Live data from Hacker News

Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

techcrunch.com

201–210 of 304 posts

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#201
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of surprised that this seems to be the sentiment. I rather live in a place where I make less, but the wealth is better distributed. To me a high standard of living is not just a good salary, but also good living conditions of those around me. If Toronto is to be the next Bay Area, and I have to walk over the homeless to get to work, I'm out of here.

If you're an American you need 6 figures to pay back your $100k+ student loan debt. It's not like these young tech employees are living high on the hog. They move to these tech centers because they have to.

If you work in Toronto as a programmer, you are middle class or upper-middle class or you should be looking for a different job. There's plenty of work.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#202
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Add in a car, ($0 in Toronto, $1000 in The bay w/ parking, insurance, gas & the vehicle) My observation is that's great to not have a car in SF, I prefer not to. But it's impossible not to have a car in Toronto. Why is it $0 in Toronto?

Great to hear you can go without a car in SF I'm a 20 minute walk to work in Toronto with a large grocery store across the street from home. Basically everything can be done on foot. Add in a bike and a nice transit system and no-car is pretty easy here. Are you in SF? Does $4k for a 1 bed+den seem to be in the ballpark?

Median 1 bed is $3500-3700. Median 2 bed is $4700-4900.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#203
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hit the nail on the head. Until Toronto can match the competitive salaries in the Bay Area I will be working in the US.

Kind of surprised that this seems to be the sentiment. I rather live in a place where I make less, but the wealth is better distributed. To me a high standard of living is not just a good salary, but also good living conditions of those around me. If Toronto is to be the next Bay Area, and I have to walk over the homeless to get to work, I'm out of here.

Have you lived in Toronto? Houses in the city average over 1M CAD and there are tons of vagrants on the street.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#204
post #80

Not if Toronto keeps hemorrhaging talent. I graduated from the University of Toronto last year and can only name 2 of my classmates who are actually working in Toronto now. The rest are in SF, Seattle, and NYC - including many people who have family in Toronto, like me. All of my friends who were seriously working on a startup have moved it to the Bay Area. Many of us would love to move back to Toronto 'eventually',…

I recently had to make that same decision myself, and chose Toronto. The salaries on the jobs I was interviewing for (not to mention perks) were astronomically high. I'd considered just going to work for 3 years, saving as much as I could, then coming back to Canada.

I the end, I worried that I would never come back in spite of my early intentions. Toronto's a great city, and I'm quite comfortable with my compensation, but I don't begrudge anyone who moves for the chance to be instantly wealthy.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to immigrate like all the other immigrants, but since you are German, the permanent resident quota is barely used for your nationality. The USA creates a quota system for green cards and then splits them up on a nationality basis. India, China and the Philippines have a long lineup for visas. The USA creates a quota/lineup system on a per country basis. You have 3 basic options: 1. Work at a European office…

Are any of these options available to people without a degree?

TN status/visa can be obtained without a degree but it is a little less straightforward and has a higher chance of denial.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#206
post #80

Not if Toronto keeps hemorrhaging talent. I graduated from the University of Toronto last year and can only name 2 of my classmates who are actually working in Toronto now. The rest are in SF, Seattle, and NYC - including many people who have family in Toronto, like me. All of my friends who were seriously working on a startup have moved it to the Bay Area. Many of us would love to move back to Toronto 'eventually',…

toronto salaries would shock most american developers. a startup i interviewed at starts entry level developers at $42k and senior developers were making $70k. i was told my ask of $125k cdn was double what they would consider paying me

I am not sure what startups you are applying for, number one rule in Toronto is 1. never use a recruiter because they take 20-10K of your salary, or the companies hiring budget. 2. Apply to startups that are doing well. I am making 120K cad, at a startup. I am a senior tl in training though.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#207
post #197
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of surprised that this seems to be the sentiment. I rather live in a place where I make less, but the wealth is better distributed. To me a high standard of living is not just a good salary, but also good living conditions of those around me. If Toronto is to be the next Bay Area, and I have to walk over the homeless to get to work, I'm out of here.

> To me a high standard of living is not just a good salary, but also good living conditions of those around me. To most it's the opposite. Wealth is relative so I'd rather live in a 3rd world country making $50k than SF making $150k.

I doubt anyone can make you leave the States or Canada to work on a third world country for that paltry amount of money.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#208
post #190

Seconded on risk aversion. Toronto is just not sexy. When you go to pitch a client in a top tier city and you are from one, the client assumes that if you can survive in SF/NY/DC/LON etc, that they should hear you out. In Toronto, it's like you can't type 'hello world," without some cringeworthy reporter going on about how it's by a sparky _canadian_ startup taking on the big bad world with their local blend of quirk…

I'm not sure what happened in that last paragraph, can you elaborate?

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#209
post #190

Seconded on risk aversion. Toronto is just not sexy. When you go to pitch a client in a top tier city and you are from one, the client assumes that if you can survive in SF/NY/DC/LON etc, that they should hear you out. In Toronto, it's like you can't type 'hello world," without some cringeworthy reporter going on about how it's by a sparky _canadian_ startup taking on the big bad world with their local blend of quirk…

I'm not sure what happened in that last paragraph, can you elaborate?

What precisely could benefit from clarification?

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

come back to Toronto where they also can't afford a home? Or live in the suburbs of the GTA and slog it through some of the worst traffic in North America for two hours each way?

Winnipeg will rise again.

Montréal is going great too.
Post reply on HN