this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2023
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I think you have a misconception of what is like here in America. Everything else is not fine here. You aren't realizing the huge lack of safety nets and the inability to get basic funding for anyone that has no money.
That 100k loan has interest. You don't get that 200k job right out of college. You only get that if you are extremely talented, lucky, or know rich people. The vast majority of programmers here make much less and when you take out health insurance are making about the same as what you make in Europe.
Meanwhile, you have to find a way to buy a car here because you will literally die here with out one. You find a way to buy a junker for 5k (that's what they go for here). Your car breaks down after a month on the job. You just missed a day at work that they fired you for it. Now you have to find whatever job you can quick because you all have to pay that school loan, rent, food, and car repair bill. The sheer amount of financial parasites here is staggering.
Tbf, 100k debt for a 4 year CS degree isn't as common as people on the internet make it seem. Most people do instate tuitions in a state university. They rarely hit that high. At least that was true 5 years ago, perhaps things have changed since then.
You also probably won't get that 200k job either because of it. You only get those super high paying jobs if you know someone and you get that by going to an elite college
That's typically not what I've experienced, and I don't think I'm outside the norm. In my company there are very little employees who have prestigious degrees who are making 150-200k+. And most of these people aren't even located in silicon valley or any high cost of living areas. Many IT jobs are still fully remote thanks to COVID.
You are absolutely right that you won't get those high paying jobs out the gate. It takes time, talent, drive, and being strategic in the skills you choose to develop. It's not that uncommon.
Surely there are people who have shortcuts, but honestly those are not so common.
The US companies still pay quite more in Europe and not only the FAANG ones.
All these benefits come out of my taxes. The before taxes salary is still higher in USA for most people. Whether your government is inefficient is another question but your companies pay more even here.
You are correct, we do on average make more here. I just don't think you realize the extent of financial parasites in talking about. I'm not just talking about government taxes. I'm talking about constant, consistent payments you have to do for being poor here for everything. There's no accountability for proper business conduct here unless you have money.