2 ms·

Relative to cost of living, typical SV compensation is not "pretty well off" or "cream of the crop". It's not even close to the latter… My tech coworkers live

Relative to cost of living, typical SV compensation is not "pretty well off" or "cream of the crop". It's not even close to the latter… My tech coworkers live in the dingiest of apartments. Housing prices are outpacing gains in salary, and the majority of housing is out of reach of the median tech-worker salary. There are some exceptional positions at exceptional companies, such as FAANG, but I strongly believe they're exceptional. Frankly when I look around my office I see either a bunch of young engineers working too long and too hard for a salary that won't really ever get them anywhere, or folks who already got their share of the pie. (And perhaps are quite fine on a SV salary.) I'm also strongly considering leaving the Bay Area, as I'm tired of trying to change the minds of a generation that doesn't want me here.

prolikewh0a 8y ago
>My tech coworkers live in the dingiest of apartments. Housing prices are outpacing gains in salary, and the majority of housing is out of reach of the median tech-worker salary. I do executive tech support & linux support for corporate and live in a 1br apartment from the 60's 10 miles outside of the city. My commute is 1-1.5hr every day on the bus. I can't afford to use my health insurance even though I pay the premium every month. It's absolutely true that costs are outpacing salaries, and a majority of them aren't "cream of the crop".
- ntsplnkv2 8y ago
  Tech support and linux support, call centres, etc, would make sense for unionization - but they're easily outsourced. Perhaps I should've been clearer in my comment. If we're including call centers and first level support in "tech workers" then that changes things, just like including laborers in a steel mill as "steelworkers" would change things. Strictly from a software development/engineer perspective, unionization makes little sense right now.
deleted 8y ago
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ntsplnkv2 8y ago
Where is this not true? If you actually do the math for software engineers it simply doesn't add up. Most decent rust belt cities will be a severe drop in salary that it wouldn't be worth it. Some cities in Texas you'll break even. If we're including low skill tech workers, then sure, their benefits won't compare. I was looking at it from a different PoV.

prolikewh0a 8y ago

>My tech coworkers live in the dingiest of apartments. Housing prices are outpacing gains in salary, and the majority of housing is out of reach of the median tech-worker salary. I do executive tech support & linux support for corporate and live in a 1br apartment from the 60's 10 miles outside of the city. My commute is 1-1.5hr every day on the bus. I can't afford to use my health insurance even though I pay the premium every month. It's absolutely true that costs are outpacing salaries, and a majority of them aren't "cream of the crop".

ntsplnkv2 8y ago
Tech support and linux support, call centres, etc, would make sense for unionization - but they're easily outsourced. Perhaps I should've been clearer in my comment. If we're including call centers and first level support in "tech workers" then that changes things, just like including laborers in a steel mill as "steelworkers" would change things. Strictly from a software development/engineer perspective, unionization makes little sense right now.

deleted 8y ago

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ntsplnkv2 8y ago

Where is this not true? If you actually do the math for software engineers it simply doesn't add up. Most decent rust belt cities will be a severe drop in salary that it wouldn't be worth it. Some cities in Texas you'll break even. If we're including low skill tech workers, then sure, their benefits won't compare. I was looking at it from a different PoV.