Lets talk salary in tech and lets talk life
Lets talk about how high your daily rate could rise to and then lets talk why it does not matter if you don’t hit the brake
So lets see the numbers. After taxes the number is 4k€ average per month in Europe and 2–3K$ extra in USA. This article is done! Thank you for reading it…
The above statement is actually true if we talk in average. But this article is not about numbers salaries and daily rates!
Life is not just about money and work.
At the end of the day, what’s the real cost? I am talking about the cost of burning out. I am talking about the cost of overtime. I once read that after ten years, only your child will remember than you need to work again tonight till 10pm. Unfortunately, I think that’s only half the truth. The other half is that after another ten years, your child won’t remember any of this. The only thing your children will recall about their first ten years is how their parents worked to support them and never read them a bedtime story because they were too tired. Is this the example we are setting? Is this our legacy?
What should we do then? Considering that working as a consultant (since consultants often earn the most) or employee is genuinely challenging. It’s hard work, plain and simple. What then? All of us want to be at the top. Everyone wants to maximise their earnings . Everyone also wants to rest properly and lead a normal life. So, what should we do? Here’s the main thesis of this article: Be the best and earn the most. At 6:00 PM, shut your laptop and go home. Sounds pretty silly, right? But what if there’s an urgent call at 7:30 PM? I have three emails to write tonight. I just didn’t have time today. And a hundred other similar things you might hear.
At first, it may seems impossible. But believe me, no one wants you to burn out. You want it! This is 100% true for Europe. I know that different locations have their own specifics. I know you can’t compare tech destinations like Europe, the States, etc. But guess what: I’ve worked for American, European, and various companies. At the core of it all is the fact that no one wants you to burn out. That’s a big truth. Unfortunately, however, there’s an even bigger truth. No one minds if you DO burn out, either. No one will stop you! Your boss won’t call you and say: “Hey man, it’s 9 PM, I see you’re still sending emails, stop now and go have a beer with friends or relax on the couch or go read your child a bedtime story.” I’ve never heard of such a story. Nor have I heard the opposite, though: I’ve never been told, “You will work as long as there’s work, if necessary until 11 PM every day or you’re fired tomorrow.” And I’ve been in many companies and on many projects, trust me.
What I’m trying to tell you is that you have to put on your own brakes, and that it’s ‘okay’ to hit the brakes. Also, if you don’t hit the brakes, life will likely force you to, and by then it might be too late to fix things. I’ve seen it many times. How many families have been broken because the parents experienced burnout, leaving them with no time for anything besides work? How many children don’t know their parents because they are always away on business trips? There’s a huge chance if you stop reading this article for 10 seconds and think about it, you might remember a colleague of yours who had a mini heart attack or a panic attack or something else life-threatening because of what? Because of the inability to hit the brakes. Think again. And again. 6 PM is approaching! What will you do? Will you hit the brakes? Or will you stay late again today?
Life is not just about money and work.
Whether the above statement is true or not is up to you!
I hope you liked this article. If yes please subscribe! Stay tuned for the next one. Until then, I wish you a very nice, productive, and burnout-free week :)
Dobri Kostadinov
Android Consultant | Trainer
Email me | Follow me on LinkedIn | Follow me on Medium | Buy me a coffee
