4 ms·

As a UK based engineer these FAANG salaries seem huge. In some cases these salaries are 10x my own salary and I'm considered to be paid well. My UK cohort seem

by reedf1 6y ago

As a UK based engineer these FAANG salaries seem huge. In some cases these salaries are 10x my own salary and I'm considered to be paid well. My UK cohort seem to think this is due to some difference in the cost of living but I don't think it adds up. I'm interested to know what you guys would do if the main thing limiting your salary was geography. Would you start your own company? Move to the US? I'm early on in my career and I can make big changes.

swyx 6y ago
entrepreneurship comes with its own risks and uncertainties. do it if you have a compelling reason, not if you just want more money. many just don't make it but ofc some do extremely well. by far the higher expected value move for you is to come to the US. however I'd also point out that you'd be giving up a lot of the things you take for granted in the UK, in exchange for the higher pay and likely more lively career prospects. you prob already know this but just in case, levels.fyi has realistic levels for faang
- benhurmarcel 6y ago
  Also take into account that it's not a right to emigrate to the US. Most people won't be legally allowed to. You need to get lucky, and in most cases accept an unstable visa situation.
user5994461 6y ago
>>> Move to the US? Moving to the US is almost never an option, because of VISA. Even if you manage to get a VISA and find work there, you won't have the same career prospects as a local (culture, network, education, visa issues, etc...). Few companies sponsor VISA and when they do they know they got you by the balls because you can't change jobs without losing the VISA.
- literallycancer 6y ago
  What's with the upper case?
- throwaway250 6y ago
  That’s not accurate. It’s easy to change jobs on an H1B visa. I did it 6 months ago, the processing took only two weeks. Also it’s wrong to say that you wouldn’t have the same prospects as the local people. I’m a foreigner on an H1B visa but I make $400K/year and never felt disadvantaged in the slightest compared to Americans.
mensetmanusman 6y ago
Starting to date an American would help
balfirevic 6y ago
> My UK cohort seem to think this is due to some difference in the cost of living but I don't think it adds up. It doesn't add up in the slightest. In any case, high cost of living (due to high housing prices) can only be a consequence of high compensations, not a cause. FAANG salaries are what they are because it so happened that the large amounts of available money and high demand for developers (compared to supply) came together at the same companies, at the same place and at the same time.
callahad 6y ago
I moved US->UK almost three years ago, and I took a 30% hit on compensation in the process (same job, new regional pay tables). What I lost in raw compensation I more than made up for in: - Holiday (29 days vs ~20 days) - Sick time (unlimited vs coming out of holiday balance) - Healthcare (I was just made redundant... but I still have the NHS, unlike my American colleagues) - Employee Rights (e.g., "At will" employment versus a 3 month notice period, which would usually be paid out upon redundancy) So while the compensation is higher in America, you also end up working quite a bit more and taking on more risk. Especially around notice periods and access to healthcare should things go poorly. It's entirely possible to make a six figure base salary in remote areas of the UK. Personally, that's more than sufficient for the lifestyle my family and I want, so we're not champing at the bit to go back.

by reedf1 6y ago

swyx 6y ago

entrepreneurship comes with its own risks and uncertainties. do it if you have a compelling reason, not if you just want more money. many just don't make it but ofc some do extremely well. by far the higher expected value move for you is to come to the US. however I'd also point out that you'd be giving up a lot of the things you take for granted in the UK, in exchange for the higher pay and likely more lively career prospects. you prob already know this but just in case, levels.fyi has realistic levels for faang

benhurmarcel 6y ago
Also take into account that it's not a right to emigrate to the US. Most people won't be legally allowed to. You need to get lucky, and in most cases accept an unstable visa situation.

user5994461 6y ago

>>> Move to the US? Moving to the US is almost never an option, because of VISA. Even if you manage to get a VISA and find work there, you won't have the same career prospects as a local (culture, network, education, visa issues, etc...). Few companies sponsor VISA and when they do they know they got you by the balls because you can't change jobs without losing the VISA.

literallycancer 6y ago
What's with the upper case?
throwaway250 6y ago
That’s not accurate. It’s easy to change jobs on an H1B visa. I did it 6 months ago, the processing took only two weeks. Also it’s wrong to say that you wouldn’t have the same prospects as the local people. I’m a foreigner on an H1B visa but I make $400K/year and never felt disadvantaged in the slightest compared to Americans.

mensetmanusman 6y ago

Starting to date an American would help

balfirevic 6y ago

> My UK cohort seem to think this is due to some difference in the cost of living but I don't think it adds up. It doesn't add up in the slightest. In any case, high cost of living (due to high housing prices) can only be a consequence of high compensations, not a cause. FAANG salaries are what they are because it so happened that the large amounts of available money and high demand for developers (compared to supply) came together at the same companies, at the same place and at the same time.

callahad 6y ago

I moved US->UK almost three years ago, and I took a 30% hit on compensation in the process (same job, new regional pay tables). What I lost in raw compensation I more than made up for in: - Holiday (29 days vs ~20 days) - Sick time (unlimited vs coming out of holiday balance) - Healthcare (I was just made redundant... but I still have the NHS, unlike my American colleagues) - Employee Rights (e.g., "At will" employment versus a 3 month notice period, which would usually be paid out upon redundancy) So while the compensation is higher in America, you also end up working quite a bit more and taking on more risk. Especially around notice periods and access to healthcare should things go poorly. It's entirely possible to make a six figure base salary in remote areas of the UK. Personally, that's more than sufficient for the lifestyle my family and I want, so we're not champing at the bit to go back.