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Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

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Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#161

Post by ryanobjc »

mitjak wrote: post #149

I'm surprised at the lack of answers that suggest a positive opinion about working in Canada. I personally love the health care and other social benefits, the winters, the multi-cultural city (Toronto), the people, and the lack of gun ownership, among many other things. SV strikes me as a monoculture. I don't want to live at my workplace. The opportunities are fewer but there's also higher demand. My workplace has be…

I eye roll at the "SV is a monoculture" as if somehow you could summarize 5 million people in a highly multicultural and dynamic region as a monoculture, but Toronto is so awesome.

If you are finding your experience in the bay area is a monoculture, then it's only your own fault.

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#162

Post by hluska »

greaseball wrote: post #144
mabbo wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> staying in Canada to earn $40-50k CAD per year starting Amazon Toronto starts new grads at like $80-100k last I heard. It's not as good as you can get in Silicon Valley, but rent in Toronto (while still high) is much lower than in the Valley.

Developers in Toronto are getting a raw deal. The cost of living is orders of magnitude higher than the rest of the country and devs aren't making the difference up with higher wages. So glad I made the decision to move from Toronto to Atlantic Canada this past year. I'm actually making more money in New Brunswick than I did in Toronto and can afford to own a 4 bedroom house instead of renting a 600 square foot condo…

I have been weighing making a move from Saskatchewan to New Brunswick. When I compare Regina to Fredericton (as an example) though, it seems like I must be missing something. On the surface, pay is generally better, the stacks/companies are more interesting, the location seems amazing, and comparable real estate is less than half.

I know that Regina->NB is dramatically different from Toronto->NB, but is there anything you wish you would have known??

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#163

Post by smokinn »

mitjak wrote: post #149

I'm surprised at the lack of answers that suggest a positive opinion about working in Canada. I personally love the health care and other social benefits, the winters, the multi-cultural city (Toronto), the people, and the lack of gun ownership, among many other things. SV strikes me as a monoculture. I don't want to live at my workplace. The opportunities are fewer but there's also higher demand. My workplace has be…

Is the very competitive salary over 300k USD?

That's what's competitive in the Bay Area or Seattle for senior talent. While there are benefits to Canada as you mentioned, for a lot of people they don't make up a 50% pay cut.

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#164

Post by refurb »

lainga wrote: post #20
m-p-3 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm wondering how that salary difference really is when comparing the cost of living of many Canadian cities vs Silicon Valley, the taxation rate and the social services provided (universal healthcare, etc).

Coming from BC (west coast) I believe the taxation rate would work out about the same.

Income taxes BC CA are pretty similar, but other taxes aren't. Gas is the equivalent of $6/gal in Canada right now (due to taxes), sales tax is 12% and a lot of products (electronics, etc) are just generally more expensive in Canada.

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#165

Post by digianarchist »

ryanobjc wrote: post #155
_xzxj wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canadian here (who lives outside of Canada but recently did a stint there for a bit) and this will sound negative but f-it. Canadian culture sucks when it comes to trying new things. Canada has some extra safety net but the culture is puritanical and conservative and nobody wants to go out on a limb and try something new and crazy. Not like Americans. Those that do are constantly questioned by everybody. The idea of…

The liberalness of Canada is overhyped. The reality is Canada is deeply conservative. It's possible to have universal health care and be conservative, that's only a oxymoron in the US. To quote this excellent article[1]: "the default setting of the Canadian male: a dull but stern dad, who, under a facade of apparent normalcy and common sense, conceals a reserve of barely contained hostility toward anyone who might ro…

>"The reality is Canada is deeply conservative."

Agreed. Ontario is a few weeks away from voting in a conservative government with Doug Ford at the helm.

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#166

Post by r-s »

Canadian tech worker here. Base salary is 120k CAD in Calgary which is far above market rate but I am educated, experienced etc. That is 93k USD.

I am looking to move to the USA because of higher salaries, but I am not 22 years old anymore and moving a family (with 2 earners) is no easy task.

It falls on deaf ears though, 120k CAD is a good income, I can afford a house, cars, no debts etc so there is very little understanding from others how I could not be satisfied with pay.

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#167

Post by refurb »

wk_end wrote: post #117
merinowool wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Canadian healthcare any good? Where I live, you pay for this privilege quite a lot of tax at still you have to go privately, because the quality is just not worth your health. I really wish "universal healthcare" was scrapped, so I could afford better services privately.

Canadian living in the US: in my experience Canadian health care is as good or better than in the US. Waiting times are probably somewhat longer for non-emergencies because of triaging, but (again, my experience, subjective, etc) I've often felt doctors are more interested in providing care and less interested in unnecessary upselling. I've only ever lived in the GTA, though. It's my understanding that in many places…

Canadian living in the US: in my experience Canadian health care is as good or better than in the US.

Canadian living in US as well. The one thing I've noticed is the choice of healthcare in the US (for those with good insurance). Have cancer? Pick the best hospital you can find in the area. In Canada, you might live next to a world-class institute or it might just be a regular hospital. That's where you go.

But yes, healthcare in Canada is very good. The other thing I would call out is that experimental/cutting edge technology is often available in the US before Canada.

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#168

Post by threatofrain »

ryanobjc wrote: post #155
_xzxj wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canadian here (who lives outside of Canada but recently did a stint there for a bit) and this will sound negative but f-it. Canadian culture sucks when it comes to trying new things. Canada has some extra safety net but the culture is puritanical and conservative and nobody wants to go out on a limb and try something new and crazy. Not like Americans. Those that do are constantly questioned by everybody. The idea of…

The liberalness of Canada is overhyped. The reality is Canada is deeply conservative. It's possible to have universal health care and be conservative, that's only a oxymoron in the US. To quote this excellent article[1]: "the default setting of the Canadian male: a dull but stern dad, who, under a facade of apparent normalcy and common sense, conceals a reserve of barely contained hostility toward anyone who might ro…

A lot of Canada's GDP seems to come from mining, and some of it seems to come from places that could be disrupted by technology or ecological concerns, so I'm not surprised at resistance to disruption.

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#169

Post by soperj »

mitjak wrote: post #149

I'm surprised at the lack of answers that suggest a positive opinion about working in Canada. I personally love the health care and other social benefits, the winters, the multi-cultural city (Toronto), the people, and the lack of gun ownership, among many other things. SV strikes me as a monoculture. I don't want to live at my workplace. The opportunities are fewer but there's also higher demand. My workplace has be…

Competitive to what? Toronto salaries or SV salaries?

Re: Canada facing ‘brain drain’ as tech talent leaves for Silicon Valley

#170

Post by eriktrautman »

alexhutcheson wrote: post #156
eriktrautman wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hiring anyone in new york is a bloody nightmare. Strongly avoid if possible.

Because the market is too competitive, or for some other reason?

Actually was coming from the perspective of staying on top of all the regulatory agencies and bureaucracy, all of whom are very aggressive relative to ither states to take their pounds of flesh
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