I'm guessing part of the negative reaction you're getting is because great people don't just "get SV salaries" no matter what. To get an SV salary, you need to find employment at a company able and willing to pay an SV salary. Being a great engineer does help a lot, but you need to chase the salary, it won't just fall into your lap.

It's much harder if you want to be remote, and very hard if you want to live in a country where no company pays SV salaries.

Yea, those SV salaries are what a lot of CEOs make over here in Southern Europe. Of course, this might say more about Southern Europe, but for most of the world, when we see 200K a year paychecks, its hard to imagine that its for an engineer (especially for a programmer or sysadmin).

Glad to hear it! That was my first thought on glancing over the figures: 'hmm, I bet they're located in Silicon Valley, they could save money by moving somewhere cheaper'. But if the money is actually going to hiring the best people instead of into the pockets of San Francisco landlords, fair play to them.

that is ridiculous, do you have evidence to back that statement up?

If you consider anecdotal evidence then I have received, with no negotiation, similar (statistically identical) offers in low cost of living areas and high cost of living areas.

I'd love to know where. Not trying to be snarky.

I work in a pretty small niche that's concentrated in high cost of living areas so I would prefer not to get too specific. One example was a company in the same country as Omaha with similar cost of living.

A different company was in a different country than Omaha and the naive cost of living was higher, but the cost of living, after adjusting for taxes, was actually very similar.

I hope that gives enough information. I really enjoy living in high cost of living areas so that's where I ended up, but I did have the choice to live somewhere cheaper.

Country, or county?

Country.

lol not ridiculous at all

"Silicon Valley" is the red herring then. World class people get world class compensation because they are damn good.

I propose that not so good techies may get more in SV but paid averagely elsewhere?

Regular people get world class compensation (which this is not) because they ask for it.

It doesn't work that way for all the remote jobs and contracts I've worked.

Maybe you aren't a great engineer?

That's pretty insulting to suggest in any case and borders on a reprehensible attitude to take personally against someone.

I think what jlukanta is saying is that the greatest people get the salaries they demand regardless of location. If you're insulted by the suggestion that you might not be in that top category, maybe you're letting your ego respond instead of thinking about it rationally.

The idea that not being "great" is insulting is more toxic than assuming someone isn't great. Lots of hero worship in this industry that fucks with people's egos - your statement being a prime example.

He directly insulted me, clarify how in your thinking, this has anything to do with hero worship? Stating your views without falling back on the needless application of profanity is something I'd appreciate.

I'm pretty his/her intention was not to insult you. Since you won't even consider the possibility that you're not a great engineer, perhaps you're just bad at finding decent jobs and contracts? Or you're bad at negotiating pay? I'm honestly a little confused because my impression is that contractors and consultants make more money than full-time employees.

If you understand great as considerably better than average, then you probably aren't great. I'm not. Almost no one is, although almost everyone thinks they beat the curve.

If you understand great to mean merely competent, then I think you're abusing the meaning of "great".

You offered yourself as the example. You don't have a lot of room for complaint when people look at the example you provided.

If it helps you unbunch your undies on this topic, consider that "great" in the original meaning was something like "world class". There's no shame in not being one of the top people in the world.

I did not mean that as an insult. I apologize if it came across that way. Others have made a better explanation of what I was trying to convey.

I agree that it was a kinda shitty thing to say.

Or a great engineer that is not a US resident.

More likely just not a great negotiator.

Counterpoint: It did for me.