>The crazy wages that tech companies pay aren't a data point? One of my co-op student got offered a position in the States with starting salary north of $120k
Why is $120K a "crazy wage"? Perhaps labor in general, and particularly highly specialized labor, is underpaid across the board. It's not uncommon for traders or investment bankers to earn 7 or even 8 figures yet I don't hear anyone claiming there's a shortage of speculators and financiers. We just seem to have this built in cognitive bias that doctors, lawyers, and bankers are "supposed to" be highly paid but that it's somehow a "problem to be solved" for engineers and scientists to be paid similarly.
>Why is $120K a "crazy wage"? ... it's somehow a "problem to be solved" for engineers and scientists to be paid similarly.
Bless your heart. I don't begrudge anyone a salary they earned or advocate for lower salaries. $120k/year is a very good starting salary for a kid straight out of a 4 year university degree. It is also twice the household median income so let's recognize the fact that programmers are paid very well for the work they do.
My comment was also a response to the notion that somehow wages haven't risen in response to a shortage.
Only some programmers get paid that and it usually depends heavily on the ___location you live.
Here's a generic software developer payscale for Boston which comes in lower. Boston isn't exactly a low cost city. While I'm sure there are plenty of devs making more, this is a good example of what I've seen.
Why is $120K a "crazy wage"? Perhaps labor in general, and particularly highly specialized labor, is underpaid across the board. It's not uncommon for traders or investment bankers to earn 7 or even 8 figures yet I don't hear anyone claiming there's a shortage of speculators and financiers. We just seem to have this built in cognitive bias that doctors, lawyers, and bankers are "supposed to" be highly paid but that it's somehow a "problem to be solved" for engineers and scientists to be paid similarly.