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Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

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Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#51

Post by wesd »

eulji wrote: post #19

I would be more interested in data that shows how much money an engineer takes back home (net income) compared to the rest of the world. eg Software Engineer from Atlantis earns 100 000 USD but pays 55% of tax so takes home only 45000 Software Engineer from Middle-Earth earns 60 000 USD but pays 10% tax and takes home 54000 etc

It's will be almost impossible to compare at that level since there are so many contributing factors that affects much one gets taxed. How much does the employee contribute to 401K, does he have dependents, medical claims?

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#52

Post by ben_jones »

ones_and_zeros wrote: post #18
stepny wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We actually suspect that people who are paid less or are underpaid are more likely to report their salaries. For example, it seems like Glassdoor data skews low.

I can sort of understand that as a signal not to interview at the company or information for future potential coworkers to use during negotiations. A rising tide raises all ships so to speak. IMO sharing salary data is the perfect first step for some sort of software engineers association/guild/professional body.

This may be an unpopular opinion but if internet forums and message boards are any indication I don't want some omnipotent group of software developers making decisions for the industry as a whole. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and all that...

And perhaps more relevant to the thread, I know two types of people who talk about their salary, people who make a lot and people who make a little. Their is just so much bias present to me to give any credibility to these lists. Take the google spreadsheet where the employee was fired, do you think the engineers who thought they did better then their peers in negotiations listed their wages?

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#54

Post by Phlarp »

chris_wot wrote: post #17
overcast wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, because Glassdoor is a place for people to go air their dirty laundry. With this, you're surveying a very niche group of users, that are probably being well paid.

And potentially identifiable...

Good, let HR get a hold of it, figure out who all the people sharing numbers are and fire them.

Surely scalping a ton of mid level engineers at major tech firms for sharing their salaries online will fix that pesky problem of soaring profits and thick margins...

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#55

Post by golergka »

jahnu wrote: post #46
dogma1138 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep cut the compensation by about 50% and increase the taxation by 50% :)

Yeah but healthcare education and pensions ;) That tax is buying us stuff.

Ineffectively and for core vote base, not you. This is an old debate.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#56

Post by mbesto »

stepny wrote: post #24
eulji wrote: post #19

I would be more interested in data that shows how much money an engineer takes back home (net income) compared to the rest of the world. eg Software Engineer from Atlantis earns 100 000 USD but pays 55% of tax so takes home only 45000 Software Engineer from Middle-Earth earns 60 000 USD but pays 10% tax and takes home 54000 etc

We're not quite there yet with the data we have :). Anecdotally though, it seems like companies in Europe pay less and take out more taxes.

Very true. But the cost of living is much cheaper (comparative to where Google/FB are HQ'd).

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#57

Post by hollander »

stepny wrote: post #24
eulji wrote: post #19

I would be more interested in data that shows how much money an engineer takes back home (net income) compared to the rest of the world. eg Software Engineer from Atlantis earns 100 000 USD but pays 55% of tax so takes home only 45000 Software Engineer from Middle-Earth earns 60 000 USD but pays 10% tax and takes home 54000 etc

We're not quite there yet with the data we have :). Anecdotally though, it seems like companies in Europe pay less and take out more taxes.

When I have a 200k income, I don't really care about getting welfare, and I can probably pay healthcare myself. But I don't have that kind of income, and then healthcare, pension and social benefits really count.

We may pay more tax, but I'm glad we have the backup system that keeps you going when you're sick or unemployed.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#58

Post by totalrobe »

sjwright wrote: post #44
eulji wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right. But a country as a whole is what I am interested in. I mean iphone costs about the same anywhere in the world ( okay it's sometimes more usually not less (Brazil?)) so there's that...

iPhone-like items are a very small part of anyone's annual budget. What matters are housing costs, transport costs, healthcare costs and quality of life. All of which are highly variable depending on location.

The iPhone itself may be a small part (depending on your budget) but wireless plan costs also vary widely. I know that UK/EU plans are substantially cheaper than the US where many pay $150+ per month for a couple lines.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#59

Post by jahnu »

golergka wrote: post #55
jahnu wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but healthcare education and pensions ;) That tax is buying us stuff.

Ineffectively and for core vote base, not you. This is an old debate.

Regardless of what one thinks of the tax it's clear one can't compare salaries after taxation. Fact is I don't spend anything on healthcare. In the US I would need insurance. I don't save for my kids university education because it will be free. In the US I would have to.

Comparing pre tax income is more useful, by and large.

Re: Open Source Project – View 689 Salaries Posted on Hacker News, Share Yours

#60

Post by cornstalks »

shivsta wrote: post #53

Holy crap, I didn't realize that starting salary at Google was $175K. That seems a bit high for new college hires, but I suppose I'm comparing that to my salary as a freshie sdet.

Read the chart again. It says the median starting salary is $110,000. $172,000 is the median total annual compensation, which includes bonuses (and stock typically won't vest during the first year, which means total compensation for the first year is actually closer to $123,000).
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