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I agree with you, but I appreciate that people on HN talk like this because then I am presented to this world of privileges. It shows to me that this world exis
by soneca 4y ago
I agree with you, but I appreciate that people on HN talk like this because then I am presented to this world of privileges. It shows to me that this world exists and I might benefit from it. That happened to me.
Instead of anchoring myself to what Brazilian companies pay for developers, I focused on getting a remote job at a US company. One that would anchor themselves among their peers around SV, LA, NY. Now I earn about 12x more than when I started as a junior when I started 5 years ago. I earn about 3x more than if I was lucky to get the best paying job for my experience level here in my city.
This 3x salary increase is very related to knowing that this privileged world existed, which is mainly HN’s fault in my case.
Bear in mind that I am not earning close to USD200k (but six digits). I learned around here that FAANG salaries exists, but then I decided that those are not for me. But that’s a conscious decision. A much better position of not even knowing this exists.
- xtracto 4y agoWhitexican problems we call it here in Mexico: I'm in a similar position. 6 digit USD salary while living in Mexico. My problem is that I've been wanting to setup a business: real life like a gym, a store or similar. The issue is that there's no way I'll get as much money as what I'm earning now... and I know building the business will require insurmountable efforts. So I'm reduced to keep working in IT, wait until my good luck ends and hopefully be able to retire around 45
- jeromegv 4y agoYou are not "reduced" to do that. You are making that choice, that's all. Nobody is forcing you. If you badly wanted to create a business, you'd just go ahead and do it.
- LesZedCB 4y ago> > will require insurmountable efforts regardless of whether or not you believe it's just "making that choice," completely discrediting somebody's claim the effort is insurmountable _to them_ makes you a breaker of Rule 1
- presentation 4y agoWell it is objectively surmountable and if it personally isn’t to them that means that the money is more important to them than achieving that goal to make a business. I don’t see how this isn’t a choice? “I’m not doing it since the insecurity of not having a high income is scarier than my desire to open a business” That said I do bet that if you try to do your thing and it really doesn’t work out you probably can go back to software afterwards if you’re open to the risk of burning through your savings in the process.
- throwaway413 4y agoBecause putting food on the table so your family can eat isn’t a choice. Don’t have savings to burn through as you do that? Then it’s not a choice. Just one example. Morality may not be objective, but it surely isn’t just personal either. That’s what makes it a nuanced discussion, and not just a choice one makes. By deciding you want to do that in the future but first you need to save, are you deprioritizing it, or prioritizing it indirectly?
- dzikimarian 4y agoMost people in his country put food on family table without US-level software developer salary. It's hard to lower expectations of life quality, but let's not dramatize.
- deleted 4y ago
- bombcar 4y agoOr find an extremely trusted local who also wants to start a business and bankroll them. The extremely trusted is the hard part.
- cortesoft 4y agoI am curious… why do you want to start a business? It seems like so much work for less pay. Why is the option of working until you retire early a bad thing?
- potatochup 4y agoNot the OP but I'd love to do something that contributes to the local community in a more tangible way than my current $BIGTECH job. I'd love to start a dance studio, a cafe/bookstore, a makerspace. But it'd be a huge pay cut, assuming I could even make a successful business out of it.
- nine_k 4y agoYour paying higher taxes contributes likely more to the community than another store. Your paying a local charity usually does much more to the community than even running a gym. If you run a store or a cafe by just paying locals to work in it, using a part of your high wages, it's pretty helpful. But see the charity above; maybe it's better to support e.g. educators. In general, your community is never better off if you suddenly become poorer.
- robertlagrant 4y agoTaxes contribute to government, not community. Agree with the charity option.
- leaflets2 4y agoUsing the money to pay others to start more local schools, maybe a free coding bootcamp (with entrance tests), maybe maybe could be a high impact thing to do? Or a charity yes (unless of course it's sth like a SPA for dogs)
- xtracto 4y agoIt's just because I've been working in Technology all my life. I've got a PhD in CompSci, I've grown the tech teams of 2 startups, I've worked in different areas... and I just dont really find it that fulfilling anymore. The pay is outrageously good... but at this point it's mainly just that. After 20 years of doing it, it just isnt the same. Maybe it's just the "midlife crisis"
- tomcam 4y ago> Instead of anchoring myself to what Brazilian companies pay for developers, I focused on getting a remote job at a US company. One that would anchor themselves among their peers around SV, LA, NY. Ridiculously smart move. Congratulations.