Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#81

Post by bad_user » Thu, Feb 04, 2010, 5:22 PM UTC

isleyaardvark wrote: post #79

plinkplonk wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I imagine your perspective changes a lot if you're out there on the ground." Very true, when your country is invaded and your friends and family shot/raped/jailed/killed by the invader's mercenaries, your perspective probably changes very fast! Anyone getting in actual combat will experience perspective change no matter which side he is on I guess. It is a bit harder for the rest of the world to sympathize with the…

We aren't there to "uplift" them. We're there to stop safe havens for terrorist groups from being set up by the Taliban, a group that was formed in and supported by Pakistan. If America was taken over by a group that violated human rights like the Taliban, that was refused to even be recognized as the legitimate government by the overwhelming majority of nations in the world, and was the subject of binding UN sanctio…

> We're there to stop safe havens for terrorist groups from being set up by the Taliban, a group that was formed in and supported by Pakistan.

These people, including Al-Qaeda, where receiving funds from the US (with the help of Pakistan no doubt) to support their struggle against the soviets.

The Taliban's origins are in Afghanistan, which was later abandoned ... which is regrettable, since the aid it needed for building schools and hospitals was a only a fraction of the money already spent in warfare by the US.

I guess this is what you get when you're having the God syndrome. If you're going to interfere with other people's business, at least do it right.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#82

Post by BearOfNH » Thu, Feb 04, 2010, 6:36 PM UTC

thesethings wrote: post #50

philwelch wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Pretend the salary is the same in both places, and judge the decision just on the experience factor. I say this because for a variety of reasons, you could make that much money in the States as a reasonably curious, skilled person." 200K for one year in Iraq might actually be significantly more than 200K for one year in California, for instance, depending on cost of living. I can't imagine actually buying anything i…

You bring up a great point, possible differences in expenses. I bet you're right, it's not just a normal gig/set-up. That said, I don't change my main idea or advice: To remove the compensation as a reason to do this. It's such a unique job (to put it mildly). And the fact that if one is undergoing extreme conditions either way, one can greatly increase their income with other strategies, I still think this should be…

one can greatly increase their income with other strategies

Of course those "other strategies" have a different risk profile. You might be right about not considering income, but then you should also ignore risks. All of them.

If I were in the same position, I would go for it ... or something vaguely similar (like, say, Kwajalein radar support). But then, I never was a party animal.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#83

Post by albertsun » Thu, Feb 04, 2010, 9:31 PM UTC

cousin_it wrote: post #65

albertsun wrote: post #3

I'd do it. Living and working in Iraq would be an amazing and unique experience, even without the high pay. Pick up an Arabic phrasebook while you're on your way.

"Amazing and unique experience"? Have you no shame, you fucking Americans?

I think it's pretty clear the answer to that is no.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#84

Post by theprodigy » Fri, Feb 05, 2010, 12:27 AM UTC

if this job entails working with the militaries technology (servers, networks, etc) you should take it. A lot of the very smart network engineers and programmers that I have met have worked in military; Iraq and DOD.

You are going to be dealing with some high tech environments in Iraq and will get good experience and money in the process.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#85

Post by plinkplonk » Fri, Feb 05, 2010, 12:33 AM UTC

isleyaardvark wrote: post #79

plinkplonk wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I imagine your perspective changes a lot if you're out there on the ground." Very true, when your country is invaded and your friends and family shot/raped/jailed/killed by the invader's mercenaries, your perspective probably changes very fast! Anyone getting in actual combat will experience perspective change no matter which side he is on I guess. It is a bit harder for the rest of the world to sympathize with the…

We aren't there to "uplift" them. We're there to stop safe havens for terrorist groups from being set up by the Taliban, a group that was formed in and supported by Pakistan. If America was taken over by a group that violated human rights like the Taliban, that was refused to even be recognized as the legitimate government by the overwhelming majority of nations in the world, and was the subject of binding UN sanctio…

" We're there to stop safe havens for terrorist groups from being set up by the Taliban, a group that was formed in and supported by Pakistan."

I was talking about Iraq, not Afghanistan. The topic is about hackers going to Iraq. Nice trick of deflection.

Why are you in Iraq again? Persuading the American public that the invasion of Iraq was a response to 9/11 is the greatest con game in history.

As as to the Taliban, they are holed up in Pakistan (and Somalia, and Yemen) these days . Will you be invading those countries too?

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#86

Post by richcollins » Fri, Feb 05, 2010, 4:15 AM UTC

clistctrl wrote: post #57

sage_joch wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This thread is making me feel very poor.

to be fair, in San Fransisco its not going to go as far as it would in other parts of the country.

No, but the absolute amount that you clear is still way more.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#87

Post by dnsworks » Fri, Feb 05, 2010, 5:34 AM UTC

plinkplonk wrote: post #70

pclark wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I imagine your perspective changes a lot if you're out there on the ground.

"I imagine your perspective changes a lot if you're out there on the ground." Very true, when your country is invaded and your friends and family shot/raped/jailed/killed by the invader's mercenaries, your perspective probably changes very fast! Anyone getting in actual combat will experience perspective change no matter which side he is on I guess. It is a bit harder for the rest of the world to sympathize with the…

My country has been invaded by a self-righteoius army trying to "uplift" me. I call them Christians, and I consider them the real enemy in this country.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#88

Post by dnsworks » Fri, Feb 05, 2010, 5:39 AM UTC

richcollins wrote: post #52

You can make $150 an hour doing software consulting in San Francisco. Thats 240k a year assuming you can bill 40 full weeks a year.

That's quite an assumption. 1,000-1,200 billable hours per year tends to be more the norm.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#89

Post by dnsworks » Fri, Feb 05, 2010, 5:52 AM UTC

richcollins wrote: post #86

clistctrl wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

to be fair, in San Fransisco its not going to go as far as it would in other parts of the country.

No, but the absolute amount that you clear is still way more.

$240k in SF would mean :

$20k/year in rent for a 1-bedroom apartment $19k/year in California state taxes $110k/year in Federal taxes --- $91k for hookers and blow

$200k in Iraq would mean: - $53k/year in Federal taxes - $0/year in state taxes - $0/year in housing charges -------------- $147k to spend on hookers and blow

At the end of the year, Iraq would give you an extra $56k to spend on 8-balls and being a VIP at the Emperor's club.

Re: Ask HN: Would you go to Iraq for a year and be paid $200k?

#90

Post by isleyaardvark » Fri, Feb 05, 2010, 7:40 PM UTC

plinkplonk wrote: post #85

isleyaardvark wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We aren't there to "uplift" them. We're there to stop safe havens for terrorist groups from being set up by the Taliban, a group that was formed in and supported by Pakistan. If America was taken over by a group that violated human rights like the Taliban, that was refused to even be recognized as the legitimate government by the overwhelming majority of nations in the world, and was the subject of binding UN sanctio…

" We're there to stop safe havens for terrorist groups from being set up by the Taliban, a group that was formed in and supported by Pakistan." I was talking about Iraq, not Afghanistan. The topic is about hackers going to Iraq. Nice trick of deflection. Why are you in Iraq again? Persuading the American public that the invasion of Iraq was a response to 9/11 is the greatest con game in history. As as to the Taliban,…

rdl's post that started this thread discussed contracting in Afghanistan, and replies to that post discussed overseas deployments in a general sense. In fact the "bullets in the bad guys" comment that set off this thread comes in rdl's point 2 about combat going on in Afghanistan and not Iraq. It wasn't a trick or deflection. My comments about the Taliban also go for Saddam and his Ba'ath party.