Should be mentioned that in some countries (like my country, Norway), salaries are MUCH more compressed around a mean (i.e, lower variance), not just for specif

Should be mentioned that in some countries (like my country, Norway), salaries are MUCH more compressed around a mean (i.e, lower variance), not just for specific industries. Software Engineering is no exception. But then again, people live good here. The ones that don't enjoy it, or are more ambitious, tend to move anyway. Many of the regular issues you hear American citizens deal with, are completely non-existent here. edit: Also, and quite obviously, EU is not one country. There's just too much variation going on to compare.