VB.NET Web Programmer in New York $40/hr

[James Curran]

Consider this. You live somewhere in NJ, assuming you rent - your rent will
be between 1000-1500.

Actually, I own a condo. Mortgage = $1000/month.

Your monthly commute expense (parking + trains) could
be as high as 400$ a month, but not less than 200$.

NJTransit: $87 + PATH:$40 = $127. I used to walk to the nearest train
station from my home (600 yards), until they closed that a couple years ago.
Now I drive about a mile to just close enough to it to parking is free. If I
wanted to park in the lot right next to it (and pump the proper number of
quarters into the meter), add $3/day. And I could cut $15 off that if I
wanted to take NJTransit all the way into Penn Station (instead of to
Hoboken) but that would mean an extra 10 block walk.

Don't forget the 1-2 hours each way (clock starts when u leave ur door, clock stops when u reach
ur desk).

1 hour 15 minutes door-to-door including the walk on both ends.

And dude, much of it might even be standing in a train.

Never (but than I tend to communte just after rush hour, both ways)

You will have a laptop, you will have an iPOD -
there is simply no other way to put up with that commute.

When I'm not reading a book, I'm playing Spider Solitair or Freecell on
my iPaq.

Now, the last job I had in NJ, was a 45 minute drive --- in generally
bumper-to-bumper traffic (In Manhattan the workday starts at 10am; in NJ, it
starts 8:30 <shutter>)


--
--
Truth,
James Curran
[erstwhile VC++ MVP]

Home: www.noveltheory.com Work: www.njtheater.com
Blog: www.honestillusion.com Day Job: www.partsearch.com

 

[Gabriel Lozano-Morán]

I live in Belgium and a decent software engineer who works as a consultant
earns somewhere between 10$ to 15$ / hour after tax deduction (so no more
taxes). With that you normally get a car type Audi A4 of VW Passat, fuel
card, laptop, mobile phone, ... It doesn't seem a lot but we don't need to
close an additional insurrance for dentist, doctor. And we don't "need" to
put money aside for retirement, ... You get about 30 days of paid holidays a
year and mortgage of 1000$ / month is for a decent appartement nowadays. I
work in Antwerp and I takes me 1.5 to 2 hours to get to work. If I go by
train it would cost me about 250$ / month. And it doesn't get any better if
I would work in Spain.

About 2 weeks ago I heard on the news that a Belgian employer pays about
12.000$ / year per employee for social insurrance. In the USA it was an
average of 2500$ / year. This means that an employee in the USA needs to put
aside about 10.000$ / year to get the same social benefits as Belgian
employees.

Gabriel Lozano-Morán

 

[M. Posseth]

its a progressive tax system , the more you earn the more you pay i do
not earn so very much
but I pay 42 % incom taxes , the VAT = 19%


:-(


Michel Posseth

Well, 40 an hour in the computer industry, especially in NYC is considered
(way) too low. Which is why I was poking fun at this post in the first
place. I can't even imagine how tough it'd be in Holland - what is the tax
rate there?

- Sahil Malik [MVP]
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sahil.malik/

 

[C-Services Holland b.v.]

its a progressive tax system , the more you earn the more you pay i do
not earn so very much
but I pay 42 % incom taxes , the VAT = 19%


:-(

Remember you only pay that 42% over the last part. There's a bit that's
free, a bit where you pay around 30% and then 42% etc etc, up to where
you pay 70% over the last bit if you earn enough. It's not like you pay
42% over the entire amount.

 

[m.posseth]

Hmm at a 40hr workweek that would come to $7000 a month. That's around
2.5 times what I make. And you're complaining it's not enough? Last time
I was in the US everything was cheaper than it is over here
(Netherlands). Now I always suspected my salary wasn't in the upper
regions, but around average nonetheless. Reading the comments in this
thread makes me wonder about salaries around the world.

7000 / 2.5

2,800.00 USD = 2,156.72 EUR

Do we talk about netto salary or bruto salary ????

if i may ask what is your age ???

Michel Posseth

 

[Cor Ligthert]

Rinze,

I can write things about this, however than we come in political issues.

I won't be a policeman and have no problems with of topic issues.

However I think that when it start to become local politics we should not
discuss that in this newsgroup.

Just my thought,

Cor

 

[Sahil Malik [MVP]]

But Steve, those houses are cheap for a reason - if you had one of those,
you'd be spending 2-3 hours each way commuting to a closeby larger city.

- Sahil Malik [MVP]
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sahil.malik/

 

[Sahil Malik [MVP]]

Don't forget the biggest advantage of working in Europe vs. America

A MUCH easier and peaceful and slower life.

Around here, everyone is overdozed on coffee. Especially NYC is a city of
well dressed folks in severe lack of sleep and overdozed on caffeine with
serious health issues being ignored. It's a run run run world, if you walk,
you'll get run over.

And lets not forget - no retirement, and very expensive insurance.

- Sahil Malik [MVP]
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sahil.malik/

 

[Mark Rae]

Don't forget the biggest advantage of working in Europe vs. America

A MUCH easier and peaceful and slower life.

When did you last work in London...? Admittedly, I haven't worked in the
States since 1992, and that was in Baltimore rather than NYC...

 

[Steve Walker]

But Steve, those houses are cheap for a reason - if you had one of those,
you'd be spending 2-3 hours each way commuting to a closeby larger city.

I suppose so. My office is a 2 hour drive from here, but then I work
from home most days. I'm usually in for meetings once or twice a month
(although it has been three times so far in April).

 

[Sahil Malik [MVP]]

I guess it depends where you live. My experience is based on commuting from
Carteret to Manhattan. I did it for about 40 days and I was outta there LOL

- Sahil Malik [MVP]
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sahil.malik/

Consider this. You live somewhere in NJ, assuming you rent - your rent will
be between 1000-1500.

Actually, I own a condo. Mortgage = $1000/month.

Your monthly commute expense (parking + trains) could
be as high as 400$ a month, but not less than 200$.

NJTransit: $87 + PATH:$40 = $127. I used to walk to the nearest train
station from my home (600 yards), until they closed that a couple years ago.
Now I drive about a mile to just close enough to it to parking is free. If I
wanted to park in the lot right next to it (and pump the proper number of
quarters into the meter), add $3/day. And I could cut $15 off that if I
wanted to take NJTransit all the way into Penn Station (instead of to
Hoboken) but that would mean an extra 10 block walk.

Don't forget the 1-2 hours each way (clock starts when u leave ur door, clock stops when u reach
ur desk).

1 hour 15 minutes door-to-door including the walk on both ends.

And dude, much of it might even be standing in a train.

Never (but than I tend to communte just after rush hour, both ways)

You will have a laptop, you will have an iPOD -
there is simply no other way to put up with that commute.

When I'm not reading a book, I'm playing Spider Solitair or Freecell on
my iPaq.

Now, the last job I had in NJ, was a 45 minute drive --- in generally
bumper-to-bumper traffic (In Manhattan the workday starts at 10am; in NJ, it
starts 8:30 <shutter>)


--
--
Truth,
James Curran
[erstwhile VC++ MVP]

Home: www.noveltheory.com Work: www.njtheater.com
Blog: www.honestillusion.com Day Job: www.partsearch.com

Having said that, I am quite certain that scoring 100K in NYC is no biggie
(You have to be good though). Yes that is only salary. Scoring 150 is quite
tough but possible - you have to god in what you do though - including
business knowledge (mostly finance). Scoring 200 (salary as a .net architect
is) is dreaming - no matter how good you are - but you could hit that as a
consultant. I wouldn't want to get stuck up and say that I will never go to
NYC under 100K - but in today's market I wouldn't.

Another good reason to work in NYC is - you will almost never be unemployed
(assuming ur good). Plus some people like that lifestyle. I can see why that
lifestyle is attractive - it's very hard to get bored there.

Anyway, dude this is a C#/DotNet board I think LOL.

- Sahil Malik [MVP]
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sahil.malik/

 

[Sahil Malik [MVP]]

I haven't worked in London. Not sure how is it like there. Maybe u could
educate us? I hear payscales in London are right thru the roof.

Baltimore is still like any other US city - but NYC is faster. Generally the
coasts are faster, whatever you fly over travelling from coast to coast is
laidback and easy, and the bigger the city, the crazier it is. NYC/SF/DC are
quite fast moving. Chicago I'm not sure.

- Sahil Malik [MVP]
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sahil.malik/

 

[Mark Rae]

I haven't worked in London. Not sure how is it like there. Maybe u could
educate us? I hear payscales in London are right thru the roof.

Well, I'm currently on £500 (c$1,000) a day as a senior .NET developer...

That's quite near the top of the pay scale, but it is possible to extend
this up to say £800 if you've got lots of BizTalk / SharePoint / financial
experience...

 

[Bert]

Well, I'm currently on £500 (c$1,000) a day

He, we were speaking about monthly salary, not dayly... ;-)

 

[Gabriel Lozano-Morán]

Omfg this means that if I would work the normal 22 days / month I would earn
about 22.000$ / month as a senior .NET developer?

Man I've got to get out of this country

Gabriel Lozano-Morán

 

[Stephany Young]

But 80% of that would go in income tax/living costs/travelling costs.

Living and working in London costs an arm and a leg.

 

[C-Services Holland b.v.]

I won't be a policeman and have no problems with of topic issues.

Cor

Then don't. You have this nasty habbit of trying to police this ng.

just my observation.

 

[C-Services Holland b.v.]

7000 / 2.5

2,800.00 USD = 2,156.72 EUR

Do we talk about netto salary or bruto salary ????

if i may ask what is your age ???

Michel Posseth

bruto.. and I'm 32. Your exchange rate is a bit lower then mine Add
around 250 EU. I said around 2.5 cause I just did it quickly not taking
into acount the dollar is worth even less then the last time I looked,
but it's close enough.

Not that I'm (realy) complaining though I can do the things I want to do.

 

[Mark Rae]

But 80% of that would go in income tax/living costs/travelling costs.

Not if you're a self-employed contractor with your own limited company.
Currently, I put away 35% of total earnings into a tax account to cover
things like ENI, Corporation Tax etc, and the remaining 65% is mine.

Living and working in London costs an arm and a leg.

Not necessarily...

 

[Sahil Malik [MVP]]

Just as I had thought, it is a bit more than what you can make in America.
The only place where I've seen easier money is the gulf, and I really
haven't worked there, but people tell me that it is damn easy to fill sacks
of dollars there.

- Sahil Malik [MVP]
http://codebetter.com/blogs/sahil.malik/