281–290 of 424 posts
I'm moving from San Francisco to Toronto soon. Staying at the same job, my salary will go from $180k usd to $128k usd ($170k cad). (Equity comp remains the same) That's a pretty big cut, though at least for me it's worth it because of non-monetary reasons, like being closer to family, not dealing with immigration anymore, healthcare/education. The money stuff isn't so bad. A downtown Toronto condo is a lot cheaper th…
How's the weather there though? Can we just stop comparing cities? Everyone loves to complain about the cost of living in SF and always brags about how they could buy a mansion in the midwest. No one cares. It's all about location. There is a reason why California is the most populous state in the union despite it being so expensive (weather and jobs). There is a reason the population in the midwest is so low (lack o…
These days it’s been hard to peg a good day to go skating because it will suddenly warm up and render all the ice sluggish. It’s really disappointing.
In short: a lot of us like our weather for the variations in it...
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Language barrier aside, Montréal seems like a hidden gem.
Montreal is an Anglophone city. Last I checked 80% were English speakers (not necessarily primary language). Now Quebec City is entirely different. I could see language being more challenging there. Honestly, Montreal is a hidden gem. Low cost housing, ton of culture and history. The only drawbacks can be the Québécois anti-immigrant and anti-business climate, but it’s not stifling, just more noticeable than the rest…
You just need to take a stroll in "Plateau" to witness this. The salaries are also really low and we are the highest taxed province in Canada.
I think we should give folks an accurate portrayal of this city instead of an endless stream self promotion
Companies that are nowhere near as successful as those in the US, developer salaries that are nowhere near those in the US. I don't think I get it.
Companies that are nowhere near as successful as those in the US, developer salaries that are nowhere near those in the US. I don't think I get it.
There is a faction of oligarchs in this country who want to saturate the labor market for their own benefit. This is merely propaganda on their behalf.
Canada gets immigrants from developing countries; immigrants take advantage of the excellent education and healthcare system, after a few years get a citizenship, a TN visa, then move to US for a better salary and a lower rent. USA gets the cream of the crop from Canada and wins. Canada loses.
You are absolutely right. Salaries in Canada are pathetic. Anecdotally, I know many who did this TN visa to go back to US. US still wins despite the broken immigration system.
It’s really not, though - the point is to only allow people who literally can’t be found anywhere else to migrate. They’re looking for one in a million, not just anybody with a decent education who’s interested in living here. The immigration policy was broken for decades and is just now being fixed. We should expect to see lower, but better, immigration.
However, I think given the right opportunity I would still head back to the U.S. Things are fucked in the U.S. but the sense of scale, velocity is unmatched. In Toronto you feel that people's attitude is just not the same. There is no hunger or lust to be number #1 and I have always been competitive personality type. In NYC even traditional enterprise corporations (where I worked) there is an intensity and drive that's missing here. Call it the american spirit.
Salary as this stage is relatively unimportant, making 150 or 250k is about the about the same to me. But the scale and types of opportunities is something else. There are roles and jobs that only exist in the U.S.
That being said, for me going back is just a tour of duty, once you are past the journeyman stage of your life and wanting to start a family, then Canada wins unquestioned. The environment, benefits, healthcare, and most importantly education for your children will outweigh just about any salary you can command state-side. Because now you are talking about intangible things that are harder and harder to buy with money.
My opinion is, stay in the U.S. when you are young and/or talented. Then, if you are of Indian or Chinese birth, move elsewhere to start a family and take a senior position in Canada. Typically if you come from reputable shop state-side and demonstrate your worth, you can find a job where people will treat you with respect for that experience. They might not be able to compensate you the same way but you can usually get bumped up a notch.
If you are of white or European heritage and you are in a good place then you can consider staying the U.S. if you can make it work.
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The inland of Australia is nothing like inland North America. There is very little water, much is literally desert. Something like 85% of the population lives within 50km of the coastline.
The desert sounds like a good place to harvest the sun. Install some solar panels, and use it to crack water, to make hydrogen, and convert it to ammonia. Australia can power the next fuel cell revolution.
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As an anglophone who moved to Montreal last year, I'm kinda mixed on it. In my experience, French is both required for accurately ordering food (unless you're lucky and the person taking your order knows English) and for understanding what the métro audio bulk items say (I wish they would put those messages on Twitter too). People will generally be supportive to you trying to learn French, but in order to get permane…
That’s very odd. My interactions in Montreal with stores and restaurants always begin with a “bonjour-hi” and most places have an English menu. In my hundreds of interactions, I’ve only had to use my rusty French two or three times. The rest of Quebec is another story, though.
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I moved to Toronto, then to SF. Thought I'd also share my anecdata here. I used to make ~100k/yr CAD (75k/yr USD) when I was in TO around 6 years ago. I bought a house around 7 years ago for 550k. I did a remote stint for a Boulder company for a couple years (~120k/yr USD working from TO), then moved to SF (~200k/yr USD + ~100k/yr equity). I'm a bit out of the loop w/ TO salaries nowadays, but your 170k CAD definitel…
> Goods generally cost less in SF. Milk costs ~$5/gallon USD in SF vs $10/4L CAD ($7 USD) in TO. I regularly pick up a 4 L bag of 1% for about CAD 4.25 (USD 3.00). Where the heck are you doing your grocery shopping, the food hall at Holt Renfrew?