So if a person, single handedly, year after year makes a company millions, you're a whiner if you want 150-250k?
Depending on where you are, 100k barely supports paying for a house to raise a family without a 60 minute each way commute. Many of the places that have very high paying programming jobs just so happen to also have astronomical costs of living. SF? Check. NYC? Check. If you know C++ stupidly well, I know a very high paying job in a relatively low cost of living city (Atlanta) working for a bank. Can they find enough people at those astronomical payouts? Nope. They're constantly looking, less than 1/100th of the applicants can even get through the programming test.
People are simply paid what they can get demand given their skills, inclination to negotiate, and a motivated company to hire.
Additionally speaking, many of the people who demand the 150-450k salaries have run their own businesses, have skills other than programming that are very valuable to the employer (I know my fees are justified due to lots more than my not inconsiderable programming ability), and could do considerably better than 100k out running a business.
If a corporation wants to keep them, they should pay them what it takes.
Or are you saying no one should ever make more than 100k, including brain surgeons and law partners? Cause they're whiners?
I don't agree with the conclusion because I don't agree with the premise: that most programmers are irreplaceable ninja rockstars that single handedly make their employers millions a year. We're talking about average salaries not outliers that have no bearing on what most of us should consider fair pay.
I'm saying if you make 100-150k a year, sitting on your ass, doing something you enjoy then perhaps you should feel pretty fortunate. Stop thinking about the few % above you and consider the vast population below you.
I don't think you understand silicon valley: You basically are retarded to run a business there if you don't need that type of programmer which you're lampooning. Costs are stupidly high.
This isn't about average programmers. This is about this tiny pocket filled with overachievers who work stupidly long days for a jackpot and have a very high exposure to running their own businesses.
100k in silicon valley puts you in the top 47% of the people who live there, which means you're in the commute forever or live in a dinky house dialemma. (The average salary there is $96,299). It's one of the few cities in the world worse than where you live for housing, and housing there costs 2x as much for little places (rentals) and 1.4x for buying as Vancouver. How do you enjoy your 4 bedroom home? Oh wait, you can't even afford that where you live (most likely). Now imagine being able to afford 1/2 of what you DO have in housing.
So you live in vancouver, should we tell you to stop bitching at $54k?
Relative salary is important for purchasing some goods, namely housing. As a person who lives in a city almost as bad in that respect, I'm surprised you don't have a better feel for that.
That's pretty idealistic, borderline naive. There's a huge percentage of working programmers in Silicon Valley who are dead wood. Beyond that, there's loads of good ones who are working on doomed projects.
Sure there is! Didn't say everyone was making bank deservedly. I said you're stupid to run your business there if you don't need some of the very good ones who flock there, as costs are absurdly high. One great guy can pull a company along if its small enough and the deadwood does little enough harm.
(Note I keep saying "there" etc. I live in Atlanta, a much more reasonable cost city for businesses that don't need stupidly good people to really work).
Depending on where you are, 100k barely supports paying for a house to raise a family without a 60 minute each way commute. Many of the places that have very high paying programming jobs just so happen to also have astronomical costs of living. SF? Check. NYC? Check. If you know C++ stupidly well, I know a very high paying job in a relatively low cost of living city (Atlanta) working for a bank. Can they find enough people at those astronomical payouts? Nope. They're constantly looking, less than 1/100th of the applicants can even get through the programming test.
People are simply paid what they can get demand given their skills, inclination to negotiate, and a motivated company to hire.
Additionally speaking, many of the people who demand the 150-450k salaries have run their own businesses, have skills other than programming that are very valuable to the employer (I know my fees are justified due to lots more than my not inconsiderable programming ability), and could do considerably better than 100k out running a business.
If a corporation wants to keep them, they should pay them what it takes.
Or are you saying no one should ever make more than 100k, including brain surgeons and law partners? Cause they're whiners?