If Software Is Eating The World, Why Don't Coders Get Any Respect?

Re:If Software Is Eating The World, Why Don't Coders Get Any... by ericd on Wednesday August 24, 2011 @04:28AM (#2919944)

Many of the top programmers at Google are making much more than you mentioned in your post. The amount you mentioned is more in line with a ~20 something there, in total compensation.

A Bachelors degree does not compare to medical school + residency (they also have to get a bachelor's before starting those two). While you're making money for 8 years at a comfortable 9-6, they're spending over 100k to train themselves and performing physically and mentally exhausting work.

Also, in the medical profession, those in primary care don't make the huge amounts you posted - many are below 200k, some far below. It's the specialists that you're thinking of.

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Re:If Software Is Eating The World, Why Don't Coders Get Any... by bglbrg on Wednesday August 24, 2011 @04:51AM (#2920009)

Yeah, I don't have any stats at hand but docs-in-training I know seem to see themselves as being somewhere around $200k in hock for all the training. And med. reimbursement is going to a scary place in the US. I worked in a medical practice and the dual specialist MD lost money on every patient due to insurance and overhead and abysmal medicare reimbursement. Clinical trials provided the practice's profit. Programming / engineering seems much more free.

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Re:If Software Is Eating The World, Why Don't Coders Get Any... by iqster on Wednesday August 24, 2011 @08:27AM (#2920411)

Also don't forget debt. Most MDs and DDSs I know in the US have 350K+ of debt. On top of that, they have to worry about malpractice suits. The work is very demanding physically and emotionally. While I can work from home on a rainy day, a doctor can't.

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