3 ms·

The similarity between pay for Software Engineers and RNs in the bay area is a bit of an anomaly nationally. My wife is a RN and before we moved here I was maki

The similarity between pay for Software Engineers and RNs in the bay area is a bit of an anomaly nationally. My wife is a RN and before we moved here I was making twice what she did. Now our incomes are roughly equal - before factoring in any bonuses/stock I get. It is kind of refreshing to see how the nursing industry hires and treats its professionals compared to software, though. No "10x ninja" BS just to get hired as a rank-and-file employee. Hourly pay, as well as unions, prevents anything comparable to the long hours and hero stunts that are rewarded at tech companies. There are days where I do think it'd be nice to have the flexibility that they have, but then I remember that I could never do that job. Just like software engineering, nursing has attributes that make it only desirable to certain people. Patient is actively refusing care, shouting racial slurs at you, trying to assault you, etc? They still need to be cared for. It's still your job to take care of them.

devonkim 12y ago
In enterprise software and consulting anywhere near customer-facing engagements, the work hardly seems that much better than wiping excrement from aging people incapable of taking care of themselves. The job security is certainly much better for nurses where you get paid and everyone knows you're supposed to be helping the patient, but keep recommending something to a client they just don't like even if it's one that will actually solve their problems and you'll get fired probably. Much like being a doctor to patients unwilling to change their lifestyle in so many different ways, there's a massive industry of people making money off of people that want change but just want to spend money (and do almost nothing else) to make their problems go away. They'll still keep opting for something marketed via mass media (CIO magazine or whatever) and better-looking Powerpoints than the more carefully-thought-out solution made by people that really want a sound solution.
ageek123 12y ago
It should also be noted that health care costs are astronomical and have been increasing much faster than inflation for many years. There may be a correlation there. Moreover, as "medical tourism" continues to grow due to unaffordable health care costs in the US, US-based RNs are going to start losing jobs, just like the auto workers who negotiated contracts so generous that they literally killed their employers.
- mrkurt 12y ago
  Nurse salaries are a vanishingly small portion of health care costs. They're largely a function of the difficulty in finding qualified nurses. It's unlikely that will change anytime soon.

devonkim 12y ago

In enterprise software and consulting anywhere near customer-facing engagements, the work hardly seems that much better than wiping excrement from aging people incapable of taking care of themselves. The job security is certainly much better for nurses where you get paid and everyone knows you're supposed to be helping the patient, but keep recommending something to a client they just don't like even if it's one that will actually solve their problems and you'll get fired probably. Much like being a doctor to patients unwilling to change their lifestyle in so many different ways, there's a massive industry of people making money off of people that want change but just want to spend money (and do almost nothing else) to make their problems go away. They'll still keep opting for something marketed via mass media (CIO magazine or whatever) and better-looking Powerpoints than the more carefully-thought-out solution made by people that really want a sound solution.

ageek123 12y ago

It should also be noted that health care costs are astronomical and have been increasing much faster than inflation for many years. There may be a correlation there. Moreover, as "medical tourism" continues to grow due to unaffordable health care costs in the US, US-based RNs are going to start losing jobs, just like the auto workers who negotiated contracts so generous that they literally killed their employers.

mrkurt 12y ago
Nurse salaries are a vanishingly small portion of health care costs. They're largely a function of the difficulty in finding qualified nurses. It's unlikely that will change anytime soon.