I disagree with your general point that more money == more stress. I switched from working for an EU company to working for a small US one (<100 employees) and it 2.5xed my income overnight (from $100k remote to $250k base remote). I would say my stress levels _decreased_ at this particular US company.
This was a combination of a few things
- The company was financially successful and this lack of financial pressure trickles down through the whole culture.
- The company was expertly managed. I believe the presence of a lot of tech companies is a great training ground for managers in the US. This made my day-to-day easier.
- The coding standards (and that of teammates) were higher and it was less frustrating to work with their codebase.
- Knowing that I was making that kind of money gave me a lot of inner calm because I knew that I would be able to build the kind of wealth that I could retire on. For example, my apartment cost $300,000 and I was getting $250,000 per year. That feels good.
- The company is always talking to me about whether I feel adequately compensated etc. and I was always made to feel I was valued and also that if the company does well, I will too (e.g. I got a random bonus of $100k for a project)
How did I find the job? Literally right here on HN in a Who's Hiring post.
FWIW I am more senior than OP (15 years' engineering experience)
Not a right or wrong answer here either. Have had 215k+ tech jobs since I was 24 and now 30 making 300k.
I’ve learned it’s now so much the amount you get, but the company culture.
To answer question to OP more directly. Save and invest intelligently and don’t spend what you can’t afford. Been fairly frugal and sitting over 1 mil. My dad had a boring desk job and just retired with same philosophy and currently sitting at 10 mil networth.
He drove a truck for 20 years that he sold for 500 bucks and a crappy car he drove for another 15 years that he sold for 1k.
Not saying you need to enter the extreme to have happiness, but financial growth is like a snowball. Slow and steady
This was a combination of a few things
- The company was financially successful and this lack of financial pressure trickles down through the whole culture.
- The company was expertly managed. I believe the presence of a lot of tech companies is a great training ground for managers in the US. This made my day-to-day easier.
- The coding standards (and that of teammates) were higher and it was less frustrating to work with their codebase.
- Knowing that I was making that kind of money gave me a lot of inner calm because I knew that I would be able to build the kind of wealth that I could retire on. For example, my apartment cost $300,000 and I was getting $250,000 per year. That feels good.
- The company is always talking to me about whether I feel adequately compensated etc. and I was always made to feel I was valued and also that if the company does well, I will too (e.g. I got a random bonus of $100k for a project)
How did I find the job? Literally right here on HN in a Who's Hiring post.
FWIW I am more senior than OP (15 years' engineering experience)