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Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

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Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#51

Post by neilk »

hughes wrote: post #27

This article doesn't mention one of the major reasons for talent leaving Canada: if you work there, you need to stomach a 50% pay cut in average salaries vs the US. This is true pretty much across the board regardless of tech niche on the 2017 Stack Overflow Developer Survey[1]: Machine learning specialist: US 108k, Canada 53k (49%) Embedded applications/devices developer: US 100k, Canada 53k (53%) Systems administra…

In my experience, those numbers for Canadian salaries would be ridiculously low.

Also, I'm assuming those numbers are converted to USD. Even if they look lower, you have to consider what kind of lifestyle the salary buys you where you are earning it.

In my experience, the real reason people leave isn't so much salary, as lack of opportunities.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#52

Post by sheepmullet »

SV used to be a cheap place to live and this helped the startup scene grow into what it is today. Now it's (more or less) self sustaining.

It enabled a lot of risk taking.

I don't think you could call any major Canadian city cheap.

So how does it build up an ecosystem? Maybe if all the VCs etc get chased out of the US?

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#53

Post by akinalci »

endorphone wrote: post #35
hughes wrote: post #27

This article doesn't mention one of the major reasons for talent leaving Canada: if you work there, you need to stomach a 50% pay cut in average salaries vs the US. This is true pretty much across the board regardless of tech niche on the 2017 Stack Overflow Developer Survey[1]: Machine learning specialist: US 108k, Canada 53k (49%) Embedded applications/devices developer: US 100k, Canada 53k (53%) Systems administra…

While I do have a grievance with a much lower pay ceiling across Canada, those numbers are ridiculously low even if in US dollars as I assume they are. I don't put much stock in the StackOverflow survey. And I'm not trying to be argumentative, but your take on TN visas is extremely simplified. For instance software developers aren't actually allowed to have a TN visa, and instead you have to say that you're a "system…

Here's another source, Payscale.com:

Software engineer (Canada): $51,000 (C$70,000)

Software engineer (US): $80,825

The gap here is smaller ($30k vs. $50k) but still significant. And I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I'm more inclined to believe two surveys than a random person's claim.

[1] http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Software_Engineer/Sa... [2] http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Software_Engineer/Sa...

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#54

Post by thesmallestcat »

canistr wrote: post #41

As far as Toronto is concerned, nobody grows to the size of a multi-national juggernaut. Everyone takes the buyout/merger/acquisition way before that ever happens. It's often been said, what major multi-national corporation has their headquarters here? Reuters is the only one and they are technically headquartered in New York now. The companies that get that far will typically come out of other places where they aren…

Does TD count?

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#55

Post by aanm1988 »

flavoie wrote: post #18

" Similarly, sub-zero temperatures scare people to warmer areas, leading to a brain drain and serious demand for startup-orientated marketers." Living in one of the cities, sub-zero might have an impact but I don't think it's the brain drain main reason. For aspiring founder, I think it's more related to insufficient founding. For engineers, I think the very low salaries is more to blame. Even if cost of living is a…

You mean people who have lived with that weather all their lives aren't moving to another country (will all the associated pain) just to avoid it?

But that theory made so much sense!

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#56

Post by adventured »

guyzero wrote: post #14

It makes me feel proud that Canada has been North America’s up-and-coming startup center since I graduated from Waterloo over 20 years ago. That's a solid, consistent track record of almost being there.

There has been a story equivalent to that on the front page every few weeks for the last five years that I've been reading HN.

I attribute it to some kind of watch-goliath-fall fantasy. That has been amplified dramatically since Trump got elected. Since then, a couple dozen countries are now supposedly candidates to swipe a lot of tech talent away from the US. Nothing will come of it; even more high-skilled talent will actually make it to the US thanks to reforming the H-1B back to what it was supposed to be. Inbound, substantial corporate tax cuts will increase the power of the magnet luring start-ups to US shores.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#57

Post by flyingramen »

noam87 wrote: post #49
hughes wrote: post #27

This article doesn't mention one of the major reasons for talent leaving Canada: if you work there, you need to stomach a 50% pay cut in average salaries vs the US. This is true pretty much across the board regardless of tech niche on the 2017 Stack Overflow Developer Survey[1]: Machine learning specialist: US 108k, Canada 53k (49%) Embedded applications/devices developer: US 100k, Canada 53k (53%) Systems administra…

No way those numbers are right. At least not in Toronto. I'm a back end dev with under 5 years experience and you couldn't get me to set the clock on your microwave for $53k.

For my benefit, would you be willing to share your salary or range (and currency :)?

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#59

Post by neilk »

jordigh wrote: post #44
hughes wrote: post #27

This article doesn't mention one of the major reasons for talent leaving Canada: if you work there, you need to stomach a 50% pay cut in average salaries vs the US. This is true pretty much across the board regardless of tech niche on the 2017 Stack Overflow Developer Survey[1]: Machine learning specialist: US 108k, Canada 53k (49%) Embedded applications/devices developer: US 100k, Canada 53k (53%) Systems administra…

> TN visas are instant and infinitely renewable. Not for Mexicans, as I found out the hard way. I tried doing this to come to Canada, but since Mexicans at the time needed an entry visa, I had to leave the country for a month and apply for a work visa in NYC. It was pretty frustrating for me because I read and re-read all the documents I had to read, and everything seemed to say I could just walk into Canada with my…

Policies around visa processing vary with time and even depending on what port of entry or what agent you get. (It's a taste of what the state is like when there are no accountability procedures.)

There are people in the Valley who specialize in tracking every twist and turn of what visa policies are like this year.

Re: Canada is North America’s up-and-coming startup center

#60

Post by canistr »

thesmallestcat wrote: post #54
canistr wrote: post #41

As far as Toronto is concerned, nobody grows to the size of a multi-national juggernaut. Everyone takes the buyout/merger/acquisition way before that ever happens. It's often been said, what major multi-national corporation has their headquarters here? Reuters is the only one and they are technically headquartered in New York now. The companies that get that far will typically come out of other places where they aren…

Does TD count?

No, I don't think any of the big Canadian banks would or should count.
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