve gotten to this post is that we should expect programmers to be well-paid because software is everywhere and there will be at least as much software in the future. [...] Yet electrical engineering comp isn’t in the same league as programmer comp, [...] and there are more processors sold than ever before. What drives the demand for engineers isn't the number of things sold, but rather the number of kinds of that thing. The variety of chips is still growing, but not proportionate to chips sold, because the numbers are mostly coming from the handful of chips used in servers and mobile devices. > What is it about some software companies that make a similar amount of money that prevents them from funneling virtually all of the wealth they generate up to the top? We don't have a union, so the only way a company can be punished for low compensation is if developers leave for higher-compensation companies. Salaries in the games industry are much lower for longer hours, because developers are unwilling to leave the industry to go work on something boring. I don't know the specific case with Epic Systems, but if their employees are older (have families) they might be less willing to relocate. I also know (being from there) that people from Wisconsin have a specific aversion to leaving the state, and it could be that Epic is exploiting that fact.

badpun 9y ago
>> The most common response I’ve gotten to this post is that we should expect programmers to be well-paid because software is everywhere and there will be at least as much software in the future. [...] Yet electrical engineering comp isn’t in the same league as programmer comp, [...] and there are more processors sold than ever before. > What drives the demand for engineers isn't the number of things sold, but rather the number of kinds of that thing. The variety of chips is still growing, but not proportionate to chips sold, because the numbers are mostly coming from the handful of chips used in servers and mobile devices. This. What matters here is not ubiquitousness of software, but rather it's bespoke nature. Every major corporation is employing thousands of developers (either in house or via some outsourcing arrangement) to write and maintain software according to the company's unique needs. This is the most important driver of demand for developers, and what differentiates us from other technical fields.
geodel 9y ago
Maybe it is not polite to talk about but I do not think most of Epic systems, or any generic IT employee can simply be hired by Google if they are willing to move where Google offices are present. Most people I know in IT industry understand this deeply even if not talk openly that their 1/4-1/2 of Google pay is decent case scenario. It is also reinforced by the fact average salary for software engineer in valley is about $120K and not $500K + unlimited meals, bus rides and what not. People here are select bunch and talk about 500K pay so often, it starts to look common when clearly it is not.

badpun 9y ago

>> The most common response I’ve gotten to this post is that we should expect programmers to be well-paid because software is everywhere and there will be at least as much software in the future. [...] Yet electrical engineering comp isn’t in the same league as programmer comp, [...] and there are more processors sold than ever before. > What drives the demand for engineers isn't the number of things sold, but rather the number of kinds of that thing. The variety of chips is still growing, but not proportionate to chips sold, because the numbers are mostly coming from the handful of chips used in servers and mobile devices. This. What matters here is not ubiquitousness of software, but rather it's bespoke nature. Every major corporation is employing thousands of developers (either in house or via some outsourcing arrangement) to write and maintain software according to the company's unique needs. This is the most important driver of demand for developers, and what differentiates us from other technical fields.

geodel 9y ago

Maybe it is not polite to talk about but I do not think most of Epic systems, or any generic IT employee can simply be hired by Google if they are willing to move where Google offices are present. Most people I know in IT industry understand this deeply even if not talk openly that their 1/4-1/2 of Google pay is decent case scenario. It is also reinforced by the fact average salary for software engineer in valley is about $120K and not $500K + unlimited meals, bus rides and what not. People here are select bunch and talk about 500K pay so often, it starts to look common when clearly it is not.