If you're in a certain industry, you're typically looking at the median in that industry and not the national median. USD $100k is ~4 year experience software engineer salary.
Is it? Most of the new-grads I know, many with no prior full-time experience, make around $120k, and of the 9 I regularly keep up with only 1 works at a FAANG (and makes a decent amount more than $120k). The others range from startups to BigCo fintech to backhouse software role in legacy Fortune 500s. Granted, most of these jobs are on the coasts, though (but not SF)
Only about 1/4 of US adults have an accredited 4-year degree. Just being a new grad is already a huge credential. Still, that credential doesn't generally generate $120k, for any major.
Where did these new grads get their degrees? My guess is that your personal social circle has a certain pedigree that isn't the norm.
A small liberal arts college (<1600 people) in California. While it's very well regarded in academic circles, within the general public you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who recognizes it unless they're affiliated in some way.
I only bring this up to push back against the common idea on this forum that you need to be Ivy/Stanford/MIT/Caltech to get into a top FAANG or consulting job or law/medical program -- first careers like these were the rule at my school, not the exception. And many were hired with one of those "useless" liberal arts degrees rather than a degree in the specific field they went in to.
Yes, but 100k USD is a very high (though not impossibly high) wage for a software engineer in London. In the US it's an unremarkable salary in major tech hubs.
As a UK based developer myself, all I can say is that remote work for US companies is possible and can be a massive win/win for both parties. You can be an absolute bargain from a US perspective, yet still be earning well above the domestic rate. Works best when the US employer is ET; the time difference between the West Coast and the UK is hard to bridge effectively.
75k USD is high end of the Senior Developer bracket in NZ too. It's depressing seeing levels.fyi. Though it's still double the national average, and it's equivalent to the median household income.
It's not that hard for Aussies or Kiwis to get a work visa in the US. Easiest path is probably to work for a US company locally and then do an intra-company transfer.
I know a few who did that, worked 3 years and went back with a healthy savings.
H1B is tied to the employer though right? And it's a lottery system, so no guarantee?
The one time I went to the US I nearly had a panic attack, so I can't really imagine living there or dragging my family there, but then you look at the money and it sure looks worth dragging yourself through hell for.
I was talking about intra-company transfers, which are different from H1B. E.g., you get a job at Google and Google wants to transfer you to the US. That's a different visa, it's much less competitive and there's no lottery.
> The one time I went to the US I nearly had a panic attack
I guess if you have psychological issues that make travel difficult or feel like "dragging yourself through hell", as you put it, then maybe just stay at home.
Another option is to work remote. You'll get paid less for being in an Asian time-zone, but you might still earn more than a local company would pay you.
A third option, which is the one I'm currently pursuing (from east Asia), is taking your skills directly to the market as an entrepreneur.
