Deluded about what in particular? That NYC can be kinda awesome, or that I could afford a nice place there?
It was a bit of a 6-7 year plan, which I started on before the job market for software engineers went to shit. I wouldn’t have moved to the US for anything less than a senior position at a big tech company anyway. At least 300k total comp annually, otherwise I was gonna stay in the EU where I already am.
Of course, the job market changed and my own life circumstances changed too. Now it’s not on my radar anymore.
Honestly it’s probably for the best. 300k/yr (USD) is closer to Sr. Director or Leadership-level money. And maybe that’s you? But you’re not going to see anything close to that as a senior manager or programmer. Then there’s the work-life balance; unless you can afford to live in one of the five buroughs, a commute from outside NYC may make it all very unattractive. Also, I don’t know what companies you were looking into, or how much professional drive you have, but a lot of the high paying jobs there are in finance (wall street). These are incredibly high-pressure positions for the money.
I know that tech jobs don’t pay the same in the EU, but you may have access to more perks and possibly a higher-quality of life. It really depends on what you value more. Honestly, while I can’t advise you realize that NYC dream you have/had, it may be for the best.
I will say that I worked for one week on a business trip in NYC once. I was able to comfortably walk from the train station, to my hotel, and to the shared office-space we leased for the event. It was easy to romanticize being in such a lively place, all within mere minutes of where I was sleeping. Sadly, there was no way to achieve that work/life balance in that place without at least tripling my income. However, it did make me think about how dissatisfied I was in suburbia, and I wound up moving to a small city as a compromise.
how can you be so deluded?
Deluded about what in particular? That NYC can be kinda awesome, or that I could afford a nice place there?
It was a bit of a 6-7 year plan, which I started on before the job market for software engineers went to shit. I wouldn’t have moved to the US for anything less than a senior position at a big tech company anyway. At least 300k total comp annually, otherwise I was gonna stay in the EU where I already am.
Of course, the job market changed and my own life circumstances changed too. Now it’s not on my radar anymore.
Honestly it’s probably for the best. 300k/yr (USD) is closer to Sr. Director or Leadership-level money. And maybe that’s you? But you’re not going to see anything close to that as a senior manager or programmer. Then there’s the work-life balance; unless you can afford to live in one of the five buroughs, a commute from outside NYC may make it all very unattractive. Also, I don’t know what companies you were looking into, or how much professional drive you have, but a lot of the high paying jobs there are in finance (wall street). These are incredibly high-pressure positions for the money.
I know that tech jobs don’t pay the same in the EU, but you may have access to more perks and possibly a higher-quality of life. It really depends on what you value more. Honestly, while I can’t advise you realize that NYC dream you have/had, it may be for the best.
I will say that I worked for one week on a business trip in NYC once. I was able to comfortably walk from the train station, to my hotel, and to the shared office-space we leased for the event. It was easy to romanticize being in such a lively place, all within mere minutes of where I was sleeping. Sadly, there was no way to achieve that work/life balance in that place without at least tripling my income. However, it did make me think about how dissatisfied I was in suburbia, and I wound up moving to a small city as a compromise.