I assume your comment is directed at me, the OP, as it was not in reply to anyone.

>> You're not getting "ripped off" by having a base salary of 125K USD (with benefits and equity) fresh out of college.

Nowhere in the thread has anyone used the term "ripped off" so I'm not sure why you put it in quotes. Your assumption that I am fresh out of college is wrong.

>> So boo-hoo to those making only 125K with equity and benefits.

I think you are misunderstanding the point of the discussion. No one is seeking any sort of pity, as you seem to be suggesting. No one here is suggesting that $125K is nearing poverty.

What we are doing is questioning the paradigm of employers enjoying a superior bargaining position in salary negotiations as a result of a social dynamic that we ourselves are furthering. Specifically, a reluctance to openly discuss compensation.

>> Tell you what, with a Bachelor's in Chemistry (in my year 176 people started, only 42 finished the degree so it's not a free lunch) I can expect to make between 40K and 60K CAD out of college and pay higher taxes than in the US. With a master's that I'm working towards, I'd be on the upper end of that spectrum.

If you are unhappy with your career choice, why don't you do something else?

No, it wasn't directed at you. I should have mentioned that I was talking to others in the thread. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Some people felt entitled to more because they went to school. I actually thought the discussion you instigated was healthy. My bad!

>I can expect to make between 40K and 60K CAD out of college

A chemical engineer with a BS in Alberta can make $120k CAD base-pay, easily.

>and pay higher taxes than in the US.

A San Franciscan making $120k USD pays $46,176 USD in taxes (state+fed)

An Albertan making $120k CAD pays just $32,974 CAD in taxes (prov+fed)

When software engineers want $120k, they move to SF/Seattle and work for <soul-crushing corporate tech-company>. If you want $120k, move to Alberta and work for a gas company.

The vast majority of software engineers (let-alone 'entry level' SEs) in the US aren't making six figures. The ones who move to tech-topia and work for tech-giant and end up getting paid 20% less than their peers who did the same ARE getting ripped off.

> The vast majority of software engineers (let-alone 'entry level' SEs) in the US aren't making six figures.

While I'm sure this is true in the total sense (there are a LOT of bad software engineers), decent and good ones should be making over $100k easily.

What separates a bad SE from a decent SE?

A good grasp of computer science fundamentals.

People skills.

Yes, I have some colleagues who went to Alberta - but they're now out of a job. They are chemists, not Chem.E's though. And I'm in eastern Canada, where the taxes are much higher. You'd pay 50% out of a 120K salary. See my reply to OP - I think I wasn't very clear.

And if you making 30k you would feel ripped off even though some guy who works at Walmart for 20k would feel jealous.

That said, amazon pays new grads pretty okay, and if you get a promotion between 2 and 3 years your new salary should be pretty competitive.

And other people will make significantly less than that 40k. So boo-hoo to those only making 40k with access to free healthcare.

The healthcare isn't free. You pay for it every year and if you're so unlucky to need it, you have 100% access to top notch treatment. But you definitely pay for it.

To be fair, soft. eng. salaries in canada are much lower as well (even without taking the exchange rate into account).