4 ms·

The market here in Utah is bananas. I could walk down the street and get a 30-60% raise easy. Indeed there have been a few layoffs in the last month or so, but

The market here in Utah is bananas. I could walk down the street and get a 30-60% raise easy. Indeed there have been a few layoffs in the last month or so, but the companies aren't really a surprise and the market is still blazing. New companies are moving in literally daily. SLC has been a great underground tech market for a long time, but word is getting out. California companies can't get away from the intractable chaos out there fast enough, and SLC is just an hour's flight away. New companies are pouring in much faster than we can handle 'em. If you're a good tech worker in SLC, first, get in touch with me because I like meeting cool people, and second, if you've been affected by these layoffs, chin up, go to the next building over, and there's a realistic chance you'll have a better job in a matter of days.

kraigie 7y ago
SLC also has lots of US citizen foreign language speakers. As well as those with experiences of other cultures. Really handy for foreign companies expanding. Send a founder and hire a local VP who can translate to American customers and Employees. Plus close to SV. I'm surprised Utah isn't in the council of American States in Europe. Or otherwise looking for inward investment.
jacquesm 7y ago
> I could walk down the street and get a 30-60% raise easy. So what is stopping you?
- izzydata 7y ago
  Concerns of getting laid off in a volatile market perhaps.
- JshWright 7y ago
  Presumably they make enough right now that the marginal increase wouldn't offset other things they would be losing by making a move.
  - blaser-waffle 7y ago
    30-60% isn't a marginal increase, that's just a solid raise. I'd call 5-10% marginal. Maybe they're holding out for something larger, like 300%,
    - JshWright 7y ago
      Everything is "marginal" at a certain point. The more you make, the less a ~50% salary bump matters in terms of quality of life. A 50% salary increase alone definitely wouldn't interest me at this point. What I'm working on and who I'm working with matter a lot more to me.
- suresk 7y ago
  The fact that it is hyperbole. The developer job market here is strong, but unless you are currently grossly underpaid, you aren’t going to swing that kind of increase. Compensation ranges aren’t wide enough for that to be an “easy” thing.
  - cookiecaper 7y ago
    Yeah, it's a tad hyperbolic, but mainly with regard to the proximity. It's likely that more competitive employers will not be in walking range, especially not in this week's weather! ;) It also depends on how long you've been at your current employer. Conventional wisdom is that once you're somewhere ~2 years, you're automatically leaving 10-15% on the table, because most companies are very stingy with raises. In an overheated market like SLC, that estimate is probably quite low. Here's an anecdote: recruiters are so desperate that one of them spammed myself and several associates for a specific role, and this particular solicitation contained an apology that the base was "only" 135k. I know that's "just out of school" rate in SF/LA, but in most of the country, that's considered pretty darn good. And this recruiter is here pre-emptively apologizing to every stranger she spams for the "low" rate. I got a lot more anecdotes, most of which are substantially better than that, but that's a quick simple one indicative of the kind of market we're in right now. At a recent-but-former employer, we routinely hired in new people at +40% more than their peers who'd been there for >3 years, simply because the market wouldn't accept anything less and HR was hyperskeptical of any raise >2%. My advice to anyone unhappy with their current compensation or employer is to go out and ask for the most ridiculous number you can think of. You may be surprised.

kraigie 7y ago

SLC also has lots of US citizen foreign language speakers. As well as those with experiences of other cultures. Really handy for foreign companies expanding. Send a founder and hire a local VP who can translate to American customers and Employees. Plus close to SV. I'm surprised Utah isn't in the council of American States in Europe. Or otherwise looking for inward investment.

jacquesm 7y ago

> I could walk down the street and get a 30-60% raise easy. So what is stopping you?

izzydata 7y ago
Concerns of getting laid off in a volatile market perhaps.
JshWright 7y ago
Presumably they make enough right now that the marginal increase wouldn't offset other things they would be losing by making a move.
- blaser-waffle 7y ago
  30-60% isn't a marginal increase, that's just a solid raise. I'd call 5-10% marginal. Maybe they're holding out for something larger, like 300%,
  - JshWright 7y ago
    Everything is "marginal" at a certain point. The more you make, the less a ~50% salary bump matters in terms of quality of life. A 50% salary increase alone definitely wouldn't interest me at this point. What I'm working on and who I'm working with matter a lot more to me.
suresk 7y ago
The fact that it is hyperbole. The developer job market here is strong, but unless you are currently grossly underpaid, you aren’t going to swing that kind of increase. Compensation ranges aren’t wide enough for that to be an “easy” thing.
- cookiecaper 7y ago
  Yeah, it's a tad hyperbolic, but mainly with regard to the proximity. It's likely that more competitive employers will not be in walking range, especially not in this week's weather! ;) It also depends on how long you've been at your current employer. Conventional wisdom is that once you're somewhere ~2 years, you're automatically leaving 10-15% on the table, because most companies are very stingy with raises. In an overheated market like SLC, that estimate is probably quite low. Here's an anecdote: recruiters are so desperate that one of them spammed myself and several associates for a specific role, and this particular solicitation contained an apology that the base was "only" 135k. I know that's "just out of school" rate in SF/LA, but in most of the country, that's considered pretty darn good. And this recruiter is here pre-emptively apologizing to every stranger she spams for the "low" rate. I got a lot more anecdotes, most of which are substantially better than that, but that's a quick simple one indicative of the kind of market we're in right now. At a recent-but-former employer, we routinely hired in new people at +40% more than their peers who'd been there for >3 years, simply because the market wouldn't accept anything less and HR was hyperskeptical of any raise >2%. My advice to anyone unhappy with their current compensation or employer is to go out and ask for the most ridiculous number you can think of. You may be surprised.