Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
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Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
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Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#2Cons: no Sun and the salaries seem to be capped at CHF 120-140K. Has that old school European mindset that managers and MBAs should be paid more than individual contributors, engineers.
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#3I'm an American expat in Switzerland working as an independent software developer and startup founder. I can agree with a lot of the points listed in the article, but they apply universally to almost all jobs (not just to software developers).
I would raise a few points it doesn't mention:
- Negatively, it is much harder to find meetups close to you that apply to you. Unless you're based in Zürich (the tech hub of the region), expect any meetups to be irregular and if you don't go to the next one, it might be the last one.
- Positively, I work from home. I have four providers I could get 1Gbps symmetrical, unmetered, business-class FTTH for less than 100,- CHF / month. It's hard to go wrong with that.
- Positively, the outdoor culture in much of the country really helps you get out of your chair and outdoors. The natural beauty doesn't hurt. :-)
Happy to answer any more questions if you have them—or I'm more than happy to connect if you're also in Switzerland!
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#4Cons: no Sun and the salaries seem to be capped at CHF 120-140K. Has that old school European mindset that managers and MBAs should be paid more than individual contributors, engineers.
> no Sun
Only in the winter. :)
The other points hold as far as my experience goes.
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#5Cons: no Sun and the salaries seem to be capped at CHF 120-140K. Has that old school European mindset that managers and MBAs should be paid more than individual contributors, engineers.
Lots of Sun, but maybe not as much as Southern California.
San Francisco is famously non-sunny (all that cloud).
Salaries are certainly not capped at 140k CHF, I've seen a number of job ads for 180K CHF and that doesn't count stock options which is usually the bulk of compensation at the high end.
Not sure about the MBA vs IC thing though.
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#6Cons: no Sun and the salaries seem to be capped at CHF 120-140K. Has that old school European mindset that managers and MBAs should be paid more than individual contributors, engineers.
That mindset is definitely not exclusive to Europe, almost every country on the planet thinks managers and MBA's should be paid more than individual contributors. It's only a very recent trend in the US that it started to change.
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#7Cons: no Sun and the salaries seem to be capped at CHF 120-140K. Has that old school European mindset that managers and MBAs should be paid more than individual contributors, engineers.
> no Sun Only in the winter. :) The other points hold as far as my experience goes.
Not true, there's a ton of sun in the mountains above the clouds.
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#8What about formal requirements? The software field in the US is known for not caring a whole lot about people's educational backgrounds as long as they can do the job. Is Switzerland the same or are degrees hard requirements?
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#9Cons: no Sun and the salaries seem to be capped at CHF 120-140K. Has that old school European mindset that managers and MBAs should be paid more than individual contributors, engineers.
That mindset is definitely not exclusive to Europe, almost every country on the planet thinks managers and MBA's should be paid more than individual contributors. It's only a very recent trend in the US that it started to change.
... and only in parts of the US.
Historically compensation tends to be tied to age/seniority and hierarchical status, not contribution per se.
Re: Switzerland vs Silicon Valley for Software Developers
#10Cons: no Sun and the salaries seem to be capped at CHF 120-140K. Has that old school European mindset that managers and MBAs should be paid more than individual contributors, engineers.
They still have the highest salaries in Europe. Anybody moving there from another European country would see those salaries as pretty awesome.
I don't care what managers and MBA-s make until I can make an awesome living. I'm not more special.