Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

291–300 of 304 posts

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#291

Post by goatforce5 »

jacques_chester wrote: post #290
goatforce5 wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you entered the US on a VWP, and try to reenter the US on the VWP without going further than Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, you may find yourself denied entry. I'm not sure if this applies if you were on a different class of visa before attempting to reenter the US using the VWP. I think the US border agents would be very suspicious though. I've entered the US about 15 times since my E3 expired, and i'd say i've…

Thanks for the heads up. I'll amend my plan to include flying back to Perth.

To be clear, I haven't had to deal with E3 related issues for 7 or 8 years and the subtle details of it have probably changed. Hopefully you never find yourself in a position where your E3 becomes invalid unexpectedly but if so, speak to a lawyer to find out the current gotchas and how US Immigration interprets the laws. (Or look at http://www.expatforum.com/expats/america-expat-forum-expats-... - it tends to be an excellent source of typically up to date information.)

Pro-tip for Australian's living in North America (or anyone crossing the Pacific, really): Qantas/OneWorld (and maybe other airlines) typically doesn't charge one penny extra if your North America Australia route includes a stop in Hawaii. Hit up hotwire.com and find a cheap hotel in Waikiki and it's the absolute perfect way to break up a 14+ hour flight.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#292

Post by seanp2k2 »

sndean wrote: post #243
tensor wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Outside of silicon valley and New York salaries in the US are not actually that great. According to glassdoor the average junior developer is actually only 60k when you consider the whole country. Junior software engineer on payscale is median 55k. Also, in some place like San Fransisco the cost of living is going to be 2x or more, so that 2-3x higher salary will end up translating into maybe 1.2x. Salaries in Toront…

> Also, in some place like San Fransisco the cost of living is going to be 2x or more, so that 2-3x higher salary will end up translating into maybe 1.2x. This is a pretty important point... Currently it looks like a ~100k salary in San Fransisco is required to maintain the same standard of living that 55k gets you in Atlanta, Dallas, Raleigh, Pittsburgh, and essentially every other big city I've looked at. So about…

I've heard this argument often and it's somewhat valid, but it doesn't take into account that the amount left after expenses are paid is still a lot more in the Bay Area, and that can be saved or invested or used to open up other options which are not available to the person making half as much with half the expenses somewhere else.

Cars cost basically the same across the US. So do flights, vacation homes, stocks, etc. For many, the idea is to pay the high cost of living here, save up, then move to somewhere much cheaper after an early retirement, career change, etc. Or you can stay until you retire and be extremely wealthy relative to the rest of the country / world. For me, it's not a tough choice, even though rent is ridiculous.

Edit: let us not also forget that the ceiling for pay as an engineer in the Bay Area is currently around half a million a year in salary, more if you get valuable stock options. It's not really possible to come close to that anywhere else as far as I'm aware. The average is lower than that, but where I'm from, you'd be very lucky to get 100k as a senior engineer. It makes things like renting a place here while paying off the mortgage on a home you rent out elsewhere (Portland or Hawaii or whatever you're into) totally viable.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#293

Post by nasalgoat »

querulous wrote: post #195
lcc wrote: post #80

Not if Toronto keeps hemorrhaging talent. I graduated from the University of Toronto last year and can only name 2 of my classmates who are actually working in Toronto now. The rest are in SF, Seattle, and NYC - including many people who have family in Toronto, like me. All of my friends who were seriously working on a startup have moved it to the Bay Area. Many of us would love to move back to Toronto 'eventually',…

toronto salaries would shock most american developers. a startup i interviewed at starts entry level developers at $42k and senior developers were making $70k. i was told my ask of $125k cdn was double what they would consider paying me

Yeah, anything over $100K CDN is basically impossible in Toronto - anyone that good is already working down south.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#294

Post by antoniuschan99 »

James001 wrote: post #145
rrdharan wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strongly disagree. I grew up in Toronto. Moved to New Jersey at 17, San Francisco at 21 and NYC four years ago at age 32. Toronto's weather is definitely the worst of the four, no question.

Those places must have great weather, because Toronto is mostly sun and climate is moderated by the lake

2 years ago we had the polar vortex where the groundwater froze and when it cracked sounded like someone kicking tour front door open.

I doubt there was a polar vortex in the bay area.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#295

Post by James001 »

antoniuschan99 wrote: post #294
James001 wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those places must have great weather, because Toronto is mostly sun and climate is moderated by the lake

2 years ago we had the polar vortex where the groundwater froze and when it cracked sounded like someone kicking tour front door open. I doubt there was a polar vortex in the bay area.

That's just a good storm. The normal day-to-day weather is very nice and usually sunny. Of course we have winter, but it is mild with the occasional extreme storm. I guess it just depends on how much you like the cold.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#296

Post by reledi »

hackerboos wrote: post #277
lcc wrote: post #80

Not if Toronto keeps hemorrhaging talent. I graduated from the University of Toronto last year and can only name 2 of my classmates who are actually working in Toronto now. The rest are in SF, Seattle, and NYC - including many people who have family in Toronto, like me. All of my friends who were seriously working on a startup have moved it to the Bay Area. Many of us would love to move back to Toronto 'eventually',…

Could be worse. Salaries in London, UK are even lower than Toronto.

Doesn't feel like it for me.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#297

Post by hackerboos »

reledi wrote: post #296
hackerboos wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could be worse. Salaries in London, UK are even lower than Toronto.

Doesn't feel like it for me.

It was anecdotal but I think once you factor in rent it's definitely lower.

Average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in centre of Toronto is £750. In London it's twice that and probably not in the centre. Plus tenants pay the taxes on property in the UK.

Taxes are also higher in the UK than Canada. Travel cards in Toronto are fixed at £75 a month. In London you pay for your zone which starts at £124.50 going above £300+ for Zone 9. No doubt it's a better network but Toronto's flat rate system is better on your wallet.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#298

Post by cmrdporcupine »

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #272
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

come back to Toronto where they also can't afford a home? Or live in the suburbs of the GTA and slog it through some of the worst traffic in North America for two hours each way?

Something something Hamilton!

I'm rooting for Hamilton. I live just outside it. It's a place with such huge potential.

But seems like the centre of gravity for not-Toronto tech in southern Ontario is Waterloo, unfortunately.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#300

Post by wbkang »

Cyph0n wrote: post #44
chawco wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I did. Toronto is a great city. I've traveled a good deal in Canada, and the US, and while I can't compare it to cities outside of those two, I will say that I still consider the best city I've ever experienced. While the tech scene isn't as hot as the other regions you mentioned, it's still strong. Very strong. It's also starting to be noticed by the bigger players (with Google and Apple both investing in the region…

How difficult is it for a U.S. citizen to relocate and start working there? Healthcare is only for Canadians, correct?

Anyone who's been working legally for 3 months is eligible for healthcare.
Post reply on HN