> In the US you could pull in $100k or $120k easily. But then you'd have to live in the US, which is a major downside to be sure. I think that is another facto

> In the US you could pull in $100k or $120k easily. But then you'd have to live in the US, which is a major downside to be sure. I think that is another factor that is under-appreciated. Many people seem to completely ignore the cost of living in the area surrounding the company and the country in general. A friend of mine had an exceptional start into his career, money and skill wise. He is quite possibly the smartest person I've ever met in person. Three years into his career he got quite a few very very attractive offers from US based companies offering him an attractive relocation package as well as a significantly higher salary. He denied all of those, telling me that all the money they could offer would not justify the awful work life balance that would be a result of those positions. I think that is a perspective that many people seem to lose, mainly because our culture tells us to "work hard" (although the degree of that seems to differ dramatically). But it also goes to show that Europe might be competitive by "idealistic" standards, but not at all when it comes to market standards. And the market standards will only continue to get worse when looking into the structural changes in important industries like automotive.