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> I got two guys with Master degrees for $20k less than what you wanted.") but not so good for employees on the upper end of the pay scale. MIT grad, data scie

> I got two guys with Master degrees for $20k less than what you wanted.") but not so good for employees on the upper end of the pay scale. MIT grad, data scientist here. Again, if you are not a top data scientist, it will work fine for you. I routinely get offered $300K/year as a recent PhD grad in the Bay area. I would not get anywhere near proportional compensation in Atlanta or even Seattle.

sjg007 9y ago
What is that like as VP of data science?
wakkaflokka 9y ago
That's some incredible money, congrats! I'm not going to pretend this is scientific in any way, but using online COL calculators (http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/index.html http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/index.html), $300k in San Francisco is supposedly (taken with many grains of salt) equivalent to $172k in Atlanta, which you could surely land?
- Consultant32452 9y ago
  The thing that's impossible to make up in these COLA calculations is retirement savings. Putting away 10% of $300k is very different than 10% of $172k. And you don't have to retire where you work.
- ffumarola 9y ago
  Those calculators are ridiculous because they assume you spend your entire income. The cost of living adjustment only applies to what you spend when evaluating which salary:city combination is ideal for you.
  - madcaptenor 9y ago
    Those calculators are ridiculous because they assume you spend your entire income. For most Americans that's pretty close to being correct - the average savings rate is around 6%. (https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/03/heres-the-average-americans-savings-rate.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/03/heres-the-average-...)
    - lsc 9y ago
      You don't think that varies a lot by income? My impression is that savings as a percentage go up dramatically with income. I don't think I know anyone working in the industry that considers it reasonable to not max out their 401k, and who doesn't save substantially on top of that. This would be quite difficult for someone on an average salary with kids, or sometime who works in an industry where keeping up appearances is important.
      - madcaptenor 9y ago
        OK, savings rate does vary by income, according to the Fed: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/2016-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2015-Income-and-Savings.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/2016-economic-wel... . They only break things out into three income brackets (0-40K, 40K-100K, 100K+) - but even in the 100K+ bracket the median savings rate is somewhere between 6 and 10%, which isn't quite "max out the 401k" level. It looks like the data is available (https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/shed_data.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/shed_dat...). The survey asks about level of education, what field that education was in, and number of children, so something like what you're asking about is actually checkable.
    - ffumarola 9y ago
      That's mostly a choice for high income earners, and much of that discretionary spend costs similar amounts no matter where you live. Vacation costs, Amazon splurges, etc, don't change between Akron and SF.

sjg007 9y ago

What is that like as VP of data science?

wakkaflokka 9y ago

That's some incredible money, congrats! I'm not going to pretend this is scientific in any way, but using online COL calculators (http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/index.html http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/index.html), $300k in San Francisco is supposedly (taken with many grains of salt) equivalent to $172k in Atlanta, which you could surely land?

Consultant32452 9y ago
The thing that's impossible to make up in these COLA calculations is retirement savings. Putting away 10% of $300k is very different than 10% of $172k. And you don't have to retire where you work.
ffumarola 9y ago
Those calculators are ridiculous because they assume you spend your entire income. The cost of living adjustment only applies to what you spend when evaluating which salary:city combination is ideal for you.
- madcaptenor 9y ago
  Those calculators are ridiculous because they assume you spend your entire income. For most Americans that's pretty close to being correct - the average savings rate is around 6%. (https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/03/heres-the-average-americans-savings-rate.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/03/heres-the-average-...)
  - lsc 9y ago
    You don't think that varies a lot by income? My impression is that savings as a percentage go up dramatically with income. I don't think I know anyone working in the industry that considers it reasonable to not max out their 401k, and who doesn't save substantially on top of that. This would be quite difficult for someone on an average salary with kids, or sometime who works in an industry where keeping up appearances is important.
    - madcaptenor 9y ago
      OK, savings rate does vary by income, according to the Fed: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/2016-economic-well-being-of-us-households-in-2015-Income-and-Savings.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/2016-economic-wel... . They only break things out into three income brackets (0-40K, 40K-100K, 100K+) - but even in the 100K+ bracket the median savings rate is somewhere between 6 and 10%, which isn't quite "max out the 401k" level. It looks like the data is available (https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/shed_data.htm https://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerscommunities/shed_dat...). The survey asks about level of education, what field that education was in, and number of children, so something like what you're asking about is actually checkable.
  - ffumarola 9y ago
    That's mostly a choice for high income earners, and much of that discretionary spend costs similar amounts no matter where you live. Vacation costs, Amazon splurges, etc, don't change between Akron and SF.