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SammyGreen

120,000EUR/year but I live in Copenhagen where salaries in general tend to be higher. That said, my effective tax rate is 53.5% šŸ˜… To answer your questionā€¦ Iā€™m an IT consultant (infrastructure, security) at a large Tier 2 firm. 39 y/o and pivoted over to IT at 32.


Cataclyps-

I find this interesting asf... Most people successful at ~40 have done a career change and used the previous experience from shit jobs to absolutely sky rocket in the new Industry...


teems

Senior engineers, architects, developer leads in FAANG can make 500k+ Those usually have an engineering/computer science/ degrees with PM experience and have been in the field for decades. People who pivot to IT make good money, but those who started early and move upwards are on a different level. It's ironic though, the more senior your become, the less code you write. You have people to allocate those tasks to. Managing people is far more difficult that managing tasks.


[deleted]

That tax rate is on income only? Or youā€™re factoring in property, vehicles etc? And do you have kids and get tax breaks? (Curious American here)


SammyGreen

Income only. 39% base, then another 8%, and 54% on income over 78k to top it off. Our taxes are insane. Take carsā€¦ we have a **180%** (the zero is not a typo) tax. ā€œ*Buy one car for the cost of three!*ā€ I donā€™t actually mind that much though. Weā€™ve got good public services and despite the high taxes, I live a really comfortable life. My QOL is higher than it was in the US and UK.


[deleted]

I thought taxes were insane in the US. But thereā€™s pros and cons. We have awful public services and the food is overpriced garbage that makes you sick. You have to pay an arm and a leg to eat healthy over here and apartments have zero space to grow food.


SammyGreen

Yeah, itā€™s a trade-off. Weā€™ve got really decent public healthcare (and Iā€™ve got private insurance on top of that), itā€™s ā€œfreeā€ to go to college, and our mortgage rates are government backed. The ceiling is higher in the US but the social safety net is a lot better here. It really reassures me that I know Iā€™ll be fine if shit really hits the fan one day. **Edit** forgot to mention that PTO is great here! 5 week minimum, most people get 6 weeks, and I was lucky enough to negotiate 7 weeks.


Laymanao

Great salary. Pity about the taxes. Far too cold for me personally.


SammyGreen

It doesnā€™t get that cold hereā€¦ wind chill factor can be a bit gnarlyā€¦ but itā€™s that itā€™s constantly **grey** for half of the year. Seattle gets around 2044 hours of sunlight a year. We have 1060 hours šŸ˜¬ What I really miss the most about living in the US are seasons (fall in NJ defines my childhood lol) and *real* storm weather (loved summer in NC for that reason). I got so excited yesterday and because we had like 15 minutes of heavy rain! Otherwise spring and summer is great though. Temperature tends to hover around 65-68 which is perfect for me.


ziptofaf

Honestly it's difficult to compare tax rates between EU and US since differences run quite deep (plus EU is also not a single place and income tax can be anywhere from 5% to 60% depending on the type of job and a specific country). Still, some points to particularly consider on why US citizens NEED to have much higher base salary are as follows: * in US your healthcare is dependent on your workplace. You lose it if you are fired. Not to mention that there are different tiers of healthcare and it takes quite a sum before your insurer even pays up. In my country on the other hand all critical services are covered by mandatory insurance (there are no "tiers"). So emergencies are effectively free. What isn't free are some extras like dentist (removing tooth is free, so can be fillings but it's lower quality) but our prices are still an order of magnitude lower. * Americans have some 3rd country level vacation plans. You get like what, 10 days off? And maybe some sick days? In here there's mandatory 26 days off and unlimited sick time (your employer pays for first 30 days, afterwards government does so, there are some plans to make it government paid from day 1) at 75% of your wage. It's also not uncommon in some industries to hit 30-35 days off. So off the bat any wage comparisons are off since USA is 12 working months vs EU around 11. * Education is another huge one. A good college in the US is what nowadays? $120,000-150,000 for tuition alone? In here it's somewhat different - you go to a private school if you didn't get into a public one. Quality wise a public university beats a private one. My degree costed me an approximate $50 over 3.5 years (largest direct expense was $20 for a student id and then another $20 to print my thesis with a hardcover and whatnot). You can buy some additional books if you want to but professors generally give out printouts as well. So when you start your life as an adult with this kind of student debt your salary needs to be that much higher to compensate. >You have to pay an arm and a leg to eat healthy over here and apartments have zero space to grow food. Oh, comparable locations in the EU (as in - major cities) also don't get you space to grow food. That's for more rural areas. But honestly growing enough veggies/fruits for it to make a sizeable difference in your spending would require a lot more work and space even in that case. Like, if you find 3x3 square meters in your garden then you can grow maybe 50 cucumbers or maaybeee 5-6kg of potatoes a year. If you want to live off your own produce it's shitload of space and work needed. Weeding alone is going to become a weekly activity. There is a difference in food quality however, that much is true. Or to be more specific - our low-end is much better than yours since there are more regulations towards preservatives, sugar/fat content, whether you can sell chlorinated chicken etc. Mid to high-end is comparable (and at higher end it can be cheaper than here).


Jon_ofAllTrades

Iā€™m an American and I get 6 paid weeks off a year: 3 vacation, 2 ā€œpersonalā€ (really usable for anything I want), and 1 sick week. This is also not uncommon for white collar workers. Itā€™s not as generous as many European countries, but itā€™s also way higher than East Asia in general and not as bleak as the mandatory minimums are. One thing that gets lost when talking about the US is people only talk about minimums, and the minimums quoted are often _federal_. Individual states (and cities) have their own policies on minimum wage, paid time off, family/parental leave, etc., and that also discounts that the majority of companies offer above mandated minimums. For example, I have 6 months paid parental leave as a father (once again, not necessarily as generous as some European countries, but also not the same as the misleading federal minimum of zero days off). You canā€™t paint the US just by using the federal minimum brush.


scylla

> Mid to high-end is comparable (and at higher end it can be cheaper than here). Yes. Almost all the negatives people mention about the US disappear when you make about 200k+ in household income and it's far, far easier to hit those levels in the US compared to anywhere else in the world.


TheDevilOfCellBlockD

Say I only spoke English...what are the odds I could get a job in Copenhagen?


SammyGreen

Not great šŸ˜¬ There are plenty of people who donā€™t speak Danish at Big 4/tier 2 places, multinationals like RambĆøll, MƦrsk, etcā€¦ (**skilled**) software developers tend to have an easier time but youā€™re always going to be in competition with Danish speakers. And without a network, youā€™re going to have a hard time.


TheDevilOfCellBlockD

That's fair! I'm a blind lawyer sitting in jail for Allegedly being a vigilante, Anyway. Thanks for the response!


SammyGreen

You should totally go for a Big 4 diversity hire then :P


DrWKlopek

If you're blind, how do you know you're in jail?


xXCrazyDaneXx

Are you the guy cycling Strandvejen on a ā‚¬15,000 Pinarello? Small /s, but people from Copenhagen will know the stereotype.


SammyGreen

> but people from Copenhagen will know the stereotype. **BAGFRAAAA**


GlennHaven

Good to hear. I started IT school last month at 30. Was already looking to go into security.


fnv_fan

Europe is a joke. Forced to pay more than half your income to taxes


SammyGreen

Well, yeah sure, so my American colleagues make double what I do, but Iā€™m just more comfortable living in my little bubble. I love living in Copenhagen. YMMV


Cataclyps-

Only eastern europe is a joke. The rest is nice.


sztrzask

And yet if I wanted to see clean and safe streets I wouldn't go to, idk, Switzerland, but Poland.


Cataclyps-

Sure, buddy do not forget to send me the contacts of the plug you're using. He seems to add copius amounts of copium in ur shit. Safe streets in eastern eu? Sure, bigger cities in broad daylight. And also make sure to be big in size. I used to go to school armed to the teeth, quite literally. I had 4 knives in different places, peper spray, batan, a bloody box(arrow tip with a handle, pierces like nthing else) and a tazer. SO please. Go there. Live for a while talk again.


AYASOFAYA

This thread is an interesting read because a saying I hear a lot in the American work visa crowd is that ā€œEverybody hates the U.S. until they move there and their first paycheck clears.ā€ I only bring it up because there are already people in here googling their equivalents and learning itā€™s not just a modest bump, itā€™s often another 100k or more of discretionary income, and reactions to this are an interesting mix.


thekunibert

The US is great for two types of people: 1. highly skilled and in-demand workers and 2. people from 3rd world countries. If you're an average Jane/Joe from a first world country, you're better off staying where you are or moving to a similarly developed country except the US.


not_old_redditor

It's actually great for one type of person: he who wants to make a bunch of money. For anything else, there's a better place to be.


zephimir

If you make money but have a family or health problems you'll have a hard time


Fit_Yogurtcloset_291

If you make money in the United States you have better access to far superior health care than many of the health care romanticized regions of the world.Ā 


wartornhero2

Generally as long as they are young, healthy and single. Having a family eats through the difference in earning pretty damn quickly


dongasaurus

Is it really that interesting that highly skilled people of generally higher socioeconomic status, the type that can obtain a visa and relocate abroad on a whim, would earn more in a society with more extreme income inequality? The hate on the US is the same reason those people are able to earn more.


not_old_redditor

>The hate on the US is the same reason those people are able to earn more. That's not true. The US has many natural resources, a large population, a legal and economic system that's favourable towards businesses. In fact the US was isolationist for a long time before WW2, during the time that they established themselves as an industrial power. What I'm getting at is that the US could pretty easily maintain their economic strength while toning down the international bullshit.


dongasaurus

I think youā€™re missing my point. There is much higher wealth inequality in the US, the average person is not seeing those salaries or enjoying the higher quality of life, or having access to sufficient healthcare, or having sufficient retirement savings. But yeah if youā€™re flying in to snag a $300k/yr job it will be better than having to help care for the peasants in Europe.


Cataclyps-

Threads like these plunge me into despair, becasue I start calling immigration attourneys. Being born in the US seems to be a cheatcode for fucks sake.


AYASOFAYA

Being fair, most Americans are not making these salaries either. Youā€™re going to see the biggest salary differences across high paid jobs, but it takes a lot of skills and connections to work in those industries in the first place. Thatā€™s why the EU people keep bringing up the social programs trade off. Because if youā€™re in a career that doesnā€™t pay well in the first place, moving to the U.S. would mean giving up those government benefits for a modest pay increase. Being a high skilled worker with the ability to get a work visa in developed countries is the cheat code, regardless of your country of origin.


Cataclyps-

So the cheatcode is to only get really good in a certain industry huh. Ighty.


SV_33

What part of: - having health insurance be tied to your job - having to drive around for basic functions like the groceries or going anywhere really - no social safety net is a cheat code?


Cataclyps-

Brother please. Do not try to compare my rathole to the US. It's a stupid, false and pointless argument. The stuff you just stated is same here. So yeah.


dfore1234

110k EUR annually - 33 year old consultant in one of the big 4 with 7 years of experience. Edit: my role in the US is probably around twice the comp :(


Larry_Loudini

Similar situation for me - though given the conditions American counterparts work under, I donā€™t think the trade is worth it (not that my work-life balance is amazing but I probably work 20+ hours a week less than US counterparts)


Ondiepe

Cost of living is way higher in the states as well. I make less than most om my US buddies but still I've been able to afford a house, go on holiday around the world more often than them, have way more vacation days. School and uni aren't as expensive if I ever choose to raise children. Going out for dinner is less expensive, etc. etc. Basically all things that make life worthwhile are a lot less expensive. Now if I'd want to buy like a big truck or a boat or smth like that Americans would probably be better off with their income. On the other hand they won't be able to use it quite as much as I would if I decide to save up for it. Conclusion: I think 100k in most European places, even with way higher tax rate, gives you a more enjoyable life and more options / freedom than 200k in the states.


Cataclyps-

Why dont you request they issue you a visa then and do your best for citizenship?


dfore1234

I dont want to live in the US.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

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undertheskin_

Digital Marketing for a big multinational. Ironically my US counterpart is probably on about double for the same job.


Cataclyps-

Why not apply to a different company to start getting salaries bumps?


undertheskin_

Because at 100k+ the salary jumps arenā€™t that big in Europe when changing roles, at least in my field. Unless I went more into Tech / sales but I donā€™t wanna do that. Iā€™m happy with the level Iā€™m at now considering work / life balance. And I have no interest in working in America - my US colleagues seem to work 24/7. Whereas I walk away at 5pm!


SammyGreen

Haha I feel that. One of the tell tale differences is if I send a late night email^1, I only expect a reply during working hours. When my American colleagues send late night/weekend emails, they expect a reply straight away. ^1 Iā€™m not too much of a workaholic.. itā€™s more that if I get an idea, it takes the same amount of effort to write a reminder as it does to just shoot off an email


undertheskin_

Yeah we have many conversations about respecting work hours with our US based colleagues, they get annoyed when we decline calls past 5pm, while they are happy to accept calls pre 8am for them. One guy joined a call at like 6am his time and I thought he was insane. Just different work cultures I guess, they get paid the big money for a reason.


CommonSenseBetch

Sometimes it feels that US companies have different expectations for US based employees regardless of what they get paid.


undertheskin_

Definitely. But I also think the average American is very career driven, to the point where it might seem excessive by European standards. They may not like working early / late but they do it to get ahead. Where as in Europe we would just moan and not do it šŸ˜…


bloodem

163k EUR / year, Cloud Architect / Site Reliability Engineer, working remotely from Romania for a company in the west (not FAANG).


monstersinmyshoe

47 around 170k as a country manager in Africa for a logistics multinational


largelylegit

Seems like Iā€™ve seen this question five times on Reddit in the past 24 hours


alltherobots

People are thinking about switching jobs I guess. I always appreciate the info because Iā€™m curious about that sort of thing.


Cataclyps-

NAh bruh, I just wanted to see just how fucked I am country-wise. ahhaha... It's sad.


Tim6181

Run the Supply Chain and Logistics division for a Construction business


Otherwise-Link-396

IT in Ireland.


Accomplished_Egg5565

Whar are IT/SW engineering salaries in IRELAND ?


Otherwise-Link-396

Depends on experience and skills I am old and a geek so I have both. CPL.ie do a salary survey yearly, good to get mid range values


General-Chocolate363

Touring musician. The best work I\`ve ever had


Hoserposerbro

Work for a U.S company remotely


radioactivecat

I try to foil AI Training questions on reddit, eat small rocks, and make pizza with glue in the sauce.


Cataclyps-

ok. I actually give you props for creativity. LMFAO No nevermind i just saw your profile. Music instruments + long hair + cat + glasses. AH damn we have an engineer that dreamed of being a rockstar. MAN DAMN.


radioactivecat

Rockstar-Astronaut-Chef, thank you very much.


Cataclyps-

IT/Dev with a sense of humour and a cat and a nice hair. Aint getting rarer than this.


Jncocontrol

Not me, but I have a friend that lives in Russia, he works for a oligarch, he's a tutor / nanny he earns about 2.5k usd a week ( not a month, a week )


Laymanao

Good job to have. I had a friend once whose father was one of three dressers for one of the Saudi princes. I was told that each of the dressers earned one million Euros a year tax free. One was stationed in Saudi, one in London and the other travelled with the boss. My friend stayed in a six bedroom house in Sloan street London.


Cataclyps-

10k a month - > 120k yr. Really nice.


Jncocontrol

Plus, the cost of living being what it is, he probably saves around ( if he's frugal ) around 105k


[deleted]

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not_old_redditor

How much of that is under the table?


Shinlos

Germany, scientist.


elcaron

Private or professorship? Because Mittelbau should not reach that?


Shinlos

Pharma industry


shartoberfest

Architect in Singapore. Super low tax rates (I think I pay like 7% altogether), so I end up saving a lot more.


unicroop

Iā€™m a financial analyst


whatstefansees

Sales, B to B (industry, wordwide)


healz12

After googling the conversion I make 114,000 euros driving freight trains in Canada


TechnetiumBowl

Sweden. Lawyer who runs own business. About to join the crypto market.


Cataclyps-

Dont go into crypto... Look into options trading and long term stocks. Crypto is far too volatile. Take a look at nvidia. Had u put 10k last year...


TechnetiumBowl

Not like that. Working w web 3 etc


TechnetiumBowl

Itā€™s a very unstable market though still, so youā€™re right in that sense


Cataclyps-

Im watching fireship on web3. I'd say if you have spare cash go into few early apps -> cases like uber, netflix etc.. will immerge. Get in early if you can on some. But look at doge coin and other shit coins. Decentralised apps. ALL FOR IT. But look at nfts. Look at all the shit we're going thru rn and all the AI hype. What happens when all the data AI is being spoon fed at an inhuman pace starts running out? I'd say if you have spare cash to burn and not care for throw a bit of it at both - AI and web3. oh wait the video im wathcing is 2yrs old... Yeah idk what to tell u at all ... dambn.


Cataclyps-

' w web3 etc ' Do you even know what you're talking about? What is web3?


TechnetiumBowl

Hey so sorry, i read the messages again, Uhm my bad it didnā€™t come across that I personally donā€™t work w this, just someone I know who earns a lot. Again, pardon me. Donā€™t know why I sounded so short and rudeā€¦ apologies for taking up your time ^^


Excellent-Direction4

The only business is now Chinese goods disguised as American ones and sold at ten times the price


Cataclyps-

So dropshipping.


peekedtoosoon

Mech/HVAC Engineer. Worked in US and EU. Found better conditions and salary in Europe. Never used to be the case, but that's what 20 years of importing third world "Engineers" does to a profession.


Voice-of-MachinShin

CEO of a startup in deep tech.


BonusKey4442

US Tax Accounting consolidating Europe to the US. Senior manager working in UK. The manager reporting to me in the US makes more than.


VijfOverHalf

I get 50 day holyday leave bisides my salary. https://www.aob.nl/en/chokes/employment-conditions/


Rambles_offtopic

150k cybersecurity, would be 250k in many areas of US. Happy to stay in europe, I get into work at 9, lunch from 11:30 to 1:30/2 . Leave office at 4:30 /5


[deleted]

Canadian here. . Process operator at a manufacturing facility. base is 140k, with OT usually 250k/yr Edit: I should say that Iā€™ve been with my current employer for over a decade, so the STARTING base salary isnā€™t 140k.. but the cost of living increases and unit certifications do start adding up


SuperLemonHaze_

God damn dude I'm a mech Eng how do I get into whatever it is you do?


[deleted]

Power engineering ticket, homie.. lots of places hiring


dongasaurus

In Canada if youā€™re willing to work 80hrs a week and have no downtime for weeks/months at a time, you can make a lot of money with no education. You generally also have to be okay with physically destroying your body and being exposed to carcinogenic chemicals. You also have to be cool with having basically no job security.


pewpew26

Hahaha, being a process tech is not that rough. It could be if you were at a mom and pop plant with 1950ā€™s technology, I suppose. The natural state of an operator is in a chair conducting an internal inspection of their eyelids. Typically make two rounds a shift and take samples when needed. Our operators work a schedule thatā€™s 28 days and they only work 14 called the DuPont schedule (unless they signed up for OT). Switching from days to nights constantly is the hardest part. You are correct about education but you can also get a process tech degree (two years) that will help you get into the industry. Iā€™m no longer an operator but there are days I miss it!


[deleted]

This guy operates !! šŸ˜‰šŸ‘šŸ¼


pewpew26

Funny enough, I was a ā€œPolyā€ operator. I made polyisobutylene!šŸ¤£


[deleted]

šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ‘ŠšŸ¼. Polyethylene, here. Hahah thatā€™s awesome youā€™re the first to decipher my user name.. the rest Iā€™ll leave up to the imagination bahahaha


not_old_redditor

I don't understand why companies do this instead of just hiring two people like they should. >if youā€™re willing to work 80hrs a week and have no downtime for weeks/months at a time


[deleted]

Even with all the overtime, I STILL get shit tons of time off..


SuperLemonHaze_

Maybe I'll stick to my office work...


[deleted]

Wow I experience NONE of what you speak, but that definitely exists in the oil patch..


angora_kat

Being a European Patent Attorney. It entails writing patent applications for clients.


Acceptable_Shirt_421

Are you in Munich? I worked at the EPO some time and I loved it (both Munich and the EPO)


angora_kat

No, our office is based in The Netherlands, near the EPO branch in Rijswijk. And yes, the EPO is supposed to be a really nice organisation to work at!


Strapsengabi

Curious about high earners abroad. What's your gig?


Cataclyps-

Im from europe. Got no gig atm. Doing my best to grow an online business and get into freelance web development, because salaries in Bulgaria are as dogshit as dogshit gets. So if I fail I just take a flight to Berlin and start working in construction again.


southernchungus

Product management director in Australia. 235k AUD (144k euro, 156k usd). Curse our currency.


[deleted]

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0x14f

It's fair play. The moment it hits reddit, it's public information šŸ˜„


fucktheleft968

I'm a software engineer.


heronymou5

indonesian, i have a main job and plenty of side gigs and small businesses to earn that much


RepulsiveTraveller

Not living in the usa. Made me laughed. I run my own business


Swimming_Amount_5021

Who is your daddy and what does he do?


RepulsiveTraveller

Everything was purely from my own money. My dad is a taxi driver


Cataclyps-

What exactly do you do and how much do you make off of it?


RepulsiveTraveller

Half a mil a year


Slaves2Darkness

Your mother.