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I'd say the overwhelming majority of programmers everywhere are underpaid. I'm basing this on the fact that I could roughly double my current salary if I quit t
by knieveltech 16y ago
I'd say the overwhelming majority of programmers everywhere are underpaid. I'm basing this on the fact that I could roughly double my current salary if I quit tomorrow and spent a year working my way up as a welder and my salary is pretty much in the median range for the area I live in.
- pestaa 16y agoWhile I agree with you, the claim programmers are generally underpaid got me thinking. If every programmer earns less compared to the field, nobody really does. (Think of the famous quote in The Incredibles: If everybody's incredible, nobody is.) So either we're all underpaid compared to the value we generate, or we all overvalue everything we create. Strange that there are no reliable metrics in a field filled with zeros and ones.
- endtime 16y agoThen why don't you?
- knieveltech 16y agoI'm not particularly passionate about welding, whereas I derive real pleasure from programming. For myself this enjoyment is sufficiently valuable to more than offset the economic loss. YMMV.
- endtime 16y agoSure - the fun of programming (or the relative comfort of a desk job) is a benefit of the job. That's why you're not necessarily underpaid just because a welder can earn more.
- narkee 16y agoHow does that imply that programmers are underpaid? I think your implication that the value of trades are somehow worth less than the value programming brings to society is unwarranted.
- knieveltech 16y agoMy viewpoint is from sheer volume of knowledge/skillset required to perform the basic task and the amount of effort required to stay current on the craft.
- baddox 16y agoYour argument is insufficient, and I suspect it's because you're implicitly assuming that programming is also more difficult than welding. I could say that McDonald's employees are underpaid, since they could double their salary by quitting tomorrow and working their way up as a welder. That would probably be true, but that alone doesn't mean that McDonald's employees are underpaid. edit: prepended "sufficient" with "in," which makes a big difference
- knieveltech 16y agoI am not assuming anything. I've welded professionally. I've programmed professionally. I know welding is a hell of a lot easier than programming.
- baddox 16y agoI meant "assumption" in the sense of logic or rhetoric, because your argument hinged on that claim despite you making it explicitly.
- knieveltech 16y agoWhat's with the downvotes? He's providing additional context to his original statement (which was well considered and well written), this definitely adds to the conversation.
- krschultz 16y agoThen why are welders paid more? At my company welders are paid less than programmers, but you can probably blame that on the welder's being in a union more than anything else.
- profquail 16y agoWell, for one, it's more dangerous than programming. I've heard that welders with SCUBA-diving training make a ton of money (easily $100k/year) simply because the job is quite risky. The Bureau of Labor Statistics actually has a really nice website with more info: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos226.htm http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos226.htm
- hvs 16y agoYou are also assuming that you would be a good welder. Welding is incredibly difficult to do well, and the best ones deserve the good salary that they receive.