Well, by the poll I would argue there is quite a few of them that feel this way! Tell your programmer about this poll/thread then. LMAO.
In an open market people move from one opportunity to the next... If you want the increase that an EE would bring then do the work and get the EE.... You are not "required to have" or do anything. It is called freedom. The talent market is very efficient over the long run. In the short run there are some extremes but in the long run it is very accurate and self adjusting. The alternative is to work for the government or a union with wages set by the central committee.
I am not disagreeing at all with one word you say. Read the title of this thread WE SELL OURSELVES OUT TOO CHEAP. Not that we don't have the freedom to do anything, etc. IT IS OUR OWN FAULT!
The 'product' cannot improve price without adding some differentiatior... Or, through some sort of collective bargaining. Programmers will not join collectives (IMHO). Nitro, did you give up on trading for yourself? I thought at one time you were making progress.... Forget the W2 world it is screwed; focus on the 1099 world, especially if you have an unconventional resume... Get back to work for yourself.... You must have learned a lot in the corporate setting.... You sound a little stressed about this salary thing. It is beyond your control..... Get back on your plan!!! Good trading
Back and forth between self employed trader and programmer, or both. I recently had the opportunity of a (my) lifetime, and we butchered it (it is not entirely our fault, but I can't go into it since I signed papers that I would not disclose.) Stress is not the right word. For better or worse, I have always fought for the underdog. Even if I were worth billions, it bothers me. I swear to you if I had a trading firm, my goal would be to make everyone rich that contributed. Probably why I am still poor. LMAO.
I'm a trader/programmer myself; but my experience with traders is different from yours, nitro. The traders I've been around (the successful ones at least) have a strong tolerance for risk on top of a knack for analytical thinking; they do know quite a bit of things that the pure programmer types just don't understand. (Not saying that programmers couldn't learn it - it's just that most don't.) In my experience, it's the traders with the true keys to profitability. They're the ones who come up with the strategies. Programmers just implement them (which is important, but not nearly as important as having the strategy in the first place.) Furthermore, programming can be boiled down into something of an assembly-line routine. There's colleges and universities pumping out adequate programmers by the horde. That commoditizes programmers and makes them replaceable. There aren't equivalent education mills churning out good traders. Accordingly, it's much harder to come up with a practical strategy (with the proper risk parameters, etc) from nothing than it is to code a strategy once you're told how it works. I certainly don't think programmers are overpaid, but I do think that (mostly) a trader's income is justified, given what he or she brings to the table.
Please don't take me for being a jerk, but the reason is because in general people who do programming / computers are pussies, they are just like women. You often hear how men make more than women. IMO the reason is because women are generally more timid than men to ask for a raise, and for that simple reason they end up making less. If I had a business and there was one employee where if they were to ask for a raise I'd give them a raise, but if they never asked, I'd probably never give.
This email blew my mind. For the first time, Chicago financial programmers are being offered $600k a year compensation. I hope this trend continues. I know the economy is very bad, but accepting a programming position (let alone a financial programming position) even with minimal experience, for anything less than $100k, you are doing yourself a disservice. I am of the opinion that any programming job starts at $100k compensation.