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I quit the tech industry

eev.ee

101–110 of 565 posts

Re: I quit the tech industry

#101
post #11

I have been working for myself for last 8 years after completing my masters, in hindsight financially I did not do too badly (tho there was some great and ups and incredible downs!) and it is NICE working from home and watching your kid grow (tho there are quite a lot of distractions!!! says he who is procrastinating reading HN :D ) BUT if I was offered a job with guaranteed employment and steady wages and (gaaasp pe…

Good lord, 53% tax plus 23% VAT plus utilities tax plus monthly healthcare premiums plus...?

I'm a bit of a socialist living in the U.S. - I believe in higher taxes on higher earnings and universal healthcare - but what in all that is holy do you get for your tax money??

Re: I quit the tech industry

#102
post #83
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Between that and the cost of property in Dublin (rental prices are insane at the minute, and I haven't looked at buying but I figure it's the same) that's why everyone graduating in ireland is leaving

Well they're idiots because there are plenty of really well-paying job in the tech industry.

Firstly, not everyone works in tech. But even from that perspective Dublin tech salaries do not offset the taxes and cost of living there to the point of being an idiot for leaving. Particularly if you're a high earner paying the punitive tax rates here.

In my case I could move from Dublin to Silicon Valley and make 30% to 50% more cash and pay way less in taxes, I would be an idiot to not consider it.

Re: I quit the tech industry

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go to Poland - 19% flat income tax rate for companies - you can get flat by 400 euro / month in biggest cities and work remotely for foreign clients.

Go to Poland - 19% flat income tax rate for companies - you can get flat by 400 euro / month in biggest cities and work remotely for foreign clients. To expand on this: one can operate as a sole trader company, and enjoy the 19% flat income tax rate. You can also register your company for VAT, and then claim back the VAT on company purchases. The only other cost is ~$270 / ~240 EUR / ~180 GBP per month in social insu…

how come it's so cheap to live in poland?

Re: I quit the tech industry

#104
post #41

This is what burnout looks like. Unless Yelp has a toxic work culture, it's likely the author brought it on themselves by pushing too hard. After several months, the author will probably start thinking about work again, and begin the job search once more. Not to say that the author's points are invalid; it's a terrible feeling to have to spend your most productive hours working on someone else's problems. He or she m…

I went through this. Not sure what toxic culture entails, but fucked up deadlines burned me out. Why do all software companies rush so hard.

Because to most project managers the problem always looks easier during the spec phase than it actually is. Very few people can groc the problem before doing it. Occasionally you over-estimate, but usually you are under. That's why a good manager of project managers usually just slaps a 25% increase on any estimate (adjusting for his knowledge of the particular PM's abilities).

Re: I quit the tech industry

#105
post #21

After reading on HN about the miners in England yesterday, it's difficult to generate too much sympathy for your situation. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9677863 I hope that you translate your passion into using technology to truly help make the world a better place.

I thought the same thing... first world problems in its essence.

Also typical in the first world: ignoring and belittling mental problems like they are inferior to physical ones. Both suck but just in different ways.

Re: I quit the tech industry

#106
post #11

I have been working for myself for last 8 years after completing my masters, in hindsight financially I did not do too badly (tho there was some great and ups and incredible downs!) and it is NICE working from home and watching your kid grow (tho there are quite a lot of distractions!!! says he who is procrastinating reading HN :D ) BUT if I was offered a job with guaranteed employment and steady wages and (gaaasp pe…

Go to Poland - 19% flat income tax rate for companies - you can get flat by 400 euro / month in biggest cities and work remotely for foreign clients.

Go to Georgia (Europe) - tax haven (0%) for software companies

http://www.upsoni.com/blog/?preload=virtual_trade_zone.txt

Re: I quit the tech industry

#107

After reading on HN about the miners in England yesterday, it's difficult to generate too much sympathy for your situation. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9677863 I hope that you translate your passion into using technology to truly help make the world a better place.

> using technology to truly help make the world a better place

This from someone whose accomplishments include mobile advertising and an app that recapitulates hotlinked YouTube annotations? If you're going to make the argument personal, you'll do well to ensure first that doing so won't undermine the moral high ground you're attempting to take.

Re: I quit the tech industry

#108
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I quit the tech industry over a year ago and I'm not itching back. Maybe if I did something part time that could work, because I don't want to spend more than 20 hours a week working.

What industry are you now in, that you can work 20h/week? Just curious, you are living my dream.

I work in a Teradata shop in a major financial institution and the hours are reasonable and the work is borderline relaxing. There is a nice middle ground between 20h/wk and the startup meatgrinder if you seek it.

Re: I quit the tech industry

#109
post #11

I have been working for myself for last 8 years after completing my masters, in hindsight financially I did not do too badly (tho there was some great and ups and incredible downs!) and it is NICE working from home and watching your kid grow (tho there are quite a lot of distractions!!! says he who is procrastinating reading HN :D ) BUT if I was offered a job with guaranteed employment and steady wages and (gaaasp pe…

Good lord, 53% tax plus 23% VAT plus utilities tax plus monthly healthcare premiums plus...? I'm a bit of a socialist living in the U.S. - I believe in higher taxes on higher earnings and universal healthcare - but what in all that is holy do you get for your tax money??

Good lord, 53% tax plus 23% VAT plus utilities tax plus monthly healthcare premiums plus...?

The OP's overstating their case a bit, see the tax calculator here: http://services.deloitte.ie/tc/ (you'll get close to 60k in your pocket from 100k.)

The wikipedia article's pretty comprehensive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_Republic_of_Ire...

Re: I quit the tech industry

#110
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks to the Internet numbing my moral compass, it's not often I'm shocked, but 53% is just horrifying :(. On the other foot, I live in Australia where most can't afford to buy a house in Sydney, even with what would be considered pretty good wages. That's why I moved out of core tech and became a librarian (which is still pretty tech) in a more regional city. Lower wages but slightly more affordable houses mean I m…

Between (hidden) payroll taxes and state and federal income taxes a developer making 120k in San Francisco isn't too far below 53%.

It's only 40% in California at $120k. And 25% at the $35k level OP mentioned.
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