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Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids? (pt2)

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Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids? (pt2)

#31
post #22

Background on me: I am French, I've been living in the Bay Area for the past 14 years, a 2-year old and another on the way, we are recent home owners and grandma lives and helps us every day. California is expensive. The Bay Area where you'd find high paying jobs is even more expensive. Rent is expensive, home ownership is nearly inaccessible, cost of daycare and healthcare is high, great schools are expensive and ta…

Can you provide links to websites that engineers get paid 100k in Germany? My impression is that it’s around 50k. That’s what, for example, car companies or top R & D places pay the best graduates from TUM (I am talking about PhDs with years of experience in advanced engineering). But OP should also consider health care costs. You still pay 800-900 Euro in Germany (450 paid out of salary and an equivalent amount by t…

> Can you provide links to websites that engineers get paid 100k in Germany? > > My impression is that it’s around 50k. That’s what, for example, car companies or top R & D places pay the best graduates from TUM (I am talking about PhDs with years of experience in advanced engineering).

I am not familiar with the German market so I wouldn't know. I lead software engineering at a small startup in the US and talk with other CTOs. I think at this point, a lot of US startups will consider any talent anywhere in the world and the exception being legality (for example, companies with clients in the public sector). Salary-wise, it depends on seniority. A very senior engineer could reach Bay Area salaries and I know a few (exception?) who far exceeds those levels. Due to the nature of remote work, junior engineers will have a tougher time so location will definitely be a factor.

Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids? (pt2)

#32

I'm chiming in again here... Germany 100%. Do you want your kids to live with the elevated risk of getting shot, school shooter drills as casual as fire drills, and then the prospect of the principal of the school being insane and getting one of those surprise active shooter simulation drills? I'm lookin at the situation as it only being a matter of time before a TEACHER snaps and starts bucking away kids with a shot…

As someone who lives in the US, your description is extremely hyperbolic. If you believe what the news cycles have to say after every incident, sure, but it doesn't really affect everyday life for most people.

That does not sound very empathetic for the kid's perspective. You might not realize it now but it sounds like next year they're quite likely to massively protest things in your country by simply not showing up.

Do you have children of your own? What are their points of view on the matter?

Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids? (pt2)

#33

If you want to attempt to be wealthy, California. If you want to maximize for quality of life, Germany. Strong support systems in the early years of having children is highly underrated, and there is a reason people expat to Europe when they can afford to.

In EU tech salaries are getting a bit better. Maybe Switzerland is a happy mid-point between the US and EU where you can have great compensation and quality of life? UK can also pay well, in some cases close to CA, and offer a decent quality of life. But definitely a bit inferior to Germany unless you manage to live in some of the nice spots.

There's something which has not been discussed here, although it is perhaps not the OP's priority. As a European, I feel I fit much better culturally in the US rather than in Germanic countries. With the exception of Spain, UK and perhaps Italy.

First, there is no language barrier for me. Second, I feel that foreigners click well. Actually, I feel I am not seen as a foreigner. Whereas in Germany or Scandinavia there is a weird glass ceiling. Maybe big cities like Munich or Berlin are not like this, though.

It has not bothered me much, but some of my foreign friends actually relocated to the US because of this reason.

Re: Ask HN: Should I move to California or Germany as a SWE with 2 small kids? (pt2)

#34

Background on me: I am French, I've been living in the Bay Area for the past 14 years, a 2-year old and another on the way, we are recent home owners and grandma lives and helps us every day. California is expensive. The Bay Area where you'd find high paying jobs is even more expensive. Rent is expensive, home ownership is nearly inaccessible, cost of daycare and healthcare is high, great schools are expensive and ta…

i doubt you’ll have much left or be able to buy a decent house with 300k total income in the bay area.
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