So many assume that programmers get handed high 6fig salaries here... Good luck with that, hope you are really the best of the best or you're barely going to scrape 6fig despite what all the comments / articles say!
Do not compare EU salaries with the US
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Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
Did you read the Twitter thread? The person writing the Twitter thread clearly outlines their feelings about the need to contribute to the social safety net. > I wanna give back, im okay with that > I don't wanna make 250k while most people work three jobs
Yes, I did read the whole thread. Nobody is stopping one from voluntarily donating to a non-profit or for-profit organization, or being involved in one for that matter. In Europe, most people don't work 3 jobs because either it's not legal to do so or those jobs don't exist because of debilitating regulations... or at some point, making more isn't really worth it because of how high the taxes go up.
The occasional donation to a non-profit might help people subsist, but it doesn't build a better society with more opportunities for everyone.
Nobody needs an obscene salary for writing code when others are struggling to afford the basics.
As an aside, I remember being really taken aback when I went on holiday to the US and most of the menial jobs were being carried out by Hispanic and Black people. I guess if you are a white American you get inured to it, but as a white European it was kind of creepy and a bit repulsive.
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#23It seems very hard to compare the two figures. I guess the interesting way to compare them would be what's the disposable income you have to spend normalised against purchasing power. So gross salary, less taxes (payroll and any others if applicable), pension contributions, student loan repayments, medical insurance contributions (and other out-of-pocket expenses relating to that you may have to pay in a typical year…
Put it this way, in Silicon Valley, a family of 4 making $100k USD qualify for affordable housing programs.
That seems pretty good to be honest. I’ve seen affordable housing listings in NYC for families of 1-2 with income limits topping out at 160K.
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#24DO compare it and see how much one can end up saving in a given time in the US, even after paying for healthcare, education etc.
Per the author's twit, without the higher taxes etc. they would not have been able to afford becoming a software engineer without this welfare setup. Also, yes you save much more, but when your mother has cancer and dad is disabled(As the author explains), realistically much more than what you save ends up being spent to take care of them and paying their medical bills.
I have to say, she might be wrong about that. The US is different, sometimes worse, but people have adapted.
In the US, she would've been able to buy a laptop for dirt cheap or get it from some charity or just someone looking to get rid of it for free. I myself got my first laptops and smartphones from the US, it was cheaper than buying locally, believe it or not.
Most, if not all MOOCs are from the US. Tons of blogs, content, documentation in English, written by Americans. Free for all, just learn and show your skills.
But yes, if there's an unforeseen medical emergency, you could go bankrupt in the US, while you'd be taken care of for free (or nearly free) in Europe.
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#25It seems she's fairly ignorant of how things work here as the vast majority of his fears are unfounded. That's ok though, the point about comparing salaries is very valid, there's extreme cost of living differences among many other things. For a lot of Americans, the fear we have is being completely dependent on the government. Look at who is exiting presidential office, look who is entering. Attaching our fates to t…
What do you think her fears are, and why are they unfounded? I understood her primary point as being about inequality and justice: "I don't wanna make 250k while most people work three jobs"
I grew up in a family whose income put us below poverty line.
I didn't have to pay for college, due to Pell grants, yet she thinks that in the USA, a good student can't go to college without money. That's just not a thing. But the media in the US creates that impression for Europeans.
Also, the idea that poor people with cancer in the US are left to die. Not accurate. Medicare, medicaid, etc. Not saying its good, just saying she's deeply misinformed in the typical socialist left-wing media stereotypes and oversimplifications.
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
You'll get ruined in US if you get cancer in your close family despite 'paying for healthcare' all your life. In my uncharitable opinion US is good for earning money as a young, highly educated person and for nothing else. So go there when you are around 25, work your ass off at whoever pays the most for your skillset, spend as little as possible and bail before 35. Later you're screwed. You'll still make more and mo…
>You'll get ruined in US if you get cancer in your close family despite 'paying for healthcare' all your life. Not really if you have insurance which as a software engineer you would have. Might hit your $10k out of pocket maximum but you salary will easily cover that. edit: When my dad got cancer his insurance actually PAID him a cash payout for every treatment on top of paying the medical costs. He works at a non p…
The person in the Twitter thread notes how her minimum wage mother had cancer. I think it is highly unlikely that someone working at a minimum wage job would be covered for that by their insurance (I may be wrong)
This now infamous reddit comment puts it into perspective very well: https://old.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/hj6t3t/not...
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#27It seems she's fairly ignorant of how things work here as the vast majority of his fears are unfounded. That's ok though, the point about comparing salaries is very valid, there's extreme cost of living differences among many other things. For a lot of Americans, the fear we have is being completely dependent on the government. Look at who is exiting presidential office, look who is entering. Attaching our fates to t…
It’s a woman writing
crap, thanks
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, I did read the whole thread. Nobody is stopping one from voluntarily donating to a non-profit or for-profit organization, or being involved in one for that matter. In Europe, most people don't work 3 jobs because either it's not legal to do so or those jobs don't exist because of debilitating regulations... or at some point, making more isn't really worth it because of how high the taxes go up.
The occasional donation to a non-profit might help people subsist, but it doesn't build a better society with more opportunities for everyone. Nobody needs an obscene salary for writing code when others are struggling to afford the basics. As an aside, I remember being really taken aback when I went on holiday to the US and most of the menial jobs were being carried out by Hispanic and Black people. I guess if you ar…
Race aside, how is that different than western europe importing eastern europeans to work their menial jobs?
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#29[deleted]
Re: Do not compare EU salaries with the US
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
>You'll get ruined in US if you get cancer in your close family despite 'paying for healthcare' all your life. Not really if you have insurance which as a software engineer you would have. Might hit your $10k out of pocket maximum but you salary will easily cover that. edit: When my dad got cancer his insurance actually PAID him a cash payout for every treatment on top of paying the medical costs. He works at a non p…
The person in the Twitter thread notes how her minimum wage mother had cancer. I think it is highly unlikely that someone working at a minimum wage job would be covered for that by their insurance (I may be wrong) This now infamous reddit comment puts it into perspective very well: https://old.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/hj6t3t/not...
The comment I replied to made broad statements and based on the second sentence was talking about anyone with a cancer risk and not just those making low income. I don't disagree with your statement about costs to those lacking decent insurance, I merely disagree with creating broad generalizations unfounded in reality.