There are tradeoffs, sure. But it's not a lie to say software engineering is a well paid field.
- stories I read about bay area devs here and
- stories from the people I work with here in my state (there are maybe 5 real tech companies in the state, and I know people at all of them).
Even the people on my team who make lower salaries (say 70k-90k in the midwest), half of them have spouses that don't work and they are doing just fine with kids and enough house to support them all. Compared to this dev who created Babel (and is probably a better dev that anybody on my team), it seems insane.
It sounds like you're not disagreeing with the tradeoffs, you know them well if you live here. So what do you mean is atypical?
I am paid the same as a remote worker in a suburban area as those who work downtown. The only way to make change is to stop giving into tech companies and VCs wanting to force people into moving to high cost areas. I like to think I do my part when I decline any interview requiring onsite by explicitly stating why I will not accept it.
Can we also add "have to be where the talent is" that is thrown around often?
For me it's been very profitable.
> Here's something pharmacists, account managers, farmers can afford: 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom houses near where they work.
I can easily afford that. Most software engineers I know can afford that.
> We can't. We're asked to live in apartments in Jersey and commute 45 minutes to Manhattan every day.
I don't live in NYC. I work from home or from an office 5min away from my home.
> Or we work remotely and are expected to take a smaller wage
I work remotely and earn more than most engineers in SF. I save 300-400% more.
> where the company can't wait to get big enough so that it can force us all to move.
I've never experienced this.
Feeling victimized because you have to commute for 45 minutes, do your cushy job, and get paid incredibly well compared to most of your fellow citizens is just sad.
This mentality does not represent the majority of software engineers. Most of us are (among other things) grateful and content, thank you.
> I run a high-grade 2-person consultancy that works with both established companies and passionate entrepreneurs to help them polish their ideas, turn them into state-of-the-art working products, and bring those products into the market.
Sounds like you own a successful business. Congratulations, that is very impressive.
Keep in mind though that entrepreneurship is far riskier than employment, and this discussion is around being an employee. So it’s not an apples to apples comparison.
You wouldn't call $5/hour folks on upwork "business owners". We're basically doing the same thing, selling our time for money.
Small business owner: files 1099, pays self employment tax.
Employee: files 1040, doesn’t pay self employment tax.
Here's a tweet today from the creator of Babel on how he is moving to the east bay because housing is more affordable. https://twitter.com/sebmck/status/1064252136349822977 .
If someone who's created that much value is not able to afford an area then it's insulting that tech giants expect us to move there (or have a 2 hour commute to somewhere affordable).
There's this terrible myth that I want to kill; that software engineering is a well-paid field. That's a lie.
Here's something pharmacists, account managers, farmers can afford: 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom houses near where they work.
We can't. We're asked to live in apartments in Jersey and commute 45 minutes to Manhattan every day.
Or we work remotely and are expected to take a smaller wage, where the company can't wait to get big enough so that it can force us all to move.