3 ms·

Where do people get these numbers? I signed up an account just to comment on this buffoonery. I’m making almost $200K and haven’t been pitched a senior role u

Where do people get these numbers? I signed up an account just to comment on this buffoonery. I’m making almost $200K and haven’t been pitched a senior role under $130K in years... How can your data be soooo far off?

mattnewport 8y ago
Both numbers seem low but the ratio seems plausible. I continue to hear about friends and acquaintances leaving Vancouver for the Bay Area or Seattle because the offers are double what they can get in Vancouver. People being offered $150K CAD base in Vancouver are being offered $250K USD base often with more generous stock based comp. Overall cost of living in Vancouver (including healthcare) is still quite a bit lower than the Bay Area but there's no doubt most engineers with some experience end up significantly better off financially taking offers in the US.
- vancouverer 8y ago
  I certainly made a lot more in California but it’s not that great a spread with costs considered relative to the dramatic improvement in quality of life living in Vancouver. $200K is a lot of money. I save most of it because I literally have nothing to spend it on. In turn I get access to facilities and lifestyle opportunities that were simply not available in the valley. 100K more still wouldn’t get me that in the valley. Edit: my tax rate is also very comparable. BC income tax at 200K is very similar to California. Also, I eat out a lot and sales tax is only 5% on restaurants. Good restaurants are also cheaper here. Vancouver is really not the engineering wasteland people seem to think it is.
  - mattnewport 8y ago
    I live in Vancouver too and it's a conscious choice of the lifestyle here over more money in the Bay Area or Seattle but I'm aware that it's quite a lot of money to give up. I think there are some indicators that salaries here are starting to rise due to the size of the gap but not enough that I don't still know plenty of people who have either left or are seriously considering it.
  - titanomachy 8y ago
    I worked in Vancouver at a well-regarded company making under $100k CAD ($70k USD). I shopped around the job market there and didn't find anyone willing to pay over $110k. Everyone I talked to seemed to think my salary was competitive. I expanded my search to Seattle (2 hours' drive south of Vancouver) and received multiple offers over $200k USD. I'm making over three times as much as I could have in Vancouver. And my taxes are significantly lower. That said, I wouldn't mind moving back to Vancouver someday. Curious who is paying $200k in Vancouver, and also whether you are at the high-senior level that would net $400k+ at e.g. Google in the US. Interesting that we apparently saw two very different sides of the job market in Vancouver. Thanks for your perspective.
yazaddaruvala 8y ago
From my perspective your numbers seem off. I graduated from UBC in 2012. Most of my peers working in Vancouver as engineers (including software) all make between 60-100k (most closer to 60) with the exception of 2 at about 150k. Note: All numbers are in CAD, and are total compensation (i.e. they include the value of any bonuses or stocks)
parthdesai 8y ago
I talked about average software dev. Google (payscale.com) says 64-66k, glassdoor says 70k. You do know that average also counts new grads right? Maybe next time try to actually comprehend the comment before using some adjectives.

mattnewport 8y ago

Both numbers seem low but the ratio seems plausible. I continue to hear about friends and acquaintances leaving Vancouver for the Bay Area or Seattle because the offers are double what they can get in Vancouver. People being offered $150K CAD base in Vancouver are being offered $250K USD base often with more generous stock based comp. Overall cost of living in Vancouver (including healthcare) is still quite a bit lower than the Bay Area but there's no doubt most engineers with some experience end up significantly better off financially taking offers in the US.

vancouverer 8y ago
I certainly made a lot more in California but it’s not that great a spread with costs considered relative to the dramatic improvement in quality of life living in Vancouver. $200K is a lot of money. I save most of it because I literally have nothing to spend it on. In turn I get access to facilities and lifestyle opportunities that were simply not available in the valley. 100K more still wouldn’t get me that in the valley. Edit: my tax rate is also very comparable. BC income tax at 200K is very similar to California. Also, I eat out a lot and sales tax is only 5% on restaurants. Good restaurants are also cheaper here. Vancouver is really not the engineering wasteland people seem to think it is.
- mattnewport 8y ago
  I live in Vancouver too and it's a conscious choice of the lifestyle here over more money in the Bay Area or Seattle but I'm aware that it's quite a lot of money to give up. I think there are some indicators that salaries here are starting to rise due to the size of the gap but not enough that I don't still know plenty of people who have either left or are seriously considering it.
- titanomachy 8y ago
  I worked in Vancouver at a well-regarded company making under $100k CAD ($70k USD). I shopped around the job market there and didn't find anyone willing to pay over $110k. Everyone I talked to seemed to think my salary was competitive. I expanded my search to Seattle (2 hours' drive south of Vancouver) and received multiple offers over $200k USD. I'm making over three times as much as I could have in Vancouver. And my taxes are significantly lower. That said, I wouldn't mind moving back to Vancouver someday. Curious who is paying $200k in Vancouver, and also whether you are at the high-senior level that would net $400k+ at e.g. Google in the US. Interesting that we apparently saw two very different sides of the job market in Vancouver. Thanks for your perspective.

yazaddaruvala 8y ago

From my perspective your numbers seem off. I graduated from UBC in 2012. Most of my peers working in Vancouver as engineers (including software) all make between 60-100k (most closer to 60) with the exception of 2 at about 150k. Note: All numbers are in CAD, and are total compensation (i.e. they include the value of any bonuses or stocks)

parthdesai 8y ago

I talked about average software dev. Google (payscale.com) says 64-66k, glassdoor says 70k. You do know that average also counts new grads right? Maybe next time try to actually comprehend the comment before using some adjectives.